blizzard | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Wed, 27 Mar 2024 16:54:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png blizzard | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Marvel’s surprise new game is an Overwatch clone https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/marvels-surprise-new-game-is-an-overwatch-clone/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/marvels-surprise-new-game-is-an-overwatch-clone/#respond Wed, 27 Mar 2024 16:54:38 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=652882 Earlier this week, Marvel began teasing a new upcoming game announcement, which was quickly rumoured to be a multiplayer game, rather than a single-player, story-driven title. Now, Marvel Rivals has officially announced and surprisingly, parts of it look like they were ripped straight out of Overwatch.  Overwatch has been on the decline for a while …

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Earlier this week, Marvel began teasing a new upcoming game announcement, which was quickly rumoured to be a multiplayer game, rather than a single-player, story-driven title. Now, Marvel Rivals has officially announced and surprisingly, parts of it look like they were ripped straight out of Overwatch. 

Overwatch has been on the decline for a while now, with community sentiment dropping after the disappointing launch of Overwatch 2 and all the changes that came with it. Fortunately for fans of the original Overwatch formula, with 6v6 battles, it seems Marvel Rivals is taking its ‘inspiration' from the first game rather than the second.

Marvel Rivals is a 6v6 competitive ‘hero' shooter, where each player on a team selects a damage, tank or support character, with the goal of synergising various abilities to come out on top over the course of a match. The art style and UI almost intentionally look similar to Overwatch, with maps that look like they could have been previously designed for Blizzard's shooter.

It really is quite bizarre to see in action, particularly with certain characters, like Hulk, having very similar move-sets to established Overwatch characters.

The game will enter beta in May, with a full PC release coming later this year on Steam and the Epic Games Store. A console release has not yet been announced.

KitGuru Says: This game is being developed by Net Ease, so expect the usual crop of free-to-play microtransactions to be in place. There is one thing that really sticks out as different to Overwatch though, and that is ‘team-up' abilities, which only briefly appear in the trailer. This idea should lead to lots of multi-character synergies, which could add a slightly different flavour to the flow of a match compared to the game this title is clearly inspired by. 

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Blizzard is finally turning things around for Diablo 4 with massive overhaul https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/blizzard-is-finally-turning-things-around-for-diablo-4-with-massive-overhaul/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/blizzard-is-finally-turning-things-around-for-diablo-4-with-massive-overhaul/#respond Thu, 21 Mar 2024 15:00:56 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=652295 Diablo 4's third season has been disappointing but the developers have been making it quite clear for months that Season 4 is the one to watch out for, with a bunch of overhauls planned to reinvigorate the game in time for its 1-year anniversary. Last night during a new Campfire Chat, much of this was …

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Diablo 4's third season has been disappointing but the developers have been making it quite clear for months that Season 4 is the one to watch out for, with a bunch of overhauls planned to reinvigorate the game in time for its 1-year anniversary. Last night during a new Campfire Chat, much of this was finally revealed, with developers going into greater detail on new loot and power changes.

Diablo 4 Associate Game Director, Joe Piepiora, gave the rundown on new itemisation and loot changes. The development team has been working on this overhaul for months, with plans to completely change how affixes function, as well as gear crafting.

In its current state, Diablo 4's loot grind is too much and most of the loot tends to be low quality, filling up player's limited inventory space with garbage destined to be dismantled or sold. With Season 4, loot drops will focus more on quality over quantity, and many of the items are being reworked. The developers have also spent some time weeding out useless affixes that nobody likes, designing a smaller pool of more impactful and player-relevant affixes for loot drops to pull from. This will make the process of sorting through gear a simpler process and finding more impactful gear upgrades should be less of a chore.

World Tier 3 players will now only get sacred items and those moving up to World Tier 4 will only see Ancestral items dropping, further cutting down on the amount of junk loot players should encounter. To speed things up in end-game, legendary item drops from killing monsters at level 95 or higher will be guaranteed to have 925 item power.

Improving on the community focus of Diablo 4, players will now also be able to trade legendary items and uniques. This does mean that a black market is likely to form, but it also means less frustrating experiences for friends playing together. There have been many times where I've had items drop that my friends are searching for and vice-versa, with no way to trade. Now, this scenario can be put in the past.

The Codex of Power is also getting an overhaul. From now on, your codex of power will automatically update over time. If you salvage a piece of legendary gear with a more powerful version of an effect from the codex of power, you'll now have access to that more powerful stat roll permanently. This also means less time spent at The Occultist breaking down gear to save powerful affixes in your inventory. Once you have the highest possible rank of a power, the entry in the codex will turn gold.

As for crafting, a new Tempering system is arriving in Season 4 and will allow players to add new affixes to items. In the end-game, Masterworking will be available, allowing you to upgrade your items further by up to 12 ranks, with every four ranks bringing a massive boost to the affixes on an item.

Naturally, there will also be more class changes coming, but we'll be hearing more about those changes closer to the launch of Season 4. Unfortunately, the season will not be starting in mid April has previously planned. To allow extra time for testing, some of which will be public through the PTR, Season 4 will now debut in May.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The Campfire stream yesterday was a big success, with many of the changes players have been asking for being directly shown and commented on. We'll get a public preview of these changes in a couple of weeks, when the first Diablo 4 PTR test goes live.

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Overwatch 2’s next Season overhauls hero unlocks, monetisation and more https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/overwatch-2s-next-season-overhauls-hero-unlocks-monetisation-and-more/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/overwatch-2s-next-season-overhauls-hero-unlocks-monetisation-and-more/#respond Wed, 20 Mar 2024 09:30:21 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=652002 Overwatch 2 has not had the best of times since its release, with many of the game’s promised features being altered or outright cancelled. That said, the team at Blizzard do seem to be making some pretty big changes, hopefully making Overwatch a much-improved overall experience. Last month, Blizzard revealed that they were planning to …

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Overwatch 2 has not had the best of times since its release, with many of the game’s promised features being altered or outright cancelled. That said, the team at Blizzard do seem to be making some pretty big changes, hopefully making Overwatch a much-improved overall experience.

Last month, Blizzard revealed that they were planning to overhaul Overwatch 2 in a number of ways. They recently released the first of these changes with the 9th season update, reducing the overall reliance on teamwork in order to survive.

Even bigger improvements are on their way however, with the team revealing via a dev diary that Season 10 will mark the end of paid characters, instead having all new heroes available to everyone on day-one. Additionally, with the launch of Season 10 next month, all prior heroes will also become available.

Another positive step – somewhat – is Mythic skins from prior battle passes being added to the in-game shop. Though simply a way for Blizzard to get more money, it is still more consumer-friendly than not offering it at all.

What is certainly a welcome change comes with the new ability to earn Overwatch coins via both the free and premium battle passes – meaning assuming you play the game often, you won’t have to spend real money as often.

Overall it seems as though the negativity surrounding Overwatch 2 has forced Blizzard to reconsider many of its systems.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What was your opinion on Overwatch 2 at launch? How big of a deal are all these changes? Will you hop back in with Season 10? Let us know down below.

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Ark: Survival Ascended, Diablo 4 and The Quarry are heading to Game Pass https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/ark-survival-ascended-diablo-4-and-the-quarry-are-heading-to-game-pass/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/ark-survival-ascended-diablo-4-and-the-quarry-are-heading-to-game-pass/#respond Tue, 19 Mar 2024 14:30:55 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=651972 We've been eagerly awaiting the addition of Activision Blizzard titles on Xbox Game Pass ever since Microsoft completed its acquisition of the company in late 2023. This month, we're finally getting the ball rolling, with Diablo 4 coming to Game Pass, alongside a slew of other titles over the next couple of weeks.  Diablo 4 …

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We've been eagerly awaiting the addition of Activision Blizzard titles on Xbox Game Pass ever since Microsoft completed its acquisition of the company in late 2023. This month, we're finally getting the ball rolling, with Diablo 4 coming to Game Pass, alongside a slew of other titles over the next couple of weeks. 

Diablo 4 has had its ups and downs since launch, with the current season being particularly disappointing, but Season 4 is just around the corner now, promising major overhauls to systems to make seasonal play more rewarding. Later in the year, Diablo 4 will also get its first major expansion.

Another standout for Game Pass this month is Ark: Survival Ascended. If you've yet to pick up the Unreal Engine 5 remake of the popular dino-survival game, then you are in luck as the game will soon be available through Game Pass on PC, Xbox Series X/S and via cloud streaming.

Here is the full list of titles joining Game Pass complete with platforms and dates:

  • Lightyear Frontier (Cloud, PC and Console) – Available today
  • MLB The Show 24 (Cloud and Console) – Available today
  • The Quarry (Cloud and Console) – March 20th
  • Evil West (Cloud, Console and PC) – March 21st
  • Terra Invicta (PC) – March 26th
  • Diablo 4 (Console and PC) – March 28th
  • Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 (Cloud, Console and PC) – March 28th
  • Open Roads (Cloud, Console and PC) – March 28th
  • Ark: Survival Ascended (Cloud, Console and PC) – April 1st
  • F1 23 (Cloud) – April 2nd
  • Superhot: Mind Control Delete (Cloud, Console and PC) – April 2nd

On the 31st of March, three games will be leaving the Game Pass library, including MLB The Show 23, Infinite Guitars and Hot Wheels Unleashed. If you are currently playing through Persona 3 Reload, Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can now claim the game's expansion pass at no extra cost.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: What do you think of this latest wave of Game Pass titles? Is there anything here you'll be giving an install? 

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Overwatch 2’s PvE Missions may also be cancelled https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/overwatch-2s-pve-missions-may-also-be-cancelled/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/overwatch-2s-pve-missions-may-also-be-cancelled/#respond Tue, 19 Mar 2024 10:15:56 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=651890 Overwatch 2 has not had the best trajectory since its launch, with the free-to-play title losing many of its promised features over time. Following the announcement last year that one of the game’s primary selling points – its PvE campaign – was cancelled, its replacement is now reportedly also on the chopping block, Back in …

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Overwatch 2 has not had the best trajectory since its launch, with the free-to-play title losing many of its promised features over time. Following the announcement last year that one of the game’s primary selling points – its PvE campaign – was cancelled, its replacement is now reportedly also on the chopping block,

Back in May of last year, Blizzard announced that their long-promised PvE campaign mode for Overwatch 2 would not be coming out. While disappointing, the team attempted to quell concerns by announcing a replacement in the form of PvE Story Missions.

The first set of these missions dropped in August last year and since then we have not gotten any more. According to Kotaku, these missions might also now be on the verge of cancellation, with former Blizzard devs saying to the publication:

“You had designers, programmers, artists, QA, all disciplines, on the team constantly making suggestions and ideas to improve, or trying to do the best we could. But it was all either shot down by a few gatekeepers or just ‘there was no point, there was no time.’”

They continued, “Almost every single team town-hall there were questions about ‘what do we do if it doesn't succeed? I don't feel confident that it will perform well. What are we going to do about players being disappointed?' It was met with either ‘don't worry about it. It'll be fine. We have so much confidence in it. Trust us.’”

The interview lends increasing pessimism to the notion of PvE ever becoming a true and recognised reality for Overwatch 2. Hopefully that isn’t the case.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the PvE missions? Can Overwatch 2 recover from all the recent negativity? Let us know your thoughts down below.

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Overwatch 2 x Cowboy Bebop launches next week https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/overwatch-2-x-cowboy-bebop-launches-next-week/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/overwatch-2-x-cowboy-bebop-launches-next-week/#respond Fri, 08 Mar 2024 11:00:45 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=650827 Back in February, Blizzard released Overwatch 2’s 9th Season. Alongside the expected updates of a new battle pass and the like, the team teased an upcoming crossover with the popular anime Cowboy Bebop. Going live in just a few days, the team have now fully detailed the collab. Set to go live on the 12th …

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Back in February, Blizzard released Overwatch 2’s 9th Season. Alongside the expected updates of a new battle pass and the like, the team teased an upcoming crossover with the popular anime Cowboy Bebop. Going live in just a few days, the team have now fully detailed the collab.

Set to go live on the 12th of March, the Overwatch 2 x Cowboy Bebop crossover appears to be one of the game’s biggest, including 5 new skins, namely:

  • Cassidy as Spike
  • Ashe as Faye
  • Sombra as Ed
  • Mauga as Jet
  • Hammond as Ein

It is worth noting that the Ein skin for Hammond will be a free unlock, while the others will be paid acquisitions.

Speaking of skins, Blizzard have yet to actually show off the character packs, with them having released a teaser trailer in the style of the original anime’s opening instead. That said, the full designs for the crossover will be officially revealed on the 11th of March – one day ahead of its launch.

Unlike many live service games, Overwatch has been relatively conservative with the number of crossovers it has offered over the years. Hopefully this means that the various skins will be worth their – what will probably be a – high asking price.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you excited for this crossover? What do you think of the teaser trailer? Who do you main in Overwatch 2? Let us know down below.

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Diablo 4 is finally getting a Public Test Realm server https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/diablo-4-is-finally-getting-a-public-test-realm-server/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/diablo-4-is-finally-getting-a-public-test-realm-server/#respond Wed, 06 Mar 2024 14:30:54 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=650711 Diablo 4 has had its ups and downs over the past nine months. While each season so far has had its high moments, season 1 simply didn't have enough content and season 3 has suffered from a pretty boring seasonal mechanic. However, there is a lot of hope for season 4, one that the developers …

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Diablo 4 has had its ups and downs over the past nine months. While each season so far has had its high moments, season 1 simply didn't have enough content and season 3 has suffered from a pretty boring seasonal mechanic. However, there is a lot of hope for season 4, one that the developers have been hyping up for months. We'll get a preview of some of the biggest changes ahead of time, as Blizzard is finally implementing a PTR. 

The Public Test Realm (PTR) is a tool that a lot of online games use. Players can access a separate server where progress is temporary. In return, you get to test out new seasonal features and provide feedback, usually a few weeks before the planned launch of an update. For season 4, Diablo 4 will be getting its first PTR, offering players an opportunity to see the new loot overhaul first hand. This will also give developers a chance to root out any bugs prior to updates rolling out to all players.

We don't have an exact date for the PTR yet, but a stream is coming within the next few weeks, during which Blizzard devs will announce Season 4 properly. We should hear about the PTR around that time, as the new season is due to launch in mid April.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Season 3 has disappointed me but I am itching to jump back into Diablo 4 for the next season. Hopefully the changes and breadth of new content planned for this season can live up to expectations and set the game up for a stronger year as we head towards the first expansion in late 2024. 

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Blizzard reveals plans for another Overwatch overhaul https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/blizzard-reveals-plans-for-another-overwatch-overhaul/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/blizzard-reveals-plans-for-another-overwatch-overhaul/#respond Mon, 12 Feb 2024 17:14:27 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=648008 Overwatch has gone through a lot of changes over the past year. The original, 6v6 competitive shooter that millions fell in love with no longer exists, and has been replaced by an overhauled ‘sequel' with balance changes and a new 5v5 format. While Overwatch remains popular despite these changes, that hasn't stopped long-time fans from …

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Overwatch has gone through a lot of changes over the past year. The original, 6v6 competitive shooter that millions fell in love with no longer exists, and has been replaced by an overhauled ‘sequel' with balance changes and a new 5v5 format. While Overwatch remains popular despite these changes, that hasn't stopped long-time fans from making their complaints known. Now, Blizzard is reassessing Overwatch, promising to ‘revitalise' the game. 

In a new blog post, Blizzard addresses the Overwatch community, promising to act on feedback gathered over the course of 2023 with ‘big updates' planned for 2024.

The biggest changes will be coming to competitive play. For Overwatch 2 Season 9, players can expect a better ranking system that is “more accurate” while also helping players better understand what impacts their rank and how the matchmaking system functions.

A new ‘rank information' screen will be added, which will explain different modifiers in a simple way. You'll gain more points towards your next rank for winning multiple matches in a row or for coming back from a likely loss to win a match. You'll also see notes for when you are stuck in a losing streak, or lose a game that you were expected to win. All of these factors will contribute towards your rank score.

The blog post also covers a new rank for Overwatch. Champion rank is the new top-place rank in Overwatch, taking over from Grandmaster. Players can also expect to see new competitive rewards, including a range of ‘Jade' coloured weapons, when the new season begins. Other adjustments heading to the game with Season 9 include more consistent bullet firing for weapons, more protection against ‘burst' damage to allow for more counter-offensive manoeuvres and balance adjustments to healing and damage to reduce the amount of ‘stagnant' team fights.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I dropped off of Overwatch 2 after the first few months. Perhaps this latest round of changes can help bring back competitive-focused players, a niche that Blizzard will have to lean into a bit more this year now that Overwatch esports is moving away from its ‘League' format to standard tournament circuits, similar to other esports titles like Counter-Strike. 

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Overwatch 2 Season 9 includes Cowboy Bebop crossover https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/overwatch-2-season-9-includes-cowboy-bebop-crossover/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/overwatch-2-season-9-includes-cowboy-bebop-crossover/#respond Thu, 08 Feb 2024 10:00:05 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=647507 Overwatch 2 has had somewhat of a controversial life so far, with many of the game’s promises ultimately being canned in favour of more small-scale changes and additions over time. That said, the team at Blizzard have been putting a decent amount of work into each new Season – the latest of which will feature …

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Overwatch 2 has had somewhat of a controversial life so far, with many of the game’s promises ultimately being canned in favour of more small-scale changes and additions over time. That said, the team at Blizzard have been putting a decent amount of work into each new Season – the latest of which will feature a Cowboy Bebop crossover.

Ahead of its launch on the 13th of February, Blizzard officially detailed Overwatch 2’s 9th Season. Alongside a rework to the game’s competitive mode; a new Cosmic Crisis limited time mode and of course a new Battle Pass, Season 9 is set to bring with it a crossover with the iconic Anime series Cowboy Bebop.

Though details on the collaboration remain light, the Season 9 trailer concluded with the Anime’s main theme song, confirming that some form of crossover will be taking place – likely part way through the season.

Crossovers such as this have been a relatively recent addition to Overwatch, though we have seen some pretty notable collabs, including the likes of One Punch Man; Diablo IV and the K-Pop group Le Sserafim.

It will be interesting to see how far they go with the Cowboy Bebop crossover – and which characters will get new thematically-linked skins.

KitGuru says: Are you excited for Season 9? What do you think of Overwatch 2 currently? Have they been doing enough to keep you playing? Let us know down below.

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The original Diablo and Warcraft are now available on Battle.net https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/joao-silva/the-original-diablo-and-warcraft-are-now-available-on-battle-net/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/joao-silva/the-original-diablo-and-warcraft-are-now-available-on-battle-net/#respond Wed, 31 Jan 2024 15:15:50 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=646425 Blizzard has recently announced that three of its classic games, Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, Diablo, and Warcraft 2, are now available on Battle.net. This news surprises many fans since these games were not previously accessible on this platform. However, these classic titles have been available on GOG for 3 to 4 years. Initially, it appeared …

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Blizzard has recently announced that three of its classic games, Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, Diablo, and Warcraft 2, are now available on Battle.net. This news surprises many fans since these games were not previously accessible on this platform. However, these classic titles have been available on GOG for 3 to 4 years.

Initially, it appeared that Blizzard had delegated the re-releases of its earlier titles to GOG while the company focused on remastering some of its other popular games. However, things have changed under Microsoft ownership, as the original Warcraft, Diablo, and Warcraft 2 have found their way into the Battle.net store. These re-released games are packed with features, including their original multiplayer modes and expansions.

The original Warcraft game includes two dozen missions spanning two campaigns. Players can help humanity defend their home planet from orcish invaders or lead the Horde in their relentless conquest. Moreover, players can engage in custom games to hone their skills or compete against another person in customisable multiplayer matches on 21 maps.

Diablo has the same three classes as it originally had, as well as multiplayer (up to four players total) and 16 levels of old-school randomly generated dungeons to collect loot and upgrade your character. Lastly, Warcraft 2 comes with the two original campaigns with 28 missions, the Beyond the Dark Portal expansion content, a map editor, and eight-opponent online matches.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Although some of these games may seem primitive by today's standards, they still hold a special place in the hearts of many gamers. This small homecoming of sorts is a welcome move by Blizzard, and it may just be what the company needs right now, given the recent response to its new leadership and the cancellation of a long-in-development survival game.

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Blizzard’s new survival game has been cancelled amid layoffs https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/joao-silva/blizzards-new-survival-game-has-been-cancelled-amid-layoffs/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/joao-silva/blizzards-new-survival-game-has-been-cancelled-amid-layoffs/#respond Fri, 26 Jan 2024 16:00:50 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=645560 Blizzard has recently cancelled one of its largest projects, the survival game codenamed Odyssey. The announcement came as part of a reorganisation of Microsoft's game studios, resulting in 1,900 layoffs, or 8% of the gaming division's workforce. According to Bloomberg, the game was designed as a survival game similar to Minecraft and Rust, but aiming …

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Blizzard has recently cancelled one of its largest projects, the survival game codenamed Odyssey. The announcement came as part of a reorganisation of Microsoft's game studios, resulting in 1,900 layoffs, or 8% of the gaming division's workforce.

According to Bloomberg, the game was designed as a survival game similar to Minecraft and Rust, but aiming to be more polished and with fewer bugs. The game was developed for almost six years, outlasting many previous Blizzard incubation projects. Blizzard spokesman Andrew Reynolds said in a statement that the game's development had ended to reroute resources to other projects that have more potential, including new projects Blizzard has in its early stages.

Blizzard has largely focused on its established IPs (Warcraft and Diablo). However, during Odyssey's development, the company made a significant investment, assembling a team of more than 100 people to work on the game. Even so, reported technical challenges with the engine made developing such an ambitious title very difficult.

Initially developed using Unreal Engine, Blizzard officials chose to switch to Synapse, an internal engine that the corporation had initially built for mobile games and envisioned as something that could be used across other projects. Reportedly, switching to Synapse was mooted because this engine would support up to 100 players. However, development using Blizzard's engine was going slowly, leading Odyssey's artists to keep using Unreal Engine, knowing their work would be scrapped later.

The Microsoft deal was finalised, and several Blizzard employees hoped they could return to Unreal Engine rather than attempt to complete the game on Synapse. Despite the hurdles, Odyssey looked to be making progress, and people who played early versions of the game appreciated it and saw a lot of commercial potential for a survival game that met Blizzard's quality standards. Nonetheless, Odyssey remained years away from completion. Blizzard planned to extend the team to hundreds of people to meet the 2026 release date, but developers thought it was too optimistic. In the end, the game was cancelled.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Were you interested in Blizzard's survival game? Do you think Blizzard should have continued to develop Odyssey, or by the time it would be ready for launch, interest in survival games would have been lost?

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Overwatch 2 update will reduce reliance on teamwork https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/overwatch-2-update-will-reduce-reliance-on-teamwork/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/overwatch-2-update-will-reduce-reliance-on-teamwork/#respond Tue, 16 Jan 2024 10:00:09 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=643973 From its inception, the Overwatch series was developed with teamwork in mind. Unlike other multiplayer first person shooters, the hero-based nature of Overwatch required teammates to take on certain roles, including tanks and healers. In a massive change for the shooter, Overwatch 2 will soon heavily reduce its reliance on teamwork. Making the announcement on …

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From its inception, the Overwatch series was developed with teamwork in mind. Unlike other multiplayer first person shooters, the hero-based nature of Overwatch required teammates to take on certain roles, including tanks and healers. In a massive change for the shooter, Overwatch 2 will soon heavily reduce its reliance on teamwork.

Making the announcement on their blog, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller shared the major news, saying:

“Overwatch is a team-based, hero-based, multiplayer competitive shooter. Heroes, maps and game modes are all designed to require teams to work together in order to successfully win a match. When a team works together – each player using their hero to their fullest potential while relying on each other to execute a strategy – the game feels magical. There’s really no other FPS like it. However, when this isn't happening and players are all working on their own, the game is far from magical and can become frustrating. The reliance on teammates can simultaneously be one of the best and worst attributes of our game.”

With that, Keller revealed that starting with Season 9, “both Tank and Damage heroes will get a modified, tuned-down version of the Support self-healing passive. This should give non-Support players more options in terms of sustaining themselves. It should also take some of the pressure off Support players to keep everyone alive since individual players now have more control of their own health pool.”

Though technically a small change, this could have a massive impact on not only how the game is played, but also its pacing, level of aggression and more. While this should hopefully lead to a more consistent experience game-to-game, it will be interesting to see how long-term players react to the change.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this change? Do you enjoy team-based games? Let us know down below.

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Blizzard has detailed its 2024 World of Warcraft roadmaps with new updates and expansions https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/blizzard-has-detailed-its-2024-world-of-warcraft-roadmaps-with-new-updates-and-expansions/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/blizzard-has-detailed-its-2024-world-of-warcraft-roadmaps-with-new-updates-and-expansions/#respond Thu, 21 Dec 2023 15:14:02 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=641621 At BlizzCon this year, Blizzard announced an ambitious plan for the future of World of Warcraft. The team is embarking on a new trilogy of connected expansions, starting with The War Within in the second half of 2024. Now, Blizzard has shared its roadmap, outlining the next year of updates.  This Winter, WoW players can …

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At BlizzCon this year, Blizzard announced an ambitious plan for the future of World of Warcraft. The team is embarking on a new trilogy of connected expansions, starting with The War Within in the second half of 2024. Now, Blizzard has shared its roadmap, outlining the next year of updates. 

This Winter, WoW players can expect the Seeds of Renewal update, including Dragon Isles Epilogues, Follower Dungeons, the Outland Cup and more. Then in the Spring, Season 4 will kick off with a re-do of Dragonflight's raids, a new PvP season, a new Mythic+ season and new open world rewards. During this time, The War Within expansion will also enter alpha testing.

In the summer, The War Within beta test will kick off and we'll also be getting The War Within pre-patch, including new world events, dynamic flight, guild updates and Warbands. Somewhere between Summer and Autumn, The War Within will officially launch, containing four new zones, 8 new dungeons, a new raid, a new campaign, hero talents and more.

Just in time for WoW's 20th Anniversary, there will be a War Within content update with a new anniversary event, some additional quests and other updates.

World of Warcraft Classic players aren't being left behind either. Cataclysm Classic is due this summer, which will be followed by new seasonal content. The Season of Discovery has been something of a game changer for WoW Classic this year, helping to refresh the game and make it more accessible for less experienced players. The season will continue, with the level cap set to increase every few months, alongside new content additions.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Since Legion, I've not been all that enthusiastic about WoW but that has been changing this year with Blizzard's recent reveals, as well as the popularity of the Dragonflight expansion. Are any of you planning to return to Azeroth in 2024? 

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Diablo 4 is free to play on Steam right now https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/diablo-4-is-free-to-play-on-steam-right-now/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/diablo-4-is-free-to-play-on-steam-right-now/#respond Tue, 21 Nov 2023 17:03:11 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=638436 If you've been looking to try out Diablo 4, or want to get some friends involved, then this is a good week to make it happen. From now until the 28th of November, Diablo 4 is free to play on Steam.  Blizzard already held free play days recently on other platforms like Battle.net and consoles. …

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If you've been looking to try out Diablo 4, or want to get some friends involved, then this is a good week to make it happen. From now until the 28th of November, Diablo 4 is free to play on Steam. 

Blizzard already held free play days recently on other platforms like Battle.net and consoles. Now with the game's arrival on Steam, the most popular PC gaming platform, Blizzard is launching another free week.

You'll get full access to the game and better yet, this week Blizzard has also enabled a limited time XP and gold boost, so you can quickly scale up a new character and test out some different builds.

If you do decide to pick up the game after some time playing for free, then you can pick it up at a 40% discount, bringing the price down to £35.99 on Steam during the Autumn Sale, which went live today.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Will you be checking out Diablo 4 during its free week? The game had a mixed reception at launch for its multiplayer elements but at the very least, you can make your way through the excellent campaign. I also think it is worth noting that the game's second season has gone over much better with the community compared to the first season, with vastly more interesting content, with more to come in December thanks to the Abatoir of Zir limited time event. 

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Hearthstone set to be the next Blizzard game to hit Steam https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/hearthstone-set-to-be-the-next-blizzard-game-to-hit-steam/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/hearthstone-set-to-be-the-next-blizzard-game-to-hit-steam/#respond Thu, 09 Nov 2023 13:45:29 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=636873 Ahead of merging with Microsoft, Blizzard made the decision to start bringing its games over to Steam, ending years of Battle.net launcher exclusivity. We've already seen Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV debut on Valve's PC gaming platform, and now, it looks like Hearthstone will be up next.  Outofgames did some data mining following Hearthstone's latest …

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Ahead of merging with Microsoft, Blizzard made the decision to start bringing its games over to Steam, ending years of Battle.net launcher exclusivity. We've already seen Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV debut on Valve's PC gaming platform, and now, it looks like Hearthstone will be up next. 

Outofgames did some data mining following Hearthstone's latest update and found strings of code directly referencing Steam, an account linking feature and an achievement syncing feature, so any achievements you've unlocked previously will also unlock on the Steam version of the game.

This would be the third major game of Blizzard's to land on Steam, although an announcement isn't expected until 2024 at this stage.

This news follows on from new Hearthstone updates at BlizzCon, during which the studio confirmed plans to introduce ‘catch-up' packs for new or returning players to get back into the game, as well as a new expansion set called Showdown in the Badlands.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Hearthstone appears to be heading to Steam. Will this bring you back in, or even get you to try Hearthstone for the first time? 

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Blizzard has been discussing bringing World of Warcraft to consoles https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/blizzard-has-been-discussing-bringing-world-of-warcraft-to-consoles/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/blizzard-has-been-discussing-bringing-world-of-warcraft-to-consoles/#respond Tue, 07 Nov 2023 17:30:26 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=636674 With MMOs becoming more popular on consoles over the last generation, and games like Final Fantasy 14 showing that a gamepad can be a capable tool for playing one, the idea of World of Warcraft on console has come up numerous times in recent years. As it turns out, it is also something Blizzard discusses …

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With MMOs becoming more popular on consoles over the last generation, and games like Final Fantasy 14 showing that a gamepad can be a capable tool for playing one, the idea of World of Warcraft on console has come up numerous times in recent years. As it turns out, it is also something Blizzard discusses internally pretty regularly.

Speaking with GamesRadar at BlizzCon over the weekend, Holly Longdale, VP and executive producer for WoW, confirmed that there have been discussions internally about bringing the MMO to consoles.

However, Longdale does preface this by saying that right now, the WoW team has a lot going on, with Chris Metzen returning to the fold to spearhead a new trilogy of expansions for the game that collectively make the Worldsoul Saga. However, as Longdale points out, Blizzard is part of Microsoft now so plans could change.

For the most part, Microsoft has allowed its game studios to run pretty independently, offering support and resources rather than direct, hands-on management. Chances are, it will stay that way for Blizzard but there's no denying Microsoft would love to get WoW on Xbox. The company certainly has the resources to set up a team that could get it done, but so far, the Xbox team has had little interaction with the Activision Blizzard studios as the transition is still on-going.

Currently, we expect to hear more about Microsoft's plans for integrating Activision Blizzard into the Xbox world in early 2024, which should include new Game Pass announcements.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: World of Warcraft is nearly two decades old and all of the content produced over that timespan is still in the game today. It would certainly take a lot of work to bring all of that to consoles and thoroughly test it but I'd be surprised if Microsoft isn't already thinking about taking on that challenge.

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Phil Spencer welcomed Blizzard to Microsoft at BlizzCon’s opening ceremony https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/phil-spencer-welcomed-blizzard-to-microsoft-at-blizzcons-opening-ceremony/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/phil-spencer-welcomed-blizzard-to-microsoft-at-blizzcons-opening-ceremony/#respond Mon, 06 Nov 2023 15:00:03 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=636570 This year's BlizzCon was a little different, taking place just weeks after Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard King. While we didn't get any major Xbox-related announcements, Phil Spencer did make an appearance during the show's opening ceremony. Speaking during the BlizzCon Opening Ceremony, Microsoft Gaming lead, Phil Spencer, took to the stage to welcome Blizzard to …

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This year's BlizzCon was a little different, taking place just weeks after Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard King. While we didn't get any major Xbox-related announcements, Phil Spencer did make an appearance during the show's opening ceremony.

Speaking during the BlizzCon Opening Ceremony, Microsoft Gaming lead, Phil Spencer, took to the stage to welcome Blizzard to the Microsoft family: “Blizzard occupies a special place in the gaming industry and for me… Throughout Blizzard’s history they’ve pioneered and refined so much across the gaming industry, and many of you here today have been a part of that journey”, Spencer said, before giving shoutouts to Blizzard's most well-known franchises, including World of Warcraft, Diablo and yes, even Starcraft.

Spencer closed out his speech with a welcomed message for Blizzard fans and employees, saying: “Our commitment at Xbox is to bring more great games to more players, in more places. And now that Blizzard is part of Xbox, we will nurture the essence of what has made Blizzard unique. We’re going to empower our new colleagues in a culture of trust, inclusion, and collaboration, to continue what they do best: redefining existing genres, creating new, never before seen experiences, and uniting players globally in new ways”

Spencer has previously confirmed that there aren't any immediate plans to integrate Activision Blizzard games with services like Game Pass and the company has not yet discussed bringing PC-exclusives over to console or vice-versa. However, we can expect more news on that front in early 2024.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Under Activision's rule, Blizzard was seeing a decline but hopefully fresh ownership and a boost to morale can get things back on track in the years ahead. We're already off to a good start with Diablo 4 improving greatly since launch, and a new trilogy of World of Warcraft expansions on the way.

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Blizzard unveils new trilogy of WoW expansions https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/blizzard-unveils-new-trilogy-of-wow-expansions/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/blizzard-unveils-new-trilogy-of-wow-expansions/#respond Sun, 05 Nov 2023 09:30:29 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=636450 While recent Diablo 4 leaks were proven to be accurate at BlizzCon this year, recent World of Warcraft leaks were completely off. BlizzCon surprised WoW players at the event this year with the announcement of a trilogy of expansions, making up the Worldsoul Saga.  Chris Metzen, a fan-favourite WoW veteran, announced the new set of …

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While recent Diablo 4 leaks were proven to be accurate at BlizzCon this year, recent World of Warcraft leaks were completely off. BlizzCon surprised WoW players at the event this year with the announcement of a trilogy of expansions, making up the Worldsoul Saga. 

Chris Metzen, a fan-favourite WoW veteran, announced the new set of expansions for WoW, which will collectively tell a big, meaningful story that will have players diving deep into Warcraft lore. The first expansion, titled ‘The War Within', will be out next year and the first cinematic trailer can be viewed below:

The War Within will have players “descending into the heart of Azeroth itself”, introducing new subterranean kingdoms and ancient cultures. From there, we'll be moving on to the next expansion, Midnight, which will send players to Quel'Thalas in the Old World, tasked with stopping forces of the void from taking over. Finally, the third expansion, The Last Titan, will bring the fabled Titans of Azeroth back.

According to Metzen, the developers are trying to “establish a thundering heartbeat” for the WoW franchise with this big new expansion saga. Aside from new content that pushes the WoW story forward, BlizzCon also had updates for WoW Classic players, with the announcement of Cataclysm Classic.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: World of Warcraft remains popular but it has declined. Perhaps something like this can truly revitalise the MMO for the next several years. 

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MSI’s gaming monitors will be featured heavily throughout BlizzCon https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/matthew-wilson/msis-gaming-monitors-will-be-featured-heavily-throughout-blizzcon/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/matthew-wilson/msis-gaming-monitors-will-be-featured-heavily-throughout-blizzcon/#respond Mon, 30 Oct 2023 13:57:01 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=635787 BlizzCon is just a few days away now and if you happen to be in attendance, you'll find MSI monitors throughout the convention for showcasing the latest Blizzard game updates. MSI is the official monitor partner for BlizzCon, sending 1,500 monitors to be used throughout the Anaheim Convention Center during the event. Eventgoers will be …

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BlizzCon is just a few days away now and if you happen to be in attendance, you'll find MSI monitors throughout the convention for showcasing the latest Blizzard game updates.

MSI is the official monitor partner for BlizzCon, sending 1,500 monitors to be used throughout the Anaheim Convention Center during the event. Eventgoers will be able to play Blizzard's titles with other attendees using a couple of MSI's best displays.


Image credit: MSI Gaming

The first display being used at BlizzCon is MSI's G253PF, offering a Rapid IPS panel with a 360Hz refresh rate. Needless to say, this is the monitor Overwatch 2 teams will be using during the Overwatch World Cup Finals, which takes place at BlizzCon. The second monitor that regular attendees are more likely to see up close is the MSI Optix G273, a 1080p/165Hz monitor also aimed at esports/competitive gaming. These will be found at every hall throughout the convention.

At the MSI booth in the Overwatch 2 Hall, you'll also get to see MSI's full line-up of gaming monitors, from 4K and Ultrawide to QHD and QD-OLED monitors.

BlizzCon takes place from November 3rd to November 4th. The Overwatch Finals will be viewable via livestreams, as will all the major keynotes with game updates and new announcements.

KitGuru Says: Will you be watching the BlizzCon news next week or even attending the event in person?

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Xbox head is “all in” on reviving old franchises if devs want to https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/xbox-head-is-all-in-on-reviving-old-franchises-if-devs-want-to/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/xbox-head-is-all-in-on-reviving-old-franchises-if-devs-want-to/#respond Thu, 19 Oct 2023 10:15:11 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=634629 With Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision-Blizzard-King finally complete, the Xbox console manufacturer has started to open up about their plans for the publisher. With so many IPs and franchises now under Microsoft’s belt, Xbox head Phil Spencer spoke on their plans for ABK claiming that “If teams want to go back and revisit some …

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With Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision-Blizzard-King finally complete, the Xbox console manufacturer has started to open up about their plans for the publisher. With so many IPs and franchises now under Microsoft’s belt, Xbox head Phil Spencer spoke on their plans for ABK claiming that “If teams want to go back and revisit some of the things that we have – and do a full focus on it – I'm going to be all in.”

During the latest episode of the official Xbox podcast, Phil Spencer made a guest appearance in which he discussed the finalisation of the acquisition of ABK, and what plans he has for the publisher moving forward.

Activision has been notorious in recent years for their shift towards going all-in on Call of Duty, with the likes of Vicarious Visions and Toys For Bob being reduced to mere support teams. According to Spencer, under Microsoft, studios will be given the opportunity to work on older or dormant franchises if they so wish, saying:

“There's not a plan for that, but there's an opportunity. If people want to – if teams want to go back and revisit some of the things that we have and do a full focus on it, I'm going to be all in on that. Because I think there's just an amazing trove of things that we can go and touch again.”

He continued, “It doesn't have to just be about Activision and Blizzard. Like I said, when you look across all the portfolio. I think about things like the Quake II remaster. It just came out from ID. I thought that was awesome. They did a real good job revisiting a game, making it current, but also not leaving the history behind. So I'd love to see more things like that.”

In the eyes of many, Activision has been underutilising a number of their studios, and so to see that they might now be given the opportunity to work on something new (or old) is exciting.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the acquisition? Will this be good for Activision Blizzard? What about the industry as a whole? Let us know down below.

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Diablo 4 is doing better than Overwatch 2 on Steam but not by much https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/diablo-4-is-doing-better-than-overwatch-2-on-steam-but-not-by-much/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/diablo-4-is-doing-better-than-overwatch-2-on-steam-but-not-by-much/#respond Wed, 18 Oct 2023 14:30:45 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=634593 Yesterday with the launch of Diablo 4's second season, the game also officially came to Steam. While Blizzard's debut Steam title, Overwatch 2, launched to overwhelmingly negative user reviews, Diablo 4 is fairing better, although it still isn't doing as well as Blizzard likely hoped for.  Diablo 4's Steam reviews currently sit at an overall …

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Yesterday with the launch of Diablo 4's second season, the game also officially came to Steam. While Blizzard's debut Steam title, Overwatch 2, launched to overwhelmingly negative user reviews, Diablo 4 is fairing better, although it still isn't doing as well as Blizzard likely hoped for. 

Diablo 4's Steam reviews currently sit at an overall mixed rating, which is pretty fitting, as many players had mixed opinions on the game post-launch as well. While the campaign in Diablo IV was excellent, the game's first season didn't quite do enough to sell players on the seasonal content plan.

With season 2, there are signs of improvement. The horse now functions better, making travelling around Sanctuary faster. Additionally, new endgame bosses have been added to the game, offering players a more reliable source of unique item drops, which can make or break certain builds. Season 2 has only been available for one day so far, so it will be a little while before we start to see well thought-out impressions of the new content.

While Diablo 4 might be reviewed better than Overwatch 2 on Steam, player numbers are a different story. Despite the overwhelmingly negative rating, Overwatch 2 still averages around 30,000 peak concurrent players a day on Steam. Meanwhile, Diablo IV's current 24-hour peak on Steam is just over 5,000 players. Of course, we do have to mention that Overwatch 2 is a free to play game, lowering the barrier of entry, while Diablo 4 is a pricey investment, even with its 25% off sale for the Steam launch.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I haven't had the chance to test out much of the new seasonal content yet but I did start a Necromancer last night and will put some hours into the new season to see how it goes. 

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Microsoft wins UK approval of Activision Blizzard acquisition, deal now set to close https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/microsoft-wins-uk-approval-of-activision-blizzard-acquisition-deal-now-set-to-close/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/microsoft-wins-uk-approval-of-activision-blizzard-acquisition-deal-now-set-to-close/#respond Fri, 13 Oct 2023 08:30:47 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=634158 Over a year and a half on from Microsoft's announcement of its $69 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard, the company has cleared the final regulatory hurdle. The UK's Competition & Markets Authority has now approved the deal and Microsoft is set to complete the transaction. 

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Over a year and a half on from Microsoft's announcement of its $69 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard, the company has cleared the final regulatory hurdle. The UK's Competition & Markets Authority has now approved the deal and Microsoft is set to complete the transaction. 

While the CMA had initially opted to block the acquisition, Microsoft revised the deal, selling off the cloud rights to Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft. The CMA viewed this new deal structure as materially different and reassessed the acquisition over the last couple of months, ultimately deciding to approve the deal.

While the EU Commission had said it would be keeping a close eye on developments in the UK to assess whether or not they need to revisit the deal themselves, the commission has since decided not to re-open an investigation as the remedies proposed to the EU are still intact.

Now with the UK's approval, Microsoft can finally complete the transaction and officially take control of Activision Blizzard King. While the deal hasn't closed yet, Microsoft is expected to start the process today.

The Federal Trade Commission in the US is still attempting to fight the deal but after losing a previous court case against Microsoft, the FTC does not have the power to block the deal from going through. However, the FTC can sue to split up the companies after the fact – something that the FTC is likely to go through with. In the meantime, ABK will operate as a Microsoft-owned company.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: After roughly 20 months, this whole saga is finally coming to an end. Now, Microsoft can focus its efforts on bringing new games over to Game Pass and setting up a more active release schedule to cut down on gaps between major game releases. Perhaps Phil Spencer's goal of a first-party release each quarter is now in reach. 

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Diablo 4 is heading to Steam this month https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/diablo-4-is-heading-to-steam-this-month/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/diablo-4-is-heading-to-steam-this-month/#respond Thu, 05 Oct 2023 09:00:28 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=632992 Earlier this year, Blizzard surprisingly chose to expand its potential customer base with plans to bring games over to Steam for the first time. We've already seen Overwatch 2 make the transition to Valve's PC gaming platform and now, Diablo 4 is next on the list. 

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Earlier this year, Blizzard surprisingly chose to expand its potential customer base with plans to bring games over to Steam for the first time. We've already seen Overwatch 2 make the transition to Valve's PC gaming platform and now, Diablo 4 is next on the list. 

Diablo 4 is also heading to Steam, with the game set to launch over there on the 17th of October, the same day that the game's new season goes live.

The announcement was made last night as part of a developer live stream, which also went over some of the planned changes coming to the game with Season 2 this month. So far, over 10 million players have jumped into Diablo 4 across all available platforms, with the move to Steam, that number should climb higher.

Blizzard will want to keep its fingers crossed that the transition to Steam goes better for Diablo 4, as Overwatch 2 was swiftly planned via Steam User Reviews once the game became available.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Overwatch and Diablo have made their way to Steam. How long do you reckon it will be before we see Warcraft or Hearthstone making the jump? 

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Warcraft Rumble launches in November https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/warcraft-rumble-launches-in-november/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/warcraft-rumble-launches-in-november/#respond Wed, 04 Oct 2023 15:00:12 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=632941 Last Summer, Blizzard announced its first Warcraft mobile game, Warcraft Arclight Rumble. Things have been quiet since then but the game is now back, now known as simply Warcraft Rumble, and it will be available soon.  Almost a year and a half on from the game's original announcement, Blizzard has confirmed plans to launch Warcraft …

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Last Summer, Blizzard announced its first Warcraft mobile game, Warcraft Arclight Rumble. Things have been quiet since then but the game is now back, now known as simply Warcraft Rumble, and it will be available soon. 

Almost a year and a half on from the game's original announcement, Blizzard has confirmed plans to launch Warcraft Rumble on the 3rd of November for both iOS and Android devices.

Warcraft Rumble is a strategy action game, where players will build small armies using miniature versions of Warcraft units. These armies will be headed by a ‘leader' character, and you'll be able to collect new leaders and units as you progress through the game. There will be both multiplayer and a 70-mission long single-player campaign.

The game goes live the same day that BlizzCon kicks off, so we can expect a few more Blizzard announcements before the year is done.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I'll give this a go when it drops but I don't have much hope that the game won't heavily favour microtransaction spending. Given the launch timing, there may be bonuses tied to the game for BlizzCon attendees or stream watchers too. 

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Overwatch 2’s next Season will crossover with Diablo https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/overwatch-2s-next-season-will-crossover-with-diablo/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/overwatch-2s-next-season-will-crossover-with-diablo/#respond Tue, 03 Oct 2023 11:00:13 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=632642 Despite owning a great deal of well-known IPs, Blizzard has historically kept many of them separate, even in this era of collaborations and crossovers. Finally, two of the company’s biggest games are set to crossover as Overwatch Season 7 is confirmed to include Diablo-inspired content. Teasing the upcoming 7th season of Overwatch, Blizzard took to …

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Despite owning a great deal of well-known IPs, Blizzard has historically kept many of them separate, even in this era of collaborations and crossovers. Finally, two of the company’s biggest games are set to crossover as Overwatch Season 7 is confirmed to include Diablo-inspired content.

Teasing the upcoming 7th season of Overwatch, Blizzard took to Twitter to say: “Might want to keep the lights on for this one #Overwatch2 Season 7: Rise of Darkness launches Oct 10.”

Alongside confirmation of its launch date, the team released a brief teaser showcasing the Halloween-inspired changes coming with the upcoming update.

The Junkstein’s Revenge co-op mode will be returning, this time taking over the Tristram Cathedral section of Blizzard World. A new map – Salmon – is also being added to the general game rotation.

Perhaps the most interesting announcement came in the form of confirmation that Season 7 of Overwatch 2 will be crossing over with Blizzard’s other popular IP: Diablo IV. This will take the form of cosmetics which can be acquired, including a new skin for Moira which transforms her into Diablo IV’s poster child ‘Lillith’. Additionally, Overwatch character Wrecking Ball looks to also be getting a Diablo-inspired outfit.

October has always been an exciting month for Overwatch fans, thanks to its annual Halloween events and whatnot. It will be interesting to see the full extent of the Diablo crossover – and what other future plans Blizzard has for collaborations.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to Season 7? What other crossovers would you like to see? Has Overwatch 2 been doing enough season-to-season? Let us know down below.

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Candy Crush Saga surpasses $20 Billion in revenue https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/mustafa-mahmoud/candy-crush-saga-surpasses-20-billion-in-revenue/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/mustafa-mahmoud/candy-crush-saga-surpasses-20-billion-in-revenue/#respond Fri, 29 Sep 2023 10:45:32 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=632218 With all the talk surrounding Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, a 3rd branch of the company is often forgotten about: King. Despite this, the mobile game publisher remains a huge part of the industry, with just one game – Candy Crush Saga – having raked in over $20 Billion since its launch. In a report …

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With all the talk surrounding Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, a 3rd branch of the company is often forgotten about: King. Despite this, the mobile game publisher remains a huge part of the industry, with just one game – Candy Crush Saga – having raked in over $20 Billion since its launch.

In a report by VentureBeat, the publication spoke on King and the fact that the company is celebrating its 20th anniversary. 20 seems to be the magic number, as in this time the publisher’s flagship free-to-play mobile game – Candy Crush Saga – has managed to amass over 5 Billion downloads and has brought in more than $20 billion in revenue.

Candy Crush Saga was first released all the way back in 2012 and despite being more than a decade old, has continued to be updated with additional puzzles on a consistent basis – now featuring more than 15,000 unique levels.

King was acquired by Activision Blizzard back in 2016 for $5.9 Billion. Of course, since then Microsoft has announced its intentions to purchase the entirety of Activision-Blizzard-King for $68.7 Billion.

It is interesting to see that just one single mobile game has netted almost a 3rd of the entire acquisition price – showcasing just how lucrative this deal could be for Microsoft. With almost 250 million monthly active users, King seems to have cemented itself as a solid 3rd pillar in the Activision Blizzard King conglomerate.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Do you still play Candy Crush? What level are you on? What is your favourite casual mobile game? Let us know down below.

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The CMA provisionally approves Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/the-cma-provisionally-approves-microsofts-activision-blizzard-acquisition/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/the-cma-provisionally-approves-microsofts-activision-blizzard-acquisition/#respond Sun, 24 Sep 2023 10:30:24 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=631734 While the UK's Competition & Markets Authority initially chose to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, things have changed in recent months. Both parties paused appeal proceedings to evaluate a new version of the merger, in which Activision's cloud gaming rights would be sold off to Ubisoft. Now, the CMA appears to be happy with …

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While the UK's Competition & Markets Authority initially chose to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, things have changed in recent months. Both parties paused appeal proceedings to evaluate a new version of the merger, in which Activision's cloud gaming rights would be sold off to Ubisoft. Now, the CMA appears to be happy with the new proposal and is set to approve the deal. 

On Friday, the CMA announced that it has provisionally approved Microsoft's new Activision Blizzard King merger proposal. However, the CMA also says it has “limited residual concerns” but acknowledges that Microsoft has “offered remedies to ensure that the terms of the sale of Activision's rights to Ubisoft are enforceable by the CMA”. The authority notes that these remedies “should resolve those residual concerns”.

This is not a final decision, so don't expect the deal to close just yet. For now, the CMA is gathering public and private feedback from consumers and Microsoft's rivals, however, it should be noted that the biggest opponent of the deal, Sony, has signed a deal with Microsoft to retain Call of Duty on PlayStation and is no longer fighting against the merger. With that in mind, we don't expect any major opposition to arise.

The CMA will file its final decision in October, likely before the October 18th deadline. At that point, Microsoft will be free to close the deal, despite the fact that the FTC is still attempting to fight the merger over in the US courts. Microsoft already convinced a court to deny the FTC an injunction against the deal.

KitGuru Says: It has been well over 18 months since this merger was announced and we are only just now getting to a point where we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. This situation should be resolved in just a matter of weeks. However, given how complicated this acquisition has been, I wouldn't expect Microsoft to target any more major publishers for quite some time, certainly not Nintendo or Valve, as those purchases would start to raise serious anti-trust concerns. 

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Diablo 4 to get annual expansions https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/diablo-4-to-get-annual-expansions/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/diablo-4-to-get-annual-expansions/#respond Wed, 06 Sep 2023 12:47:28 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=629384 Diablo 4 has been out for a couple of months now and most of the hardcore players are now done for the game's first season. Blizzard plans to improve the game's content offering with Season 2 in October but in 2024, the game should get a more substantial boost with the first major expansion. During …

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Diablo 4 has been out for a couple of months now and most of the hardcore players are now done for the game's first season. Blizzard plans to improve the game's content offering with Season 2 in October but in 2024, the game should get a more substantial boost with the first major expansion.

During an interview with Dexerto, Diablo franchise lead, Rod Fergusson, talked a bit about Blizzard's plans for the game's longevity. He mentioned the game's quarterly seasons, which we already knew about, while also confirming plans for annual expansions. Previously, Blizzard had stated that Diablo 4 would get multiple expansions, but this is the first time we have heard about an annual release plan.

Fergusson said the plan for Diablo 4 stretches for “years and years”, adding that the first season is seen as setting the foundation for the game, with plans to build up from there. We already see Blizzard making efforts to improve the amount of content in the endgame, with Season 2 set to release in October with five extra endgame bosses to face off against, alongside new Vampiric powers.

A Diablo 4 expansion would obviously be bigger than a season, including new story content, possibly new locations or map changes, and potentially an increased level cap, as we saw with Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls.

If we are due to get annual Diablo 4 expansions, then the first should arrive in Summer 2024.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I've spent around 400 hours with Diablo 4 so far so I certainly got my money's worth but the game's first season was disappointing. The seasons will help with general content but I think I might take a longer break and wait for the game's first big expansion. Are any of you still playing Diablo 4?

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It’ll “take time” to bring Activision titles to Game Pass says Phil Spencer https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/itll-take-time-to-bring-activision-titles-to-game-pass-says-phil-spencer/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/itll-take-time-to-bring-activision-titles-to-game-pass-says-phil-spencer/#respond Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:00:09 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=627965 Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard to the tune of $68.7 Billion has not been a simple process. While it seems as though the deal will eventually go through fully, head of Xbox Phil Spencer has now spoken on the matter, claiming that even upon the deal’s completion, fans will be waiting quite a while to …

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Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard to the tune of $68.7 Billion has not been a simple process. While it seems as though the deal will eventually go through fully, head of Xbox Phil Spencer has now spoken on the matter, claiming that even upon the deal’s completion, fans will be waiting quite a while to play Activision Blizzard titles on Game Pass.

In an interview conducted by IGN during Gamescom, the head of Xbox Phil Spencer discussed a number of topics, including the relative lack of Final Fantasy games on Xbox. When asked about the prospects of Activision Blizzard games coming to Xbox Game Pass, Spencer stated:

“On ABK [Activision Blizzard King], I want to make sure people know there is actual work to move games into Game Pass. So for people who think the deal is going to close and then everything's available on Game Pass…that's not true. It hasn't been true for other acquisitions we've done. There's work to do, just mechanical work, for us to go do. So it will take us time, definitely time, to make those games available.”

When combined, Activision and Blizzard have a massive library of titles both old and new which would undoubtedly bolster the service’s offerings. The addition of Call of Duty alone would make waves on the service.

As explained by Spencer however, this is likely still a long ways away – so don’t expect Modern Warfare III or Diablo IV to be added any time soon.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the acquisition? When will it finally all go through? How long do you think it will take to bring Activision/Blizzard titles to Game Pass? Let us know down below.

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Diablo IV surpasses 12 million players https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/diablo-iv-surpasses-12-million-players/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/diablo-iv-surpasses-12-million-players/#respond Thu, 24 Aug 2023 14:28:41 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=627435 Diablo IV has undoubtedly been one of the biggest games of the year, both as a result of its pre-launch hype and post-launch performance. Alongside the announcement of the game’s second Season, Blizzard revealed that in the 2+ months since its release, Diablo IV has surpassed 12 million players. Announced by Rod Fergusson during their …

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Diablo IV has undoubtedly been one of the biggest games of the year, both as a result of its pre-launch hype and post-launch performance. Alongside the announcement of the game’s second Season, Blizzard revealed that in the 2+ months since its release, Diablo IV has surpassed 12 million players.

Announced by Rod Fergusson during their on-stage presentation at Gamescom’s Opening Night Live showcase, the general manager for Diablo IV revealed the game’s second major update – Season of Blood.

That is not all however, as during this talk, Fergusson also revealed that the game had already surpassed 12 million players. While they did not specify how many copies had been sold, Diablo IV currently is not available on any game subscription platforms, and so the total copies sold is likely not too far off from the aforementioned figure.

For comparison, since its launch back in 2012, Diablo III has officially surpassed 65 million players, with at least 30 million copies sold. Of course, the game took quite a while to reach such numbers, and so it will be interesting to see where Diablo IV is at one year from its launch and beyond.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you one of the 12 million players? What do you think of the upcoming Season? Will Diablo IV outsell its predecessor? Let us know down below.

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