The second week of November has ended and it officially kicked off the next great console war. The PS5 and Xbox Series X have finally shipped their troops to the front lines, while Nintendo sits like Switzerland on the sidelines. This conflict was initially thought to be decided by exclusives, but right now it's about grabbing any console you can before the bots and scalpers swallow them up.

The biggest stories of the week involve the launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, the ongoing Seraphine controversy, the smoking Xbox fraud, the Ubisoft hostage hoax, and the arrival of Zarude in Pokemon.

Related: The Biggest Stories Of The Week (November 1-7, 2020)

The PS5 And Xbox Series X Are Finally Released (In Some Region)

After months of rumors and speculation about delays, the PS5 and Xbox Series X were released... sort of. The Xbox Series S/X were released on November 10 and they had the biggest Xbox launch in history. This has been confirmed in the UK, where the Xbox Series S/X beat the Xbox One's launch numbers. The PS5 launched in select territories on November 12, but many countries (like the UK) won't have access to the console until November 19.

The PS5 & Xbox Series S/X pre-order situation continues to be a mess, and there are people complaining about faulty launch units online. Despite these problems, it's a wonder the consoles launched at all, considering the continuing COVID situation worldwide.

The Seraphine Controversy

(Via: Medium)

Disturbing allegations regarding League of Legends character Seraphine were brought to light this past week. A woman named Stephanie has claimed that Seraphine's appearance was based on hers. Stephanie had previously dated a Riot Games employee in 2019. She supplied comparison images of herself and Seraphine that make a compelling case for her image being repurposed in the game. This isn't the first time that Riot Games has been accused of stealing someone's likeness for League of Legends. The developers should consider scrapping Seraphine, considering the previous controversies regarding the character.

The Smoking Xbox Series X Vape Fraud

via Pure Xbox

Once the Xbox Series X was in the hands of the public, videos started circulating of smoke pouring out of the system. It didn't take long for people to start accusing these videos of being fake. The only way an Xbox Series X system would start smoking like this is if Microsoft was packing dynamite into each console. The most common theory was that people were using vape smoke on their Xbox units.

Microsoft responded by telling people not to blow vape smoke into their Xbox Series X. It's embarrassing that the company would have to do this, but we live in a world where people will ruin a console that costs several hundred dollars for a few cheap clicks.

The Ubisoft Hostage Situation

The gaming world was shaken a few days ago when news reports claimed that a hostage situation was taking place in Ubisoft's headquarters. The initial reports were confusing, but social media posts from Ubisoft employees clarified that they had evacuated to the roof. It has since been revealed that the hostage situation was a hoax and that no one was in any danger. Ubisoft has publically commended its staff for the courage and composure of the staff during the incident.

The Next Pokemon Movie/Mythical Pokemon Are Coming Soon

We've known for a long time that the first Mythical Pokemon in Pokemon Sword & Shield is a creature called Zarude, which will be released alongside the next movie. The movie was delayed to the end of the year due to COVID. We now know more information about the English release of the movie and Zarude.

The next Pokemon film is called Pokemon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle. It involves Ash encountering a boy named Koko, who has been raised in the jungle by wild Pokemon. The movie will be released internationally in 2021. It's likely that the film will come to Netflix, rather than receiving a run in cinemas. Zarude will be distributed to Pokemon Sword & Shield in December. If you live in North America, then you have to sign up for the Pokemon Trainers Club newsletter by November 20. All other countries can acquire a code through different online storefronts. Check the article linked above for more details.

Next: The Biggest Stories Of The Week (October 25-31, 2020)