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The Xbox Fallout: Breaking Down Microsoft's Worst Gaming Week In Years
10.5.2024
It has been a very bad week for Xbox Game Studios. On Tuesday, May 7, Microsoft announced it would shut down three studios: Redfall developer Arkane Austin, Hi-Fi Rush creators Tango Gameworks, and Mighty Doom studio Alpha Dog Games. On top of this, Roadhouse Games is being absorbed into Elder...
Ex-Blizzard Exec Dragged For Suggesting Gamers Start Tipping
15.4.2024
Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra made waves recently when he suggested that gamers might want to start tipping their favorite games extra. “I’ve often thought ‘I wish I could give these folks another $10 or $20 because it was worth more than my initial $70 and they didn’t try to nickel...
Microsoft Cuts Nearly 2,000 Video Game Workers' Jobs
25.1.2024
Another day, another layoff. This time, the staff cuts are happening at Microsoft, with IGN reporting that nearly 2,000 employees at the Xbox maker were let go.Read more
FTC Blasted By Congress And Gamers For Doing Its Job
14.7.2023
Under chair Lina Khan, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken a lot of heat for trying to be aggressive in its approach to regulating tech companies and preventing monopolies. Now the FTC is facing criticism from both Republicans in Congress and very online Xbox fans for appealing a recent...
Blizzard Boss Defends Diablo Immortal, Feels ‘Really Good’ About Its Launch
8.7.2022
Blizzard’s controversial Diablo Immortal launched to big numbers and high revenue. It also set off an ongoing debate about in-game purchases, digital gambling, free-to-play mobile games, and addiction. The massive publisher has mostly remained silent amid the negative headlines and criticism....
Fantasy Battle Royale Spellbreak Shutting Down, Studio Absorbed By Blizzard
29.6.2022
Spellbreak, the magic-based battle royale, is spellbroken, shutting down early next year, developer Proletariat announced in a blog post. Also, the whole studio is getting absorbed by Blizzard, the result of a recent acquisition intended to beef up development on World of Warcraft.Read more
Diablo IV Revives The Necromancer For A 2023 Launch
12.6.2022
Diablo IV is still set for a 2023 release, Blizzard announced today. And while that 365-day launch window may not be super exciting, it was also revealed that the fan favorite Necromancer will be the game’s fifth and final playable class (at least for now). Put on your finest bone armor, folks...
Game Studio Blizzard Is Polling Players About Crypto and NFTs
21.4.2022
Blizzard, a game studio and part of the Activision-Blizzard company, has started polling some gamers about the use of NFTs and cryptocurrency elements. The survey, which was only directed to some of its players, raised rumors about the possibility of the company introducing some of these elements...
Blizzard Boss Tries To Shut Down Player Speculation After NFT Survey
18.4.2022
While some companies are doubling down on the lucrative scam behind NFTs, others are trying to head off any association right from the start. After an Activision Blizzard survey went out polling players on their interest in the blockchain technology, Blizzard boss Mike Ybarra was quick to shoot...
Call Of Duty Maker Announces Raises For QA Workers Amid Unionization Fight
7.4.2022
Activision Blizzard announced a big win for its part-time developers today as it battles an ongoing union push at one of the big studios behind Call of Duty: Warzone. Contract QA staff across the company will be converted to full-time, and also see their minimum hourly rate raised to $20. That’s...
New Activision Blizzard Lawsuit Alleges Sexual Harassment, Retaliation Endured By Woman For Years
24.3.2022
A new lawsuit against Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard by a current employee raises fresh allegations of sexual harassment at the publisher, this time focused on leaders in Blizzard’s IT department. According to the lawsuit, the current employee was repeatedly subjected to unwanted...
Blizzard Teases First New Game Universe Since Overwatch Amid Developer Exodus
26.1.2022
Still reeling from a workplace misconduct reckoning, staff exodus, major game delays, and a record-breaking deal to be acquired by Microsoft, Blizzard announced yesterday that it’s working on its first game set in a new universe since the launch of Overwatch six years ago. Details were scant,...
Blizzard Outlines Plans To Improve After 'Challenging' 2021
21.1.2022
Blizzard’s 2021 was a year marked by lowlights, with the company beset by allegations of a toxic workplace and rocked by the departures (and firings) of several key personnel. Now, with a new year and likely new ownership as well, president Mike Ybarra has outlined Blizzard’s plan to “rebuild your...
Xbox Boss 'Disturbed' By What's Going On At Activision Blizzard, Reconsidering Relationship
18.11.2021
Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, sent an email to staff calling the latest wave of allegations about Activision Blizzard deeply troubling, as first reported by Bloomberg and confirmed to Kotaku by Microsoft PR. Spencer joins a growing list of developers, shareholders, and game industry executives...
Blizzard's First Woman Co-Head Resigned Due To Being 'Tokenized, Marginalized, And Discriminated Against'
16.11.2021
Amongst the latest wave of troubling revelations to come out of Activision Blizzard, the Wall Street Journal reports that former exec Jennifer Oneal’s incredibly brief stint as co-head of Blizzard ended due to her being “tokenized, marginalized, and discriminated against.”Read more
Blizzard Games Aren’t Doing So Great Lately
3.11.2021
Blizzard is in the eye of a storm. In the wake of a departing studio head and two major delays of anticipated games, the Diablo and Overwatch developer is bleeding players across the board, as it revealed during an Activision Blizzard earnings call last night. Across its portfolio, the studio’s...
Blizzard Is Already Losing Its First Female Studio Co-Head
2.11.2021
Jen Oneal, who recently assumed the top position at Blizzard in the wake of a significant reckoning at the company, will step down at the end of the year, she wrote in a statement today. Her co-lead, Mike Ybarra, will take over the rest of her responsibilities.Read more
Blizzard's Chief Legal Officer Quits Amid Lawsuit
21.9.2021
Blizzard Entertainment’s chief legal officer, Claire Hart, has resigned from the embattled company. She announced the news in a LinkedIn post yesterday, saying that last Friday, September 17, was her final day.Read more
Activision Blizzard’s Latest Investor Call Was An Especially Ghoulish Affair
4.8.2021
Every few months big game companies hold investor calls in which one set of rich people reassures another set of rich people that they are both still rich and will, over the coming months, likely get even richer. Sometimes one of the rich people hints at a new game that’s in development. Other...
Activision Blizzard Is Losing Overwatch Sponsors After Lawsuit
3.8.2021
In the wake of a lawsuit detailing a sickening culture of harassment at Activision Blizzard, the Overwatch and Call of Duty publisher is starting to bleed sponsorships. As spotted by the esports site Dexerto, T-Mobile has apparently pulled support for the professional leagues of both games.Read more