2023-07

Activision Blizzard has laid off around 50 employees, according to a new report from The Verge.  This news arrives the same day Activision Blizzard released its Fiscal Year 2023 Q2 results, which highlights a murky future for the company’s esports efforts despite an otherwise financially successful quarter for the Overwatch 2 maker. Activision Blizzard’s results show that net bookings grew 50% year-over-year in the second quarter, from $1.64 billion to $2.46 billion, due to a lucrative Diablo IV launch, an increase in revenue from various franchises, mobile growth, and more. But, despite that growth, the company laid off around 50 employees in Blizzard’s esports department, The Verge reports.  One person laid off told the publication that this round of layoffs “seems like a significant gutting of Activision Blizzard esports,” while another told it, “There was no warning. This was a complete...

Overwatch 2 is making a big jump over to Steam on August 10, Blizzard has announced. Furthermore, it will be followed by a selection of Blizzard games migrating to the storefront for the first time.  In a blog post, Blizzard explains it wants to expand its reach to players beyond its proprietary PC launcher. It believes the free-to-play Overwatch 2 is the best game to kick off this major shift in its PC release strategy. There’s currently no word on what other Blizzard games are coming to Steam, but the publisher says it will announce them “when the time is right.”  “Battle.net is the home of all our PC players, and over the years, we’ve evolved our platform to support updated technologies, capabilities, and our communities’ expectations. But as we’ve evolved, the industry has evolved too–gaming is no longer just...

Join Wesley LeBlanc, Marcus Stewart, and Kyle Hilliard as we discuss The Crew Motorfest, Ubisoft's upcoming threequel in its open-world racing series that began back in 2014 with The Crew. Wesley played roughly four hours of the game in a hands-on remote preview to learn more about its open world Oahu, Hawaii, various vehicles, racing playlists, Main Stage mode, and more.  Enjoy more than 15 minutes of new gameplay from The Crew Motorsport in the latest NGT below:  Ubisoft Ivory Tower developed both 2014's The Crew and 2018's The Crew 2, and the Lyon, France-based studio returns to developer The Crew Motorfest. Unlike the first two games in the series, which feature maps spanning the entire United States, The Crew Motorfest takes place in just one state: Hawaii. The island of Oahu, Hawaii, to be specific, and it features Honolulu,...

Diablo IV’s first season, Season of the Malignant, kicks off tomorrow, July 20, and ahead of its start, developer Blizzard has pushed live a new update that features some significant changes for the game.  This new update, 1.1.0a, brings new items and aspects to Diablo IV alongside bug fixes, buffs and nerfs, and more. Let’s start with perhaps the most exciting addition in this update for players preparing their builds for Season of the Malignant: six new Unique items and seven new Legendary aspects.  Unique Items Unique Items are the highest tier of loot you can obtain in Diablo IV – I beat the campaign last night after 28 hours and only just received my first piece of Unique gear. They feature excellent stat boosts and unique bonus effects and are tailor-made for specific builds. There are now six...

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard now have until October to complete their merger.  More specifically, Activision Blizzard and Microsoft have jointly agreed to extend the merger agreement from July 18 to October 18, 2023, giving both companies roughly three months to sort through this purchase. As for why, Microsoft says it is “to allow for additional time to resolve remaining regulatory concerns.”  Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith tweeted, “Together with Activision, we are announcing the extension of our merger agreement to 10/18 to provide ample time to work through final regulatory issues. We will honor all commitments agreed upon with the EC and othe regulators and continue to work with the CMS on the issues raised in the UK. We are confident about our prospects for getting this deal across the finish line.”  Together with @Activision, we are announcing...

Sega has released the opening animation for Sonic Superstars ahead of the game's release later this fall.  Sonic Superstars is a modernized 2D adventure with four-player co-op, which you’ll need to utilize to play as Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. Its announcement was one of the biggest surprises of Summer Game Fest, and after getting to go hands-on with it during SGF’s Play Days event, we came away excited about the blue blur’s latest adventure.  Now, Sega has released the game's opening animation. Check it out for yourself below:  As you can see, Sonic Superstars features a Sonic CD-esque opening, with its bright blue skies and emerald green plains. After dashing through some enemies, Sonic joins his buddy Tails before teaming up with the rest of the Sonic Superstars playable cast, Knuckles and Amy. Together, the four prepare to...

Microsoft has revealed the latest Xbox Game Pass offerings coming to the service, and it includes brand new games like Venba, returning favorites like Celeste, and more.  Before diving into the new and returning releases, Xbox Game Pass subscribers can check out Techtonica through Game Preview this month. This game pits you, either solo or in co-op, against the harsh elements of a rogue alien planet, and you’ll need to gather resources and build up your technological repertoire to survive. It’s available to preview for cloud, console, and PC players today.  After checking that out, you can dive into the following games starting today:  Toem – Cloud, Console, and PC The Cave – Cloud and Console And coming later this month are the following games:  Maquette – Console and PC (July 19) Figment 2: Creed Valley – Cloud,...

Sony has revealed the PC requirements for Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, which no longer requires an SSD to run despite this being a central part of the original PlayStation 5 version's marketing....

These are the best Xbox deals right now, including discounts on Game Pass, SSD storage, and more....