Tag: Call of Duty

PlayStation boss claims Microsoft’s Call of Duty offer was ‘inadequate on many levels’

Sony isn’t satisfied with Microsoft’s proposed Call of Duty release deal.

Microsoft plans to continue releasing Call of Duty titles on PlayStation for several years beyond any existing contractual agreements between Activision Blizzard and Sony. Xbox Boss Phil Spencer suggested as much last week, but PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan isn’t happy with the proposed deal.

Since the announcement of Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, there’s been an ongoing conversation about Call of Duty’s potential exclusivity on Xbox platforms. While Microsoft has been adamant that won’t happen (within the foreseeable future), it seems negotiations with Sony aren’t going well.

According to GamesIndustry.biz, Ryan called Microsoft’s current offer “inadequate on many levels” for PlayStation owners.

“I hadn’t intended to comment on what I understood to be a private business discussion, but I feel the need to set the record straight because Phil Spencer brought this into the public forum,” Ryan said. “Microsoft has only offered for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between [Activision Blizzard] and Sony ends.”

“After almost 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, their proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers,” Ryan continues. “We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle.”

There are still many hurdles in place before Microsoft owns Activision Blizzard. Most importantly, regulatory bodies in the UK and Brazil must approve the acquisition first.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Call of Duty: Next showcase announced, MW2 beta dates confirmed

A new Call of Duty: Next showcase is coming next month, with the Open Beta starting immediately after.

Activision has confirmed a new Call of Duty showcase, which is announced this weekend at the Call of Duty Championship, commonly known as Champs.

The showcase, titled Call of Duty: Next, will be “showcasing the immediate future of Call of Duty,” and will air on September 15, 2022.

We already know that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is releasing this year, and we have a guide to help you get into the COD: MW2 beta. But in addition to that, Call of Duty: Next will give us more information on the next COD: Warzone game, and the mobile version of Warzone, currently known as Project Aurora.

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This event will feature streamers and influencers from the Call of Duty scene, in addition to a full reveal of the Modern Warfare II multiplayer. Hosted by Infinity Ward, we’re promised even more surprises, which could include announcements of in-game events, or reveals for games or modes we haven’t seen yet.

Immediately following Call of Duty: Next will be the Open Beta for COD: Modern Warfare 2. The dates for the Open Beta were also revealed at Champs, with the first weekend being PlayStation-exclusive. PC and Xbox players will be able to join in with the Crossplay Beta which is being held a week later.

The Open Beta dates for the first PlayStation-exclusive weekend are September 16-20 for Early Access users. The Open Beta will take place from September 18-20, if you haven’t managed to get Early Access.

The Open Beta dates for the Crossplay Beta, which includes Xbox and PC, will start from September 22 for Early Access users, and last until September 26. If you can’t get Early Access, you’ll be playing in the Open Beta September 24-26.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II will be launching globally on October 28, and this Open Beta will give you the chance to decide whether you want to invest in another Call of Duty game this year.

For more information, check the post on the Call of Duty website.

Written by Dave Aubrey on behalf of GLHF.

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NFL bettors may now know exactly when to fade Kyler Murray and the Cardinals, thanks to Call of Duty

Who among us hasn’t stayed up all night played COD?

Sports betting edges come in all shapes, sizes and pixels.

Look no further than this absolutely epic sleuthing from a bunch of Redditors who dug into statistical the patterns of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray every time his favorite video game has a major event.

You see, Murray is a known gamer with a love for the Call of Duty series—and, really, who can blame him?—but that affection appears to take a toll during the NFL season.

Call of Duty typically releases its newest game each November. Murray’s stats tend to decline in November. And they decline again when Call of Duty has promos running for online play.

Maybe things will change this year for Murray. Especially after all the commotion caused by a now-revoked clause in his contract that required him to study “without distractions”.

But just in case…

The new Call of Duty comes out October 28. The Cardinals play at the Minnesota Vikings on October 30. If you’re going to fade Arizona this year, pay attention to whenever there’s a big event around this video game. We already know Murray usually does.

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Redditors are convinced there’s a correlation between Kyler Murray’s poor play and Call of Duty

Does Kyler Murray play worse when there’s a big Call of Duty event? Hmm.

You kind of knew this was coming, didn’t you?

The whole Kyler Murray and the “independent study” clause in his contract was the NFL offsesason’s weirdest kerfuffle — the Arizona Cardinals initially put in a clause stating he had to study without playing video games or watch TV for four hours a week, which doesn’t seem like a good thing for the franchise when you’re paying him large stacks of money.

They eventually removed the clause, but it was too late: It was a huge mess.

So what happened next? Well, NFL fans on Reddit and elsewhere are trying to find correlation between Call of Duty — a game he’s played a ton — and his poor play on the field, perhaps suggesting he was playing instead of studying.

So we’ve collected all the statistical analyses here:

Call of Duty datamine reveals huge amounts of information about upcoming games

Over 57 weapons, 40 maps, nine operators, and seven different game modes have been revealed.

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is in its alpha testing phase, and playtesters have mined the data to find weapons, maps, and modes for upcoming releases Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and a rumoured new Black Ops title.

In the data, players found information pertaining to ‘IW9’, which has been determined to mean Modern Warfare 2, a game that was officially announced last month, and ‘T10’, a game believed to be a new game in the Black Ops series to be released around 2024.

All of the information has been collected in a post on r/GamingLeaksAndRumours (where they refer to the Black Ops game as Black Ops 6), and contains over 57 weapons, 40 maps, nine operators, and seven different game modes. Most of these are codenames, so little has been revealed outside of their existence. However, some maps and operators have been seen via leaked images.

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New forms of gameplay will also seemingly be introduced. The leak suggests that swimming will be enabled on multiplayer maps of Modern Warfare 2, and that interrogations will be added. There is far more information revealed about this game, which makes sense given that it’s scheduled to launch this year. 

Seemingly adding to the veracity of these claims is that posts and accounts relating to the leaks are being removed and deleted. Usually, if the leak is fake the information is allowed to remain online. It should be noted though that the leak is presumed to contain information about a 2024 release, though doesn’t contain information for 2022’s officially announced Call of Duty: Warzone 2, and 2023’s Call of Duty game set in the near future.

This isn’t the first time that images for Modern Warfare 2 have been revealed. Since its official announcement, a gameplay trailer has been released and some mission gameplay was shown off at Summer Game Fest. If this leak is to be believed though, it’s the first time a new Black Ops game has been discussed. 

If you’re a Call of Duty fan, check out the biggest changes to Call of Duty: Warzone Season 4. 

Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.

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5 biggest changes in COD: Warzone Season 4 patch notes

These are the changes and adjustments you need to know about in Call of Duty: Warzone Season 4.

Call of Duty: Warzone’s brand new season has begun, titled Mercenaries of Fortune. “Enough is never enough,” the tagline reads, which is only marginally better than “The ultimate weapon is team.” The new season has a lot of content to come very soon, including game modes, items, and areas.

The patch has just launched and in this guide we’re breaking it all down. We’ve selected the five biggest additions and changes that you need to know about before playing Warzone Season 4, in addition to the full patch notes for you to browse and strategize around. 

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The 5 best announcements from Summer Game Fest 2022

Didn’t watch the full presentation? These are the highlights you really need to know about.

Geoff’s Keighley’s E3 replacement, Summer Game Fest, took place last night and we saw brand new trailers for a bunch of video games you can get excited about both this year and next year. Street Fighter 6, Cuphead, and Call of Duty were all present, and those aren’t even the games that we’re highlighting today. 

Here is our list of the best announcements made during Summer Game Fest 2022. Make sure to add these releases to your calendar.

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Activision Blizzard officially recognises Raven Software QA union, begins negotiations

After months of unionization efforts from Raven Software, including a strike, Activision Blizzard has officially recognized their union.

Activision Blizzard today confirmed to investors that they have begun negotiating with the Communications Workers of America following the formation of a union for Raven Software’s QA department.

In a letter to investors, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick confirmed that negotiations have begun and that 27 quality assurance employees at Raven Software are being represented by the union.

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Kotick writes: “I wanted to share the news that we will begin negotiations with the Communications Workers of America related to the 27 quality assurance employees at Raven Software, the majority of whom have chosen to be represented by this union. With the election having concluded, we will engage in good faith negotiations to enter into a collective bargaining agreement.

“While first labor contracts can take some time to complete, we will meet CWA leaders at the bargaining table and work toward an agreement that supports the success of all our employees, that further strengthens our commitment to create the industry’s best, most welcoming and inclusive workplace, and enhances our ability to deliver world class games for our players.”

Today’s news follows months of unionization efforts from Raven Software QA staff. A walkout was planned in December 2021, and the following month it was announced that staff were unionizing with the CWA following a strike.

It was also reported that Activision Blizzard shareholders were advised to vote against an employee-elected board member. Despite those efforts, a groundbreaking union was formed, and is today officially recognized. Time will tell whether or not other departments and studios will begin unionizing by following Raven Software’s example.

Written by Dave Aubrey on behalf of GLHF.

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Best HDR setup in COD: Warzone Season 3

Here’s the best HDR setup for Warzone Pacific Season 3.

It’s the year 2022 and the Season 3 update has driven all sniper rifles out of Warzone’s meta. All sniper rifles? No, the indomitable HDR holds her post.

Actually, that’s not quite true: it’s more that the big sniper nerf in the Season 3 update has weakened the previous front-runners Swiss K31 and Kar98k so much that HDR can act as a stopgap, filling the power vacuum – before the patch, the sniper rifle from Modern Warfare had been hanging around in the lower ranks of the meta.

Why the rapid rise? Unlike the majority of its classmates, the HDR has enough firepower to reliably take down enemies with a single shot, even after the patch. The best HDR setup for Warzone Pacific Season 3 is revealed in this guide.

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Best XM4 setup in COD: Warzone Season 3

The XM4 is once again mingling with the game’s strongest meta weapons in Season 3 of Call of Duty: Warzone.

The XM4 is once again mingling with the game’s strongest meta weapons in Season 3 of Call of Duty: Warzone.

Time and time again, Warzone’s balance updates shake up the established meta so much that guns you haven’t seen in action for months are suddenly thrown back towards the top in terms of popularity and K/D. Season 3 of the Pacific era did just that with the XM4 assault rifle, which first appeared in the Battle Royale offshoot during Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. The best XM4 setup for Warzone Pacific Season 3 is revealed in this guide.

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