Tag Archives: Activision Blizzard

The CMA has published its latest update into its ongoing investigation into Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. While previously, the regulator seemed to have many concerns, it has now “narrowed its scope” of issues with the deal and no longer feels that it would “result in a substantial lessening …

While we've known for a while now that Sony has been in talks with the CMA to express concerns about Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard, we haven't heard much about studios speaking out in defence of the acquisition. That changed today, with the CMA's filings being updated with responses …

Just recently, we heard that Sony is developing a PS5 Pro console, indicating that the PlayStation 6 should arrive sometime between 2027 and 2028. Now, regulatory filings have confirmed that Microsoft is also working on its next generation of Xbox hardware and services.  The FTC is currently suing Microsoft to …

Yesterday Microsoft announced a new deal with a competing cloud gaming provider in an effort to convince regulators that its acquisition of Activision Blizzard won't squeeze the competition out of the market. Today, the company is announcing yet another deal, this time with a more widely known cloud gaming company.  …

In recent weeks, Microsoft has signed legal agreements to bring Activision Blizzard titles to additional platforms, including Nintendo consoles and Nvidia's rival cloud gaming service, GeForce Now. Microsoft is looking to pile on here with additional deals with competing companies. While Sony isn't playing ball with Microsoft's 10-year agreement, other …

The planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft has not been smooth sailing, with the entire ordeal getting messier with Sony trying its hardest to convince regulators to block the deal, while Microsoft is doing everything it can to get it approved. One of the biggest talking points has been what …

Microsoft's latest filing with the UK's Competition & Markets Authority was published this week with the company responding to a few more of the CMA's concerns. One such concern the CMA laid out was the potential for Microsoft to raise Game Pass pricing following the Activision Blizzard acquisition, but Microsoft …

During its investigation into Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition, the CMA conducted various surveys, including one that found that roughly 15 percent of PlayStation users would switch to Xbox if Microsoft made Call of Duty exclusive. Microsoft conducted its own study on this, finding that the amount of users that would …

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard that the FTC is suing to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. As part of the preparation for trial, Microsoft issued a subpoena to Sony, requesting a number of business-related documents. As expected, Sony fought back on this, but a …

Yesterday, Microsoft had a meeting with the European Commission to further discuss the Activision Blizzard acquisition. Shortly after, Microsoft held its own press briefing to answer a few questions about the deal and the ongoing process. During this, Microsoft President, Brad Smith, was asked if the company would be open …

While Call of Duty has been a big part of the discussion around Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard, regulators have also expressed concern regarding the cloud market. To help with that, Microsoft has now entered an agreement with Nvidia to bring all of its Xbox PC games to GeForce Now.

Overwatch 2 will debut a new season pass today. While we aren't getting a new hero in season 3, the new content brings a new map, additional balance changes to heroes, and of course, new skins. For the first time, Overwatch will be having crossover skins, themed after One Punch …

Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard is continuing to be investigated by regulators around the world. Over here in Europe, the investigation has reportedly reached a critical point, with the European Union set to issue a formal antitrust warning to Microsoft.  According to sources speaking with Politico, the EU outlined …

While the UK's Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) was conducting its initial investigation into Microsoft's acquisition of Activision, the floor was opened up for the public to send in comments about the deal. The results of those comments have now been revealed, with around 75 percent of respondents being in …

We've known about a few of the complaints Sony has been sending to regulators in regard to Microsoft's planned Activision Blizzard merger for a while now. As the UK's CMA moves on towards its Phase 2 investigation into the deal, Sony's complaint filing has been made public, revealing some of …

Just last week, Xbox head, Phil Spencer, stated that he would be comfortable offering Sony a long-term contract to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation should its planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard go through. At the time, he did confirm that there would be no contract that states Call of …

In the wake of regulatory scrutiny over the Activision Blizzard acquisition, Microsoft has attempted to make its plans a bit clearer, confirming that Call of Duty will continue to be a multiplatform game. While some do doubt how true this is, Microsoft is continuing to reiterate this statement.  In a …

Microsoft and Sony have been locked in a back and forth regarding the Xbox manufacturer’s intentions to acquire publisher Activision Blizzard for almost $70 Billion. A secondary effect of this engagement is the fact that many ‘inside baseball’ details are being revealed. One new interesting tidbit claims that Insomniac Games’ …

Microsoft and Sony have been going back and forth for a while now, taking jabs at one another especially when it comes to the state of Call of Duty should the Activision Blizzard acquisition by Microsoft go through. In response to Sony’s own statements on the matter, Microsoft has now …

The Brazilian government has been pretty open with its investigation into Microsoft's planned Activision Blizzard acquisition. Many of the documents filed have been made publicly available, including one that detailed how other companies, like Sony, feel about the acquisition. Now, Brazil's investigation is complete, and its regulator board is happy …

Earlier this month, the UK's Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) announced that it has reached a new stage in its probe into Microsoft's planned Activision Blizzard acquisition. In short, the CMA has concerns that the deal could harm competition and on that basis, the case is now being recommended for …

Microsoft is currently in the process of having its massive acquisition of Activision Blizzard approved by governments across the world. While most countries don't publicly publish documents involved in these investigations, things work a bit differently in Brazil, which has given us an excellent look behind the curtain. The latest …

We're just a couple of months away from Overwatch 2 becoming available in Early Access. The new game will have free to play multiplayer and introduce new monetisation methods, with plans to sell skins directly through a store, rather than through lootboxes. A recent survey suggested that some skins could …

Activision Blizzard held its quarterly earnings call last night, sharing new stats on how the business and its current games are doing. As we learned last quarter, Call of Duty: Vanguard has heavily underperformed and the situation hasn't improved since, with Call of Duty losing millions of Monthly Active Users.  …

Back in February, a few weeks after Microsoft announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard, the FTC, along with other regulators across the globe, launched investigations to figure out whether or not the deal should be approved. Now, It looks like the FTC's investigation will soon come to an end.  The …

At this point, it is well established that Diablo Immortal has one of the greediest gacha systems we've seen in a mobile game to date. Still, the controversy didn't scare off those who can afford to drop piles of cash on mobile games. In the two weeks since launch, Diablo …

As recent leaks and rumours suggested, Call of Duty is officially heading back to Steam. The franchise left Valve's platform behind in favour of Blizzard's Battle.net service back in 2018, but now with this year's release of Modern Warfare 2, the series will be back on Steam.  Call of Duty: …

For the last few years, Call of Duty has moved away from Steam, with Activision instead choosing to launch the games on Blizzard's Battle.net platform. This year, the series may finally return to Steam, according to newly leaked artwork.  As spotted by Reddit user, Kalinine, new artwork for Modern Warfare …

Activision Blizzard CEO, Bobby Kotick, has come under fire over the last year, with thousands of employees campaigning to oust him from the company. Instead of stepping down, Kotick decided to negotiate a lifeline deal from Microsoft, something that New York City politicians aren't too happy about.  In a new …

While Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have agreed to a merger, there are a number of hurdles still left to clear before the acquisition can happen. Aside from regulators, the deal also needs to be approved by Activision Blizzard shareholders. Due to the company's current stock price sitting far below Microsoft's …