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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...
Nintendo Switch Online Gets Another Weird Assortment Of Classic Games
6.6.2023
Nintendo is slowly but surely rounding out the Switch Online retro game libraries with another trickle of random games. From a special rumble edition of Kirby on the Game Boy to a Famicom game that was never previously ported to the NES in the West, June’s additions are one of the most eclectic...
The Sad, Final Fantasy-Related Irony Over Sonic Co-Creator's New Prison Sentence
2.6.2023
Yuji Naka, the Sonic Team co-founder and Balan Wonderworld director, may face up to two years of jail time due to insider trading stocks regarding Dragon Quest Tact and Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier. For context, that second game is a mobile battle royale spin-off that was released and shut...
Call Of Duty CEO Says Activision Never Had A 'Systemic Issue With Harassment'
31.5.2023
Ahead of the two-year anniversary of Activision Blizzard being on the receiving end of an unprecedented video game industry lawsuit accusing the publisher of widespread sexual harassment and discrimination, CEO Bobby Kotick has appeared on the cover of Variety to loudly proclaim the innocence...
Game Developers Open Up About The ‘Worst’ Games They Worked On
30.5.2023
Last week, Daedalic Entertainment, the developers of the stealth adventure J.R.R. Tolkien video game The Lord of The Rings: Gollum, posted an apology for the game failing to “meet the expectations” of players and devs alike. Although Gollum being one of the worst-rated games of 2023 on Metacritic...
Microsoft Activision Deal Might Not Be Dead After All, Approved In Europe
15.5.2023
Last month, regulators blocked Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard in the UK, seemingly spelling doom for the $69 billion deal. On May 15, however, European Union regulators announced it has been approved on the continent, giving the gaming companies some fresh momentum as they seek...
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...
Xbox Is Running Out Of Time To Get It Right
3.5.2023
“As world builders, our greatest responsibility is to inspire and invite joy,” Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said at the New York Game Awards in January. “It feels like today, seeking joy is an act of defiance.” In February, Microsoft lived up to that ideal with the stealth release of Hi-Fi...
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...
UK Blocks Microsoft Activision Deal Over Game Pass
26.4.2023
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced its decision to block Micorosft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard on Wednesday citing concerns it would hurt competition in the growing cloud gaming market where Microsoft dominates thanks to Game Pass. It’s a shocking turn...
Sega Gobbles Up Angry Birds In Gaming Industry’s Most Bizarre Acquisition Yet
17.4.2023
Japanese gaming publisher Sega announced on Monday it will buy the company behind smartphone one-hit wonder Angry Birds for $775 million. It’s the latest major gaming acquisition, and one of the weirdest ones yet.Read more
Ubisoft Dumps Influencer Over Racist Rainbow Six Siege 'Jokes'
14.4.2023
Streamer Thaqil, a Rainbow Six Siege player who publishers Ubisoft at some point deemed important enough to commemorate with an in-game item, has been dumped by the company after making a series of racist jokes on TikTok.Read more
Sony Lashes Out At Government For Not Shutting Down Microsoft Activision Deal
6.4.2023
While not set in stone, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) now appears likely to approve Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard, and Sony seems pissed. In its latest regulatory filing it blasted UK regulators over their “surprising, unprecedented, and irrational”...
PC Game Pulled From Steam For Apparent Theft Gets Even Messier
5.4.2023
Following a police raid of its offices and a delisting from Steam, Ironmace, developer of the upcoming MMO Dark and Darker, is once again at the center of confusion and chaos. This time, miscommunication and a false launch of a now-pulled GoFundMe campaign continue to make the whole ordeal a...
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
Dying Marvel's Avengers Game Unlocks Nearly Everything For Free
31.3.2023
We’ve known since January 2023 that Square Enix’s failed live-service superhero RPG Marvel’s Avengers would have its life support plug pulled on September 30. At that time, developer Crystal Dynamics announced that all cosmetics “will be made available to all players for free” once the game’s final...
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
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...