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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...
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...
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...
The Cringiest Weed References In Video Games
21.4.2023
Video games and weed have enjoyed a lovely relationship for decades now, entangling themselves throughout history in both accidental and purposeful ways. For the last few decades, the two have been seen as activities for lowlifes, things to be avoided. Now that each is established, acceptable,...
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...
Activision’s Poster-In-Chief Gives Wild Look Inside Microsoft Sony Fight
9.3.2023
Over a year after it was first announced, Microsoft’s $69 billion Activision Blizzard deal is being picked apart under a microscope by regulators. It still appears to be crawling towards its inexorable conclusion, but things are getting very messy, and incredibly silly, in the process.Read more
Activision Accused Of Illegally Firing QA Testers Over Remote Work Protest
1.3.2023
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) have today filed charges against publisher Activision—a company with a long track record of alleged union-busting—claiming the publisher violated several workplace laws in relation to the firing of two QA testers.Read more
Everything That’s Happened In The Microsoft-Activision Merger Saga
13.2.2023
On January 18, 2022, Microsoft announced that it planned to buy Activision Blizzard King—the mega-publisher behind games like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush—in a deal worth nearly $70 billion.Read more
Bobby Kotick Is Stoking Chinese Fear To Champion The Microsoft Acquisition
8.2.2023
In order to ease UK regulators’ reluctance to approve the Microsoft acquisition, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick went on CNBC to make a case for the merger. His comments about the UK becoming “Death Valley” if the merger was not approved have earned him well-deserved ridicule. But maybe...
The Saga Of Microsoft Buying Activision Blizzard Just Took A Wild Turn
8.2.2023
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick recently went on TV to say the UK would become “Death Valley” if it didn’t approve his company’s $69 billion sale to Microsoft. We now know why. The country’s Competition and Markets Authority announced provisional findings on Wednesday that the deal would...
Bobby Kotick Says UK Will Become 'Death Valley' If Microsoft Purchase Isn't Approved
8.2.2023
There are serious concerns being raised around the world over Microsoft’s planned $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard, with opposition coming not just from Xbox’s competitors but everyone from Google to Nvidia as well. You would think such a precarious situation would require some delicate...
Activision Did Nothing Wrong, Will Pay $35 Million Settlement
3.2.2023
Activision Blizzard will pay the Securities Exchange Commission $35 million to settle charges that it violated workplace misconduct reporting rules and whistleblower protections. The Call of Duty publisher admits no wrongdoing in the case, which comes less than two years after a bombshell lawsuit...
Report: Diablo IV Devs Say June Release Date Will Lead To More Crunch
8.12.2022
Loot action-RPG Diablo IV received glowing previews this week and is expected to appear at the 2022 edition of The Game Awards Thursday night. But some of the game’s developers tell the The Washington Post that production might not wrap in time for a planned June 2023 release date unless they...
The Biggest Gaming Disappointments Of 2022
8.12.2022
Congrats everyone, you all made it through another awful pandemic year! 2022 is nearly at an end, meaning that it’s a good time to look back at all the terrible and disappointing shit that happened over the last 12 months. It’s enough to make me crave a distraction from it all, maybe even hop into...
The Game Awards’ Fashion Highlights The Industry’s Identity Crisis
7.12.2022
Like everyone else, I watch The Game Awards for a few reasons: to see “world premiere” trailers, to find out which obvious favorite wins Game of the Year, and to learn how Geoff Keighley is going to cash in his Hideo Kojima friendship coupon this year. But what fascinates me is never the latest...
2022 Was The Year The Video Game Industry Ate Itself
6.12.2022
The video game industry went on a shopping spree in 2021. Epic Games bought Mediatonic (Fall Guys), Sony bought Housemarque (Returnal), and Embracer bought Gearbox (Borderlands). It seemed like things might slow down in 2022, but instead they ramped up even more into an acquisition free-for-all....
The Death Of DJ Game Fuser Is A Huge Bummer
5.12.2022
Fuser, the DJ game from original Guitar Hero creator and Rock Band studio Harmonix, is shutting down its live service content and ceasing sales. This comes just two years after the music-mixing game launched—and it’s honestly a big bummer.Read more
Report: Feds 'Likely' To Fight Microsoft's Purchase Of Activision Blizzard
24.11.2022
Politico are reporting that, “according to three people with knowledge of the matter”, the Federal Trade Commission is “likely to file an antitrust lawsuit to block Microsoft’s $69 billion takeover of video game giant Activision Blizzard”.Read more