The LLVM 18.1 release has seen new support for Intel's next-gen Panther Lake client & Clearwater Forest server CPUs.
16.02.2024 - 16:55 / gamerant.com / Romeo Moran
Major game publisher Activision is currently being sued by a Call of Duty esports team for perpetuating an alleged monopoly over its competitive scene. The Call of Duty games are a hit among pro FPS players, which is why they are crying out over the way the company has been handling tournaments and organized play.
Activision's top-tier Call of Duty organized play is currently concentrated in the Call of Duty League, which replaced the Call of Duty World League back in 2020. This new organization followed the format of sister company Blizzard's Overwatch League, which itself took after other professional sports by having city-based franchises. While it didn't take long for fans to sour on the new league, it had been the only option for high-level play since it was established.
OpTic Texas's Hector «H3CZ» Rodriguez and Seth «Scump» Abner have filed a lawsuit against Activision, looking for a whopping $680 million in damages after they had alleged that the publisher had essentially turned the pro Call of Duty scene into its monopoly. In their lawsuit, the players claimed that Activision held too much control over high-level professional Call of Duty and both franchises and players, enriching the company while the pros did the hard work.
The main complaint against Activision is that it allegedly forced pro Call of Duty players to flock to its own league by blocking other organizations, and then allegedly charged franchises an exorbitant sum of $27.5 million to participate. In turn, this move is said to have barred the players and teams from making money off of brand sponsorships and endorsements. Among many allegations, Rodriguez, who owns OpTic Gaming (which has the Texas franchise), claims that he was forced to partner with investors who wanted a 92.5% ownership stake in his company, and then pay the fee to join the Call of Duty League.
Most of all, Activision is accused of not seeking consultation or approval from players for its new esports setup. According to the lawsuit, this left everyone in the scene no choice but to agree with the company's imposed system in order to keep making money from playing the game. The lawsuit basically accuses Activision of exploiting pros' passion for a popular, exciting, and highly competitive game like Call of Duty, and the players want to get their due for the time and effort they spent mastering it.
This lawsuit is another major blow to Activision's competitive endeavors, following major sponsors like T-Mobile pulling out from the Call of Duty and Overwatch Leagues in the wake of the Blizzard scandals years ago. Call of Duty's massive fanbase may still be able to keep the league going, but with two big names speaking out, it will be interesting to see what happens.
Relea
The LLVM 18.1 release has seen new support for Intel's next-gen Panther Lake client & Clearwater Forest server CPUs.
Tifa is the best close-range fighter of your team in next to Cloud, but she can't take down the biggest enemies without her best weapons. Scattered throughout different Chapters of the story, you can find new gauntlets for Tifa to use in battle. Each of these weapons has a unique ability that Tifa can learn to make her an even stronger fighter for your party.
X Corp. CEO Elon Musk is being sued for $128 million dollars in a lawsuit that alleges several former Twitter executives are still due unpaid severances. Multiple lawsuits have been lobbed at the social media CEO in recent months, including Grimes suing Elon Musk in October of last year. With Musk's personal and professional decisions continuing to raise eyebrows, this new lawsuit has once again fueled discussion among audiences.
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Amid mass layoffs, studio closures, and general industry uncertainty, today began with a handful of studios and companies reclaiming control of their own destinies. We learned this morning that Saber Interactive and Gearbox are reportedly breaking free of Embracer Group. And now, it looks like Crash Bandicoot developer Toys for Bob has sprung free of Activision and Microsoft.
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Skylanders and Crash Bandicoot developer Toys for Bob has announced plans to go independent.
Swedish video game and media company Embracer Group AB is reportedly selling Saber Interactive, the developer responsible for the upcoming Star Wars: The Knights of the Old Republic remake. Knights of the Old Republic was a ground-breaking addition to the original Xbox back in 2003, not to mention the Star Wars franchise. KOTOR's release was met with critical acclaim, and the title has even appeared on many «best game of all time» lists.
Embracer Group is reportedly set to sell Saber Interactive in a deal worth up to $500 million.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director says the new action-RPG is reaching for a level that was never possible before today's technology, and that's just like the original 1997 game.
Today, Remedy announced the acquisition of the full rights to the Control franchise from publisher 505 Games for €17 million, which is basically what the publisher had paid for the development of Control 2 and codename Condor to date. 505 Games will remain the publisher of the original Control through a transition period that will end on December 31, 2024.