Tag: Call of Duty

Explainer-What next for Microsoft’s $69 billion Activision deal after UK ban?
29Apr By adminNo Comments
Technology

Explainer-What next for Microsoft’s $69 billion Activision deal after UK ban?

[ad_1] Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Wednesday blocked Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of 'Call of Duty' maker Activision Blizzard over concerns it would hinder cloud gaming.The ruling was a shock after the regulator had already resolved its concerns about the consoles market, a sector dominated by Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft's Xbox, which dwarfs cloud gaming. IS THE DEAL DEAD? Not necessarily. Microsoft said it remained fully committed and would appeal.The regulator's decision reflected a flawed understanding of the market, it said.HOW DOES THE APPEAL PROCESS WORK?Microsoft can appeal to Britain's Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), an independent judicial body, which will only examine the CMA's decision-making process, not the merits of the merger.Micros...
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Microsoft tells UK it will license ‘Call of Duty’ to Sony for 10 years
9Mar By adminNo Comments
Technology

Microsoft tells UK it will license ‘Call of Duty’ to Sony for 10 years

[ad_1] Microsoft said it would license Activision Blizzard's "Call of Duty" (CoD) to Sony for 10 years to address concerns raised by Britain over its $69 billion takeover of the games maker, according to a document published by the regulator. Microsoft last month struck a similar deal with Nvidia Corp's gaming platform, dependent on it getting the go-ahead for the much-contested acquisition. Microsoft President Brad Smith had said he hoped that rival Sony - which has strongly opposed the takeover - would consider doing the same type of deal. Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in February said the deal could weaken the rivalry between Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation, and stifle competition in cloud gaming. It suggested that structural remedies could be nee...
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Explainer-How Microsoft is addressing antitrust concerns over Activision deal
23Feb By adminNo Comments
Technology

Explainer-How Microsoft is addressing antitrust concerns over Activision deal

[ad_1] Microsoft has thrown the gauntlet down over antitrust criticisms, saying on Tuesday it is ready to offer rivals licensing deals in exchange for regulatory approval of its $69 billion deal to purchase video game publisher Activision, but it would not to sell the latter's lucrative "Call of Duty" franchise. WHAT IS THE ACTIVISION DEAL? Microsoft announced the Activision bid in January last year, its biggest ever, to boost its firepower in the booming videogaming market and take on leaders Tencent and Sony, and lay the base for its investment in metaverse, digital spaces which are made more lifelike by the use of virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR). WHAT DO ANTITRUST REGULATORS SAY? In December, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asked a judge to block the d...
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Microsoft inks Nvidia game deal to assuage regulators over Activision merger
23Feb By adminNo Comments
Technology

Microsoft inks Nvidia game deal to assuage regulators over Activision merger

[ad_1] Microsoft Corp has struck a 10-year deal to bring "Call of Duty" and other Activision games to Nvidia Corp's gaming platform if the Xbox maker is allowed to complete its much-contested $69 billion acquisition of Activision.Regulators and competitors like Sony have come out hard against the proposed Microsoft-Activision tie-up. The move may allay concerns by ensuring more ways for consumers to get games controlled by Microsoft, but regulators around the world have been skeptical about the acquisition. Britain earlier this month said the deal could harm gamers by weakening the rivalry between Xbox and PlayStation, resulting in higher prices, fewer choices and less innovation for millions of players, as well as stifling competition in cloud gaming. Microsoft President Brad Smith to...
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Microsoft Sees No Activision Deal Without Call of Duty
22Feb By adminNo Comments
Technology

Microsoft Sees No Activision Deal Without Call of Duty

[ad_1] Microsoft Corp.'s $69 billion deal to buy Activision Blizzard Inc. has no clear path to completion without the blockbuster title Call of Duty, president Brad Smith told reporters after a closed-door hearing in Brussels with European Union regulators. Smith struck an optimistic tone Tuesday after a day-long meeting defending the controversial deal. He said pacts struck with Nintendo Co. and Nvidia Corp. to share the game with their platforms meant that as many as 150 million more people would get access to it if the Activision deal is approved. UK regulators had suggested a potential remedy to carve out Activision's most successful title would be required to get the deal approved. “We don't think it's feasible or realistic to think that one game or one slice of this compan...
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Microsoft’s $69 Billion Activision Deal Could Harm UK Gamers, Watchdog Finds
10Feb By adminNo Comments
Technology

Microsoft’s $69 Billion Activision Deal Could Harm UK Gamers, Watchdog Finds

[ad_1] Microsoft Corp.'s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc. will harm competition in the UK gaming market, Britain's antitrust watchdog has provisionally found. The Competition and Markets Authority said it had taken an initial view that the deal could result in a substantial lessening in competition, higher prices, fewer choices or less innovation for UK gamers, according to a statement published Wednesday. Microsoft first announced the Activision deal last year, looking to add blockbuster games like Call of Duty to a business that already includes the Xbox console, the Halo franchise and Minecraft world-building software. But the tie-up has fallen foul of global regulators who fear that Microsoft could make it harder for rival platforms to get unfettered access ...
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Activision Blizzard Bookings Beat Estimates on Call of Duty
8Feb By adminNo Comments
Technology

Activision Blizzard Bookings Beat Estimates on Call of Duty

[ad_1] Activision Blizzard Inc. reported bookings that beat analysts' estimates on the strength of a new Call of Duty release as well as several other big titles. The video game publisher, which is in the process of being purchased by Microsoft Corp. for $69 billion, reported net bookings rose 43% to $3.57 billion in the fourth quarter. Analysts had estimated $3.08 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It was the biggest jump in bookings in nine quarters and signals a rebound for the gaming industry after a sluggish 2022. Adjusted earnings per share were $1.87 in the three months ended Dec. 31, compared with estimates of $1.52. In October, Activision released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, the latest entry in the lucrative shooter series. It sold $1 billion in 10 day...
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Microsoft claims to have no idea why ‘Call of Duty’ franchise is special
4Jan By adminNo Comments
Technology

Microsoft claims to have no idea why ‘Call of Duty’ franchise is special

[ad_1] Last year in January Microsoft announced it would spend USD 68.7 billion to acquire Activision Blizzard, highlighting how it would get 'Call of Duty', 'Warcraft' and 'Candy Crush' for that fee. American tech multinational Microsoft, which a year ago announced its plans to acquire Activision Blizzard, might keep 'Call of Duty', the video game company's iconic franchise, from appearing on Sony's PlayStation. According to The Verge, an American technology news website, last year in January Microsoft announced it would spend USD 68.7 billion to acquire Activision Blizzard, highlighting how it would get 'Call of Duty', 'Warcraft' and 'Candy Crush' for that fee. However, the new website has reported that Microsoft's lawyers are suddenly pretending they have no idea why 'Call of...
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PUBG, Call of Duty, Roblox, Minecraft, GTA are DANGEROUS; check full list and know why
17Sep By adminNo Comments
Technology

PUBG, Call of Duty, Roblox, Minecraft, GTA are DANGEROUS; check full list and know why

[ad_1] A dangerous password-stealing software left the data of gamers playing popular titles like PUBG, Call of Duty, Roblox, and Minecraft under threat. Some of the most popular game titles in the world have been exploited by hackers. They have inserted vicious malware in these games and this has compromised players' data, cybersecurity researchers warned. The more worrying part is that the list of infected games includes those titles which are popular all over the world, such as PUBG, Call of Duty, Roblox, Fifa and Minecraft. The number of games affected are 28 games. These games have been exploited through one of the most common and dangerous malware - RedLiner. The report by cyber security firm Kaspersky mentioned that th...
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Cybercriminals using online games like Minecraft, Roblox, Far Cry to insert powerful malware on gadgets
7Sep By adminNo Comments
Technology

Cybercriminals using online games like Minecraft, Roblox, Far Cry to insert powerful malware on gadgets

[ad_1] A team of security researchers has discovered that nearly 25% of malicious files are spread by Minecraft-related files. FIFA (11%), Roblox (9.5%), Far Cry (9.4%), Call of Duty (9%), Need for Speed, Grand Theft Auto are also being abused by hackers. Cyber criminals seem to be finding new ways to bypass security barriers to attack more and more users. In a new study, security researchers have found that cybercriminals are using the popular game title Minecraft to trick players into downloading dangerous malware. A team of security researchers has discovered that nearly 25% of malicious files are spread by Minecraft-related files via game brand abuse. Not only Minecraft, but other game titles like FIFA (11%), Roblox (9.5%...
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