With Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision-Blizzard-King finally complete, the Xbox console manufacturer has started to open up about their plans for the publisher. With so many IPs and franchises now under Microsoft’s belt, Xbox head Phil Spencer spoke on their plans for ABK claiming that “If teams want to …
Read More »“We have no goal of somehow using Call of Duty to get you to buy an Xbox” claims Phil Spencer
After months of legal battles, Microsoft has finally officially acquired Activision Blizzard, giving the Xbox console manufacturer control over one of the biggest franchises in gaming: Call of Duty. According to the head of Xbox Phil Spencer, the FPS juggernaut will feature 100% parity on content for Call of Duty …
Read More »Phil Spencer confirms plans to bring Activision Blizzard titles to Game Pass in 2024
Earlier this month, Activision put out a statement saying that it does not expect to bring its games to Game Pass until next year. An additional report claimed that we could see some older titles coming to the service earlier. However, Xbox head, Phil Spencer, has now straightened things out, …
Read More »Pete Hines is leaving Bethesda after 24 year career
When we think of Bethesda and past Bethesda game launches, two names immediately spring to mind, Todd Howard and Pete Hines. Just six weeks on from the launch of the studio's latest game, Starfield, Hines has now announced that he is retiring. Pete Hines joined Bethesda back in 1999, working …
Read More »Minecraft has officially sold 300 million copies
For years, Minecraft has been the best-selling video game of all time, with the creativity-focused sandbox surpassing 200 million copies back in 2020. Its sales trajectory has not slowed down, with the team at Mojang now revealing that the title has officially sold more than 300 million copies. Making the …
Read More »Activision Blizzard games are heading to Ubisoft+
As of today, Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard has completed and as a result, Ubisoft now owns the cloud streaming rights to all Activision Blizzard games, including all previously released games and all new games released over the next 15 years. As a result, Ubisoft announced today that it plans …
Read More »It’s official – Bobby Kotick is leaving Activision
While Bobby Kotick has managed to turn Activision into a hugely successful publisher over the last few decades, the CEO has had his fair share of controversies too. Just two years ago, employees were protesting and calling for his resignation. Now, following Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Kotick will indeed …
Read More »Microsoft now officially owns Activision Blizzard
The largest deal in gaming history has now completed after 20 months of battling regulatory hurdles. Microsoft now owns Activision Blizzard King and most importantly, employees at those studios are looking forward to the change.
Read More »Microsoft wins UK approval of Activision Blizzard acquisition, deal now set to close
Over a year and a half on from Microsoft's announcement of its $69 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard, the company has cleared the final regulatory hurdle. The UK's Competition & Markets Authority has now approved the deal and Microsoft is set to complete the transaction.
Read More »New Xbox Series S holiday season bundle to drop soon
We are coming up towards the start of the holiday season which means we are bound to see new console bundles to entice those who have yet to pick up a current-gen system. Last year's big Xbox Series S bundle contained a selection of bonus content for Epic's popular titles, …
Read More »Activision interested in reviving Guitar Hero following Microsoft merger
At this point, all signs are pointing towards Activision Blizzard merging with Microsoft by next week. Another sign that this is indeed happening comes via Activision, as the company held an internal meeting this week to discuss the future of the company under Microsoft. According to sources speaking with Windows …
Read More »Modern Warfare 3 may not hit Game Pass this year but other ActiBlizz games will
Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is set to close any day now and with that, we expect to see many games hitting Xbox Game Pass for the first time. However, in an effort to protect sales of games like Diablo 4 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Activision has …
Read More »Microsoft will reportedly complete Activision Blizzard acquisition next week
It was January 2022 when Microsoft first announced its plan to acquire Activision Blizzard. Now some 20 months later, the deal finally looks set to close next Friday. According to “a source familiar with Microsoft's plans” speaking with The Verge, Microsoft is hoping to complete the transaction on Friday, the …
Read More »Alan Wake II will not have a performance mode on Series S
Last week we reported that the much-anticipated and upcoming survival-horror title Alan Wake II from Remedy Entertainment would be getting a performance mode on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. At the time, no word was given on whether Microsoft’s lower-powered Series S would receive such an option, however …
Read More »Support for Minecraft Dungeons ends as game hits 25 million players
Following the overwhelming success of Minecraft, we have seen the team at Mojang expand the IP outwards into other gaming genres. One such project was Minecraft Dungeons – a dungeon-crawling spin-off which released back in 2020. As the game sees its post-launch support ending, the team are celebrating Minecraft Dungeons’ …
Read More »Ubisoft reckons cloud gaming will see a Netflix-like rise in users over next decade
Ubisoft has been an early proponent of cloud gaming, having worked with Google in the early days of Stadia, before pivoting to services like GeForce Now and Amazon Luna. Game streaming is still niche, but Ubisoft believes it will eventually take over the games industry. Ubisoft is in the process …
Read More »Microsoft’s new CASO tech can deliver notable laptop GPU performance improvements
On hybrid laptop designs, the term "hybrid" refers to laptops that include both integrated and discrete GPUs. These two may collaborate to increase power efficiency by routing graphics jobs to either graphics subsystem, depending on their complexity. However, on many computers, this causes an issue that Microsoft hopes to solve with CASO (Cross Adapter Scan-Out).
Read More »Older Call of Duty games might be coming to Game Pass soon
With the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard seemingly finally set to go through fully, the Xbox console manufacturer appears to be preparing to bring the publisher’s back catalogue of titles to Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription service – starting with Call of Duty. As reported by Twitter page ‘Game Pass Tracker’ …
Read More »Capcom says it would ‘gracefully decline’ a buyout offer from Microsoft
Microsoft has worked closely with Capcom many times over the years. From the original Dead Rising games to bringing newer titles like Devil May Cry 5 and Monster Hunter Rise to Xbox Game Pass. With Microsoft being in acquisition mode at the moment, the company has been tied to many …
Read More »The CMA provisionally approves Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition
While the UK's Competition & Markets Authority initially chose to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, things have changed in recent months. Both parties paused appeal proceedings to evaluate a new version of the merger, in which Activision's cloud gaming rights would be sold off to Ubisoft. Now, the CMA …
Read More »Phil Spencer responds to Xbox leak
Yesterday we reported on a whole bunch of leaked Microsoft and Xbox details thanks to a mistake on the part of the FTC. Alongside an early look at the next version of the Xbox Series X and a dozen unannounced games, internal emails, documents and more were shared online. Now, …
Read More »Microsoft court documents hint at Red Dead Redemption 2 Remaster
As part of a bit of an oopsie by the FTC, many private documents shared by Microsoft to the FTC have now leaked, revealing all sorts of information on new Xbox consoles, unannounced games and a whole lot more. This leak has not only affected Microsoft but also its partners, …
Read More »Gotham Knights, PayDay 3 and more coming to Game Pass
Twice a month Microsoft updates its Game Pass library with a number of new and exciting titles. For the second half of September, the console manufacturer has now detailed the full list of titles dropping onto the service over the next two weeks, including the open-world co-op focused Gotham Knights …
Read More »Leaked documents reveal Microsoft’s long-term plan to acquire Nintendo
In what is now undoubtedly a big news day for Microsoft, the FTC accidentally leaked a ton of internal documents shared by the console manufacturer, revealing plans for upcoming Xbox consoles, unannounced games and a whole lot more. As part of this, an email sent by Xbox’s Phil Spencer shows …
Read More »Dishonored 3, Oblivion Remaster and more confirmed in FTC leak
As part of a giant accidental leak by the FTC, many of Microsoft’s internal plans and timelines have been revealed for all the world to see. Alongside the revelation of a brand new digital-only Series X and a new next-gen controller, we also got a full list of upcoming and …
Read More »Massive leak details all-new Xbox Series X and next-gen controller
In what seems to have been a big oopsie by the FTC, a great deal of documents have leaked pertaining to the hearings regarding Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. From internal emails to unannounced games and more, a whole boatload of confidential details seem to have been accidentally published for all to see – including the fact that Microsoft is planning to launch a cylindrical Xbox Series X refresh...
Read More »Next-gen Xbox to launch in 2028 according to court documents
The ramifications of the Microsoft FTC hearings have been going on for ages now, with a bunch of interesting and new details being shared by all parties. One of the court documents shared suggests that Microsoft is planning its next generation of Xbox consoles to release sometime in 2028. While …
Read More »The Elder Scrolls VI will (unsurprisingly) not come to PlayStation
The Microsoft FTC hearings have been a huge source of news for the video games industry, with many internal memos and plans being exposed for all to see. One new tidbit of information seems to suggest that The Elder Scrolls VI will be coming only to Xbox and PC upon …
Read More »Microsoft is introducing a background removal tool to Paint
Microsoft is working on adding the ability to remove backgrounds from images with a single click to its venerable Paint software. The latest Windows Insider builds already have the updated version of Paint, giving users a chance to try the feature before its official release. The new “Remove Background” option …
Read More »KitGuru Games: Starfield’s poor presentation is its prime problem
We have a rare difference of opinion at KitGuru this week. While Matt has loved Starfield from start to finish, Mustafa is less impressed. In today's KitGuru Games, Mustafa offers his critique of Starfield and its space-exploration offering.
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