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FTC Tries Blocking Microsoft, Activision's $69B Deal, Claiming It's Being Rushed
13.6.2023
Microsoft’s attempted $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been in a kind of limbo due to scrutiny from various regulatory bodies here in the U.S. and in the UK, and today the tech company faces one more hurdle. The Federal Trade Commission has filed a request for both a restraining...
Square Enix CEO Calls Out Teachers Who Said He Played Too Many Final Fantasy Games As A Kid
12.6.2023
So you’ve just been appointed the very top job of the gaming company you worshiped as a kid. What do you do? Gush? Gloat? Not Takashi Kiryu, the new CEO of Japanese game publisher Square Enix, who took the moment as a chance to—with immaculate politeness—call out the teachers who condemned him...
Starfield's Special Edition Gets You Five Days Early Access
11.6.2023
As has started becoming the norm for a lot of companies, Bethesda has given players a chance to get early access to Starfield by purchasing one of its expensive editions. This includes the Constellation Edition, which will let you play Bethesda’s sci-fi RPG five days before it launches on September...
League Strike Called Off After Riot, Player's Union Reach Agreement
9.6.2023
Two weeks ago it looked like League of Legend’s North American season was going to be thrown into turmoil when the player’s union called for a strike over Riot’s plan to make cuts to the North American Challenger’s League, and Riot responded by suspending the entire LCS. After negotiations between...
Whoopi Goldberg Calls Out Diablo IV For Not Being On Mac, But Fans Have A Fix
8.6.2023
Here’s an odd bit of port begging. Whoopi Goldberg is upset that Diablo IV has skipped Apple’s Mac and has posted a video asking Blizzard to port the game over. But good news: Mac fans have already figured out a solution that might help her (and other Mac users) play Diablo IV. Read more
It Is June 2023 And EA Wants To Add NFTs To FIFA & Madden
5.6.2023
EA Sports and Nike announced yesterday that, at some point in the “future”, games like FIFA and Madden will feature integration with .Swoosh, which Nike describes as its “new digital community experience”.Read more
Diablo IV Players Getting Launch Errors, But Not If They Pay Up
2.6.2023
Diablo IV is out, at least in Early Access, and while things seem to be going smoothly so far on PC—fingers crossed—loads of PS5 players have run into a wall and can’t access the game.Read more
The First Diablo IV Fans To Hit Level 100 In Permadeath Mode Get Something Special
31.5.2023
After a decade-long wait, the next chapter in Diablo is finally upon us. With it come dozens of dungeons and a sizable open world filled with legions of demons to slaughter. Millions will no doubt answer the call and take up arms, but Blizzard has now issued a special challenge for those willing...
Blizzard's AI Tools Sound Incredibly Depressing
23.5.2023
It hasn’t been the best week at Blizzard, so let’s check in and see how things are going with something other than Overwatch 2 like...ah, the company’s management sending out emails about how AI tools are going to be help design character outfits and “generate concept art”. Lovely.Read more
Activision Boss Hyped About AI, Suggests It Could Be Used In A New Guitar Hero
11.5.2023
There’s always a new tech trend being billed as the future. In 2021, it was NFTs. Last year, it was the metaverse. And now it’s AI. Some of gaming’s biggest companies are already getting excited about the prospect of computer generated graphics and scripts fattening their bottom lines. This week...
Some Blizzard Devs Worry Departures Could Hurt World Of Warcraft And Other Games
10.5.2023
It’s a pivotal moment for Blizzard, and some developers there worry the company is facing an unnecessary wave of departures that could hamper games like World of Warcraft, the long-running MMO whose recent Dragonflight expansion was praised by critics and players alike. At least a few employees...
New Minecraft Update Fixes A Bug From 2012 (No, That’s Not A Typo)
3.5.2023
Cast your mind back to October 2012. Pokemon Black and White 2 had just been released. Resident Evil 6 launched and disappointed many. And Dishonored arrived on the scene, earning Arkane many accolades and awards. And also, a minor bug involving footsteps and blocks was introduced into Minecraft....
Blockbuster Game Development Costs Are Out Of Control
1.5.2023
The production of big-budget games has felt unsustainable for a while now, and all evidence points to major blockbusters only getting more expensive in the years to come. Testimony in the regulatory fight over Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard shows that game publishers are spending...
Sonic Maker Sega Is The Video Game Industry’s Next Union Battleground
24.4.2023
Over 140 workers at Sega of America’s Irvine, California office have announced plans to form a new union to fight for better pay, adequate staffing, and more balanced schedules. It’s the latest front in the video game industry’s growing unionization movement, and the first to move its focus beyond...
Minecraft Legends: The Kotaku Review
14.4.2023
The writer O. Henry is alleged to have said of New York City, “It’ll be a great place if they ever finish it.” I have a very similar feeling about Minecraft Legends. Its mix of real-time strategy and third-person action seems like it could be a splendid game, should Mojang ever get around...
US Government Went After Activision Over Stingy Esports Salaries
4.4.2023
The Department of Justice has taken Activision Blizzard to court, alleging the publisher’s esports leagues had been grossly underpaying their workers/players via an exploitative “Competitive Balance Tax”.Read more
Retro Atari Game Found After Being Lost For 40 Years
30.3.2023
As efforts to preserve video game history continue, we still stumble upon things that once seemed lost to time. This includes games dating back to the Atari 2600 days, such as this 44-year-old title made by Atari back in the 70s.Read more
EA Lays Off Almost 800 People Weeks After Posting Huge Profits
30.3.2023
Publishing giant Electronic Arts announced today that approximately 6% of its global workforce, or between 700-800 people, will be laid off as the company drives “greater focus across our portfolio”.Read more
Activision Blizzard May Have Pulled Out Of China Over Messy Miscommunication
29.3.2023
Last November, Activision Blizzard made a shocking decision when it suddenly ended its partnership with Netease, the company which brought games like Overwatch and World of Warcraft to China, after 14 years. Now we know why. According to the New York Times, Netease suggested it could sway Chinese...
Bobby Kotick Calls Out PlayStation In Email To Whole World
29.3.2023
As we grow closer to the finish line in the months-long struggle for Microsoft to buy Activision Blizzard, things are getting tense. Governments are getting involved, weird promises are being made and the people at the centre of it all—like Activision CEO Bobby Kotick—sound like they’re starting...