With Diablo 4 becoming the first Activision Blizzard game to launch for Game Pass on March 28th, the door is seemingly open for other titles to follow. Speaking to Game File’s Stephen Totilo, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said the company intends that “the full portfolio of games from ZeniMax, Activision Blizzard and XGS – Xbox Game Studios – will be on Game Pass, day one.”
Activision Blizzard Layoffs Draw Complaints from FTC as Battle Over Acquisition Continues
09.02.2024 - 16:45 / wccftech.com / Nathan Birch / Sony
Microsoft’s decision to lay off over 1,900 employees across Xbox and Activision Blizzard only three months after acquiring the latter has been cause for plenty of debate, and it seems U.S. government officials were definitely keeping an eye on the situation. While the Activision Blizzard acquisition has officially gone through, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has not given up their fight against it, filing appeals to block and reverse the deal as recently as this past December, and now they’ve filed a complaint about the recent Activision Blizzard layoffs. According to the FTC, the layoffs directly contradict statements that Microsoft made to them that Acti-Blizz would be operated independently at arm’s length, with no redundancies between the two companies.
"Microsoft’s recently-reported plan to eliminate 1,900 jobs in its video game division, including in its newly-acquired Activision unit, contradicts the foregoing representations it made to this Court. Specifically, Microsoft reportedly has stated that the layoffs were part of an 'execution plan' that would reduce 'areas of overlap' between Microsoft and Activision, which is inconsistent with Microsoft’s suggestion to this Court that the two companies will operate independently post-merger."
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The FTC has a point – many have been surprised to see how quickly and aggressively Microsoft has involved themselves in the running of Activision Blizzard given how they characterized their plans for the company pre-acquisition. That said, even if Microsoft misled the FTC on this front, will it make much difference? In a statement provided to Wccftech, Microsoft argues the nature of the Acti-Blizz deal has changed significantly in recent months...
"In continuing its opposition to the deal, the FTC ignores the reality that the deal itself has substantially changed. Since the FTC lost in court last July, Microsoft was required by the UK competition authority to restructure the acquisition globally and therefore did not acquire the cloud streaming rights to Activision Blizzard games in the United States. Additionally, Sony and Microsoft signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation on even better terms than Sony had before."
And the context surrounding deal is likely set to change even more, as rumors have been running rampant that Xbox may essentially be going third party, with former exclusives like Starfield, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and even Gears of War potentially going to PlayStation and other platforms. Microsoft is promising a “business update event” next week, so we’ll know more then, but if Microsoft is indeed moving
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pcgamesinsider.biz
19.02.2024 / 16:53
Report: Activision Blizzard cutting 136 jobs in Ireland
US games giant Activision Blizzard is making over 130 people redundant from its office in the Republic of Ireland.
eurogamer.net
17.02.2024 / 16:25
Report: Activision Blizzard is expected to cut 136 jobs from its Cork office
Microsoft is reportedly set to slash more than a hundred jobs at Activision Blizzard's Cork office.
gamerant.com
17.02.2024 / 13:33
Report Claims More Blizzard Layoffs Could Be Happening Soon
Recent reports have revealed troubling news for employees at Blizzard, indicating that the renowned gaming company is considering another round of layoffs. Specifically, the reports outline plans to cut over 130 positions at the Cork, Ireland office, raising concerns about job stability within Blizzard.
wowhead.com
17.02.2024 / 00:09
Diablo 4 Coming to PC Game Pass March 28 - More Activision Blizzard Games to Come
Hell is more accessible than ever before — Diablo 4 has been revealed as coming to the PC Game Pass on March 28! Officially revealed during an episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, Diablo 4 will debut on the PC Game Pass on March 28. Players will be able to journey in Sanctuary even more easily than before — which was originally announced back in 2022, during a statement regarding the future of Game Pass after the Microsoft and ABK merger. While Diablo 4 is the first Activision Blizzard King title to debut on PC Game Pass, Sarah Bond, President of Xbox, had this to say regarding other titles:
gadgets.ndtv.com
16.02.2024 / 12:09
Microsoft Announces 4 Xbox Exclusives for PS5 and Nintendo Switch, Activision Blizzard Titles on Game Pass
Four Microsoft first-party games will launch on Sony's PlayStation 5 and the Nintendo Switch, the company confirmed late Thursday after weeks of speculation over its exclusive titles releasing on rival platforms. The announcement came on the Official Xbox Podcast from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, who also shed further light on the reasons behind Xbox's business decision and confirmed that the next generation of Xbox consoles were in development. Microsoft has not yet revealed the four Xbox exclusives coming to PS5 and Nintendo Switch, but The Verge reported that said games would be Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves and Grounded.
techradar.com
16.02.2024 / 10:59
Diablo IV is the first Activision Blizzard game to come to Xbox Game Pass, and you can play it next month
Diablo IV will be coming to Xbox Game Pass next month, marking the first Activision Blizzard game to launch on the service post-acquisition.
gameranx.com
15.02.2024 / 22:11
Activision Blizzard Titles Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass
There was quite a bit of uncertainty for the Xbox brand last week. I’m sure you saw the nonstop flood of rumors suggesting that Xbox would see many exclusives leave the brand for other platforms. That also left concerns that we might see Microsoft’s gaming division imploding. We even had rumors that Activision Blizzard games might not even be coming to Xbox Game Pass. But that is not the case as Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond, and Matt Booty clears the air.
videogameschronicle.com
15.02.2024 / 21:43
Diablo 4 is the first Activision Blizzard game coming to Game Pass
Xbox has announced that Diablo 4 will be the first Activision Blizzard game to be added to Game Pass.
thegamer.com
15.02.2024 / 21:29
Activision Blizzard Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass, Starting With Diablo 4
Now that Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is fully over the line, and its games now fall underneath the Xbox umbrella, questions have been raised as to when we can expect the publisher's titles to be added to Game Pass. Xbox made it clear that all of its first-party titles will be available to play on Game Pass from the day of launch, and Activision Blizzard and its studios are now considered first-party developers.
gamingbolt.com
15.02.2024 / 21:25
Diablo 4 Will be The First Activision Blizzard Title to Come to PC and Xbox Game Pass on March 28
Microsoft has announced that, following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, games developed and published by the latter will finally be coming to PC and Xbox Game Pass. Kicking things off will be Diablo 4, which will come to the service on March 28. The announcement was made in the latest episode of the official Xbox podcast where the company wanted to talk about the future of Xbox.
wowhead.com
15.02.2024 / 21:19
Diablo 4 Coming to PC Game Pass March 28 - More Activision Blizzard Games to Come
Hell is more accessible than ever before — Diablo 4 has been revealed as coming to the PC Game Pass on March 28! Officially revealed during an episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, Diablo 4 will debut on the PC Game Pass on March 28. Players will be able to journey in Sanctuary even more easily than before — which was originally announced back in 2022, during a statement regarding the future of Game Pass after the Microsoft and ABK merger. While Diablo 4 is the first Activision Blizzard King title to debut on PC Game Pass, Sarah Bond, President of Xbox, had this to say regarding other titles: