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The June 25 announcement that Microsoft’s game streaming platform Mixer would be shuttered came as a surprise to most, though company insiders have revealed that Mixer has struggled for some time both with internal culture and service issues. A new report by Business Insider features interviews with former Mixer employees, including the company’s co-founder Matt Salsamendi, to find out what happened.

Mixer began its life in 2016 as a small start-up called Beam, created by Matt Salsamendi and James Boehm, which was soon. As a competitor to the already-established Twitch, the new service focused on low-latency streaming, allowing better interaction between streamer and audience. While the concepts behind Mixer had promise, it always struggled to compete with Twitch’s overwhelming market share.

One of the biggest problems pegged by insiders that led to Mixer’s demand was one the platform is publicly infamous for–spending alleged tens of millions of dollars to attract Twitch’s top talent. One former employee said that in 2017 the company hosted a lecture called “Why not just hire PewDiePie?” which argued the value of boosting smaller streamers on Mixer rather than trying to poach big names from other platforms.

This advice seemed to fall by the wayside by 2019, when Mixer reportedly paid somewhere between $20-30 million to bring Ninja to its platform, and later made a similar deal with Shroud. However, these acquisitions never had the intended effect.

“The addition of Shroud [and] Ninja…was supposed to ultimately bring over their communities and help grow the platform from the top down,” former Mixer employee Milan Lee told Business Insider. “[But] their communities never really stayed.”

Even for these big name streamers, Mixer never attracted the same audience they saw on Twitch. Ninja currently has just over 3,200,000 followers on Mixer, while his still-inactive Twitch profile has nearly 15 million.

The company was also plagued by internal problems–a focus on adding new features meant that stability was compromised, resulting in a number of service outages. Both of the company’s founders left in late 2019, leading to a drop in employee morale. A video leaked early this year of an internal Mixer meeting showed the company’s new head seeming to berate employees for their low morale.

There have also been accusations that the work environment at Mixer was toxic, as well as allegations against Mixer streamers that were shared in the days leading up to announcements of the platform’s demise.

Check out the full piece on Business Insider for more details into Mixer’s dying days. Microsoft is now partnering with Facebook Gaming, the social media giant’s live streaming service, though many Mixer streamers are choosing to move to Twitch instead.

Fighter Move Change Mario Final Smash Increased power.
Increased attack range. Kirby Dash Attack Reduced vulnerability.
Extended launch distance when hitting with the beginning of the attack. Kirby Down Smash Attack Increased attack speed.
Extended launch distance. Kirby Forward Air Attack Increased power of second and last attack.
Extended launch distance of the last attack. Kirby Back Air Attack Extended launch distance when hitting with the beginning of the attack. Kirby Down Special Extended launch distance. Captain Falcon Dash Attack Reduced vulnerability. Captain Falcon Down Tilt Attack Extended launch distance. Captain Falcon Up Smash Attack Extended launch distance of the second attack. Captain Falcon Side Special Increased attack range forward when used on the ground.
Adjusted launch angle when used on the ground.
Shortened launch distance when used on the ground.
Made it easier to trigger a meteor effect when using the move in the air. Captain Falcon Down Special Increased attack speed.
Extended launch distance when hitting in the high-damage range. Jigglypuff Final Smash Made the opponent’s movements slower during the initial slowdown period. Ice Climber Final Smash Made the opponent’s movements slower during the initial slowdown period.
Increased the speed at which the iceberg will appear.
Increased attack range near the peak of the iceberg.
Made it easier to grab on to the condor. Sheik Side Smash Attack Made it easier to hit multiple times.
Increased attack range of the second attack. Dr. Mario Final Smash Increased power. Falco Down Tilt Attack Increased attack speed.
Adjusted launch angle. Falco Up Smash Attack Made it easier to hit multiple times.
Extended launch distance.
Increased the amount of time hit detection lasts. Falco Neutral Air Attack Increased speed of the last attack.
Increased attack range of the last attack. Falco Down Air Attack Reduced vulnerability.
Reduced vulnerability when landing after using the move. Falco Side Special Increased the amount of time hit detection lasts.
Increased attack speed when used on the ground. Marth Down Smash Attack Extended launch distance when hitting in the high-damage range. Marth Forward Air Attack Made it easier to hit the high-damage range. Marth Back Air Attack Made it easier to hit the high-damage range. Marth Up Air Attack Made it easier to hit the high-damage range. Mewtwo Back Air Attack Extended launch distance.
Increased power of the tip and middle attack-range areas of the tail. Mewtwo Up Air Attack Extended launch distance. Mewtwo Downward Throw Reduced vulnerability. Mewtwo Neutral Special Increased power when not charged.
Increased attack speed.
Reduced vulnerability. Mewtwo Up Special Reduced vulnerability after landing and finishing the move. Meta Knight Neutral Air Attack Increased attack range. Meta Knight Forward Air Attack Reduced vulnerability.
Made it easier to hit multiple times. Meta Knight Back Air Attack Made it easier to hit multiple times. Meta Knight Neutral Special Increased the amount of time hit detection lasts for the high-damage range. Meta Knight Up Special Made it easier to hit multiple times.
Adjusted launch angle of the first attack.
Increased attack range of the second attack. Pit Down Tilt Attack Adjusted launch angle.
Shortened launch distance. Pit Up Smash Attack Extended launch distance of the final attack. Pit Down Smash Attack Adjusted launch angle of the first attack. Pit Up Air Attack Increased attack speed.
Adjusted launch angle.
Extended launch distance of the last attack.
Reduced vulnerability. Pit Attack when Getting Up The vulnerability for attacking when getting up now aligns with other fighters. Pit Down Special Reduced vulnerability. Dark Pit Down Tilt Attack Adjusted launch angle.
Shortened launch distance. Dark Pit Up Smash Attack Extended launch distance of the final attack. Dark Pit Down Smash Attack Adjusted launch angle of the first attack. Dark Pit Up Air Attack Increased attack speed.
Adjusted launch angle.
Extended launch distance of the final attack.
Reduced vulnerability. Dark Pit Attack when Getting Up The vulnerability for attacking when getting up now aligns with other fighters. Dark Pit Down Special Reduced vulnerability. Zero Suit Samus Final Smash Increased the amount of time hit detection lasts for the final attack. Ike Dash Attack Extended launch distance. Ike Down Tilt Attack Shortened launch distance. Ike Neutral Air Attack Extended launch distance.
Reduced the low-damage range. Ike Forward Air Attack Reduced vulnerability.
Maintained the launch distance and increased power. Ike Up Special Made it so the first attack upward does not get neutralized.
Extended launch distance of the final attack.
Adjusted launch angle of the final attack. Ivysaur Basic Movements The vulnerability for breaking falls forward and backward now aligns with other fighters. Diddy Kong Dash Attack Made it easier to hit multiple times.
Increased attack range of the final attack. Diddy Kong Side Tilt Attack Increased attack range near the hands.
Adjusted launch angle.
Increased the amount of time hit detection lasts for the weak attack. Diddy Kong Down Smash Attack Increased attack speed.
Increased the amount of time hit detection lasts for the second attack. Diddy Kong Forward Air Attack Increased attack range of the beginning of the attack. Diddy Kong Down Special Extended the time until the banana peel can be thrown again after it has initially been thrown. Sonic Final Smash Made the opponent’s movements slower during the initial slowdown period.
Increased attack range when initiating attack. King Dedede Up Tilt Attack Increased power.
Extended launch distance. King Dedede Down Tilt Attack Adjusted launch angle. King Dedede Forward Air Attack Extended launch distance. King Dedede Up Air Attack Extended launch distance of the final attack. King Dedede Neutral Special Increased the speed to start Inhale.
Increased the range fighters can be inhaled when using Inhale on the ground. Olimar Final Smash Increased high-damage attack range when exploding.
Increased power of the explosion. Villager Neutral Attack Made it easier to hit multiple times. Villager Up Tilt Attack Made it easier to hit multiple times.
Made the arm and head invincible while attacking. Villager Up Smash Attack Increased power for fireworks.
Extended launch distance. Villager Up Air Attack Extended launch distance. Villager Down Air Attack Increased attack speed. Villager Down Special Reduced vulnerability when planting a seed.
Reduced vulnerability when watering.
Extended launch distance when attacking with an axe.
Increased power against shields when attacking with an axe. Mega Man Basic Movements The vulnerability for breaking falls forward and backward now aligns with other fighters. Wii Fit Trainer Down Tilt Attack Adjusted launch angle. Wii Fit Trainer Up Smash Attack Increased attack speed. Wii Fit Trainer Down Smash Attack Reduced vulnerability. Wii Fit Trainer Forward Air Attack Reduced vulnerability.
Reduced vulnerability when landing after using the move. Wii Fit Trainer Neutral Special Extended launch distance. Wii Fit Trainer Final Smash Increased attack range for the large silhouette at the end.
Extended launch distance for the large silhouette at the end. Rosalina & Luma Final Smash Increased power.
Shortened the distance an opponent can move with hitstun shuffling when repeatedly hit.
Extended launch distance for the final attack. Little Mac Basic Movements The amount of time for breaking falls backward now aligns with other fighters. Little Mac Attack when Getting Up The vulnerability for attacking when getting up now aligns with other fighters. Palutena Final Smash Shortened the amount of time surrounding opponents will be slowed at the start of the move.
Decreased the range the Black Hole can pull in. PAC-MAN Basic Movements The vulnerability for breaking falls on the ground now aligns with other fighters. Duck Hunt Basic Movements The vulnerability for breaking falls on the ground now aligns with other fighters. Corrin Side Smash Attack Increased power for the tip’s attack range.
Increased attack range of the tip.
Increased the opponent’s downtime when hitting a shield. Corrin Forward Air Attack Maintained the launch distance and increased power. Corrin Back Air Attack Increased power when hitting with the beginning of the attack.
Extended launch distance when hitting with the beginning of the attack. Corrin Up Air Attack Increased power.
Extended launch distance. Corrin Side Special Reduced vulnerability for lance attacks.
Extended launch distance for the kick when hitting with the beginning of the attack.
Reduced vulnerability when jumping after stabbing. Bayonetta Side Tilt Attack 3 Reduced vulnerability. Bayonetta Up Tilt Attack Increased attack speed.
Made it easier to hit multiple times.
Increased attack range of the last attack.
Increased the amount of time hit detection lasts of the last attack. Bayonetta Side Smash Attack Extended launch distance.
Increased the amount of time hit detection lasts. Bayonetta Side Special Reduced vulnerability when used on the ground.
Reduced vulnerability when kicking upward. Bayonetta Up Special Shortened the distance an opponent can move with hitstun shuffling when repeatedly hit. Bayonetta Final Smash Shortened launch distance for fighters that did not get instantly KO’d after Gomorrah’s attack hits.
Adjusted launch angle for fighters that did not get instantly KO’d after Gomorrah’s attack hits. Ridley Down Special Increased power for the tip’s attack range. King K. Rool Dash Attack Extended launch distance.
Increased the amount of time hit detection lasts for the high-damage range. King K. Rool Up Smash Attack Increased power.
Extended launch distance. King K. Rool Backward Throw Adjusted launch angle. King K. Rool Side Special Made it hard to flinch from opponent’s attacks while throwing the crown. King K. Rool Other Increased durability of the belly. Isabelle Dash Attack Increased attack speed. Isabelle Up Tilt Attack Reduced vulnerability. Isabelle Up Smash Attack Increased attack speed. Isabelle Up Air Attack Extended launch distance. Isabelle Down Air Attack Increased attack speed. Incineroar Up Smash Attack Extended launch distance. Incineroar Grab Attack Increased the speed for grabs, dash grabs, and turning and grabbing. Incineroar Forward Throw Extended launch distance. Incineroar Side Special Increased the speed of grabs.
Extended launch distance for when the Lariat hits. Incineroar Down Special Reduced vulnerability.
Increased the power up amount when the move succeeds. Piranha Plant Up Tilt Attack Adjusted launch angle.
Increased attack speed. Piranha Plant Down Smash Attack Increased attack speed. Piranha Plant Forward Air Attack Increased attack speed. Piranha Plant Back Air Attack Extended launch distance. Piranha Plant Up Air Attack Increased power.
Extended launch distance. Hero Down Special Made it easier to hit multiple times with Kaboom. Banjo & Kazooie Edge Attacks Increased the backward attack range. Terry Final Smash Extended launch distance.

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A number of shows have started to re-examine old episodes in light of recent discussions about racism, with both The Office and Community among those that have removed or edited episodes where blackface was used for comedy. Three episodes of Scrubs that feature blackface have been removed from rotation on streaming services, at the request of creator Bill Lawrence.

In a new episode of Fake Doctors, Real Friends, a Scrubs rewatch podcast featuring stars Donald Faison and Zach Braff, the two actors invited Lawrence and fellow actor Sarah Chalke (who also appeared in blackface) to discuss the episodes and the decision to remove them.

Series creator Bill Lawrence started the show by taking full responsibility for the episodes. “I did see some things directed at Donald and Zach and Sarah,” he explained. “And everybody should know that the reason the word showrunner exists in television is that you’re the gatekeeper, and anything that get allowed on a show you have to ultimately take responsibility for.”

The group discussed how changing values over the years impacted how the scenes were read. “At the time I delineated in my mind between the traditional ‘blackface,'” Braff explained. “When we were doing this I never equated it. I was like, ‘oh it’s a fantasy where I’m trying to be my best friend.'”

“Any joke was passable as a joke as long as it was meant to make people laugh.” Faison added, as they mused on instances of blackface in comedy unrelated to Scrubs.

“We almost thought that we had, in a bad way, a ‘free pass’ to not have those thoughts,” Lawrence confesses. “Because we were so proud of ourselves for doing a very diverse show, in front and behind the camera.”

The full episode is worth a listen, as it deconstructs the mistakes the team made on Scrubs back when it was being produced.

Lawrence has also said that the offending episodes are likely to return at some point with the blackface scenes edited out. “It’s a pandemic, I don’t really have an editing facility up right now,” he explained, saying that the first priority was to pull the episodes out of rotation.

It’s been 10 years since the end of Lost, Damon Lindelof’s and J. J. Abrams’ intense, strange fantasy show, and the ending of the final season is still hotly debated and discussed. Now one of the show’s stars, Josh Holloway, has weighed in on the ending with a very straightforward view of why it was good–for his character, at least.

Holloway, who played bad boy Sawyer on the show across its entire run, spoke to Collider about his current role on Yellowstone, and was asked what he thought of the Lost ending. Asking if he was “personally happy” with how his character’s plot concluded, he said that he was, because Sawyer made it through.

“Yes, I am,” Holloway told Collider. “He survived.” He went on to say that Sawyer didn’t necessarily grasp everything happening in the show, and was focused on making it through. “There came a point where Sawyer just didn’t understand any of the s*** that was going on and didn’t care,” he explained. “He was like, ‘I don’t give a s***. I’m gonna survive. I’m gonna survive this s***, and I don’t even know why.’ But he did, and he made it.”

Holloway said that he’s glad he’s not a writer himself, because he wouldn’t know how to end a show as huge as Lost, and he can point towards the writers if anyone was displeased with his character’s arc. “The problem with a great hit show, with an amazing, intricate, layered story is that there’s no way out of it,” he contemplated. “Look at The Sopranos, it just ended. S***, how do you do it?”

J. J. Abrams went on to direct two Star Wars films after Lost, while Lindelof was showrunner on 2019’s Watchmen, GameSpot’s TV show of the year.

Ubisoft teases its own battle royale game, Hyper Scape, with a teaser website for a fictional tech company called Prisma Dimensions. The website details that more information on Hyper Scape is coming on July 2. It’s reportedly launching for PC and consoles on July 12 with cross-play.

The Last Of Us Part II will not be getting story DLC, but an online mode is still on the way. Unlike the first game, which got the Left Behind story DLC, director and co-writer Neil Druckmann stated on a Kinda Funny podcast that the story for The Last Of Us Part II is finished. Lastly for today’s Save State, Call Of Duty: Warzone is getting a big update that adds a 200 player mode, as well as new modes and gear.

Meanwhile, Play For All keeps on trucking. Play For All is multi-week summer gaming celebration and charity event featuring special guests like Troy Baker, Danny O’Dwyer, and many familiar GameSpot faces. We’ve already raised thousands of dollars for #BlackLivesMatter and COVID-19 Relief Efforts thanks to all of you! Be sure to tune in every day between 12 PM and 2 PM PDT for interviews, livestreams, and everything in between.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.