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‘League of Legends’ tournaments coming to ESPN+ starting in July

ESPN has announced that League of Legends is coming to ESPN+. The cable sports network made the announcement on Friday, saying that it has signed a multi-year agreement with LoL‘s developer Riot Games. ESPN+ will kick off its coverage on July 16 — just in time for the North American League of Legends Championship Series Summer Split. Following this, the summer finals will be held in September, followed by the world championships later this year,

ESPN’s agreement with Riot is not an exclusive one, so LoL fans will still be able to stream the matches on Twitch at no cost. ESPN is likely hoping this move will entice some people to sign up for its ESPN+ subscription service. The service costs $5 per month and gives users access to thousands of hours of live sporting events, original programming, and ad-free use of the ESPN’s site and mobile app.

Like many traditional media outlets, ESPN has struggled with adapting to how the internet has changed news and sports coverage. The cable news network has had to contend with dwindling subscription numbers, as many people opt to cut ties with cable altogether. In its prime, ESPN was one of America’s most popular outlets for coverage of sporting events, analysis, and player interviews. Now that virtually every professional athlete has their own Twitter profile, there is less need for traditional sporting coverage.

The decline of cable may play a large part in ESPN’s decision to move into the realm of esports coverage. A decade or so ago, the idea of ESPN covering video games in a major way was a laughable concept, but esports have grown into a multi-million dollar industry, with a fanbase just as devoted as those of any traditional sport. In fact, many esports teams, such as those in the Overwatch League and a handful of LoL teams, are owned by major sports teams.

ESPN’s deal with Riot is not the first time that ESPN has covered MOBA competitions. In 2015 and 2016, ESPN partnered with Blizzard Entertainment for coverage of the Heroes of the Dorm tournament, which focused on Blizzard’s own MOBA, Heroes of the Storm.

Eric Brackett
Former Digital Trends Contributor
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom takes the right cues from Tears of the Kingdom
Zelda holds a rock in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

The only constant in the Legend of Zelda series is change. From its perspective to its art style, Nintendo takes some surprising risks when it comes to one of its most valuable franchises. That often pays off. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, for instance, was a bold open-world reinvention of the classic adventure formula that put an emphasis on flexible gameplay and emergent moments born from creative thinking. That design didn’t just influence its direct sequel, the excellent The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It’s very much present in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom too.

I’ve been curious about how the first Zelda game to actually star Zelda would work ever since it was revealed. It looked like a return to top-down form, but its item-copying hook suggested that it might be more creatively open-ended than any traditional Zelda game. After playing 90 minutes of it, I can see exactly how Nintendo is fusing old and new to once again reinvent its tried-and-true formula. Echoes of Wisdom plays like a miniature Tears of the Kingdom, at least in terms of how it lets players tackle problems in multiple ways. That makes for a unique puzzle adventure hybrid that I’m already eager to return to.
Summoning echoes
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom begins with mysterious rifts opening up around Hyrule. Princess Zelda is blamed for their appearance and imprisoned. My demo begins in captivity, where she meets a little sidekick named Tri. The Navi-like partner gives Zelda the Tri Rod, an item capable of copying items and letting her freely summon them. I get to test it out right away, cloning an object in my cell and using it as a platform to reach a high-up exit. A stealth sequence ensues that introduces the basics of that echo play.

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Is Rocket League cross-platform?
is rocket league cross platform featured

There are few games that embody "pure fun" quite like Rocket League. It's not a hard game to understand: You drive a car, you hit a massive ball into the opposing goal, and the first team to score the most points wins. It's that simplicity that makes Rocket League such an excellent game, though. No matter if you're deep into shooters like Apex Legends or someone who likes to take a load off with Stardew Valley, Rocket League has something for you. But does it let you share that fun by being a cross-platform game? Let's find out.
Is Rocket League cross-platform?
Yes, Rocket League supports cross-platform play across PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Steam, and Nintendo Switch. No matter which platform you're on, you can team up with or against friends online. Like Call of Duty: Warzone, players from all platforms enter the same matchmaking queue, so when you're playing online, you'll likely be playing alongside users on other systems.

Unlike Call of Duty, though, you don't need an external account for crossplay. As long as you've updated your game since February 19, 2019, cross-platform play should already be enabled. All you need to do is start a match to play with other systems.
How to enable cross-platform play in Rocket League

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Characters run in key art for Temple Run: Legends.

When I'm riding on the New York City subway, I'm almost always playing a game on my Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch. I still haven't gotten over the novel appeal of getting to take a complicated, graphically intense game like Elden Ring on the go. I'm spoiled, but sometimes I can't help but glimpse at the grass on the other side. Sometimes I'll notice a fellow commuter playing a simple mobile game like Subway Surfers.

In that moment, I'm torn in two. One part of me feels thrilled that portable gaming is no longer restrained to brainless experiences like that. Another part of me, though, wishes I was playing that game instead.

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