A few years ago, Blizzard found itself in a tough position with fans after using up stage time at BlizzCon to announce Diablo Immortal, a mobile-only spin-off game that has still yet to release. At the time, sources indicated that Blizzard had several other mobile games in the works, including …
Read More »Keighley claims more major game studio acquisitions are on the way
We've seen a number of major acquisitions lately, with Microsoft announcing plans to buy Activision Blizzard, Bungie joining PlayStation Studios and Take Two acquiring Zynga. According to sources, there is more to come on this front too, with multiple other deals currently in the works. Following Sony's acquisition of Bungie …
Read More »FTC to hold antitrust review of Microsoft’s $70 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition
Sony's newly announced acquisition of Bungie isn't the merger making headlines this week. Microsoft's recent deal with Activision Blizzard is now back in the news, as the FTC reveals plans to review the deal on antitrust grounds. As reported by Bloomberg, the US Federal Trade Commission is conducting an antitrust …
Read More »Blizzard’s upcoming survival game has been in development since 2017
In a surprise announcement last week, Blizzard revealed that it is working on a brand new IP. While the low-key nature of this reveal would usually indicate that development is very early on, it turns out that this survival game has been in the works for nearly five years. During …
Read More »Activision Blizzard CEO is getting hundreds of millions from Microsoft deal
There are times when it is made clear that the unfortunate side of business allows for some people to have their cake and eat it too. Activion’s CEO Bobby Kotick is one such man, as it has now been reported that he will receive $375 Million as part of the …
Read More »Call of Duty will stay on PlayStation through 2023
With Microsoft set to acquire Activision Blizzard in the near future, there has been a lot of speculation around the future of Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles. At this point, Microsoft Gaming head, Phil Spencer, has confirmed plans to honour all current agreements, but what exactly does that mean? …
Read More »Blizzard is working on a survival game for PC and console
Blizzard is mostly known for its pillar franchises and less so for new IP, but that doesn't mean the studio isn't experimenting with new ideas behind the scenes. This week, Blizzard revealed that it is working on a survival game for consoles and PC. The “unannounced survival game” for consoles …
Read More »Call of Duty Warzone QA testers end strike
Over the last month, a team of QA testers at Activision Blizzard studio, Raven, have been on strike due to a round of lay-offs announced just before the Pacific update to Call of Duty: Warzone shipped. Since then, the publisher’s board of directors has agreed to sell the company to …
Read More »Phil Spencer reveals Call of Duty’s fate on PlayStation
When Microsoft first announced that they were going to acquire Activision for 68.7 Billion, one of the first thoughts that crossed many’s minds was “what does this mean for Call of Duty?” Microsoft’s CEO of Gaming, Phil Spencer, has now answered this question. In a tweet, the CEO of Gaming …
Read More »Activision Blizzard CEO wanted to buy a gaming publication for propaganda purposes
Prior to the announcement that Microsoft is acquiring Activision Blizzard for $68.7 Billion, the Call of Duty creator was in a great deal of hot water. Instead of tackling the root cause of the issue, Activision Blizzard’s CEO Bobby Kotick wanted to buy good press by acquiring a gaming publication. …
Read More »Sony officially responds to Activision Blizzard acquisition
Microsoft recently dropped a bombshell when it announced that the Xbox creator will be acquiring Activision Blizzard for a staggering $68.7 Billion. What this means for the future of Activision Blizzard’s games is up in the air currently – though Sony has now officially responded to the announcement. In a …
Read More »Activision Blizzard CEO will leave company after Microsoft deal closes
Microsoft recently dropped a bombshell on the video games industry as they announced that the Xbox manufacturer will be acquiring the publishing behemoth Activision Blizzard. But what does this mean for the company’s highly controversial CEO? We now have an answer. Bobby Kotick has served as the CEO of Activision …
Read More »Activision Blizzard will still release some multiplatform games
Today saw some behemoth-level news drop in the form of Microsoft announcing that it will be acquiring Activision Blizzard for a staggering amount nearing $70 Billion. Even so, it would seem the publisher’s games are too lucrative on other platforms, and so with at least some franchises, they will continue …
Read More »Microsoft buys Activision Blizzard for almost $70 Billion
Microsoft has been the force behind many industry-shaking moments: from the original announcement of Xbox Game Pass to the reveal that they had bought Zenimax Media (i.e. Bethesda). Even so, the recent announcement made by Microsoft may be the biggest piece of industry news ever.
Read More »LEGO indefinitely delays Overwatch set due to Activision abuse scandal
It is common to see many video game IPs crossover with the LEGO franchise – both inside and outside of video games. One upcoming set – namely an Overwatch 2 set – has now been indefinitely delayed, as the toy manufacturer is “reviewing our partnership with Activision Blizzard.” Activision-Blizzard have …
Read More »Nintendo officially responds to Activision allegations
In the wake of the report that not only did Activision Blizzard cultivate a toxic and sexual harassment-filled work environment, but CEO Bobby Kotick knew of the behaviour, console manufacturers have been weighing in on the matter. Following Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo has now issued an internal response. As reported …
Read More »Activision Blizzard CEO will ‘consider leaving’ if on-going issues can’t be ‘quickly fixed’
Activision Blizzard continues to make headlines this week, as sources have claimed that CEO, Bobby Kotick, may be willing to resign if current on-going issues at the studio can't be quickly fixed. Calls for Kotick to step down have grown louder in recent weeks, after a report from The Wall …
Read More »Over 1,700 Activision Blizzard employees back petition to replace CEO
Over the course of this week, calls for the resignation of Activision Blizzard CEO, Bobby Kotick, have grown louder. Following on from reports of Kotick's handling of workplace harassment issues, over 1,700 employees have signed a petition calling on the board to choose a new CEO. The latest petition states …
Read More »Xbox to make ‘proactive adjustments’ to relationship with Activision following allegations
Things are not going well at Activision Blizzard right now, as more information has come to light regarding the company's internal practices and calls for CEO, Bobby Kotick, to resign have grown louder. This week, we heard from PlayStation's Jim Ryan, who spoke up against what is happening at the …
Read More »Activision is no longer the most valuable gaming company in the US
The US holds one of the biggest markets in gaming when it comes to revenue, sales, market cap and all manner of statistics. Within the US, the biggest gaming company has historically been Activision, with franchises such as Call of Duty pushing the publisher to new heights. Surprisingly, Activision Blizzard …
Read More »Blizzard is creating a player-governed community council for World of Warcraft
This week, Blizzard announced the WoW Community Council, a new system to establish a line of communication between players and developers to provide detailed feedback. Applications are now open and the council is expected to be composed of players with various backgrounds and interests, representing the different types of players in …
Read More »Blizzard delays Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4
It would appear that you can publicly delay games that do not yet have release dates announced. This week in a somewhat odd move, Blizzard announced that both Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 are delayed, despite neither title having an official release date.
Read More »Vicarious Visions to be fully absorbed by Blizzard, losing their identity
Vicarious Visions is best known for bringing back Crash Bandicoot via the N. Sane Trilogy – in many ways jumpstarting the current trend of remaking older games from the ground up. Unfortunately, the team was merged with Blizzard earlier this year, and now they are set to lose their identity …
Read More »BlizzCon cancelled as Blizzard looks to ‘reimagine’ its event
Blizzard was planning on holding another BlizzCon in a few months time, but as you've surely heard, the studio is going through some rough times at the moment. Employee protests, lawsuits, leadership changes and harassment issues have dominated the Blizzard news cycle over the summer, so the team will be …
Read More »Diablo 2 Resurrected server issues partly due to ‘legacy code’ from original game
Recently, Diablo 2 Resurrected has been suffering from on-going server issues, stopping many from being able to log-in and play freely. Blizzard acknowledged the issue earlier this week and now, the studio has offered a more in-depth explanation. As it seems, old legacy code carried over from the original release …
Read More »Blizzard is working on fixing Diablo 2 Resurrected server issues
Over the weekend and leading into this week, Diablo 2 Resurrected has been suffering from ongoing server issues, blocking players from being able to log in and play online. Now, Blizzard has responded, acknowledging the problem and promising fixes soon. The issues began over the weekend, when Diablo 2 Resurrected …
Read More »Diablo 2 Resurrected players hit with major server issues
Over the weekend, Blizzard took down Diablo 2 Resurrected servers to perform some emergency maintenance. Since then, players across the US and Europe have struggled to access the game, with server issues persisting this week. Blizzard Customer Service social accounts for Europe and the US noted the maintenance and expected …
Read More »Diablo 4 now has a new game director
Back in August, shortly after legal issues arose with accusations of employee mistreatment and harassment at Activision Blizzard, the company announced some key changes. Notably, Diablo 4 lost its director, but now after a couple of months, a replacement has been found. Diablo 4 is now being directed by Joe …
Read More »Diablo 2: Resurrected will not support 21:9 after all
If you have an ultra-wide display and were hoping to play Diablo 2: Resurrected in full 21:9 aspect ratio, then we have some bad news. This week, Blizzard announced that it has removed 21:9 support from the game due to issues. During the technical alpha, players with ultra-wide displays found …
Read More »Overwatch League to begin in April on ‘early build’ of Overwatch 2
Blizzard first announced Overwatch 2 in 2019, although since then, there has been no confirmation on when the game will actually release. Earlier this week, reports indicated that the game will launch in the first half of 2022 and now, new statements from Overwatch League executives seem to confirm that. …
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