2023-07

  Microsoft has revealed Xbox Game Pass Core, a new subset of Xbox Game Pass that will replace the long-running Xbox Live Gold program this September.  Xbox Live changed the industry more than two decades ago with its multiplayer network features, but the program’s premier Xbox Live Gold has waned in popularity for the past few years, likely due to a lack of compelling free games to download. Now, Xbox is ending Xbox Live Gold on September 14 and replacing it with Xbox Game Pass Core. This new subscription tier of Xbox Game Pass will cost $9.99 per month, or $59.99 a year, and serves as an evolution of Xbox Live Gold, according to the company. “Game Pass Core will give players access to our advanced multiplayer network, a select collection of over 25 games to play with friends around...

Sony has signed a binding agreement with Microsoft to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for 10 years.  Last week, the FTC lost its case against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard and its subsequent appeal. This effectively paves the way for Microsoft to complete its purchase of the Call of Duty maker, save for its ongoing wrinkle with the Competition and Markets Authority, the regulatory agency in the U.K.  Now, Microsoft has announced that it and Sony have signed a binding agreement to keep Activision Blizzard’s flagship franchise, Call of Duty, on the PlayStation platform for 10 years.  “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,” Xbox head Phil Spencer tweeted over the weekend. “We look forward to a future...

Update, 7/17/23: The U.S. Appeals Court for the Ninth Circuit has denied the Federal Trade Commission's appeal of a recent ruling in the regulator's case against Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.  Last week, California Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley denied the FTC's request for a preliminary injunction in its case to block Microsoft and Xbox from acquiring the Call of Duty maker. The FTC sought this preliminary injunction to have the court order the tech giant to cease its attempt at acquiring Activision Blizzard for a colossal $69 billion. Following the court ruling, the FTC had until July 14 to file an appeal and it did so on July 12. Judge Corley quickly denied this appeal, as expected, and now, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has also denied it, in a massive win for Microsoft.  Microsoft vice chair and...

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8 years after closing down, a group of hardcore PlayStation Home fans called Destination Home have got a playable version of PlayStation Home running....

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EA has responded to concern around the EA Sports FC 24 graphics after the player faces on the Ultimate Edition cover were widely ridiculed....

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Stray Gods: The Role-Playing Musical has been delayed by one week.  Initially due out on August 3, the musical RPG will now hit PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on August 10. As for why, publisher Humble Games and developer Summerfall Studios says it is taking the extra week to work on performance parity across all platforms and to allow players the space to play Larian Studios’ upcoming RPG, Baldur’s Gate 3.  Here’s what Humble Games and Summerfall Studios have to say about the Stray Gods delay:  “We’re so excited - Stray Gods is under a month away! We’re counting the days and we know you are too, but we need to make a slight adjustment to the calendar. We’re moving our launch date to August 10th, 2023. We want everyone to have...

U.K. regulatory agency, the Competition and Markets Authority, has extended its deadline for delivering a potentially new ruling on Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition by six weeks.  In April, the CMA blocked this acquisition over cloud gaming concerns, making Microsoft’s fight for the green light in this acquisition more challenging. But it shifted its sights on the Federal Trade Commission in the U.S. afterward, with plans to appeal the CMA’s ruling in the meantime.  Earlier this week, California Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley denied the FTC’s request for a preliminary injunction in its case to block Microsoft and Xbox from acquiring Activision Blizzard. Shortly after that decision, Microsoft announced it paused its appeal efforts in the U.K. to negotiate with the CMA. The deadline for the CMA to listen and consider Microsoft’s new but currently unknown proposal to have the regulatory agency...