What's Trending: April 6, 2023 Edition
Snoop Dogg makes news in the world of esports, and audiences show up for Mario as the brave animated plumber saves the world—again—in today’s trend roundup from Ayzenberg Analyst Daniel Ortiz .
It’s Been a Tough Week for Esports
Snoop Dogg has stepped down from FaZe Clan’s board of directors following months of trouble for the esports organization and lifestyle brand, including a plummeting stock price that has put it at risk of being delisted from the Nasdaq stock exchange.
Snoop’s exit comes only weeks after former FaZe member Teeqo criticized the organization for valuing outside investors over its content creators.
However, FaZe wasn’t the only esports organization in the news this week, as former League of Legends legacy team Counter Logic Gaming announced it would be shutting down. The organization will lay off all its employees and sell its League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) team slot. This came as a huge shock to many as Counter Logic Gaming was one the first teams to be established in League of Legends.
And in what might be the most shocking news of the week, unconfirmed reports from last week stated Team SoloMid, now known as TSM, would be exiting many esports titles and possibly selling its LCS spot. TSM, like Counter Logic Gaming, was one of the first teams to gain a following within League of Legends and is currently the team with the most wins in LCS history with 7 titles.
All of this comes after months of team layoffs and public condemnation of how these esports organizations make a profit. The fall of FTX and crypto has hit the field hard, and many sponsors and investors have pulled back on esports.
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Profit in esports has been a hot topic, and recently, content creators have gotten in the mix as Disguised Toast and Moistcritikal have created two esports teams of their own. They have been very vocal about the amount of money they lose to run the teams but continue for the passion and content that comes from them.
New Sony Handheld Incoming
A recent report from Insider Gaming claims Sony is working on a new handheld PlayStation system. The console, nicknamed the “Q Lite,” is designed primarily to work with the Remote Play feature on the PlayStation 5 and stream games from it—much like a Steam Deck.
The Q Lite will reportedly come equipped with an 8-inch LCD touchscreen designed for 60fps gaming at 1080p.
‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Defies Critics’ Expectations
The new Super Mario Bros. movie was released yesterday and had a huge opening day, pulling $31.7 million in box office sales. The movie has been received well by the public, with an audience score of 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes in stark contrast to the critics’ score of 53 percent.