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Activision Blizzard

All articles tagged with #activision blizzard

Microsoft Denies Cloud Controller Cancellation as Xbox Gaming Service Faces Hardware and Access Restrictions
technology7 days ago

Microsoft Denies Cloud Controller Cancellation as Xbox Gaming Service Faces Hardware and Access Restrictions

Microsoft is facing a series of setbacks regarding its cloud gaming strategy, including the discontinuation of support for older Samsung TVs and new usage caps for subscribers. While The New York Times claims a dedicated cloud controller was canceled due to regulatory pressures from the Activision Blizzard acquisition, Microsoft denies this, stating the project remains in development. These developments follow a broader shift away from unlimited cloud access, driven by high infrastructure costs and AI-driven resource demands.

via GameSpot|
#activision-blizzard#game-pass#microsoft
Xbox Cloud Gaming Retreats as Microsoft Scrubs Samsung Support and Caps Playtime
technology9 days ago

Xbox Cloud Gaming Retreats as Microsoft Scrubs Samsung Support and Caps Playtime

Microsoft is scaling back its cloud gaming ambitions, ending support for 2020 Samsung TVs in November and capping Game Pass Ultimate streaming at 15 hours weekly. While a dedicated cloud controller remains in development, the service faces criticism for poor value and technical limitations, signaling a shift away from its previous 'everything is an Xbox' strategy.

via Kotaku|
#activision-blizzard#game-pass#microsoft
Kotick’s Legal Team Apologizes After Failing to Read Full Article Before Issuing Threat
media-and-law12 days ago

Kotick’s Legal Team Apologizes After Failing to Read Full Article Before Issuing Threat

Independent video game reporter Stephen Totilo revealed that the law firm representing former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick sent him a legal threat demanding he alter a January 2026 article, only to apologize two hours later after realizing the requested language was already present. The incident highlights a broader pattern of Kotick’s counsel pressuring media outlets to include specific settlement language regarding workplace misconduct allegations.

via Game File | Stephen Totilo|
#activision-blizzard#bobby-kotick#clare-locke
Xbox chief charts a path to higher margins with Minecraft, King and global partnerships by 2030
business2 months ago

Xbox chief charts a path to higher margins with Minecraft, King and global partnerships by 2030

Microsoft’s newly appointed Xbox CEO Asha Sharma outlines a multi‑year plan to lift Xbox margins to rival levels by 2030, boost investment in Minecraft, expand global partnerships (including China), and grow casual gaming via King, while pursuing exclusive titles and broader media/experiential ventures to accelerate player and revenue growth.

via CNBC|
#activision-blizzard#asha-sharma#business
Ex-staffer’s Guilty Plea Tightens Spotlight on Newsom DOJ Probes
politics3 months ago

Ex-staffer’s Guilty Plea Tightens Spotlight on Newsom DOJ Probes

Federal probes into Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife widen as ex-chief of staff Dana Williamson pleads guilty to conspiracy to loot a campaign account tied to Xavier Becerra, plus false tax returns and FBI lies regarding Activision Blizzard. Williamson’s case, still under sentencing, puts Newsom’s circle under scrutiny while he maintains no wrongdoing and frames the inquiries as politically motivated. Legal experts say the investigations could be embarrassing but aren’t proof of misconduct by Newsom, though they keep open the possibility of broader implications if more links emerge; no charges have been filed against Newsom or Siebel Newsom.

via New York Post|
#activision-blizzard#dana-williamson#doj-investigations
Xbox Studio Shakeup: Spin-Offs and Layoffs Rumored as Microsoft Reshapes its Gaming Arm
business3 months ago

Xbox Studio Shakeup: Spin-Offs and Layoffs Rumored as Microsoft Reshapes its Gaming Arm

Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier says more Xbox Studios beyond Ninja Theory, Double Fine, and Compulsion are in trouble, with talks under way to spin off studios or sell them to other publishers. A broader “bloodbath” of layoffs is anticipated over the next two weeks as Microsoft navigates Activision Blizzard integration and the pressure to grow Game Pass, with potential ripple effects across PlayStation as studios renegotiate futures before the June 30 fiscal year-end.

via Push Square|
#activision-blizzard#business#layoffs
Call of Duty: Xbox's High-Stakes Gamble Behind a Game Pass Dream
business4 months ago

Call of Duty: Xbox's High-Stakes Gamble Behind a Game Pass Dream

Kotaku argues that Call of Duty’s outsized influence on Activision’s Microsoft acquisition now shapes Xbox’s financial and strategic choices, but recent CoD releases underperformed and its inclusion in Game Pass backfired by driving subscriber churn. Microsoft has since adjusted by moving CoD launches off Game Pass, trimming prices, and signaling a need to rebalance investment between exclusives, new IP, and major franchises to avoid financial strain and potential layoffs ahead of Modern Warfare 4.

via Kotaku|
#activision-blizzard#business#call-of-duty
Kotick alleges the Activision-Microsoft lawsuit was meant to aid Embracer’s California foothold
business4 months ago

Kotick alleges the Activision-Microsoft lawsuit was meant to aid Embracer’s California foothold

Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick claims the 2022 Delaware Court of Chancery lawsuit opposing Microsoft’s $67.8 billion Activision deal was allegedly designed to help Embracer increase its foothold in California at Activision’s expense, a claim he made in his response to the AP7 suit; Embracer denies the accusation and Kotick has previously described other lawsuits as fake amid scrutiny of Activision Blizzard’s past misconduct allegations.

via Eurogamer|
#activision-blizzard#business#delaware-court
Microsoft Gaming Returns to Xbox Branding to Focus on Players and Affordable Gaming
business5 months ago

Microsoft Gaming Returns to Xbox Branding to Focus on Players and Affordable Gaming

Microsoft Gaming reverts to the Xbox brand under a new mission centered on daily active players as the north star, a sustainable Game Pass model, and a flexible stance on exclusivity and AI, while expanding into new markets and preparing next-gen hardware (Project Helix) with AMD; price cuts for the Game Pass top tier were announced.

via GamesIndustry.biz|
#activision-blizzard#ai#business
Microsoft Restores Xbox as its Gaming Identity, Drops Microsoft Gaming
tech5 months ago

Microsoft Restores Xbox as its Gaming Identity, Drops Microsoft Gaming

Microsoft is reverting its gaming division branding from Microsoft Gaming back to Xbox, with CEO Asha Sharma stating that Xbox should be the company's identity. The move undoes the 2022 pivot tied to the Activision Blizzard deal and Phil Spencer’s Microsoft Gaming leadership, as Sharma pushes a “return of Xbox” strategy that includes scrapping plans to add future Call of Duty titles to Game Pass. The company has begun displaying a new Xbox-focused messaging and even a refreshed logo on campus ahead of a June showcase, while also teasing a Discord partnership and continuing Game Pass reforms.

via The Verge|
#activision-blizzard#game-pass#gaming
Ex-Bethesda Exec Says Microsoft Ownership Makes Bethesda Feel Inauthentic
business6 months ago

Ex-Bethesda Exec Says Microsoft Ownership Makes Bethesda Feel Inauthentic

Former Bethesda VP Pete Hines, after 24 years at the studio, says Microsoft’s ownership has made Bethesda feel inauthentic and that he was powerless to run the place properly, a critique he voiced after his retirement and amid Starfield delays, Redfall fallout, and Bethesda’s shifting multiplatform strategy discussed during the FTC/Activision Blizzard case.

via Kotaku|
#acquisition#activision-blizzard#bethesda