Sony announced a slimmer, lighter refresh of the PlayStation 5 last month, bringing new design changes that help the console shed its bulky signature. The PS5 slim, which now comes with redesigned side panels that allow you to add a detachable external Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive to the digital edition of the console, is set to release this month. While Sony has not announced an official release date, both disc and digital editions of the new PS5 slim will reportedly go on sale November 10 in the US and could arrive in a Marvel's Spider-Man 2 bundle. Now, the PS5 slim disc edition is seemingly getting bundled with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, too. According to a Call of Duty news portal, the upcoming shooter from Activision is set to be bundled for free with the console.
Microsoft now owns Call of Duty, Diablo, and more – how it happened
13.10.2023 - 15:43 / pcgamesn.com / Phil Spencer
Earlier today, the UK’s CMA approved the Microsoft Activision Blizzard merger. Having previously rejected the company’s bid to purchase the creator of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch in April 2023, Microsoft has since altered the terms of its proposed acquisition to fit the CMA’s requirements. The Microsoft Activision Blizzard merger is now closed and completed, as Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer says that “as one team, we’ll learn, innovate, and continue to deliver on our promise to bring the joy and community of gaming to more people.”
The controversy surrounding the deal stemmed from concerns over potential Xbox exclusivity for Activision Blizzard games, primarily its flagship FPS game series, Call of Duty, the latest installment of which, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, is set to launch in early November.
PlayStation creator Sony argued that the acquisition could result in a worse experience of Activision Blizzard games for PlayStation owners. While Sony and Microsoft were in talks with one another, Sony rejected a deal in January 2022 put to them by Microsoft that offered to keep Activision Blizzard games (including Call of Duty) on PlayStation until 2027.
Following email correspondence between former PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan and Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, Ryan voiced public disapproval over the list of Activision Blizzard games that Microsoft would be willing to keep on PlayStation. “It was not a meaningful list,” Ryan claimed at the time. “This list represented a particular selection of older titles that would remain on PlayStation, for example Overwatch is on there but Overwatch 2 is not on there, the current version of the game.”
This perhaps prompted Sony’s lengthy March 7 document praising the CMA’s rejection of the merger. Noting that it remained “extremely sceptical that an agreement with Microsoft could be reached, much less monitored and enforced effectively,” the document expressed concerns over Microsoft strategies that would “withhold or degrade access to Activision content.”
And that’s a sentiment that’s echoed by a lot of gamers, too. While some have let the deal pass them by, others just want to play Call of Duty on PlayStation indefinitely and are clearly worried about the ramifications of the deal.
In December 21, 2022, a lawsuit out of Chicago saw a group of self-proclaimed ‘videogamers’ attempt to sue Microsoft for stifling “innovation” and “creativity.” The concerns echoed Sony’s, with the ‘videogamers’ claiming that the merger would “foreclose rivals, limit output, reduce consumer choice, raise prices, and further inhibit competition.”
Since then, Microsoft has signed deals with both Sony and Nintendo to ensure Call of Duty remains
Microsoft to begin “doubling down” on games following acquisition of Activision, CEO says
Following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, has revealed that the company is “looking forward to really doubling down both as a game producer and a publisher”.
Microsoft Announces Xbox Partner Preview Broadcast Event
Microsoft has announced an upcoming Xbox Partner Preview broadcast event set for October 25 at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK.
Diablo 4 Is Not On Game Pass (Yet) But You Can Play It For Free On Xbox This Weekend
Play up to 10 hours of the game from October 19-22.
![Microsoft CEO Phil Spencer is open to breaking the seal on some forgotten games: 'If teams want to go back and revisit some [games] … I'm gonna be all in' - pcgamer.com - Britain](https://gametalkz.com/storage/thumbs_400/img/2023/10/18/34154_nzc.jpg "Microsoft CEO Phil Spencer is open to breaking the seal on some forgotten games: 'If teams want to go back and revisit some [games] … I'm gonna be all in' - pcgamer.com - Britain")
Microsoft CEO Phil Spencer is open to breaking the seal on some forgotten games: 'If teams want to go back and revisit some [games] … I'm gonna be all in'
Whether you think Microsoft's recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard is a move toward a dry gaming monopoly or a financial windfall for Activision and Blizzard games both, it's definitely happened. The UK's CMA has given the thumbs up, Kotick's on his way out—the deal's closed, and now we get to see the impact ripples spread.
Diablo 4 Launches on Steam to ‘Mixed’ User Reviews, Concurrent Players Slowly Climbing From Low Base
Diablo 4 launched on Steam last night and saw users jhave dished out a “mixed” review rating of 55%.
Xbox Game Pass Will Not Include Activision Games Like Call of Duty Until 2024, Phil Spencer Explains Why
Call of Duty and other Activision Blizzard games won't appear on Xbox Game Pass until next year. On the Official Xbox Podcast, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer claimed that players wouldn't be seeing a big drop of those titles immediately, due to the lengthy regulatory challenges the company faced in its buyout attempt. Since it was uncertain whether the acquisition would be approved by Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) until recently, Xbox wasn't able to do the groundwork for adding the catalogue to their gaming subscription service. Ahead of the deal's closure, Activision Blizzard confirmed on Twitter that the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and newly-launched Diablo IV won't be coming to Game Pass soon, but Spencer's statement covers older titles as well.
Phil Spencer Won’t Force You To Play Call of Duty On Xbox, 100 % Parity On All Platforms
Phil Spencer has renewed his promises that Call of Duty will have 100 % parity across all platforms.
Microsoft closes $68.7bn Activision Blizzard deal
US tech giant Microsoft has completed its acquisition of games giant Activision Blizzard.
Microsoft now owns Activision Blizzard King
Microsoft has completed their vast $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, less than half a day after the UK Competition Markets Authority (CMA) gave their approval to a revised package of concessions.
Microsoft spent 2 years trying to buy Activision Blizzard. For Xbox CEO, that was the easy part
After two years co-piloting the biggest acquisition in video game history past an onslaught of challenges, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer now moves on to his next quest: making Microsoft's takeover of Activision Blizzard worth the hassle. Microsoft, which owns the Xbox gaming system, closed its $69 billion deal to buy game-maker Activision Blizzard on Friday after fending off global opposition from antitrust regulators and rivals.
GeForce NOW Pricing Increased by NVIDIA in Europe and Canada
NVIDIA has confirmed via its Customer Help page that GeForce NOW pricing is set to increase in Europe and Canada starting on November 1st.