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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
Sony Accuses Microsoft Of 'Harassment' In Court Battle
10.2.2023
The struggles to get Microsoft’s proposed $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard over the line aren’t just playing out at government watchdogs and in the public eye, but in courtrooms as well. And in one of those battlegrounds, Microsoft is making demands of its rival Sony that the latter...
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...
What To Expect From Xbox In 2023
6.2.2023
What started back in 2001 as a very big black-and-green box on your shelf that played Halo and was named after Microsoft’s graphics API has grown to be something much bigger. With Series X|S consoles now far more available, day one releases of exclusives on PC, and the wide umbrella of gaming...
Activision Blizzard Exec Has The Most Unhinged Last Of Us TV Show Take Yet
31.1.2023
The Last of Us inspired no shortage of takes when it first released back in 2013. The HBO TV adaptation has been no different. Like a massive EpiPen of stimulus for the take economy in middle of winter, it has elicited both over-the-top praise, scornful dismissals, and everything in-between....
Phil Spencer Says Halo Studio Remains ‘Critical’ To Xbox Despite Cuts
28.1.2023
Things haven’t been going great for Xbox recently. Microsoft is facing stiff resistance in its attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard. It released hardly any big exclusive blockbusters last year. And it just cut over 10,000 jobs last week, including many senior developers at Halo Infinite studio...
Blizzard Boston Devs Blame Boss For Torpedoing Union
24.1.2023
Workers at Proletariat Studio, also known as Blizzard Boston, won’t be unionizing after all. The Communications Workers of America Union announced on Tuesday that it will pull its petition for a union election, and blames Proletariat CEO Seth Sivak for treating workers’ organizing efforts as...
Blizzard's 'Workplace Ranking' For Employees Sounds Like Hell
24.1.2023
A story ran on Bloomberg earlier today with the headline “Blizzard Manager Departs In Protest of Employee Ranking System”. It sounds very businessy, maybe something that would land on the Linkedin news feed of a HR manager, but the stuff it’s describing is important because it sounds absolutely...
Xbox's Phil Spencer Says Microsoft's 10K Layoffs 'Hurts' In Email To Staff
20.1.2023
A few hours ago, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer sent out a company-wide email to all full-time employees under Microsoft’s gaming divisions. A copy of the email was shared with Kotaku by a current Xbox employee, we have confirmed its authenticity, and the full text has been transcribed below:Read more
The Last Of Us’ Original Co-Director Unhappy Over HBO Show Credits Snub
19.1.2023
Bruce Straley hasn’t been at Naughty Dog for six years, but the game director behind the original PlayStation 3 version of The Last of Us isn’t happy about his lack of credit in the HBO adaptation that began airing this week.Read more
Pro Overwatch Teams Reportedly Want Legal Fight Against Activision Over Money
19.1.2023
The Overwatch League, an officially funded esports event, has been dealing with declining viewership and issues with sponsors following Activision Blizzard’s ongoing workplace culture scandal. Now, based on a report from Jacob Wolf, it seems the teams Activision Blizzard employs to play the game...
Microsoft Slashes 10K Jobs, Including At Xbox And Halo Studios
18.1.2023
Following rumors earlier this week from Sky News, tech giant Microsoft has announced a slew of layoffs affecting 10,000 workers, some within its game studios, blaming slowing e-commerce sales and a potential economic recession. Kotaku has confirmed that a number of developers at 343 Industries,...
Oops: Microsoft Called FTC Unconstitutional, Regrets The Error
6.1.2023
Today, Microsoft filed a revised response to the United States Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit intended to stop the tech giant from buying up Call of Duty publisher Activision. The initial filing contained multiple arguments claiming the FTC itself and its court system were unconstitutional....
Overwatch 2 Greek Myth Mode Immortalizes Top Players In A Cool Way
4.1.2023
If you’ve been hoping for a change of pace for Overwatch 2, a limited-time event is landing tomorrow that will mix things up a bit. Battle for Olympus introduces a limited-time free-for-all deathmatch mode featuring some new abilities for various heroes. The event promises some rewards for players...
Hot Damn: Another Activision Blizzard Studio Is Unionizing
27.12.2022
Developers at the Boston-based gaming studio Proletariat announced plans to unionize on Tuesday. If successful, roughly 60 employees there who worked on World of Warcraft’s new Dragonflight expansion would join the growing ranks of organized labor across parent company Activision Blizzard...
The State Of Xbox And Game Pass In 2022
22.12.2022
2022 was somehow both a very big, successful year for Xbox and Game Pass and also one that it felt as if the gaming giant was starting to lose some steam. Read more
Activision Blizzard President Leaves To Take Over Bored Ape Yacht Club
20.12.2022
Activision Blizzard president and Chief Operating Officer Daniel Alegre is leaving the company to become CEO of blockchain company Yuga Labs, which owns famous ugly NFTs like Bored Ape and CryptoPunks. Alegre, who was named in a February lawsuit alleging Activision Blizzard misled the SEC about...
Fortnite Fined $520 Million For Invading Kids’ Privacy And Tricking Players
19.12.2022
Epic Games will pay a whopping $520 million combined settlement after an Federal Trade Commission investigation found it invaded children’s privacy and tricked some players into buying stuff in Fortnite that they didn’t want. The FTC announced on Monday that it’s the largest penalty ever assessed...