Tag: Activision Blizzard - Page 4
Report Xbox Feels UK CMA Has 'Significantly' Overestimated The Impact Of COD Exclusivity
If it ever happened
The UK Competition and Markets Authority is one of the various regulatory bodies currently overseeing Xbox's Activision Blizzard deal, with the authority consistently hypothesising why the deal could, and possibly should, be blocked. One of those reasons is related to Call of Duty, with the CMA even suggesting that
News Xbox Expected To Win Activision Blizzard Battle In EU, Suggests Report
"With its offer of licensing deals to rivals"
It sounds like Microsoft is getting closer to winning the Activision Blizzard battle in Europe, as Reuters is reporting today that the European Commission is not expected to request that Microsoft sells assets in order to complete the deal. In other words, the expectation is that the EU regulator will...
News Xbox's Future Isn't Reliant On Activision Blizzard Deal, Reassures Phil Spencer
"It’s not some linchpin to the long term"
Microsoft and Team Xbox are set for more talks this week in relation to the company's ongoing attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard - this time with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority. Ahead of those talks, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has been in discussion with UK outlet
News Microsoft Defends ActiBlizz Acquisition By Highlighting PlayStation's Dominance Over Xbox
"Globally, it is about 70/30"
Stop us if you've heard this one before! Microsoft has once again been alluding to PlayStation's dominance in the market as a reason why regulators shouldn't be worried about Xbox's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Speaking at the big European Commission hearing this week, Microsoft president Brad Smith threw around...
News Microsoft Signs Binding Contract To Bring Call Of Duty To Nintendo
Update: Brad Smith clarifies his comments
Update (Tue 21st Feb, 2023 23:55 GMT): As part of today's European Commission hearing, Microsoft's Brad Smith clarified his comments from earlier in the day to explain that his mention of a "contract to bring Xbox games to Nintendo's gamers" was focused around Call of Duty. You can see what he said down...
News Microsoft Agrees Deal With Nvidia To Bring Xbox & ActiBlizz Games To GeForce Now
Phil Spencer has made a statement on the partnership
There's been another big acquisition-led showdown in the EU today, as Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo and other companies all meet to discuss Xbox's Activision Blizzard deal. One of those other companies is Nvidia, who've just agreed a deal with Microsoft relating to bringing Xbox games to the 'GeForce...
News Three Rivals Feel Microsoft's ActiBlizz Deal Would Have 'Negative Impact On Competition'
The latest from the UK CMA's investigation
The UK Competition and Markets Authority is still investigating Xbox's Activision Blizzard deal, with the final report currently set to be published by April 26th. While we've heard plenty about Sony's clear objections to the merger, today the CMA posted new findings relating to other gaming competitors...
News Microsoft Will Defend Its Xbox Activision Blizzard Deal In EU Court Hearing Next Week
Will the company see success?
Some of you may remember (unless you're as lost as we are at this point) that not too long ago, Microsoft reportedly received a 'statement of objections' from the European Commission in regards to the Xbox ActiBlizz deal. That statement basically included a bunch of things the commission wants to see altered for the...
News Sony Feels Microsoft Is Committing 'Obvious Harassment' In Relation To ActiBlizz Deal
What is going on?!
Not too long ago (although it all seems like a blur at this point), Microsoft ordered Sony to attend court to present its findings regarding Xbox's Activision Blizzard purchase. That court trial hasn't gone ahead yet — the hearing is currently planned for August 2nd — but it seems like Sony isn't too happy with Microsoft's...
News Activision Blizzard CEO Accuses Sony Of 'Trying To Sabotage' Xbox Takeover
Bobby Kotick speaks out
The latest chapter in the never-ending Microsoft and Activision Blizzard saga arrives in the form of comments from Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who hasn't held back with his thoughts on Sony's role in the process. Speaking to the Financial Times this week, Kotick accused Sony's leadership team of "suddenly" failing...
News Analysts Predict Xbox's Activision Blizzard Deal Will Close Soon, Despite UK Objections
"We read today's release as a signal..."
We finally heard from the UK's Competition and Markets Authority on Microsoft's attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard yesterday, and it wasn't good news, with the CMA provisionally finding that the takeover "could result in higher prices, fewer choices, or less innovation for UK gamers". However,...
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...
