The mystery behind Activision‘s next installment in the iconic shooter franchise is no more. Brace yourselves for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6! Activision officially revealed the title, and eagle-eyed gamers spotted a teaser during the recent Xbox press conference announcement (set for June 10th at 1 AM PST).

The game is expected to be free to play with the Xbox Game Pass on launch

To whet your appetite, a first trailer titled “The Truth Lies” has also been released. While details are scarce until the June showcase, rumors suggest the game will be helmed by Treyarch Studio and delve into the dark pre- and post-Gulf War period. It remains to be seen if the focus will be solely on the Gulf War or encompass the entirety of the early 1990s.

The June conference might also shed light on Microsoft‘s sales strategy for Black Ops 6. Whispers suggest the game could join the Xbox Game Pass subscription service on launch day, marking a significant shift from the series’ traditional distribution model.

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The gaming landscape is buzzing with the news that Blizzard Entertainment, the American video game titan, might rekindle its partnership with China’s NetEase. This development could signal the return of the legendary game World of Warcraft (WoW) to China, a major market for online gaming.

Blizzard ultimately returned thanks to NetEase

Blizzard’s quest to reintroduce WoW in China has been a challenging journey. Following the lapse of their initial agreement with NetEase in early 2023, Blizzard explored collaborations with other Chinese publishers but ultimately circled back to NetEase. This move, as reported by 36Kr, hints at a nuanced understanding between the two gaming giants, despite previous disputes.

The potential resurgence of WoW in China is not just a business maneuver; it’s a cultural revival. WoW has been a prominent name in Chinese gaming since 2009, though its player base has dwindled from 5 million to around 350,000 by January 2023. The game’s return could reinvigorate its presence in the world’s largest video gaming market by revenue.

But this reunion isn’t just a walk in the park. Before WoW graces Chinese screens again, Blizzard and NetEase will need to rebuild their operations team and ensure the game servers are up to the task, a process that could take at least six months.

Meanwhile, Blizzard’s gaming portfolio suffered in China due to the regulatory landscape that mandates foreign games to be published through local partners. This requirement is part of China’s broader approach to managing its gaming industry, which includes strict content guidelines and playtime restrictions for minors.

The backdrop to this potential Blizzard-NetEase reunion is Microsoft‘s recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Blizzard’s parent company. This merger, worth $68.7 billion, has cleared significant regulatory hurdles and could play a pivotal role in shaping Blizzard’s strategy in China in the near future.

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Bobby Kotick, the longstanding CEO of gaming giant Activision Blizzard, is set to leave his role on December 29. This move follows the massive acquisition of the company by Xbox for a whopping $69 billion, finalized in October. Kotick’s departure, initially hinted at in an internal memo, has now been officially confirmed, marking a significant change in the gaming industry’s landscape.

Bobby Kotick has overseen the growth of some big titles at Activision

Kotick’s tenure at Activision Blizzard has been nothing short of eventful. Under his leadership, the company has seen the growth of iconic gaming franchises like “Call of Duty,” “World of Warcraft,” and “Candy Crush Saga.” These titles have not only been commercially successful but have also significantly influenced the gaming culture worldwide. His impact on the industry is undeniable, with millions of gamers engaging with these titles over the years.

Interestingly, Kotick’s exit doesn’t come with an immediate successor. This unusual move suggests a strategic shift within the company, especially in the wake of its integration into the Xbox family. Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, has been vocal in his admiration for Kotick’s work and the legacy he leaves at Activision Blizzard. Spencer’s recent internal memo underscores this sentiment, focusing on Kotick’s contributions to the gaming world and the successful acquisition process.

The absence of a direct replacement for Kotick may indicate a new direction for Activision Blizzard under Xbox’s stewardship. With the gaming industry becoming more competitive and diverse, the integration of Activision Blizzard into Xbox could herald a new era of innovation and collaboration in game development and publishing.

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The primary avenues for installing games and applications on Android and iOS devices are the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. While Apple currently dominates within its ecosystem, the situation is different for Google. Android’s open platform has allowed competing stores to challenge the Play Store for quite some time. Notably, Activision Blizzard, the developer of popular games like Call of Duty, nearly became one of these competitors.

Activision Blizzard’s Interest in Competing with Google Play Store

Before diving into the details, let’s address a fundamental question: Why would companies like Activision Blizzard want to compete with the Play Store and App Store when uploading an app to these stores seems like a simpler process? The answer typically boils down to one thing: money.

Both Google and Apple take a commission from the revenue generated by every game uploaded to their respective app stores. So, if you make a purchase within a game like Call of Duty Mobile, Activision Blizzard has to pay a portion of that money to the store owner. This commission usually ranges from 5% to 30%. It appears that Activision grew weary of this arrangement and explored the idea of competing with Google in 2019 by creating its own store.

The company initiated a project codenamed “Boston.” The plan involved featuring games like Candy Crush, Call of Duty Mobile, and Diablo Immortal on this platform and removing them from the Play Store. However, these plans never materialized, primarily due to the variable nature of store commissions.

For developers relying solely on this income, paying the requested amount to Google is non-negotiable. Yet, for a gaming giant like Activision Blizzard, negotiations could lead to a special deal. This would enable them to reduce the commission to a level that is acceptable or potentially eliminate it altogether. Google seems determined to maintain its dominance through such strategic maneuvers.

In the case of Apple, currently unrivaled in its position, there are expectations that it will open iOS to new app stores with the iOS 17.2 update, following European Union laws. When this occurs, the company is anticipated to adopt strategies similar to its competitor.

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After days of waiting, Microsoft has successfully closed its $69 billion acquisition of video game company Activision Blizzard, a move that could have potentially disrupted the rapidly-developing cloud gaming market. While the deal had already gotten approvals from various regulatory bodies, it hit a snag with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) earlier this year. The deal marks a key moment, highlighting the CMA’s growing influence in global tech regulation since Britain’s exit from the EU.

Microsoft now has access to a huge mobile gaming market

The British regulator initially blocked the acquisition last April, citing concerns over Microsoft’s overwhelming control over cloud gaming. The CMA’s tough stance paid off when Microsoft agreed to sell streaming rights for Activision’s popular titles, including “Call of Duty” and “Candy Crush Saga,” alleviating fears of reduced competition and choice for gamers.

This move by the CMA didn’t just resonate within the UK but set a standard for other nations grappling with big tech’s increasing sway over multiple sectors. Interestingly, the CMA was the only regulatory body to force such a concession from Microsoft, emphasizing its commitment to economic growth and consumer welfare.

The acquisition boosts Microsoft’s play for the more than $90-billion mobile gaming market, a sector where Sony, the industry leader, has lesser impact. Michael Pachter, a Wedbush Securities analyst, noted that Microsoft gains over “$3 billion of mobile revenues” instantly, filling its Game Pass subscription service with an array of content that’s sure to attract more gamers.

While the deal appears to be a win for Microsoft, it can also be viewed as a victory for regulators committed to ensuring fair play in rapidly growing industries. Sarah Cardell, CMA Chief Executive, indicated that this outcome was possible because the regulator remained “free from political influence,” despite pushback from Microsoft and limited support from the British government.

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Sony and Microsoft have struck a deal to ensure that the former’s PlayStation will receive every installment of the popular Call of Duty franchise for at least the next 10 years. The news follows shortly after Microsoft won against the FTC for its Activision Blizzard acquisition.

Sony signs 10-year deal with Microsoft for Call of Duty on PlayStation

Phil Spencer, the Microsoft Gaming and Xbox head shared on Twitter that “We are pleased to announce that Microsoft and @PlayStation have signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favorite games.” The announcement comes amongst fears of anti-competitive practices from Microsoft that were voiced by Sony.

The Japanese tech giant claimed that the American company could pull out the Call of Duty franchise from the PlayStation. However, it appears that this will not be the case. In simpler terms, the gaming industry’s massive shooter series will remain on platforms that it has already existed on, despite Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. So you can play it on your preferred console, be it Xbox or PlayStation.

According to Microsoft’s Vice Chair and President, Brad Smith “From Day One of this acquisition, we’ve been committed to addressing the concerns of regulators, platform and game developers, and consumers. Even after we cross the finish line for this deal’s approval, we will remain focused on ensuring that Call of Duty remains available on more platforms and for more consumers than ever before.”

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Recent developments in the ongoing acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft have brought both positive and challenging news. The US court has rejected the Federal Trade Commission’s request and approved Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition, leading to progress in the deal. However, the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is presenting hurdles for the acquisition, prompting negotiations between Microsoft and the CMA.

Microsoft has previously made commitments to provide new Activision Blizzard Titles for 10 years

Microsoft President Brad Smith announced that the CMA has agreed to enter negotiations with Microsoft regarding the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Microsoft aims to address the concerns raised by regulators and assure the CMA that the acquisition will not pose any issues for the British market. Although Microsoft disagrees with the CMA’s concerns, it is willing to explore ways to amend the transaction to alleviate these concerns.

To facilitate the negotiation process, Microsoft, Activision, and the CMA have jointly submitted a request to the Competition Appeals Tribunal, agreeing to suspend litigation in the UK. The parties involved recognize that it is in the public interest to prioritize resolving the issues at hand.

It is anticipated that Microsoft may offer preferential treatment to British players in the realm of cloud gaming based on previous statements made by both parties. With ongoing discussions, Microsoft aims to reach an agreement with the UK Market Regulatory Authority and secure approval for the Activision Blizzard acquisition in the near future.

The UK Competition Authority has experessed its readiness to consider any proposed restructuring deal from Microsoft to address the concerns outlined in their final report. In April, the British CMA initially blocked the transaction, citing potential risks to the emerging cloud gaming market. However, the European Commission approved the deal in May, deeming Microsoft’s concessions on cloud gaming sufficient.

Microsoft has previously made agreements with several cloud gaming service providers worldwide, including commitments to provide games, including Activision Blizzard titles, for at least ten years.

With the current merger agreement set to expire on July 18, Microsoft is eager to push the deal forward. Failure to secure an extension beyond that date could result in a handling fee of $3 billion for Activision Blizzard. The future of the deal hinges on addressing the concerns raised by the CMA and obtaining their approval, which will determine the path forward for Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

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Nintendo has long been rumored to be working on a successor to the original Switch handheld console. The next gen entry is expected to offer a notable bump in performance thanks to more powerful hardware, but now, we might have a fair idea just how capable this Switch 2 model could be.

Nintendo Switch 2 could be on the same level as the Xbox One & PS4

Interestingly enough, the information this time around weren’t shared by some tipster or an anonymous source. Rather, the details comes from Activision Blizzard’s CFO Armin Zerza. To elaborate, the executive in an email sent to Nintendo stated that Activision can ‘make something compelling for NG (next generation) switch as well’. Apparently, the development plans for new the titles for the upcoming Switch 2 model is thanks to the handheld console being ‘closer’ in performance to Gen8 platforms.

The 8th Gen consoles are basically the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. In terms of raw performance, these consoles operated within a performance range of between 1.3 TFLOPS and 1.84 TFLOPS (FP32) and featured 8GB of RAM. However, the next gen Switch console can possibly output up to 4 TFLOPS from its new Nvidia Tegra T239 processor. This chipset is the customized variant of the Tegra T234 chip that features Team Green’s Ampere architecture and 2,048 CUDA cores.

If this rumor is true, then the Switch 2 could possibly offer around 10 times the power of its predecessor. While this is a huge jump over two generations, Nintendo hadn’t updated its Switch series in years, except a Lite model and an OLED refresh. So stick around for more, as we will be providing updates when additional information is available regarding this matter.

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Microsoft’s bid to acquire video gaming giant Activision Blizzard for about $68.7 billion has been approved by regulators of the European Union. The development comes just weeks after the deal was blocked by the UK regulators.

The approval for the deal to proceed is contingent on Microsoft making concessions on access to cloud gaming. It requires the company to automatically grant a license for Activision Blizzard games to any competing cloud-based gaming service.

The European Union regulators found that Microsoft “would have no incentive to refuse to distribute Activision’s games to Sony” and that “even if Microsoft did decide to withdraw Activision’s games from the PlayStation, this would not significantly harm competition in the consoles market.”

However, it found that the deal could harm competition around the distribution of PC and console games through cloud gaming services. As a remedy, Microsoft will need to offer free licenses to consumers in EU countries that would allow them to stream via “any cloud game streaming services of their choice.” This applies to all current and future Activision Blizzard PC and console games that they have a license for.

Although Microsoft received approval from the EU, the deal remains doubtful because of UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) which was blocked a few weeks back. The Redmond-based tech giant has said that it plans to aggressively appeal the UK decision. Regulators in South Africa, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Chile, Serbia, and Japan have approved the deal, while China, South Korea, New Zealand, and Australia are all still reviewing the deal.

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Microsoft continues to invest heavily in the gaming industry without slowing down. One of the most concrete examples of this is the Activision Blizzard deal announced last year. The tech giant acquired the developer of games such as Call of Duty and World of Warcraft for $68.7 billion. However, despite the fortune paid, things are not going as Microsoft had hoped. With this investment, the company has become a target for competition authorities in many different countries and recently defended the Activision deal in a gamers’ lawsuit in a US court. Here are the details…

Microsoft to defend Activision deal in gamers’ lawsuit in US court

Microsoft is defending its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard in a US federal court today, facing a lawsuit from video gamers who claim the deal will harm industry competition. If completed, the deal would become the largest-ever in the gaming industry. It is even possible to say that the $68.7 billion agreement would be one of the most expensive deals of all time. However, nothing is finalized yet. US District Judge Jacqueline Corley will decide whether to issue a preliminary injunction to halt the acquisition.

In its simplest defense, Microsoft argues that the deal will benefit gamers and has requested the judge to deny the injunction. But do the gamers’ concerns reflect the truth? Looking at Microsoft’s past, we see that they release games on both consoles and PCs. However, we also see that the console is exclusively Xbox, leaving PlayStation out. While this may have been natural before, the acquisition of Activision Blizzard could change that.

People are worried about the possibility of games like Call of Duty being excluded from these platforms. Yet, the company claims there is nothing to fear and that such a move would lead them to bankruptcy. Still, it seems impossible to say anything for certain. Fortunately, the company’s hands are tied for now, no matter what their plans may be. Lawsuits are ongoing in many countries such as the US, EU, and UK, and they do not appear to be ending anytime soon.

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Microsoft is apparently facing issues with its acquisition of Activision Blizzard in the UK. The government’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has blocked this merger proposition, citing possible monopolistic effects of this deal in the gaming industry.

Microsoft faces a roadblock in Activision Blizzard acquisition in the UK

In a statement, the CMA stated that it is preventing “Microsoft’s proposed purchase of Activision over growing concerns the deal would alter the future of the fast growing cloud gaming market, leading to reduced innovation and less choice for UK gamers over the years to come.” To put things simply, the agency is worried that the acquisition would allow the American tech giant to hold a monopoly in the recently growing cloud gaming market. Since Microsoft announced that it will be buying out Activision Blizzard, it has faced scrutiny from various government bodies across the globe as well as its market competitors.

An example being Sony, which claimed that the company could leverage this acquisition to offer inferior versions of its products (games) from Activision Blizzard on its popular PlayStation platform. Apart from this, it is also facing a pending lawsuit in the US by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) against Microsoft on the grounds that the brand might breach anti trust laws as well and could even establish a monopoly.

The CMA further added that “We have concluded that the merger would result in the most powerful operator in the fast-developing market for cloud gaming, with a current market share of 60-70%, acquiring a portfolio of world-leading games with the incentive to withhold those games from competitors and substantially weaken competition in this important growing market.”

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Blizzard Entertainment is shutting down two of its most popular online multiplayer games in China. The servers for the company’s massively successful World of Warcraft and Overwatch are going offline. This news was followed by many taking to social media platforms to express their grievances, since both titles collectively had tens of million of players in the region alone. Many are still unclear as to why Blizzard is shutting its servers in China, so here are all the details.

NetEase And Blizzard’s Partnership Lasted 14-years In China

The decision from Blizzard to shut down the servers in China is due to a major fallout with its local publisher, NetEase. For those unaware, game developer Blizzard had partnered with NetEase for the past 14 years to have its popular titles be available in the Chinese market. This cooperation was inevitable considering the rigid and strict market rules the Chinese government places on the gaming industry. So since 2008, Blizzard’s massively multiplayer games like World of Warcraft (aka WoW) had its servers managed by NetEase in China.

Notably, this publisher is also behind other major Western games like Minecraft. So, it was a solid deal for the Chinese company since it boosted it to become the second-largest games distributor in the region, just behind Tencent Holdings. But now, both firms broke off their deal, following talks late last year regarding the licensing agreement that allowed Blizzard to run its Diablo, Warcraft, and Overwatch titles. However, after a public fallout, NetEase accused Blizzard of being “rude and inappropriate.”

This statement was made after Blizzard offered to extend their licensing agreement for another six months while they work out new terms. NetEase stated that this idea was the same as “proposing a divorce while still engaging with the same partner”. While the game devs IPs were licensed by NetEase, they were still owned by Blizzard. Following talks, NetEase rejected this offer from the developer. Thus, Blizzard’s games went offline on the midnight of January 23. Notably, the company has also promised World of Warcraft players to save their progress with a new service.

All May Not Be Lost For Blizzard In China

China and the US are two of the biggest gaming markets in the world, and Blizzard Entertainment has faced a lot of criticism for going out of its way to remain active in the former market. During the outbreak of protests in Hong Kong, it had even banned esports athletes from its tournaments over statements that sided against the Chinese government. So it is clear that Blizzard aims to continue its service in the country. Meaning, while the developer has lost its ability to run its popular games in China right now, there is a possibility that the shutdown isn’t permanent. In other words, the company might return to the region with a different partner.

Keep in mind that this is still just speculation at the moment, so take this with a pinch of salt for now. Although, if this does end up happening, it would be great news for many gamers in China. One fan of the World of Warcraft wrote that “It is truly a sad day for World of Warcraft players and Blizzard Entertainment fans everywhere,” while another stated that “The sudden shutdown is a stark reminder of impermanence, displacing millions of players”.

Interestingly enough, the president of NetEase’s global investment, Simon Zhu, also added that he had spent over 10,000 hours playing those games and expressed his disapproval of Blizzard’s actions.

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Bizarrely, there weren’t any new important launches last week. However, there were lots of interesting happenings. We have complied some of these stories in this article. Before we proceed, we would like you to know that the stories selected here are based on our opinion. Since your picks may vary, we would like to know them. Make sure to mention them in the comment section below.

Top Stories From Last Week

Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion

Out of nowhere, Microsoft made a huge announcement on January 18. The company has decided to acquire the struggling game studio Activision Blizzard for a whopping $68.7 billion.

For the unaware, Activision Blizzard is the studio behind some of the popular franchises like Call of Duty, Overwatch, World of Warcraft, Candy Crush, and others. If this deal goes through, it will be the biggest acquisition of both Microsoft and in the gaming industry.

Unsurprisingly, the titles from the studio will be offered on Xbox/PC Game Pass. Having said that, it’s not known how Microsoft is planning to solve Activision Blizard’s sexual harassment and discrimination issues.

Samsung quietly announces Exynos 2200 flagship mobile SoC

Samsung was supposed to unveil its new generation of premium mobile SoC called Exynos 2200 on January 11. However, that didn’t happen. But anyway, the company did announce the chipset quietly on January 18.

Interestingly, the press release does not properly mention the specifications of the latest chipset. The only takeaway is that the chip features an AMD RDNA 2 GPU called Xclipse with support for ray tracing and variable rate shading.

The company is yet to officially disclose the SoC’s improvements in performance over its predecessor.

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2022 event announced for the next Galaxy S

Samsung has officially confirmed to hold the Galaxy Unpacked 2022 even in February. The company has also revealed that it will be debuting the ‘most noteworthy S’ devices ever created.

Though the company has not disclosed, we all know that it will be unveiling the Galaxy S22 lineup. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is expected to merge the Galaxy Note series with the Galaxy S via the introduction of a built-in S Pen. The firm is also anticipated to announce the Galaxy Tab S8 series.

According to an official Instagram ad by Samsung, the event is scheduled for February 9 at 10 AM EST.

MediaTek demos WiFi 7 technology

On January 19, MediaTek made an announcement on the world’s first live demo of WiFi 7 technology. The Taiwanese chipmaker showcased the tech to key customers and industry collaborators.

WiFi 7 will be able to use 320MHz channels, and therefore, it will offer 2.4 times more speed than WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E. MediaTek will offer the tech via its new range of Filogic chips.

Consumer products with WiFi 7 will hit the markets in 2023.

OPPO envisions a future with battery-less IoT devices

Not very long ago, Samsung announced a new version of its eco-friendly SolarCell TV remote control with support for radio wave charging at CES 2022. Last week, OPPO published a research paper on this very same technology with a broader vision.

OPPO says that we can use radio frequency (RF) wave charging technology to create a system of IoT products without batteries. The paper says that the company has successfully built the so-called ‘Zero Power Consumption Communication’ system.

Since Samsung already has a consumer product based on this tech, we think that OPPO’s vision could come true in the near future.

Google Pixel Notepad could be the company’s first foldable smartphone

A report revealed that Google’s first foldable smartphone will be called ‘Pixel Notebook’. That’s not all, this device is also said to cost cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold3, which is priced at $1,799. Unfortunately, we still don’t have a launch timeline.

According to previous reports, the device may look like an OPPO Fold. It is expected to arrive with Google Tensor (GS101) chipset, up to 12GB RAM/512GB storage, and an outdated main camera.

OnePlus ends software support for OnePlus 6, 6T

The then-popular OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T will no longer receive system updates as the brand has officially ended software support for them. The duo was released in 2018 and they currently run OxygenOS 11 based on Android 11.

The OnePlus 6 debuted with Android 8.1 Oreo, and therefore, it has received a total of three Android updates. On the other hand, as the OnePlus 6T hit the markets with Android 9.0 Pie, it has only got two Android updates.

Anyway, users can install Android 12 and upcoming Android releases if they are into custom ROMs.

Upcoming Qualcomm flagship mobile SoC could debut on a Motorola phone

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (SM8450) by Qualcomm is the chipmaker’s current latest flagship mobile SoC. This chipset is manufactured by Samsung and it has performance issues due to throttling.

Hence, Qualcomm is said to release a new version (SM8475) of this silicon manufactured by TSMC. According to a well-known tipster, the new one will also debut on a Motorola smartphone, just like the current chip.

MIUI gets a taste of Material You

MIUI 13 does not offer the dynamic theming system called Monet that’s found in Android 12. But last week, the latest MIUI beta build added support for it.

But unfortunately, it appears to be in the development stage. Because it only works with Google applications and not the first-party MIUI apps. Hopefully, Xiaomi implements it well in future beta releases.

Realme ships over 40 million units of number series smartphones

Realme entered the smartphone market with its number series. Ahead of Realme 9i’s launch in India, the brand officially revealed that it had shipped over 40 million units of Realme numbers series smartphones to date.

The Realme number series includes multiple models like vanilla, Pro, i, s, and 5G. Currently, it is in the 9th generation.

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Microsoft has announced that the company is acquiring Activision Blizzard in an all-cash deal that is worth $68.7 billion. This is by far the highest bid from Microsoft for the acquisition of any company. For instance, it acquired LinkedIn for $26 billion in 2016.

The company says that once the deal goes through, it will be the third-largest gaming company by revenue, just behind the giants Tencent and Sony. Microsoft is paying $95 per share, which is about 45 percent above his company’s stock price.

Microsoft expects this acquisition deal to close in fiscal year 2023” which means that there’s still a long wait of several months. The longer wait could be because of the number of markets for operations, making regulatory approval more complicated.

This acquisition is yet another example of the rapid consolidation happening in the game industry and the reason behind seems to be the race for having a catalogue of exclusive content. Companies, including Microsoft, sometimes makes the games it owns available only on its own gaming consoles and not available for competitive products.

Once the deal closes, Microsoft will be adding Activision’s games to Xbox Game Pass which includes titles like Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Call of Duty, and Candy Crush. Phile Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, said, “Upon close, we will offer as many Activision Blizzard games as we can within Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, both new titles and games from Activision Blizzard’s incredible catalog.”

The acquisition of Activision Blizzard comes at a time when the company faces accusations senior executives having ignored sexual harassment and discrimination. Its shares fell 27 percent since California sued the company in July over the claims.

Microsoft is focusing a lot on the gaming for the past few years and seems like the pandemic has helped the company as more people stay home and using gaming systems. In January 2021, on the heels of massive demand for its Xbox gaming consoles, Microsoft’s gaming revenue surpassed $5 billion for the first time.

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