Tag: Activision Blizzard - Page 5
News Microsoft CEO Suggests ActiBlizz Deal Would Help Xbox 'Compete' In Japan
Expanding territories
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella appeared on CNBC this week to talk about the future of the company, including what's next for the Xbox team. Of course, this discussion led to questions about the Activision Blizzard acquisition, and how Microsoft is responding to the current regulatory approval processes going on around the world...
News UK Authority Proposes Excluding Call Of Duty From Xbox Activision Blizzard Deal
Amongst other potential changes
The UK CMA has today published a new report on its ongoing investigation into Xbox's ActiBlizz deal, and there's a lot to unpack here in regards to the likelihood of the purchase actually going through. While there are plenty of wrinkles to this report, much of the focus is once again centred around Call of Duty. The...
News Xbox's Activision Blizzard Deal Could Be 'Harmful' To The Industry, Claims UK Regulator
The CMA gives its provisional verdict
It sounds like Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have got a tough task ahead in the UK over the next few months, as the UK Competition and Markets Authority has provisionally decided that Xbox's attempted takeover of ActiBlizz "could result in higher prices, fewer choices, or less innovation for UK gamers". In...
News Call Of Duty 'Full Annual Premium Release' Set To Launch In 2023
Water is wet
Activision Blizzard's latest financial report is now out for public viewing, or at least a summarised version of it is via the company's investor website. New ActiBlizz financials means one surefire thing - plenty of talk about Call of Duty. Alongside lots of boasting about how much money last year's Modern Warfare 2 made — along...
News Activision Blizzard Thinks Sony's 'The Last Of Us' Can Help Justify The Xbox Acquisition
"Sony will be just fine without the FTC’s protection"
The talk of the TV world right now is undoubtedly Sony and HBO's The Last Of Us series, which has drawn massive attention through its first few episodes — and even Xbox's Phil Spencer has been loving it! However,
News Xbox Boss Still Thinks There's A 'High' Chance Of Activision Blizzard Deal Going Through
"I'm more confident now than I was a year ago"
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer was asked earlier today (as part of an IGN interview) about his thoughts on Microsoft's ongoing attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard, explaining that he remains confident the deal will go through. In fact, he's even more confident now than he was a year ago! That's due to...
News Microsoft Orders Sony To Attend Activision Blizzard Court Hearing This Summer
For the FTC trial
Things are getting real now! As part of Xbox's ongoing tussle over the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has issued a subpoena to Sony - summoning the PlayStation owner to attend an FTC court hearing this summer. According to a new filing in the overall case, Microsoft issued the legal order on January 17th, expecting...
News Microsoft Asks To Pause Gamers' Lawsuit Over ActiBlizz Acquisition, Judge Says 'No'
A group of 10 gamers want to sue the company
Back in December, it was revealed that a group of 10 "gamers" were filing a private consumer antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft's attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard, and Microsoft has recently been trying to pause that suit. The reason? Microsoft's lawyers have suggested that the company's (and...
Report EU Commission Preparing 'Statement Of Objections' Over Xbox Activision Blizzard Deal
We should hear more soon
A number of authorities around the world are currently investigating Xbox's Activision Blizzard acquisition, to ensure a fair and open market in the gaming industry is retained post-deal. One of those authorities is the European Commission, which is reportedly preparing a statement on the matter. According to Reuters, the...
Report Google & Nvidia The Latest Companies To 'Express Concerns' Over Xbox ActiBlizz Deal
In line, behind Sony
The saga continues! In a new report from Bloomberg, it's mentioned that both Google and Nvidia are beginning to express concerns over the Xbox Activision Blizzard deal, although the two companies' interests seem a little different to Sony, which has continually argued against the deal going ahead for various reasons
News Activision's Spyro Developer Posts Subtle Hint As Anniversary Looms
The lil' dragon is 25 this year!
Spyro the Dragon first flamed its way onto the scene way back in 1998, originally as a PlayStation exclusive created by the Sony-owned Insomniac Games. Nowadays Activision owns the franchise, and the team behind the recent Spyro Reignited Trilogy is possibly hinting at more to come from the little purple dragon. In...
News UK CMA Extends Deadline For Its Investigation Into Xbox Activision Blizzard Deal
The wait continues
The Xbox ActiBlizz news just keeps on coming! After an FTC attorney just revealed that settlement talks between the US authority and Microsoft are yet to commence, the UK Competition and Markets Authority is back with an update of its own. The CMA has decided to extend its investigation period, meaning any ruling on Microsoft's...
Report Microsoft, ActiBlizz & The FTC Yet To Begin 'Substantive' Settlement Talks
The deal could end up in court
Earlier this month, the US Federal Trade Commission formally announced its intentions to try and block the Xbox Activision Blizzard deal, pointing at Microsoft's Bethesda exclusivity plans as a big reason for doing so. Ahead of a potential legal trial both parties could engage in settlement talks to sort this thing out...
News Xbox Activision Blizzard Deal Approved By Chile Authority
Progression
Xbox may well be battling hard with UK and US authorities over its purchase of Activision Blizzard, but the acquisition is proving a smoother process in other counties around the world. We know that Brazil and Saudi Arabia have already approved the deal, and now a second South A
"The FTC ignores the significant benefits of the Transaction..."
Strap yourselves in, folks — here we go again! Earlier this month, the US Federal Trading Commission announced it was filing a suit against Microsoft's attempted takeover of Activision Blizzard, and now Microsoft and ActiBlizz have revealed their responses in court documents. The...
Report EU Regulators Send 91-Page Survey To Xbox Rivals About Activision Blizzard Deal
As part of an extensive investigation
It's hard to keep up with all this Activision Blizzard news, but you may remember that the latest status with the European Commission is that it's conducting a deeper investigation into the acquisition with a deadline of March 2023. We haven't heard much since then, but it's being reported by
News CMA Reveals Public Feedback Has Been Mostly In Favour Of Xbox's ActiBlizz Acquisition
Based on around 2100 responses
The UK Competition and Markets Authority is currently conducting a "Phase 2" investigation into Microsoft's attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and you may remember that a couple of months ago, the authority also began asking the general public for their views on the takeover. Well, those results are now in,...
News 10 Random 'Gamers' Are Suing Microsoft Over The Activision Blizzard Deal
An antitrust suit filed in San Francisco
This latest update on the Activision Blizzard saga is not one we were expecting! As highlighted by Bloomberg this week, a group of "videogamers" have decided to file a federal antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft's attemp
News Microsoft Refers To Lack Of Xbox Exclusives As Why ActiBlizz Deal Should Be Approved
In comparison with PlayStation
Yesterday, we highlighted a Bloomberg report in which Microsoft President Brad Smith revealed his disappointment with the US Federal Trade Commission for not sitting down with the company to discuss a proposal related to Call of Duty. According to the report, this was an offer for
News Microsoft President Talks 'Disappointment' With FTC Over Call Of Duty Proposal
Report says Microsoft's offer was "shrugged off"
The latest update on the Activision Blizzard deal has arrived this Wednesday courtesy of a report from Bloomberg, along with some comments from Microsoft President Brad Smith at the Microsoft Annual Shareholders Meeting 2022. According to the report, Microsoft offered to sign a lega
Report Microsoft Offers Sony The 'Right' To Include Call Of Duty On PlayStation Plus
But the deal hasn't been accepted yet
We've heard on many occasions that Microsoft has proposed a 10-year deal to Sony to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation, but now a new report is suggesting that PlayStation Plus might be involved as well. According to Bloomberg, Microsoft has offered Sony "the right to sell
News EU Responds To FTC's Concerns Over Microsoft's Acquisition Of ZeniMax & Activision Blizzard
Update: New report sheds more light on the story
Update: Stephen Totilo of Axios has also been in touch with the European Commission today, shedding a bit more light on this story. You can some of the key information in the tweets below: Totilo goes on to explain that "if you look back at the EU report on the ZeniMax deal, it did state that...
News FTC Files Lawsuit To Block Microsoft's Takeover Of Activision Blizzard
The news we didn't want to hear
The US Federal Trade Commission has announced today that it's seeking to block Microsoft's attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard, stating that the deal would "harm competition in high-performance gaming consoles and subscription services by denying or degrading rivals’ access to its popular content". In a...
News Gabe Newell: Valve Trusts Microsoft, 10-Year Call Of Duty Offer 'Wasn't Necessary'
"Phil and the team have always followed through..."
Yesterday, Microsoft announced it had "committed to continue to offer" Call of Duty on Steam after the planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard. As reassuring as it is, it seems Valve co-founder and CEO Gabe Newell was never really worried in the first place. Speaking to Kotaku, Gabe revealed...
Talking Point Do You Think Microsoft Will Be Able To Acquire Activision Blizzard?
Or is it in real danger of getting blocked?
Another day, another set of stories linked to Microsoft's attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard! The focus at the moment is on Microsoft's commitment to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo Switch and Steam over the next ten years, and that also extends to PlayStation if Sony is willing to agree to the...
News Xbox's Phil Spencer Explains How Call Of Duty Will Work On Nintendo
It'll take a while to "get into the rhythm", he says
Microsoft dropped a big announcement on us earlier today in relation to Nintendo, confirming that a 10-year commitment would see Call of Duty coming to that platform - as long as the company is successful in acquiring Activision Blizzard. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has revealed a bit more about...
News Microsoft Shows Frustration As Sony Fails To Respond To 10-Year Call Of Duty Offer
"It’s clear they’re spending more time with the regulators"
Earlier today, Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed the news that a 10-year commitment has been agreed to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo (and Steam) following Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but as of right now, we still haven't heard about what's happening with Sony and...
News Microsoft Enters '10-Year Commitment' To Bring Call Of Duty To Nintendo Platforms
CoD will also continue to be offered on Steam
Following on from yesterday's news about Microsoft offering Sony a 10-year deal to keep the Call of Duty franchise on PlayStation, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has now delivered another huge update. In a brief post on social media, the Xbox boss announced Microsoft had entered into a "10-year...
News There's Apparently A 'Rift' At The FTC Over Xbox's Activision Blizzard Deal
Things might have swung in Microsoft's favour
It was reported recently that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was likely to file a lawsuit against Microsoft's attempt acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but there's now "hope" that the merger will be approved by the FTC instead. A new report from the New York Post says that the acquisition has...
Report Microsoft 'Held Meetings' With Sony Last Week To Discuss Activision Blizzard Deal
FTC expected to make a decision in January
The latest update in the ongoing Activision Blizzard saga has arrived this week courtesy of Seeking Alpha, with the outlet reporting that Microsoft and Sony "held meetings" to discuss the acquisition this past weekend. The report mentions that Microsoft is "working to give assurances to Sony that it will...
News Microsoft 'Likely' To Offer Remedies Soon For Activision Blizzard Deal In Europe, Claims Report
Including a 10-year licensing deal for PlayStation
It was confirmed recently that the European Commission was proceeding with a deeper investigation into Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and now it sounds like Microsoft is willing to "offer remedies" to seal the deal. In a new report from Reuters, it's been claimed that Microsoft is...
News Activision Has 'Concerns' About Xbox Game Pass And PS Plus, Explains Microsoft
But it won't matter if the acquisition goes through
You've probably noticed over the past few years that we've never seen any Activision games crop up on Xbox Game Pass — the likes of Call of Duty, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot and Tony Haw
News Report Suggests Google Isn't Keen On Xbox's Attempt To Buy Activision Blizzard
But to a "lesser extent" than Sony
We don't know about you, but we're getting sick of this whole Activision Blizzard drama! We shared the report yesterday that the FTC was considering filing a lawsuit against Microsoft's attempts to acquire ActiBlizz, but something we didn't mention from the report was that Google apparently has concerns with the...
News Activision Blizzard 'Won't Hesitate To Fight' To Defend Xbox Deal
And in this corner...
Wednesday, November 23rd was another landmark day in the ongoing back-and-forth over Xbox's deal with Activision Blizzard. Recent statements from both Microsoft and Sony in response to the UK CMA's investigation of the deal were finally made public, while a r
Report US FTC 'Likely' To File Lawsuit Against Xbox's Activision Blizzard Deal
Uh-oh
Update: Activision has now responded to this report with a statement, revealing that the company "won't hesitate to fight to defend the transaction if that's needed". <related ids="141650"> Original story: More revelations regarding the Xbox Activision Blizzard deal have come to light in recent hours, with outlet
News 'Microsoft Wants PlayStation To Become Like Nintendo', Claims Sony
That's one way to look at it!
As you've probably already seen, Sony Interactive Entertainment's "Observations on the CMA's Issues Statement" from October 2022 was publicly revealed earlier today as part of the ongoing investigation into Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition, and it's basically a long list of reasons why Sony doesn't think the...
News Jim Ryan Denies Sony Is Misleading Regulators Over Xbox's Activision Blizzard Deal
The PlayStation boss speaks out
The saga continues! Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Jim Ryan has expressed a few words today as part of a New York Times report concerning Xbox's attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard, denying claims that Sony has been misleading regulators throughout the process. In recent weeks, Microsoft has...
News EU Commission Employee Frustrates Xbox Fans With Ill-Advised Call Of Duty Comment
"Did you really just say, 'including my PlayStation?'"
As mentioned previously, the European Commission is embarking on an in-depth investigation of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and an employee at the Commission drew a lot of unwanted attention on Twitter this week. Taking to the platform, Ricardo Cardoso (Deputy Head of Unit...
News Microsoft Reacts To EU's 'In-Depth' Investigation Of Activision Blizzard Deal
"We want people to have more access to games, not less"
The European Commission is the latest authority to launch a deeper investigation into Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, with the region now looking at all aspects of the deal. The EU has set itself a March 2023 deadline to make a call on the merger, and Microsoft could then be...
News Phil Spencer 'Excited' About Future Of StarCraft & Warcraft Under Xbox
"What could happen with those franchises is pretty exciting to me"
A lot has been said about the treasure trove of IP that Xbox would own after the Activision Blizzard merger, especially things like Call of Duty, Crash and Spyro, amongst other franchises. However, Blizzard has a lot to bring to the table as well, especially more PC-centric
News Xbox Boss Remains Confident Activision Blizzard Deal Will Be Approved
"We're very focused"
Xbox's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is still in the process of being finalised, and while it might seem frustrating for the team at Microsoft, Xbox boss Phil Spencer says the ongoing discussion surrounding the size of the acquisition is warranted. In an interview at WSJ Tech Live 2022 earlier this week, Spencer reiterated...
News Xbox Wants To Treat Call Of Duty Like Minecraft, Explains Phil Spencer
"I'd love to see it on the Switch"
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has once again been discussing the topic of Call of Duty during his recent interview at WSJ Tech Live 2022, explaining that Microsoft's plan for the franchise is to effectively treat it the same way as Minecraft. In the discussion, Spencer stated he'd love to see Call of Duty on Nintendo...
News Sony Could 'Respond' To ActiBlizz Deal By Improving PS Plus, Suggests Microsoft
"Sony has the ability to respond competitively"
There's been a lot of talk over the past week about the CMA's investigation into Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and in Microsoft's response to the authority, we found some interesting comments about PlayStation Plus. Basically, the document goes into detail about why Microsoft thinks...
News The CMA Wants Your Views On Xbox's Takeover Of Activision Blizzard
"We invite anyone, including members of the public"
You probably know by now that the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is proceeding with a Phase 2 investigation into Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and now in a new post on the UK government website
News Take-Two CEO Backs Microsoft's Acquisition Of Activision Blizzard
"It's a good thing for Microsoft and for the industry"
We're hearing a lot of discourse online about Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard and whether it's a good or bad thing for the industry. In a recent video interview with The Grill, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick was asked about his own thoughts, and mentioned how he's "in favour" and...
News Microsoft Bites Back As Sony Reveals New 'Call Of Duty' Concerns
The drama continues
When will this madness end, eh?! The Call of Duty back-and-forth between Microsoft and Sony has continued lately, with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority publishing a report (thanks VGC) revealing that Sony is concerned that even if the series remains on PlayStation well into the future, it still believes people will be...
News Xbox Argues With UK Regulator Over Activision Blizzard Deal
"The CMA's concerns are misplaced..."
Right, the gloves have come off over at Microsoft HQ it seems. The Xbox owners have begun, well, arguing with the UK's competition regulator regarding its 'Phase 2' analysis of the Activision Blizzard merger. In short, Microsoft is accusing the UK CMA of taking Sony's comments into serious consideration without...
News Xbox Activision Blizzard Deal Officially Approved In Brazil
Another one off the list
Xbox's Activision Blizzard deal might be receiving its fair share of scrutiny from various government authorities, but it's beginning to pass the test in certain markets. Back in August, Saudi officials accepted the deal's terms with no changes needed, and now Brazil has officially approved the merger too. Hurrah! Brazil's...
News UK Authority Sets March 2023 Deadline For Verdict On Xbox ActiBlizz Deal
Activate Phase 2
The UK government authority on market competition has laid out its timeline for delivering a verdict on Xbox's Activision Blizzard deal. Phase 2 of its analysis in now underway, and the final report is said to be delivered by March 1st, 2023. In theory, this means the deal won't go through until at least that date and even then,...
News Microsoft Lays Out 'Benefits' Of Xbox + Activision Blizzard On New Website
"More choice and more games for people everywhere"
Xbox is continuing to try and sell its case for merging with Activision Blizzard, via a new website that details the benefits that'll come from the merger. Microsoft's new online portal is dubbed "our vision for gaming", and it basically brings all the info on the deal under one roof, including the...
