Activision News Articles
Wednesday12th Jul 2023
News Xbox's ActiBlizz Deal Seems Closer, But Some Game Pass Arrivals Could Be Delayed
A recent CMA report mentions COD on Game Pass
Following yesterday's blockbuster news that the FTC's attempted injunction against Microsoft has been denied, the Activision Blizzard deal going through feels closer than ever. Even so, the acquisition is still not confirmed by any means, and a remaining authority that still needs winning over has also...
News Microsoft And UK CMA Agree To Pause Legal Battle Over Activision Blizzard Deal
Update: CMA warns of a potential "new merger investigation"
Update: The CMA has warned that its latest discussions with Microsoft and Activision Blizzard are at an "early stage", and a restructured deal could ultimately lead to a "new merger investigation". Here's a statement courtesy of The Verge: "Whilst merging parties don’t have the...
Tuesday11th Jul 2023
News Xbox's Phil Spencer 'Grateful' For Speedy Court Decision On FTC Activision Blizzard Case
"I’m proud of our efforts to expand player access and choice"
The FTC has just lost its case to block Microsoft's Activision Blizzard purchase, and company executives are already out there on the internet, reacting to the news and providing statements on the matter. One of those execs is Xbox boss Phil Spencer, who has released a multi-post...
Thursday29th Jun 2023
News Microsoft's CEO Isn't A Fan Of Console Exclusives, Blames Sony
Sony has "defined market competition using exclusives"
Exclusives are arguably one of the main selling points of console gaming, but if Microsoft's boss had any say, he would apparently abolish them. During his testimony in the Microsoft v FTC hearing today, Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella said he would do away with exclusives on Xbox consoles if it...
Saturday24th Jun 2023
News Xbox Boss Promises To Keep Call Of Duty On PlayStation (Again)
As long as Sony is up for it
Head of Microsoft's gaming division Phil Spencer has today been asked a lot about the future of Activision Blizzard under the Xbox banner. One question, in particular, that came up was in regards to Call of Duty, and whether or not the company would continue to release the series on PlayStation. As long as Sony is...
Tuesday20th Jun 2023
News New Zealand Regulator Shares Concerns Over Xbox's Activision Blizzard Takeover
"We have agreed an extension of time"
We've got another development in the Activision Blizzard saga! The New Zealand Commerce Commission has officially asked for an extension before making a decision on the takeover, with the date now set as July 17th, 2023. The Commission's concerns are centred mainly around cloud gaming, with a statement...
Monday12th Jun 2023
News FTC Requests Temporary Restraining Order Against Microsoft & Activision Blizzard
Along with a preliminary injunction
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has announced that it's filed a request for a temporary restraining order along with a preliminary injunction against Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. The FTC, which issued a lawsuit against the ActiBlizz takeover back in December, told IGN today that the restraining order is...
News Microsoft Is Still 'Very Committed' To The Activision Blizzard Acquisition
Xbox boss remains "confident" team will find solutions
At an Xbox panel earlier on titled 'What's Next for Gaming', Xbox boss Phil Spencer provided another update about the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, reiterating how Microsoft is "very committed" to seeing the deal through. The team is out there working with regulators to "find solutions"...
Wednesday7th Jun 2023
News Call Of Duty: Warzone Ditches '2.0' Title As Free Season 4 Content Is Revealed
The MW2/Warzone Season 4 roadmap is here
Activision has lifted the lid on its latest season of Call of Duty content, and it marks quite a shift in messaging for MW2 and particularly Warzone 2.0. Basically, the team has ditched the '2.0' naming of the 2022 version of Warzone as we move into Season 4 - which brings another brand new map to the CoD...
Wednesday31st May 2023
News Xbox's Appeal Against UK ActiBlizz Verdict Set For July 2023
The show goes on
Ever since the CMA made its move to block Xbox's Activision Blizzard deal in the UK, we've known that Microsoft would appeal against the decision. The Xbox owner came out proclaiming as much straight after the decision was made, and we now have a tentative timeline for the appeals process. The UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal is...
Tuesday30th May 2023
News Xbox's Activision Blizzard Deal Approved By South Korean FTC
Approval stamped
The Asian nation of South Korea is the latest to unconditionally approve Xbox's Activision Blizzard merger, as announced by the country's Federal Trade Commission on May 30th. The South Korean FTC says that it sees no issue with the deal going ahead, ultimately determining that there would be "no risk of substantially restricting...
Friday19th May 2023
News In The Latest Xbox ActiBlizz Twist, China Reportedly Approves Microsoft's Acquisition
Capitalism W?
While Microsoft looks like it has a fight on its hands with the UK CMA — and potentially the US FTC — over its Activision Blizzard acquisition, in a new twist today - China has reportedly approved the deal. According to the financial analysts over at
News 2K Seems To Be Totally In Favour Of Xbox Acquiring Activision Blizzard
It could be a slam dunk
Earlier this week, 2K parent company Take-Two released its latest financial report, and a batch of related Q&As have led to some interesting Xbox tidbits. We already reported on the company's CEO saying we're "probably" going to see mid-gen console upgrades, and the 2K boss also discussed Microsoft's ongoing acquisition...
Thursday18th May 2023
News UK CMA Encouraged To Promote 'Economic Growth' Despite Reservations Over ActiBlizz Deal
It's all getting rather political isn't it
Since the CMA decided to try and block Xbox's Activision Blizzard deal in the UK, we've been left a little unsure as to where the whole saga will go next. The EU has now approved the deal which at least paints a slightly rosier picture for Microsoft, but here in the UK and over in the U.S. it all seems up...
Tuesday16th May 2023
News Microsoft CEO Raises Eyebrows With Comment About UK & Activision Blizzard
"Let's wait for it all to play out"
Microsoft boss Satya Nadella has been getting a lot of attention over the past few hours courtesy of an interview he recently conducted with CNBC, in which he addressed Microsoft's attempted takeover of Activision Blizzard. In the interview, which was recorded prior to the European C
News UK MPs Question Why The CMA Blocked Xbox's ActiBlizz Deal Following EU Approval
The CMA says the EU is "fully entitled to reach that view"
Yesterday brought the latest twist in the Xbox Activision Blizzard tale when the European Commission officially approved Microsoft's attempted merger. They now join a fairly extensive list of regions that are in favour of the deal going ahead, however, as is seemingly becoming the norm in...
Deals Xbox Is Hosting A Huge Backwards Compatibility Sale This Week (May 16-23)
A large selection of Xbox classics
Microsoft has delivered a huge batch of Xbox sales this week, with over 700 titles currently discounted across a bunch of different promotions on the Xbox Store. We're definitely interested in a lot of these! <related ids="149484"> Typically, these sales roundups also include a small-ish selection of...
Monday15th May 2023
News EU Makes Microsoft 'Automatically License' ActiBlizz Cloud Games Post-Merger
"This will apply globally", says Microsoft's president
Following today's news of the EU approval over the Xbox Activision Blizzard merger, Microsoft president Brad Smith has quickly made a follow-up statement that makes for interesting reading. While we knew of lots of individual cloud gaming deals that the Xbox owner struck with various companies...
News COD Going Xbox Exclusive 'Would Not Significantly Harm Competition', Says EU
The European Commission weighs in
Well, Xbox's huge Activision Blizzard deal has been officially approved in the EU! The region is happy with the concessions Microsoft has made in regards to cloud gaming, and going off some of the statements in its new report, the European Commission wa
News Xbox's Activision Blizzard Deal Officially Approved In Europe
A major step forward
Microsoft's attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard has taken a huge step forward today, as the European Commission has voted to approve the deal, leaving just the UK CMA and U.S. FTC as the major roadblocks right now. In a
Friday12th May 2023
News Xbox & Activision Among Long List Of Devs Involved With Summer Game Fest 2023
Geoff reveals the lineup
With the cancellation of E3 this year, Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest essentially takes over as the main gaming event for the season. With less than a month to go until The Game Awards host delivers the show, a pretty long list of partnered game companies have been announced. There are some huge names in this list,...
News UK CMA Places Further Restrictions On Microsoft And Activision Blizzard
Clamping down
There's been a slight update in Microsoft's attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard, with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority now restricting the tech and video game giants from "acquiring an interest" in each other. As explained by the BBC, a recent interim order reveals the two parties would need "prior written consent"...
Thursday11th May 2023
News Call Of Duty 2023 Reveal Reportedly Coming In August, Zombies Mode To Feature At Launch
Update: The game is reportedly 'Modern Warfare III'
[Update - Thurs 7pm]: The same source at Insider Gaming is now reporting that Call of Duty 2023 will indeed be titled 'Modern Warfare III' - a direct sequel to 2022's Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. This year's game will reportedly contain "campaign, multiplayer, zombies, and a new Warzone 2 map...
Wednesday10th May 2023
Report Activision Blizzard Hires Royal Family-Level Lawyer To Fight UK CMA
He represented the Queen at one point!
Things are seemingly getting pretty serious when it comes to Xbox's squabble with the UK CMA over its Activision Blizzard deal! According to law analyst Florian Mueller (via Eurogamer), ActiBlizz has gone all the way to the top in hiring a lawyer to overturn
"We continue to be Microsoft's biggest partner"
EA held an earnings call for the period ending March 31, 2023 last night, and as part of CEO Andrew Wilson's comments, he talked a little bit about Microsoft's ongoing attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard. Basically, according to Wilson, the company is "indifferent" about whether Microsoft's...
Friday28th Apr 2023
News Ukraine The Latest Nation To Pass Xbox's Activision Blizzard Acquisition
Microsoft sees success in the region
It's not all doom and gloom for Microsoft when it comes to the ongoing ActiBlizz deal! The Ukrainian government has announced this week that it is happy for Xbox's acquisition of the company to go ahead. Yep, despite hitting a major stumbling block here in the UK, the Eastern European nation seems satisfied with...
News Microsoft Signs New 10-Year Deal Despite UK ActiBlizz Verdict
"We are full speed ahead in our mission"
This week brought earth shattering Xbox news, when the UK CMA decided to block Microsoft's huge purchase of Activision Blizzard. The Xbox owner is already committed to appealing the decision though, and now, it's made another move to suggest that this deal is far from over. This morning, Microsoft has...
Wednesday26th Apr 2023
News Microsoft Will Appeal UK Decision To Block Activision Blizzard Purchase
"We remain fully committed to this acquisition"
In case you missed the megaton news earlier on, the UK Competition and Markets Authority has officially blocked Xbox's Activision Blizzard deal. We definitely weren't expecting that decision, but it seems that Microsoft is already prepared for what comes next. In an official statement from company...
Wednesday19th Apr 2023
News Microsoft Reportedly Invited To 'Showcase Its Products' At UK's 10 Downing St Next Week
At the same time the CMA delivers its verdict on ActiBlizz
Microsoft's protracted showdown with the UK Competition and Markets Authority is about to end after months of back and forth over Xbox getting its ActiBlizz deal closed. The CMA's investigation will be all wrapped up by next Wednesday, April 26, and it seems like Microsoft might be booking...
Friday14th Apr 2023
News Microsoft Is Starting To Advertise Its ActiBlizz Acquisition On Billboards In London
Call of tubey
Early last month, Microsoft increased its efforts to convince the UK that its Activision Blizzard deal would be a good one for gaming, when full-page ads started cropping up in newspapers. Well, those same ads (or very similar ones) have now been converted into digital billboards as the Xbox owner continues to push for positivity...
