Steam’s newest hit survival game, Palworld, has been accused of plagiarising designs from Pokémon, as social media users negatively highlight its creator’s historical association with generative AI tools.
Microsoft’s president now says the UK regulator was ‘tough and fair’ over Activision deal
02.01.2024 - 14:52 / videogameschronicle.com / Raven Software / Brad Smith
Microsoft president Brad Smith has seemingly walked back on comments criticising the UK over the handling of its Activision Blizzard deal.
Before the deal’s completion late last year, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had initially moved to block Microsoft’s acquisition.
Speaking at the time, Microsoft’s president said the decision was “bad for Britain”, and that if the UK wants to make it a place “where technology is not only going to flourish, but be created”, then “it needs to look hard at the role of the CMA and the regulatory structure”.
Smith added: “There’s a clear message here – the European Union is a more attractive place to start a business than the United Kingdom.”
Now, speaking to the BBC’s Radio 4 Today program (transcribed by The Verge), Smith had kinder words to describe the CMA’s handling of the acquisition.
The exec said he believed the UK regulator had been “tough and fair” by forcing Microsoft to restructure its deal, giving up cloud gaming rights in the UK and other markets.
“I certainly learned a lot personally,” he said. “I wouldn’t step back necessarily from all of the concerns I raised when I talked way back in April, but I might choose slightly different words to make my point.”
The exec continued: “The CMA held to a tough standard and I respect that. In my view it was tough and fair,” added Smith. “It pushed Microsoft to change the acquisition that we had proposed for Activision Blizzard, to spin out certain rights that the CMA was concerned about with respect to cloud gaming.”
Following more than a year of regulatory scrutiny, Microsoft’s deal with the CMA ultimately allowed its Activision Blizzard acquisition to complete last October.
In completing the game industry’s (and Microsoft’s) biggest ever deal, the Xbox maker took ownership of major console and PC franchises including Call of Duty, Warcraft and Diablo.
It also established a major presence in mobile gaming with the addition of Candy Crush maker King.
Other developers joining Xbox Game Studios included Infinity Ward, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, Treyarch, Toys for Bob, Beenox and High Moon Studios.
The website gametalkz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Authors
Popular Topics
ign.com
20.01.2024 / 00:15
A Quake 6 Tease Was Seemingly Hidden in the Xbox Developer Direct and Now Fans Are Losing It
The Xbox Developer Direct 2024 was a cornucopia of reveals, footage, and information about what's coming to Xbox this year. We got a formal reveal of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a release date for Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga, more information about Obsidian's Avowed, a surprise appearance from Square Enix with an update on Visions of Mana, and an in-depth look at Ara: History Untold. But fans also spotted something else on MachineGames' whiteboard: the words Quake 6, right next to the iconic Quake logo. Naturally, they're freaking out.
thesixthaxis.com
19.01.2024 / 13:09
Twelve years after the game was announced, Until Dawn is being turned in to a movie
The Hollywood Reporter have revealed that a movie based on the PlayStation 4 and PC game Until Dawn is being prepared. The screenwriter of It, Annabelle and The Nun, Gary Dauberman, is doing a pass on the script while Shazam! director David F. Sandberg will be sitting in the big chair.
ign.com
19.01.2024 / 01:57
Square Enix President Says the Company Wants to Release Fewer, More Diverse Games
Square Enix appears to be on the verge of shaking up its development portfolio. According to its president, we may soon see fewer titles, but a more diverse array of genres coming out of a developer and publisher traditionally known for its massive RPG franchises.
videogameschronicle.com
18.01.2024 / 21:36
8% of developers in a GDC survey say they’re working on Nintendo’s next console
8% of developers questioned in a new industry survey have said they’re working on games for Nintendo’s next console.
thesixthaxis.com
18.01.2024 / 19:15
Twelve years after the game was announced, Until Dawn is being turned in to a movie
The Hollywood Reporter have revealed that a movie based on the PlayStation 4 and PC game Until Dawn is being prepared. The screenwriter of It, Annabelle and The Nun, Gary Dauberman, is doing a pass on the script while Shazam! director David F. Sandberg will be sitting in the big chair.
gamesradar.com
17.01.2024 / 19:07
Devs behind League of Legends' Stardew Valley spin-off say they know what life sim fans want: fishing and farming
The developers of an upcoming Stardew Valley-style League of Legends spin-off have said they know what life sim fans' expectations are, so they made sure to include the staples of the genre - farming and fishing.
gamesradar.com
16.01.2024 / 18:53
Stalker 2 devs say the FPS was "below the expected standards," so it's been delayed to September 2024
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has been delayed to September 5, 2024, which developer GSC Game World calls the game's "final release date."
tech.hindustantimes.com
15.01.2024 / 02:37
Pioneering AI artist says the technology is ultimately 'limiting', left her 'burnt out'
An artist who shook up the cultural world with a haunting female portrait created by artificial intelligence (AI) has decided she's had enough of the new technology for now. Working with AI to create art is ultimately "very frustrating and very limiting," Swedish-based artist and writer Supercomposite told AFP. For the moment, she has stopped working with AI and is writing a screenplay instead, saying her experience with AI art left her "burned out".
polygon.com
13.01.2024 / 00:55
Killers of the Flower Moon, Napoleon, and every new movie to watch at home this weekend
Greetings, Polygon readers! Each week, we round up the most notable new releases to streaming and VOD, highlighting the biggest and best new movies for you to watch at home.
videogameschronicle.com
12.01.2024 / 14:59
Rocksteady says Suicide Squad alpha testers can now share their impressions
Rocksteady Studios has told Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League alpha test participants they’re now free to share their impressions of the game.
theverge.com
11.01.2024 / 00:15
Here’s what we know about the SAG-AFTRA AI voice acting licensing deal
By Ash Parrish, a reporter who has covered the business, culture, and communities of video games for seven years. Previously, she worked at Kotaku.