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The Real Reasons Activision Blizzard Was Sold, Without Bobby Kotick's PR Spin
19.1.2022
As you probably already heard, Microsoft is looking to purchase Activision Blizzard for a whopping $68.7 billion. But why Activision CEO Bobby Kotick suddenly decided to give up control of the company and where that leaves the beleaguered executive after the ink dries changes depending on who...
This Was Inevitable
19.1.2022
Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard has been momentous news today, as much for the scale of the deal as its shock value. But we shouldn’t be too surprised. This was inevitable. A handful of companies have always wanted to own everything, and nothing is going to stop them.Read more
Microsoft Is Bringing Activision Blizzard Games To Game Pass
18.1.2022
Alongside news that Microsoft is preparing to acquire Activision Blizzard for $70 billion, the Xbox console maker has confirmed that games from the recently troubled Call of Duty and Warcraft publisher will make their way to Xbox Game Pass.Read more
Head Of Microsoft Says He’s ‘Grateful’ For Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick's 'Commitment to Real Change'
18.1.2022
Microsoft revealed a bombshell today: it’s buying embattled Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard in the largest gaming industry acquisition ever. That means a lot of things, including that the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, will soon be veteran CEO Bobby Kotick’s new boss. But what that means...
Report: Bobby Kotick Is Still Trying To Hide The Scale Of Activision's Problems
17.1.2022
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that not only has Activision Blizzard fired dozens of staff in the last few months, but that CEO Bobby Kotick has been hiding that information from the public. Because it might look bad...Read more
We Can All Finally Learn How To Make Big Macs On Nintendo DS
12.1.2022
The gaming preservationists over at Forest of Illusion recently got their hands on the holy grail of the Nintendo DS catalog: a cartridge meant to teach McDonald’s workers the ins and outs of the fast-food restaurant via the popular two-screen handheld. It’s called eSMART 2.0, and after years...
Uh-oh, March Is Even More Packed With Games Than February
12.1.2022
For a spell, it seemed that February would be the busiest month for gaming in 2022, with marquees like Sifu, Elden Ring, and Horizon Forbidden West crowding the calendar. But in recent days, March has officially taken the crown as the best (worst?) month to love video games. Folks, it’s getting...
Lego Delays Overwatch 2 Set Over Activision Blizzard Allegations
11.1.2022
Lego’s Overwatch 2 Titan set won’t come out next month as planned. The Danish toy maker announced today that it’s delaying the release until it can finish reviewing its partnership with Activision Blizzard, in light of workplace misconduct issues made public in recent months.Read more
Rockstar, Take-Two Remember Midnight Club Exists
11.1.2022
During an investor call earlier today, Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive (the parent company of Rockstar Games) listed off some of the publisher’s most popular and successful franchises. And it was during this meeting that Take-Two and Rockstar Games seemingly remembered that...
Xbox Boss Not Interested In 'Virtue Shaming' Activision
10.1.2022
Back in November, the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, told staff he was “evaluating all aspects” of the Microsoft gaming division’s relationship with Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard following a bombshell report by The Wall Street Journal of workplace misconduct and coverups at the massive...
GTA Publisher To Buy Farmville Maker Zynga For $12.7 Billion
10.1.2022
Take-Two, the publisher behind some of the biggest names in gaming like Grand Theft Auto and NBA 2K, today announced a deal to buy mobile game company Zynga for $12.7 billion. If the acquisition of the FarmVille creator goes through, it will mark the biggest sale in video game history.Read more
The Nintendo Switch Outsold Every Other Console Combined In Japan Last Year
6.1.2022
Nintendo sold a lot of Switch consoles in Japan last year. Like a lot—5.3 million, to be exact. The Switch was easily the best-selling console in Japan in 2021, beating out the PlayStation 5, which didn’t even crack a million units. In fact, you can add up all the other consoles sold in...
Activision Sues Call Of Duty: Warzone Cheat Maker For Selling To 'Tens Of Thousands' Of Players
5.1.2022
Call of Duty publisher Activision is kicking off 2022 by asking a court to shut down Warzone cheat maker EngineOwning, opening up a new legal front in its never-ending war against the hackers plaguing its popular online battle royale. In addition to lost revenue, the company currently under fire...
14,000 Chinese Game Companies Have Gone Out Of Business Due To Regulation Freeze
4.1.2022
China’s freeze on video game licenses continues. South China Morning Post notes that the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) has not released a list of newly approved titles since July 2021. Because of this, state-run newspaper Securities Daily reports that approximately 14,000...
The Japanese Internet Reacts To Square Enix's Crypto Plans
3.1.2022
On January 1, Square Enix CEO Yosuke Matsuda (pictured) decided to ring in the New Year with the company’s plans for things like blockchain and NFTs. Read more
The Week In Games: A New Year, But Not Many New Games
3.1.2022
Happy new year! I hope you had a safe and fun New Year’s Eve and Day and I hope 2022 is a better year for all of us than 2021 was. I mean, it can’t be worse right...?Read more
The Year In Video Game Companies Buying Other Video Game Companies
30.12.2021
The video game industry went on a shopping spree in 2021. Throughout the year, a handful of larger companies consistently bought up a boatload of smaller ones, at a rate where it seemed a new acquisition was announced every few weeks.Read more
Longtime Blizzard Employee Spouted Hateful Garbage On Discord Server
28.12.2021
Geoff Frazier, a former early Blizzard employee who was responsible for much of the company’s web content over the past 23 years, has been posting bigoted and hateful messages in a Discord server going back to May 2021. ABetterABK founder and organizer Jessica Gonzalez tweeted screenshots...
Gog Sale Includes Some Of The Top Games Of 2021
24.12.2021
Video game deals have become a holiday tradition for most gamers looking to get the best prices on games they missed out on over the year. And Gog.com has some of Kotaku’s favorites from 2021, and years past, on sale through the new year.Read more
Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker Players Mourn Blocky Grapes
22.12.2021
Pour some pixelated wine out for Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker’s purple grapes. The latest update—Patch 6.01—has smoothed out their angular edges and made them far less blocky. In the Patch 6.01 notes, Square Enix noted the following under “Resolved Issues.”Read more