Do you like to play against the environment, or do you prefer to play against other players? Some games offer those experiences separately, and some bring them together for unique titles. We cover both sides within this list of 30.
Microsoft finally lays UK regulators' cloud gaming fears to rest—new consultation suggests an end to the drawn-out Activision Blizzard acquisition saga
22.09.2023 - 12:53 / pcgamer.com / Brad Smith / An End
Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been a major source of corporate drama these past few months. Back in April, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) moved to block the acquisition, stating «Microsoft’s proposed solution failed to effectively address the concerns in the cloud gaming sector». This block included a massive, 200-plus page findings report that suggests «The evidence we have seen suggests that cloud gaming may be an important disruptive force in the gaming industry.»
This rejection came as a bit of a surprise, since things had been looking brighter after a prior u-turn on Call of Duty, which was a prior pain point outlined in the findings report. This led to some stern finger-wagging from Microsoft's president, Brad Smith, who called the move 'bad for Britain'—which even spilled over into parliament, with questions over whether the UK was even 'open for business' from MPs on the government's Business and Trade Committee.
It seems things are moving forward, though, according to a statement by the UK Government. «Earlier this year, the CMA blocked Microsoft from acquiring the whole of Activision due to concerns that the deal would harm competition in cloud gaming in the UK. After that deal was blocked, Microsoft submitted a restructured transaction in August for the CMA to review.
»Under that new deal, Microsoft will not purchase the cloud gaming rights held by Activision, which will instead be sold to an independent third party, Ubisoft Entertainment SA (Ubisoft)." This means that Microsoft no longer has exclusive rights to keep Activision Blizzard games on future cloud gaming services. Instead, Ubisoft will be «free to offer Activision's games both directly to consumers and cloud gaming service providers however it chooses.»
The revised deal also had some good news for ports of Activision games: «The deal with Ubisoft also requires Microsoft to port Activision games to operating systems other than Windows and support game emulators when requested.»
These new measures were met with approval by the CMA, whose concerns over Microsoft using «its control over Activision content to stifle competition and reinforce this position» have been mostly dealt with. «The new deal instead results in the cloud streaming rights for Activision’s games being transferred to an independent player, Ubisoft, maintaining open competition as the market for cloud gaming develops over the coming years.»
Cloud gaming is only just becoming properly viable, but technology doesn't steadily advance as much as it explodes. We've all been there for the sudden advancement in deep-learning algorithms and AI. Tech like this crawls along until momentum builds, and suddenly we have a whole basket of
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videogameschronicle.com
11.10.2023 / 16:09
PlayStation 5 cloud streaming launches this month
Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced plans to launch cloud streaming for PlayStation 5 this month.
mmorpg.com
09.10.2023 / 21:25
Activision Blizzard Addresses Questions About Its Titles and Microsoft Game Pass if Deal is Approved
With the approval of Microsoft’s efforts to acquire Activision Blizzard looking almost certain to close by next week, Activision Blizzard is beginning to discuss what might happen next in terms of its games and Game Pass.
destructoid.com
06.10.2023 / 23:53
Microsoft reportedly looks to close out Activision Blizzard deal next week
It would seem Microsoft’s long, uphill battle to acquire Activision Blizzard could be nearing its end. The Verge reports via an unnamed source that the deal could be closed by the end of next week, though they mentioned that is still tentative, as the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority could still threaten the successful closure of Microsoft’s long-sought deal.
pcgamer.com
06.10.2023 / 15:37
Watch the powerful firebender Azula kick the crap out of Stimpy in the final Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 character reveal
The surprise sequel Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 was announced back in July, and it struck us as something of a do-over, but with a heavy emphasis on more: More stages and updates of existing stages, a new campaign mode, more modes in general, crossplay, a visual spit-shine to every existing character, new minigames, and of course new characters. And now we've got the reveal of the final character coming to the lineup: It's the Avatar firebender Azula, princess of the Fire Nation and daughter of Fire Lord Ozai.
polygon.com
04.10.2023 / 16:36
The new League of Legends yearly Worlds anthem is a bop from NewJeans
As a long-time League of Legends fan, I’ve followed the game’s esports scene for years. It’s been a hot minute since I followed the ins and outs of competitive play, but there’s a yearly highlight I always make sure to catch: the yearly Worlds anthem. Last year’s song was “Star Walkin’” by Lil Nas X, which is tough to top, but NewJeans may have pulled it off with this year’s “Gods.”
thegamer.com
02.10.2023 / 14:53
Final Fantasy 7 Mobile Game Has A New Chapter About Young Sephiroth
Last Friday, Final Fantasy 7 mobile spin-off Ever Crisis added a chapter all about young Sephiroth, which fans believe might tie into part two of the remake trilogy, Rebirth.
pushsquare.com
28.09.2023 / 00:05
Free PS5 Game Offered to New Console Buyers in the USA | Push Square
Sony has unveiled a new promotion in the USA that allows anyone who purchases and then activates a new PS5 by 20th October 2023 to redeem a free PS5 game. Those who qualify will need to turn the console on and button over to the PS Store, where a banner will take you to a page listing the 12 PS5 titles you can pick from. The complete list of games on offer is as follows:
tech.hindustantimes.com
26.09.2023 / 03:23
Microsoft nears takeover of 'Call of Duty' maker Activision
British regulators on Friday dropped their objections to Microsoft's attempt to buy video game firm Activision Blizzard, the maker of "Call of Duty", paving the way for the US tech titan to close one of the biggest technology acquisitions ever.
tech.hindustantimes.com
24.09.2023 / 06:35
League of Legends, other esports join Asian Games in competition for the first time
The world of online gaming takes its place this year at the Asian Games as an official event for the first time, with gold medals in play across seven top titles.
wccftech.com
23.09.2023 / 09:17
Resident Evil 4 Separate Ways: Chapter 3 – How to Find the Clue About Luis’ Whereabouts
Resident Evil 4 “Separate Ways” DLC has arrived, letting players see what Ada Wong was busying herself with during the game’s main story (you can check out Wccftech’s impressions of the expansion here). Of course, as always with Resident Evil, Separate Ways contains its fair share of puzzles, secrets, and unique mechanics to unravel.
tech.hindustantimes.com
23.09.2023 / 05:55
Microsoft nears takeover of 'Call of Duty' maker Activision
British regulators on Friday dropped their objections to Microsoft's attempt to buy video game firm Activision Blizzard, the maker of "Call of Duty", paving the way for the US tech titan to close one of the biggest technology acquisitions ever.