Daily Briefing: Thursday 25th March

World of Warcraft Burning Crusade Classic beta test is now live

Blizzard have started sending out email invites to opt-in beta testers and will reportedly continue to do so for the duration of the test, though Blizzard have also warned against phishing attempts and participating players are encouraged to check the Battle.net app to confirm there's a Burning Crusade Classic beta license attached to their account.

• Burning Crusade Classic was announced at BlizzConline back in February and invites players to “return to Outland as it once was to relive an era of timeless adventure—or experience what awaits beyond the Dark Portal for the first time”. So there you go.

Microsoft are now testing no Xbox Live Gold requirement for free-to-play multiplayer titles

It very much looks like Microsoft are gearing up to drop the paid Xbox Live Gold subscription requirement for F2P multiplayer games like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone. A beta version of the service launched for Xbox Insiders yesterday and confirms that F2P multiplayer, looking for groups, and Xbox Party Chat should no longer require an active subscription.

• Xbox confirmed way back in January that they would be looking to remove the paid requirement for F2P games "as soon as possible in the coming months" and it looks like they're now getting around to it. The move will also finally bring Microsoft in line with competitors Sony and Nintendo, who haven't charged for F2P multiplayer in a good while/

Rocket League is headed to mobile devices

Rocket League Sideswipe is an entirely standalone, F2P title slated to launch this year on iOS and Android devices. Developer Psyonix made the surprise announcement this week and outlined that Sideswipe will have the same competitive gameplay as the main Rocket League title, but will be played from a new side-on perspective.

• The experience has also been condensed to make it more suitable for mobile devices - with players competing in 1v1 or 2v2 matches lasting just two minutes. Psyonix say that Sideswipe will feature accessible mobile controls alongside "advanced mechanics" for players who want to climb the competitive ladder. The alpha test is actually live now for Android users in Australia and New Zealand.

Genshin Impact has brought in over $1billion in just six months

Genshin Impact may have only launched at the tail end of September but, according to new analysis from Sensor Tower, the gacha title has already raked in over $1bn in revenue. Apparently, the game's average daily revenue is around $5.8m, but this spikes every time a new character is added - sometimes by an additional $10m.

• It's been established pretty much since launch that Genshin Impact is an absolute money machine, but these are some crazy numbers. Sensor Tower estimate that Genshin Impact reached the $1bn mark faster than any other game on the market - even Pokémon Go took nine months to hit it.