So who saw Escape From Duckov coming? Not me, being wrapped in the hype for Battlefield 6, the intrigue of Arc Raiders, and pondering Black Ops 7’s arrival. But Escape From Duckov, a wonderfully named extraction title, has arrived and landed in Steam’s top five most played games.

How did we get here? And what does the future hold for this fun game from developers Team Soda? If the opening to this article feels like a random fever dream, stay with me. We will dive into Duckov, what it’s doing well, how it’s standing out, and what you need to know about this fresh breath of gaming air. 

Escape From Duckov calls itself a PvE indie survival RPG. But, considering the game’s core element involves your duck character scavenging for resources to create a hideout and upgrade gear, it’s also an extraction title. So what if your character is waterfowl and not human? Released on October 16, this looter shooter is all about solo-duck progression. 

That’s right, whereas titles like EFT and Arc Raiders are PvEvP, Duckov doesn’t worry itself with the threat of other players. Instead, you can enjoy surviving the isometric, top-down, egg-shaped world (no, really), battling against hostile ducks to find precious loot and rise to victory. Who needs proximity chat? And even better is that it’s available for $16.

That’s less than half the price of the standard Edition of Arc Raiders and Escape From Tarkov, and Duckov is a diminutive install, too. It’s barely over 2GB, and runs on PC and Mac, making it an easy and fun alternative to pick up. That’s not to say there isn’t a challenge here, though, as a selection of difficulty settings is available.

A game with a derivative name based on ducks isn’t the most likely candidate for a standout indie title, but here we are. Duckov has sold more than 500,000 copies, and at the time of writing, it has a current player total of 154,835. That’s higher than the equivalent player count for free FPS standout, Delta Force, and more than double, for example, Apex Legends.

These numbers are why the title has rocketed to fifth on Steam’s most played list. And with its mix of cutesy charm and challenging scavenger-based fun, its peak player number so far is 185,000. That’s more than Rust, Stardew Valley, Team Fortress 2, and Megabonk. 

It’s fair to say that Duckov’s release has been pretty successful, but it’s not just doing well with people playing. According to Twitchtracker, Duckov is the 61st most-watched game on Twitch in the last seven days. That places it just ahead of Silent Hill F for people tuning in. That’s not too shabby. 

These numbers, and the sudden arrival of a title that doesn’t care for PvP or much seriousness, are just wonderful. As we head toward the holidays, nestled between triple-A and premium releases vying for gamers’ attentions, here is a game about Ducks and looting. So if you want to turn off from more realistic gaming, Duckov feels like a palate cleanser. 

For a hobby that is all about escapism, gaming loves player-to-player connection. That’s well and good, but if player connection is via fired weapons, it can become a lot…quite quickly. As mentioned, Escape from Duckov isn’t PvP even a little bit. And the developers don’t show any signs of wanting to implement it. Frankly, I applaud that.

For a title being called a ‘Tarkov parody’, and with PvP part and parcel of EFT, Duckov is happy with its lot. Sometimes, a cutesy, duck-themed game away from the hubbub of humanity is all you need to enjoy yourself, eh? Well, having briefly jumped into Duckov, I can certainly see it being a ‘down-time’ title aside from Arc Raiders or Battlefield 6.

Does it have the longevity, though? It’s tricky to quantify. Team Soda hasn’t released a roadmap for Duckov just yet. Additionally, although players have voiced interest in a co-op mode for friendly ducklings to join, it’s currently just a hope. There will undoubtedly be improvements and updates in the future, and hopefully, half a million Steam sales will help. 

Where does Duckov go from here? Overnight sales success can quickly dwindle, and momentum is lost if gamers find themselves without new content or a community of like-minded souls. The initial reviews for Escape From Duckov show as Overwhelmingly Positive, and thousands have been watching on Twitch, both of which are great.

Currently, the title stands out from a pack of extraction-themed alternatives. There’s also no doubt that its no-compromise, light-hearted duck-ness could be a long-standing pull. For gamers (16+), enjoying gaming away from tactical realism, destructive scenery, and human-themed dystopias may stay refreshing. I’ve certainly found it so initially. 

So what next? If Duckov can continue to attract and engage gamers, wouldn’t it be great to see it hit a million sales? I don’t want to jinx it, but it feels possible. Self-powered gaming promotion requires word of mouth and content creator adoption, too. Neither is guaranteed, and we may see in a month or so if Duckov’s Steam position is migratory.

Escape From Duckov is a fun, refreshing, and self-aware Duck-themed extraction, looter-shooter. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it doesn’t include PvP or co-op. That could be a nice salve if you want something away from other extraction titles or shooters, and it’s not too pricey or space-sapping either.

What the future holds for Duckov is uncertain. However, Team Soda deserves credit for its success and will surely want to bring new content to payers. For now, though, scavenging a disaster-struck world for the chance to thrive and get out alive is about as much duck-based gaming fun this writer can think of.  

Global esports team Team Liquid has made an appearance at Korea Blockchain Week (KBW) in partnership with the Sui Network.

The collaboration’s strategic focus, formally outlined in a press release, was to provide fans and the Web3 community with a new model for interactive esports experiences.

Team Liquid members hosted engagements at the Sui exhibition booth. A range of games were available for demonstration, each integrating blockchain technology with competitive gameplay.

This direct interaction was complemented by a dedicated side event, “Ready. Sui. Play!”, which featured a 3v3 XOCIETY show match between Team Liquid players and former Overwatch League professionals. 

This exhibition match allowed attendees to gain first-hand experience of blockchain’s impact on esports and the wider Web3 gaming sector.

Team Liquid and Sui have come a long way since the two companies first signed a multi-year deal in February 2024.

This relationship was previously actualised with the launch of MyBlue, a Sui-based fan engagement platform where fans complete quests and earn digital items.

For its second consecutive year, Team Liquid’s presence at Korea Blockchain Week was strategically expanded.  The 2025 showcase featured an increased number of games and guest panels.

Official figures placed total KBW attendance at over 28,000 Web3 enthusiasts and companies, with the centrally located Sui booth reported as a high-traffic area, according to Team Liquid.

James Almazan, Team Liquid’s Senior Marketing Manager, commented: “There were a lot of people from many different backgrounds learning about how blockchain technology is evolving and how Sui games are part of that evolution.

“Even though people were there for many different reasons, including robotics, they were very interested in seeing how video games can have blockchain integration. We saw a lot of people at the Super-B and XOCIETY demo stations trying out the games and invested in learning when the games were coming out.”

Multinational esports organisation Gen.G has partnered with 13 universities from across the United States to be part of its Practicum Abroad programme.

The initiative provides students with a three-week programme to study esports in Seoul, South Korea.

Led by Gen.G professionals, the Practicum Abroad programme includes mentorship by industry professionals, networking opportunities, and visits to gaming publishers within the South Korean capital.

The universities that have secured partnerships are as follows:

Earlier in the month, Gen.G confirmed Manchester University and Shenandoah University as partners of the initiative, where students can learn about Seoul’s esports ecosystem.

Arnold Hur, CEO of Gen.G, commented: “This is our most ambitious program since the launch of our Gen.G Practicum Abroad program, bringing together some of the best universities in the country to expand their educational programs on campus.

“The students will be fully immersed in Korea with hands-on experiences to give them a 360-degree view of the esports industry.”

Launched in October 2024, the Gen.G Practicum Abroad programme has awarded scholarships to over 40 students from across the United States, cementing its place as one of the top esports education initiatives in North America.

The programme is part of the Gen.G Foundation’s $1m (~£747,765) pledge to advance education within gaming and esports.

In recent years, Gen.G has continued to ramp up its education initiatives, launching new projects to provide students with various learning opportunities.

September saw the organisation join forces with McDonald’s to host a Campus Takeover at Marymount University. The conference featured a range of industry panels along with opportunities for students to network.

With 13 new universities partnering with Gen.G, a greater number of students have a chance to participate in the initiative, where they can work with the organisation’s staff and visit a city where esports has become an integral part of its culture.

Tag-team fighting games have been around since the early 1990s, but it was arguably Marvel vs. Capcom that made the mechanic popular in 1998. Instead of playing as one character, you could select two and switch between them in the arcades, with both characters able to perform their special attacks at once if a power bar was high enough.

With Riot Games’ 2XKO being in the deep throes of early access since October 7, the 2v2 title has arguably brought back the tag-team mechanic in a big way, as it’s lain dormant in recent years. However, both 2XKO and the first Marvel vs. Capcom title share some similarities. With this in mind, we’re comparing both to see how they differ from one another.

Both games share a 2v2 tag-team mechanic that lets players switch between characters on the fly. In 2XKO’s case, there are air dashes, special attacks, and defence moves that can help players turn the match in their favour, all while using the tag-team mechanic to perform combos that feature both characters. Despite 2XKO currently being in early access, players can use practice mode to hone their skills on two of the 11 characters currently available. Riot Games has also been listening to fan feedback, tinkering with the gameplay of every character to make sure they’re not overpowered.

For a game that came out in 1998, Marvel vs. Capcom does not feature support by Capcom in 2025 by way of patches. Instead, the game is playable via the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics compilation, released for platforms and PC in 2024. Every mechanic has stayed the same ever since, with players able to pick two fighters, as well as be given an assist character that can be summoned at any time. More powerful special attacks can be performed as long as the energy bar at the bottom is full enough, and when tagging, the unused fighter can recover some health. Compared to 2XKO, Marvel vs. Capcom is a more fully featured and established game, especially as it set the standard for tag-team titles.

2XKO: 7/10

Marvel vs Capcom: 9/10

Game modes aren’t widely used in these types of fighting games. Players usually want to get stuck into the game, with the occasional use of a practice mode, if one’s featured. For 2XKO, you get three modes: casual, competitive, or training. With it currently being an early access, you can only fight other players online, due to Riot Games wanting to look at how the title is being played, in order to tweak it further for a wider release in the future. However, training mode is a great way of learning how each fighter works, and can get you ready for those matches when you find yourself up against a very experienced player.

It’s almost an even match when 2XKO is compared to Marvel vs. Capcom modes. You get Vs. Mode and Online modes, where you can fight against a friend sitting next to you, or via the new rollback online mode, which works great. But its Arcade mode is a fun time. Across 10 different levels, you’ll be facing different opponents who get more challenging every time. It culminates in facing the final boss, a non-playable opponent called Onslaught. He appears in two phases, with the final being very challenging, but fun. This is something 2XKO would greatly benefit from someday, as the lack of a true offline mode is very noticeable at the moment.

2XKO: 8/10

Marvel vs Capcom: 9/10

At the time of writing, in 2XKO, there are currently 11 characters, known as champions. With the debut of early access in 2XKO, players can choose two of these to fight as, each with their own unique special attacks, and more. Some of these are also from Riot Games’ League of Legends title, which may appeal to some players.

These include Jinx, Braum, Ekko, and more. There was a danger that all of these would either not transfer over well to a fighting game or would be too similar to each other. But Riot Games has been able to set each 2XKO character apart, thanks to their gameplay mechanics and trailers that have showcased how unique they are to one another.

Even before Marvel vs.Capcom arrived in 1998, Capcom had several games in the versus series already available, with a mix of its own characters like Ryu and Zangief, as well as Marvel characters like Cyclops and Apocalypse, ready to fight. But Marvel vs. Capcom’s 15 characters, as well as four secret ones, which are palette-swaps of existing ones, are very different from one another, more than what’s found in 2XKO.

Here, you get attacks that are faithful to their comic book counterparts, as well as those found in Capcom’s games like Street Fighter and Mega Man. There are also 22 assist characters that can help turn the tide in matches, bringing about some surprising appearances by those not seen in previous vs games. Ultimately, Marvel vs. Capcom wins the character battle here when compared to 2XKO’s roster.

2XKO: 7/10

Marvel vs Capcom: 10/10

Despite 2XKO being in early access, that has not stopped Riot Games from looking at ways to include the title in the esports scene already. At EVO France earlier this month, the game had its first official tournament hosted there, which saw French player Marwan ‘Wawa’ Berthe win first place. It seems like Riot Games wants to refine 2XKO further during the early access phase before we see more tournaments featuring the game. However, with it featuring League of Legends and VALORANT, we wouldn’t be surprised if Riot Games is planning a series of dedicated esports events for 2XKO once it fully launches for PC and consoles.

When it comes to Marvel vs. Capcom in the esports scene, it’s unfortunately bare, except for its second and third entries, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and 2011’s Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Both have ironically seen a recent resurgence at tournaments like EVO and Ultimate Fighting Arena, mostly due to the failure of the latest entry, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite. This was due to some slower gameplay mechanics and strange art style decisions that put many players off. But the first entry is seen as a legacy title — great for playing with family and friends, but not in worldwide tournaments.

2XKO: 8/10

Marvel vs Capcom: 6/10

Both 2XKO and Marvel vs. Capcom share plenty of similarities, such as a 2v2 tag-team mechanic, special attacks, assists, and game modes. But they also differ in how Marvel vs. Capcom is a complete game and has spawned its own series of games, whereas Riot Games has leveraged characters from its League of Legends title to help give 2XKO some familiarity to players.

For now, we’d rank Marvel vs. Capcom in winning the battle against 2XKO here. Its longstanding reputation, fantastic characters and assists, as well as its dedicated Arcade Mode, is a very fun time, and always has been since its 1998 debut. Despite 2XKO getting off to a great start, it’d be good to see the title appear on consoles sooner rather than later.

Ubisoft and esports tournament organiser BLAST have announced that the R6 Asia-Pacific Regional Finals 2025 will take place in Sydney, Australia.

The six-team Rainbow Six Siege X event will take place from December 11th to 14th, 2025, and features a €100,000 (~£86,811) prize pool.

The tournament will include a double-elimination, best-of-three bracket across the four days, with the Grand Final determining the 2025 APL champions.

In addition to the winner securing the lion’s share of the prize pool, the team will earn direct qualification to the Six Invitational 2026, taking place next February.

The six teams competing in the APAC League Regional Finals can be found below:

Tickets to the event at Fortress Sydney are available for purchase now, with single-day passes starting at $20 AUD (~£9.71).

All matches taking place at the APAC Regional Finals will be broadcast across Rainbow Six’s Twitch and YouTube channels. During the event, Twitch viewers will be eligible to earn a range of Twitch drops.

The APAC Regional Finals is one of several regional tournaments taking place across the globe. From November 29th to December 14th, the North American Regional Finals take place in Philadelphia, with another place at the Six Invitational up for grabs.

As Rainbow Six’s competitive season continues to wrap up, attention is turning to the upcoming BLAST Rainbow Six Munich Major.

Taking place from November 8th to 16th, 16 of the world’s best teams head to the BMW Park Arena for a share of a $750,00 (~£560,515) prize pool and a chance to earn direct qualification to next year’s Six Invitational.

Four teams from the APAC region are competing at the Munich Major. CAG Osaka, Weibo Gaming, Dplus, and Enterprise Esports join the likes of Team Falcons, Team Secret, and G2 Esports for a chance at championship glory.

Esports tournament organiser ESL has unveiled its Counter-Strike 2 esports calendar for the ESL Pro Tour in 2028.

Over the course of the year, the tournament organiser will operate six Tier 1 events between January and November.

The six events confirmed throughout 2028 will form part of the ESL Pro Tour, the organiser’s dedicated Counter-Strike 2 esports circuit.

In addition to the confirmed events, ESL has also revealed that it may operate additional events during the year. Further information on any new events will be announced separately.

Following ESL’s 2028 calendar announcement, the full list of dates for each event can be found below:

The tournament organiser has yet to reveal the locations for the six events.

ESL is the first event organiser to unveil its plans for 2028, adhering to Valve’s Tournament Operation Requirements. Tournaments taking place after December 31st, 2026, must be announced “at least 22 months” before the tournament’s main event begins.

Throughout 2025, ESL has continued to unveil its plans for various CS2 events taking place over the next few years.

In August, it was revealed that IEM Cologne 2026 will host the first Major of the 2026 season, marking ten years since a Counter-Strike Major took place at the Lanxess Arena.

Later in the month, it announced that Katowice, Poland, would host the ESL Pro League Season 24 Finals in 2026. The event is the first time the Pro League has taken place in a large-scale venue since ESL Pro League Season 10, which took place at the Jyske Bank Arena in Odense, Denmark.

With the spooky season well and truly underway, Overwatch 2’s annual Halloween event has officially dropped in the game. Rather than the usual Overwatch Halloween Terror events, the game has introduced a whole new game mode this year: Overwatch 2 Haunted Masquerade. 

We’re going to be looking at everything you need to know about Overwatch Haunted Masquerade, including how the mode works and the different masks available. 

The Haunted Masquerade is the brand-new Overwatch 2 game mode released to celebrate the Halloween season. The event is an arcade-style PvP mode that introduces Hero Masks. Hero Masks are pretty ridiculous to look at, as they are designed to look like cardboard cutouts of each hero’s face. However, the mechanics of the mask are particularly interesting, as they offer unique abilities. The game mode is a regular 6v6 match, but each player receives a buff from their chosen mask and a silly look thanks to the flimsy cardboard aesthetic. 

Haunted Masquerade is all about having fun with the different masks. Each mask offers a specific ability related to the hero whose face is on the front of it. In each round, there are six masks available to pick from, though they can only choose from the six heroes each player picks during a game. Players can change their chosen hero between rounds, but once a game begins, they are locked in. Masks can be changed at any point. 

Not all the Overwatch heroes are available to play as in Halloween Masquerade. There are five Tank heroes, 10 DPS heroes and seven Support heroes. The characters that can be played are as follows:

Each mask has its own ability – as noted – and these abilities relate to their designated hero, such as Tracer’s mask, which gives those who equip it a boost to their movement speed. As well as regular abilities, there are also some special abilities that specific masks offer to heroes. For instance, Ana’s mask has one general ability that all heroes gain when equipped, but it also has a special ability unique to Soldier: 76 when he equips it. Let’s take a look at the abilities that each mask offers, including the unique hero-specific skills. 

All you need to do to play a game of Haunted Masquerade is pick your mask. Don’t forget to equip the mask before the game begins, though. It can be easy to forget to do so, and without a mask, you’re at a major disadvantage. 

A handy tip for playing Halloween Masquerade is to synergise with your team as much as possible. You might find yourself in a team without the hero that offers the extra buff for your character, but that doesn’t mean you can’t strategise and think about what mask would work best with your teammates. 

That being said, don’t feel obliged to use the mask of the hero that offers a special ability if they are on your team. Play as the character you are most comfortable with to get the best possible experience. It’s only an arcade game mode after all, so you don’t have to worry about ranks or the point system as with competitive matches. 

Unfortunately, there are no Overwatch Halloween skins to be won by playing Haunted Masquerade. The only rewards available are weapon charms, a spray, a player title and XP. Here’s a closer look at everything that can be unlocked in Halloween Masquerade and the challenges that must be completed. 

That’s everything you need to know about Overwatch 2’s limited-time Halloween Masquerade event. All in all, the mode is a fun and creative way to change up the usual Halloween events in the game, though Junkenstein’s Revenge and Wrath of the Bride are also playable if you’d rather stick to the classics. Halloween Masquerade might not offer a whole lot in terms of rewards, but it’s definitely an interesting game mode that is well worth checking out while it’s available.