Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard is in an interesting position right now. The company was able win over competing cloud companies and the European Commission with its commitments to bring Activision Blizzard and Xbox first-party PC games to rival cloud gaming services. However, in the UK, the CMA has …
Read More »KitGuru Games: Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition has turned into a political circus
The Microsoft-ABK acquisition has turned into a political circus here in the UK and Microsoft is making sure to throw its weight around, going as far as to hint at the possibility of pulling products out of the UK and investing elsewhere.
Read More »Microsoft is now offering a free global license to all cloud gaming services for Activision titles
We've all seen the ten-year deals Microsoft has signed with various cloud gaming companies to offer Activision titles like Call of Duty to rival cloud gaming providers. As it turns out, in order to get its acquisition of Activision Blizzard approved by the EU, Microsoft had to go a step …
Read More »The CMA says it stands by decision to block Microsoft-Activision deal despite EU approval
This afternoon, the European Commission officially approved Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, noting that the remedies offered by Microsoft should be enough to do away with competition concerns. Now, the UK's Competition & Markets Authority has responded, saying it stands by its initial decision. In a series of tweets …
Read More »Call of Duty 2023 will be titled ‘Modern Warfare III’
The reboot of Modern Warfare back in 2019 was met with a great deal of praise, due to the game running on a highly updated engine and offering a solid campaign. Last year’s Modern Warfare II saw a drop in its critical reception for various reasons. Though it was previously announced that there would be no new COD game this year – instead being replaced by an expansion – this is no longer the case, with Call of Duty Modern Warfare III set to be officially announced later this year.
Read More »This year’s Call of Duty game to be revealed in August
Last year, it was widely reported that Activision would be skipping Call of Duty in 2023, instead opting for a premium expansion for Modern Warfare 2 with new maps to refresh the game for another year. Somewhere along the way, Activision seemed to scrap this idea in favour of turning …
Read More »Activision PC game sales are outpacing console sales
Call of Duty is a massive seller every year but for the most part, console versions beat out the PC version in sales. That might be starting to change, as Activision's latest earnings report shows. Activision's latest earnings report shows that PC sales outperformed console sales between January and the …
Read More »Microsoft will appeal CMA’s block on Activision Blizzard deal
It has been a couple of weeks since the CMA first announced plans to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Since then, both Microsoft and Activision have made it clear that they plan to appeal, a process that should begin this week. According to a report from The Telegraph, Microsoft …
Read More »If Microsoft buys Activision, Call of Duty might not come to Game Pass until 2025
When the first reports about Microsoft buying Activision-Blizzard came to light, many immediately thought about having Call of Duty on Xbox Game Pass. However, it seems that was intended to happen a few years after the acquisition had been completed. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has significantly affected …
Read More »Xbox is working on a sequel for a major franchise, but it could take a decade
A small group of ‘gamers' have filed a lawsuit against Microsoft in the US in an effort to block the pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard. After going through the most recent batch of filings, some interesting nuggets of info have been revealed, including plans for a massive (and expensive) mystery …
Read More »Microsoft officially announces Xbox Series X Diablo IV bundle
As previous reports claimed, Microsoft is launching an Xbox Series X Diablo IV bundle on the game's launch day. Besides the console and the game, players will also get some in-game items with this bundle, including a mount and an armour skin. If you want to play Diablo IV on …
Read More »Crash Team Rumble release date and beta announced
Crash Team Rumble has been in the works for years but the game is finally nearing launch. The latest spin-off in the franchise goes in a very different direction, offering up MOBA gameplay in a competitive multiplayer setting. Crash Team Rumble is officially launching on the 20th of June, Activision …
Read More »EU pushes back deadline for final decision on Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard merger
Both the European Commission and the UK's CMA have extended deadlines to reach a decision on Microsoft's planned Activision Blizzard acquisition. Now, the EU is pushing the deadline further, moving from late April to late May. While Microsoft initially planned to have this deal closed by mid 2023, that timeline …
Read More »The EU will reportedly approve Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition
The competition and market regulators are still evaluating Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard. While it seemed like things were trending towards the acquisition being blocked, sources this week have claimed that the EU is actually now planning to approve the deal.
Read More »Microsoft says PlayStation holds 80% market share in Europe
Microsoft sat down with the European Commission once again this week to further argue its case for the Activision Blizzard acquisition. In a press briefing after the meeting, Microsoft laid out its case, revealing Sony's dominant position in the European console market. At the briefing, Microsoft President, Brad Smith, produced …
Read More »Microsoft to make ‘last-ditch’ effort to gain EU approval of Activision Blizzard deal
It is no secret that Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard is on shaky ground, with regulators seemingly wholeheartedly buying into Sony's objections to the deal, while also having concerns about the future of the cloud gaming market. According to a report this week, Microsoft is now preparing its ‘last-ditch' …
Read More »Microsoft clarifies Game Pass business model following recent reports
Documents from the CMA's investigation into the Microsoft-Activision merger have been made public for a while and plenty have found interesting details within them. Most recently, a line in one of the documents shows Microsoft confirming that titles on Game Pass do lose a non-disclosed percentage of sales while on …
Read More »Kotick will ‘absolutely remain’ CEO if Microsoft-Activision merger fails
Activision Blizzard found itself in a pit of controversy two years ago, with anger against leadership and CEO, Bobby Kotick, leading to lawsuits and employee walkouts. Many who support Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard are hoping to see new leadership at the publisher, but if the acquisition fails, it looks …
Read More »The UK CMA opposes Microsoft’s ActiBlizz acquisition, proposes remedies
As anticipated, the UK's Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) has confirmed that it believes Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard would harm the UK market. The CMA confirmed its concerns in documents released today, but it has also sent a list of potential remedies to Microsoft. The CMA has concluded …
Read More »Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 expansion from Sledgehammer Games to release this year
Activision will be doing something a little different with Call of Duty this year. While the company has confirmed plans for a ‘premium release' in 2023, sources have claimed that this will be an expansion for Modern Warfare 2, giving the game an extra year of life before Treyarch releases …
Read More »Phil Spencer discusses lay-offs, confidence in Activision acquisition and more
Phil Spencer is not one to shy away from the limelight, being one of the more vocal executives in the industry, partaking in interviews while being relatively candid at the same time. As part of a new interview, the head of Xbox discussed all manner of topics, ranging from the company’s recent string of layoffs to the struggling Activision-Blizzard acquisition.
Read More »Toys For Bob seemingly teases new Spyro game for 25th anniversary
Toys For Bob has made a name for itself over the years thanks to its excellent work on a number of classic mascot IPs including developing Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time and the Spyro Reignited Trilogy. Though Toys For Bob were absorbed into the Call of Duty machine, it …
Read More »The FTC is suing to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard
The last week has been a rollercoaster for the gaming industry, as Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard has continued to make headlines. A few weeks ago it was reported that the FTC would sue to block the deal, but then a subsequent report claimed that the panel scrutinising the …
Read More »Microsoft is prepared to fight FTC for approval of Activision Blizzard acquisition
Recently, it was reported that the FTC is considering filing a lawsuit to block Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. In the days that followed, Microsoft reportedly offered Sony a ten-year deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation and is planning to make formal concessions in order to get …
Read More »Microsoft reportedly set to offer ‘concessions’ to regulators in Activision Blizzard deal
Recently Microsoft made it known that it would be willing to offer Sony a substantial guarantee for future Call of Duty support as part of its on-going effort to push the Activision Blizzard acquisition through. Now, according to sources familiar with the situation, Microsoft is preparing to make several concessions …
Read More »Report claims FTC may sue to block Xbox/Activision-Blizzard merger
Politico previously reported that the EU would enter a phase 2 investigation into the Xbox Activision-Blizzard merger. Now, the site is reporting that the FTC is planning on filing a lawsuit against Microsoft to block the merger. The FTC has been stricter on anti-trust cases recently. The commission previously filed …
Read More »Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 campaign expansion reportedly developed by Sledgehammer
Last month, sources claimed that Infinity Ward is planning a massive expansion for Modern Warfare II sometime after launch. We heard this would include many classic Call of Duty maps for multiplayer and new campaign content. According to an updated report, the new campaign content will be developed by Sledgehammer …
Read More »Overwatch 2 hits 35 million players in first month
Blizzard made the controversial choice last month to depreciate the original Overwatch, completely replacing it with the free-to-play Overwatch 2. While opinions on the game itself remain mixed, Overwatch 2 has had an impressive first month commercially, with more than 35 million players flocking to the game. As part of …
Read More »EU Commission initiates Phase 2 investigation into Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition
Here in the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority has entered a Phase 2 investigation of Microsoft's planned Activision Blizzard acquisition. Soon, the deal will undergo more scrutiny, this time from the EU, which also plans to enter a phase 2 investigation. Similarly to the CMA, one of the EU's …
Read More »Modern Warfare II has largest opening weekend in franchise history
Over the past few days, we have seen a number of sales figures released for Call of Duty Modern Warfare II, with the game breaking concurrent user records on Steam as well as being the fastest-selling Call of Duty on the PlayStation Store. Now, Activision themselves have revealed that Call …
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