Tag: Microsoft

Activision Blizzard stockholders approve Microsoft buyout

Wall Street reportedly bets the deal will fail, though.

Everything is coming together for Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard, but not everyone believes the deal will finalize.

On Thursday, more than 98 percent of Activision Blizzard stockholders voted in favor of the proposed acquisition. It still has to pass an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), but if things work out, then the transaction should finalize on June 30, 2023.

“Today’s overwhelmingly supportive vote by our stockholders confirms our shared belief that, combined with Microsoft, we will be even better positioned to create great value for our players, even greater opportunities for our employees, and to continue our focus on becoming an inspiring example of a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive workplace,” Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, said in a press release.

Not everyone fancies Microsoft’s proposal, as it might be a golden parachute for Kotick and others on Activision Blizzard’s board following months of turmoil at the company. Even now, new lawsuits and alleged case meddling from external parties are still rolling in.

However, Bloomberg reports that Wall Street is betting that the Biden administration’s antitrust enforcers could stop the buyout. The FTC’s investigation is led by Lina Khan, who’s been a staunch advocate of more thorough reviews of deals like this. Under Khan’s leadership, neither Nvidia’s acquisition of Arm Ltd. nor Lockheed Martin Corp.’s buyout of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc went through.

Some analysts have been predicting this for months, especially since Activision Blizzard owns several massive multiplatform titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Diablo Immortal, and Overwatch 2. Though Xbox boss Phil Spencer said the company isn’t planning on making Call of Duty an exclusive.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Microsoft suspends new sales in Russia, including Xbox and Windows games and services

All new Xbox and Windows software and services sales are now halted in Russia and Belarus following governmental sanctions.

In a new blog from Microsoft president and vice chair Brad Smith it has been confirmed that all new sales of Microsoft software and hardware will be suspended in Russia following the invasion of and ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

In the blog, Brad Smith states the following: “We are announcing today that we will suspend all new sales of Microsoft products and services in Russia.

“In addition, we are coordinating closely and working in lockstep with the governments of the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, and we are stopping many aspects of our business in Russia in compliance with governmental sanctions decisions.”

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This follows other businesses that have also ceased sales of products in the region, including game distribution platform GOG, owned by CD Projekt RED, creators of Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

The gaming industry has near-universally condemned Russia’s actions, with some creators going a step further to show support. One of the minds behind the original Doom and Wolfenstein games, John Romero, released a new Doom 2 level, with money made from purchases going towards Ukrainian humanitarian causes. Similarly, The Pokémon Company has donated $200,000 USD to GlobalGiving for humanitarian relief in the region. EA Sports has even removed Russian teams from FIFA 22 and NHL 22.

All of this follows a plea from Ukrainian vice prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov earlier this week, which saw the politician appealing to Sony and Microsoft on Twitter to stop supporting the Russian and Belarusian markets until peace is restored.

In addition to halting sales in Russia, Microsoft’s blog states that a key area in which they are providing support is cybersecurity, stating: “Our single most impactful area of work almost certainly is the protection of Ukraine’s cybersecurity. We continue to work proactively to help cybersecurity officials in Ukraine defend against Russian attacks, including most recently a cyberattack against a major Ukrainian broadcaster.”

As the war in Ukraine continues, so will pressure from companies and nations globally to stop the invasion.

Written by Dave Aubrey on behalf of GLHF.

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Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Kentucky Route Zero, and more are coming to Game Pass

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Kentucky Route Zero, and several other games are coming to Game Pass in the near future.

It has just been announced that beloved titles like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Kentucky Route Zero, and more are coming to Game Pass “soon.”

The news comes from the official Xbox Game Pass account on Twitter, where details about seven games coming to the subscription service in the near future were recently shared.

Two of the games will be available to play via Game Pass from as early as today. These are as follows:

Far: Changing Tides (Cloud, console, and PC)

Microsoft Flight Simulator (Cloud)

There’s also some information pertaining to what players can expect from the service throughout the rest of March. Here’s a list of all the games currently known to be hitting Game Pass this month:

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (Console and PC) — Mar. 3

Kentucky Route Zero (Cloud, console, and PC) ID@Xbox — Mar. 10

Lawn Mowing Simulator (Xbox One) ID@Xbox — Mar. 10

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Cloud, console, and PC) — Mar. 10

Young Souls (Cloud, console, and PC) ID@Xbox — Mar. 10

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Today’s announcement also includes details about changes to the Xbox app, as well as information about a new No Man’s Sky update. On top of that, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can check out the various perks they can redeem in EA Sports UFC 4, Halo Infinite, and Century: Age of Ashes.

Finally, the post draws attention to four games that are due to leave Game Pass in March — Nier: Automata, Phogs!, Torchlight 3, and The Surge 2. We would highly recommend checking out Nier: Automata before it goes on Mar. 15 if you have the time.

Xbox has stated that more titles arriving on Game Pass in March will be revealed soon. If none of the games mentioned so far strike your fancy, be sure to check out our lists of the best Xbox Game Pass games of 2021 and best Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S games in general.

Written by Cian Maher on behalf of GLHF.

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Sony says “contractual agreements” will keep Activision games on PS5

Sony has responded to Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard, stating “contractual agreements” should keep relevant games on PS5.

Sony has finally issued a response to Microsoft’s shock announcement that it will be acquiring Activision Blizzard from earlier this week, stating that it expects relevant games to remain multiplatform due to preexisting “contractual agreements” with the publisher.

On Tuesday, Jan. 18, Microsoft announced it will be acquiring Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. Within 24 hours of the news, rival company Sony’s market value plummeted by a whopping $20 billion, prompting concern over whether or not major Activision Blizzard games like Call of Duty would be exclusive to Microsoft-affiliated platforms going forward. 

According to a recently filed report from The Wall Street Journal, Sony has now addressed these concerns. “We expect that Microsoft will abide by contractual agreements and continue to ensure Activision games are multiplatform,” a spokesperson for the company said.

At the time of writing, people are decisively split in relation to the possibility of new Activision Blizzard games being made available for PS5. While existing games like Call of Duty: Warzone and Overwatch will no doubt continue to be supported across all relevant platforms — it has been claimed that “some” games will still be on PS5 — it’s worth looking at Microsoft’s $7.5 billion acquisition of Bethesda in 2021, which will see behemoth titles like The Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield launch exclusively for Xbox and PC. 

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At the same time, some analysts are of the opinion that making Call of Duty exclusive to platforms owned and supported by Microsoft could present serious antitrust issues.

While it’s certainly worth considering how a deal of this magnitude might affect the games industry in the future, it’s important not to let figures distract from more pressing concerns. Activision Blizzard is still very much a company with deep-rooted systemic problems and is currently facing serious allegations of harassment within the company. 

Employees have staged strikes and walkouts in response to the company’s decision to keep CEO Bobby Kotick in power, and even shareholders have officially called for Kotick’s resignation. It is believed that Kotick will step down from his position once the deal is done and the ink has dried, although that has yet to be officially confirmed. Last we heard, he was considering acquiring gaming-trade publications Kotaku and PC Gamer.

In terms of how this relates to Sony, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan claimed to be “stunned” over Activision Blizzard’s response to the allegations made against it. 

As for Sony’s own exclusives, we recently got another look at upcoming blockbuster Horizon Forbidden West, while the highly anticipated God of War Ragnarok is still slated for release later this year. 

Written by Cian Maher on behalf of GLHF.

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Bobby Kotick allegedly wanted to buy game sites Kotaku and PC Gamer

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick purportedly considered acquiring gaming-trade sites to change public perception of the company.

It has been alleged that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick considered acquiring video game-trade publications Kotaku and PC Gamer amid ongoing allegations of harassment within the company. 

The news comes from a recently filed Wall Street Journal report published in the wake of Microsoft’s announcement that it is acquiring Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, which has already seen rival company Sony experience a $20 billion plummet in market value.

While the acquisition has spurred speculation about several different subjects — whether or not ABK games will be available on PS5 going forward (“some” will be), what the future has in store for blockbusters like Call of Duty, and so on — there is a more important matter at hand. Namely, how will Microsoft affect real change within Activision Blizzard?

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Recent months have seen employees at the company stage walkouts and strikes in retaliation to the company maintaining Kotick’s status as CEO, which has also been contested by shareholders. Now, months later, it has emerged that Kotick had considered acquiring video game news outlets as a means of changing the public narrative of what was occurring internally at Activision Blizzard. 

“Mr. Kotick has been eager to change the public narrative about the company, and in recent weeks has suggested Activision Blizzard make some kind of acquisition, including of gaming-trade publications like Kotaku and PC Gamer, according to people familiar with him,” the report reads. 

“The Activision spokeswoman, Ms. Klasky, disputed that Mr. Kotick wanted to make the acquisitions. A spokesman for G/O Media, the parent company of Kotaku, declined to comment. PC Gamer didn’t respond to a request for comment.”

It is likely that the journalists and editors working at these publications had zero knowledge of an acquisition allegedly being floated, with both outlets being known for rigorous reporting standards and independence of voice.

Written by Cian Maher on behalf of GLHF.

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Sony worth $20bn less after Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard

Microsoft’s decision to acquire Activision Blizzard has caused Sony’s market value to plummet by $20 billion in a single day.

Yesterday, Microsoft announced that it is acquiring Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. Less than 24 hours later, this has already caused rival company Sony’s market value to plummet by a whopping $20 billion.

The news comes from a recently filed Bloomberg report, which states that Sony Group Corp. saw its shares fall by 13% yesterday, Wednesday, Jan. 18. This marks the company’s biggest drop since Oct. 2008. 

To put this into perspective, Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has knocked $20 billion off of Sony’s market value in a single day. According to Bloomberg, games and network services account for approximately 30% of Sony’s revenue. Microsoft, meanwhile, earns the majority of its money elsewhere, which is part of why this titanic purchase has had such a massive, instantly pronounced effect on its rival. It has also been alleged that only “some” Activision Blizzard games will be available on PS5.

The acquisition is no doubt intended to bolster Microsoft’s Game Pass service for Xbox consoles, which allows subscribers to access a vast library of games in exchange for a monthly fee. After the company’s acquisition of Bethesda and its subsidiaries earlier this year led to iconic titles such as The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Doom becoming available via the service, the possibility of behemoth video game series like Call of Duty following a similar trajectory is likely, especially given that the service recently surpassed 25 million global users. 

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That’s not to say the acquisition is all good for Microsoft. Activision Blizzard is currently facing widespread allegations of harassment within the company, with both employees and shareholders having called for CEO Bobby Kotick’s resignation in recent months. Activision Blizzard workers have also staged walkouts and strikes in retaliation against layoffs and inaction. 

That’s not to mention that just two months ago, Xbox boss Phil Spencer stated that Microsoft would be “evaluating” its relationship with Activision Blizzard going forward on account of the ongoing reports of harassment within the company. 

At the time of writing, Microsoft has done little to enlighten people about Kotick’s future or lack thereof at Activision Blizzard. It currently seems likely that Kotick will resign with a pretty penny once the ink has dried, although nothing is set in stone. 

While a lot of the minutiae are nebulous at best right now, the main takeaways from this acquisition are that the Xbox ecosystem is rapidly subsuming large parts of the games industry and that Activision Blizzard’s systemic issues are now Microsoft’s to resolve. 

It will be interesting to see how Sony reacts to its rival’s moves in the next 12 months. God of War Ragnarok will surely see the company claw back some ground when it launches later this year, while a rumoured Game Pass competitor could slightly even the playing field.

Written by Cian Maher on behalf of GLHF.

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Microsoft reflects on its decision to reject GTA 3 for Xbox

Microsoft has opened up about its decision to turn down GTA 3 as an Xbox exclusive as part of its new Power On documentary.

Microsoft’s celebration of Xbox’s 20th anniversary has been intriguing so far, if not a little odd. Rather than a more conventional series of gimmicks designed to honor the console’s triumphs over the years, the recently unveiled Power On documentary has also revealed quite a bit about the company’s many missteps, one of which has to do with its unfortunate rejection of a little game called GTA 3.

The revelation comes in part three of Power On, titled ‘And It Didn’t Turn On’ – another fairly blatant admission of trouble in paradise. This comes on top of the fact the company is now selling an official red ring of death poster and, in the final episode of the docuseries, openly concedes to having made a mistake with its closure of Fable developer Lionhead Studios back in 2016. 

While Fable is now in good hands with Playground Studios, the team behind Forza Horizon 5, it’s still interesting to see a company as massive as Microsoft being candid about its many wrong turns – one of which, obviously, involved passing on GTA 3.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yappZvmxcP8

The topic is brought up after former Microsoft art director Kiki Wolfkill discusses the need to look for games that were already partially in development due to the short period of time between the original Xbox’s announcement and target launch date. Kevin Bachus, who worked in third party relations for Microsoft between 1999 and 2001, picks up the discussion, referring to an intercontinental “barnstorming tour” designed to convince developers all over the world that the company knew what it was doing. 

“One day we presented a new idea from a small game publisher that had been presented to us and said, ‘Hey, we want to dust off one of the 2D games that we had done for PC, we’re going to really invest in it, we think it’s going to be really exciting’,” Bachus says in the documentary. 

“And these newly important executives at Xbox who would review all the pitches from publishers and developers, they said, ‘I don’t think that game is going to be able to make the transition from 2D to 3D’,” adds Drew Angeloff, who worked at Xbox as its tools and middleware program manager at the time. 

GTA 3 could have been an Xbox exclusive, but Microsoft rejected it

“They felt it was complicated,” says Bachus. “They didn’t really understand the user interface. They thought that it was based on a game that hadn’t been all that successful. To my surprise it was rejected.”

That game, as we’re sure you can tell by now, was Grand Theft Auto 3.

GTA 3, which launched as a timed exclusive for the PS2, ended up shipping almost 15 million units. It was the best selling game of 2001 and the only game that outperformed it the following year was its own sequel. 

Given GTA’s ubiquity now, it’s difficult to think of a bigger mistake Microsoft execs could have made. Still, it’s a testament to the quality of Power On that the company has been this open about its history, actively acknowledging even its most egregious pitfalls.

On the subject of Grand Theft Auto, be sure to check out our interview with Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson about how GTA Online has gone from a twinkle in Rockstar’s eye to the home of Dr. Dre’s new music.

Written by Cian Maher on behalf of GLHF.

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Mortal Kombat 11, Firewatch, and more coming to Game Pass this week

Xbox has just announced a slew of new titles coming to Game Pass this week, including Mortal Kombat 11, Firewatch, Broken Age, and more.

Microsoft has just announced the next batch of games coming to Game Pass. On top of beloved indies like Firewatch and Broken Age, the list also includes some heavier hitters like Mortal Kombat 11, all of which are set to hit the service this Thursday, Dec. 16. 

These titles come on top of Game Pass’ already stacked lineup for December. As well as Halo Infinite’s highly anticipated launch last week, this month has seen the addition of games like Stardew Valley, Serious Sam 4, Among Us, and One Piece Pirate Warriors 4, the last of which we have been informed on good authority is excellent, but only if you read the manga first.

The full list of games coming to Xbox’s subscription service this month – including titles that have already been added to Game Pass – is as follows.

Games available on Game Pass now

Master Chief in Halo Infinite

Anvil (console/PC) – Dec. 2  

Archvale (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 2 

Final Fantasy XIII-2 (console/PC) – Dec. 2  

Lawn Mowing Simulator (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 2  

Rubber Bandits (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 2  

Stardew Valley (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 2  

Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 2  

Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 7  

Serious Sam 4 (console/PC) – Dec. 7 

Halo Infinite (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 8  

One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 9  

Aliens: Fireteam Elite (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 14  

Games coming to Game Pass this week

Firewatch is coming to Xbox Game Pass

Among Us (console) – Dec. 15

Ben 10: Power Trip (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 16

Broken Age (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 16

Firewatch (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 16

The Gunk (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 16

Lake (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 16

Mortal Kombat 11 (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 16

Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 16

Race With Ryan (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 16

Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 16

Transformers: Battlegrounds (cloud/console/PC) – Dec. 16

Again, the standout game here is obviously Halo Infinite. For those wondering about whether or not Master Chief’s latest adventure is one worth embarking on, the campaign is the best the series has been since Halo 3, while the corresponding multiplayer component is a beautiful dance. 

If Halo isn’t exactly your thing, we’d highly recommend taking Firewatch for a spin. Campo Santo’s debut effort from 2016 is widely revered as one of the best indie games ever made, meaning it’s now a must-play for anyone with an active Game Pass subscription – especially now you can pick one up for just $1.

Written by Cian Maher on behalf of GLHF. 

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What is the Xbox Series S?

After the Xbox Series S price leaked, Microsoft confirmed the budget version of its next-gen console will cost $299.

It’s been a rough summer for Microsoft’s gaming division as the launch of the new generation of consoles draws near. After an unimpressive and meme-worthy gameplay reveal of Halo: Infinite – Microsoft’s flagship title for the fall – the game was delayed to 2021, leaving Microsoft without a highly anticipated killer app for the upcoming Xbox Series X.

On Monday, an image of the Xbox Series S – Microsoft’s yet unannounced budget version of a next-gen console – was leaked online. According to the leak, the Series S will sell for $299. Microsoft acknowledged the leak on Tuesday morning, and confirmed that the Series S will launch with an estimated retail price of $299.

So, what is the Series S?

Microsoft is advertising its new flagship console, the Xbox Series X, as the most powerful console ever. The Series S, much like the Xbox One S before it, is a more affordable version of the console for people who aren’t obsessive over resolution and framerate. All next-gen Xbox games will run on both the Series S and Series X, so you’ll be able to play the new Halo on the S – you just might not get quite the same performance, especially on a 4K TV.

So far, we only have an image of the S and the pricepoint, and Microsoft is yet to reveal the full specs of the machine along with the launch date (which is expected to be in November). More leaked promotional footage for the Series S notes that the machine can get 120 frames per second at a resolution of 1440p, is DirectX Raytracing ready, and packs a 512 GB SSD.

That last point could prove to be an issue, as it does not seem like the Series S has a disc drive. If you are indeed going all-digital with the Series S, it won’t be long until that 512 GB hard drive is full. Just ask Call of Duty: Warzone players, who regularly have to install colossal patches. In the modern age, it’s possible you may only be able to fit 4 triple-A games on that SSD.

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AdBlitz Awards: Ad Meter spots that took most viewed honors in each category

Almost one week later, a handful of Super Bowl spots have really pulled away from the pack, with view counts reaching into the astonishing. With the help of AdBlitz, a YouTube exclusive, we’re able to see what ads submitted to USA Today’s Ad Meter …

Almost one week later, a handful of Super Bowl spots have really pulled away from the pack, with view counts reaching into the astonishing. With the help of AdBlitz, a YouTube exclusive, we’re able to see what ads submitted to USA Today’s Ad Meter have taken Most Viewed honors in the various categories.

Joining in on the award season fun…

Envelopes, please.

Most Viewed in the Comedy category:

Most-viewed of all Ad Meter ads (so far), Amazon’s spot, “Before Alexa,” has been quite the hit. The 60-second ad featuring Ellen and Portia takes a comical look through history, focusing on what people did before the virtual assistant existed.

Most Viewed in the Dramatic category:

Heinz made four different ads in one creative, compacted 30-second spot. The ad, directed by Roman Coppola, has surpassed all the other adds by a few million views.

Most Viewed in the Inspirational category:

Microsoft’s game-changing spot was tops in the ‘Inspirational’ category, sprinting ahead of Budweiser’s “Typical American” by a few million views.

Most Viewed in the Action-Packed category:

This was the closest margin of victory, with the F9 trailer edging out Quibi’s inaugural Super Bowl spot by a million views.

Note: F9 also had the most views in the Teaser category, too.

Most Viewed in the Sentimental category:

“Loretta” was the clear favorite in the ‘Sentimental’ category, and it didn’t leave the door open for any upsets. Google’s heartwarming tale has been one of the most popular ads—it finished third in the Ad Meter rankings—and has reached an impressive number of views.

And thus concludes the show, folks.

Looking for more Super Bowl commercial bliss? Make sure to head over to AdBlitz, a YouTube exclusive!