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The Federal Trade Commission has filed an appeal to a California judge’s ruling earlier this week in its Activision Blizzard acquisition court case against Microsoft.  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 the Call of Duty maker. The FTC sought this preliminary injunction to have the court order Microsoft 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.  Here’s what the FTC’s appeal filing says:  “Notice is hereby given that Plaintiff Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from this Court’s Opinion dated July 10, 2023 and...

Stray Souls, the upcoming third-person horror game from first-time developer Jukai Studio, will hit PlayStation, Xbox, and PC this fall.  Jukai Studio and publisher Versus Evil announced this release window in a new trailer that also revealed Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka will guest compose on the game’s score. And in that trailer, you can hear a tease of his original track, “Splintered Minds.”  Check out “Splintered Minds” in the latest Stray Souls trailer for yourself below:  As you can see, Yamaoka’s track sounds great, and Silent Hill fans know this is probably just a taste of some excellent music from the famed composer. The trailer also reveals plenty more Stray Souls gameplay, which features third-person gunplay, some stealth elements, and plenty of terrifying monsters.  Stray Souls hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via...

Today, a California judge denied the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's request for a preliminary injunction in its case to block Microsoft and Xbox from acquiring Activision Blizzard. Now, shortly after the ruling, Microsoft has announced it will pause its appeal efforts against the Competition and Markets Authority in the U.K. so that it and the CMA can negotiate.  Back in April, the UK regulatory body blocked Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard over cloud gaming concerns. With a July 18 deadline for the acquisition, Microsoft theoretically needs to either mark the U.K. out of its market as it relates to this purchase or negotiate a deal with the CMA to quell the regulator's concerns. Microsoft was previously set to appear in court to appeal the CMA's block on July 28. According to Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith, that won't...

After five days of testimony last month, California Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley has denied the Federal Trade Commission's request for a preliminary injunction in its case to block Microsoft and Xbox from acquiring Activision Blizzard.  The FTC sought a preliminary injunction in an effort to have the court order Microsoft to cease its attempt at acquiring the Call of Duty maker for a colossal $69 billion. Now that the FTC's request has been denied by the Court, the regulator has until the end of July 14 to appeal the decision, as reported by The Verge. With this ruling, Microsoft can now close its acquisition of Activision Blizzard before its July 18 deadline, although it still has to figure out how it's going to handle the decision from The Competition and Markets Authority in the U.K. to block the purchase over cloud...

Tuatara Games has revealed its next project, and it’s a sci-fi survival shoot ‘em up called Let Them Come: Onslaught.  Tuatara Games has released games before – it released Bare Butt Boxing this May – but it’s perhaps best known for its work as a AAA VFX support studio working on games like Valorant, Fortnite, Godfall, and more. It’s set to release Let Them Come: Onslaught on PC via Steam Early Access in the first quarter of 2024. Let Them Come: Onslaught puts players behind the gun of a lone survivor on an alien planet who must survive hordes of creatures by activating nukes to blow up the planet.  Check out the teaser trailer for Let Them Come: Onslaught for yourself below: Tuatara Games says the game features dynamic weather, and a wide range of weapons, including a flamethrower,...

Update, 7/10/23: AEGIS-CWA (Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega in partnership with the Communication Workers of America), the Sega of America union filed back in April, has won its union election, with 91 votes in favor of the union and 26 votes against it. With this election won, AEGIS-CWA is now the largest multi-department union of organized workers in the entire games industry, it says. AEGIS-CWA tweeted about the news today, stating it is "so excited to celebrate this win and head to the bargaining table [with Sega] to continue building this company we love."  WE WON! We just won our union election 91-26. Our 200+ member union is now the LARGEST multi-department union of organized workers in the ENTIRE gaming industry. So excited to celebrate this win & head to the bargaining table w/ @SEGA to continue building this company we love! pic.twitter.com/2iy6loAruf — AEGIS-CWA 💙 #UnionizeSEGA...

With T'Challa set to star in a new EA Games title, we break down the Marvel Comics storylines that could inspire this ambitious action game....

Season 4 Reloaded of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Warzone will be getting a big dose of The Boys with the reveal that Homelander, Starlight, and Black Noir are joining the game. In a humorous trailer featuring Black Noir, he silently confirms to a gaggle of press that he and his cohorts will grace the shooters beginning on July 12. Each hero receives their own Operator Bundle, with Starlight hitting July 12, Homelander on July 16, and Black Noir on July 20. Each is priced at 2,400 COD points and includes the character along with items such as weapon charms, stickers, emblems, and weapon blueprints. Each character also comes with a unique finishing move.  The update includes The Boys-themed map elements and additional 6v6 map, a Temp V field upgrade, Diabolical Camo challenges, Battle Royale hitting Vondel, and The Raid...

EA Sports UFC 5 has been officially announced by Electronic Arts. The fifth iteration was long-presumed to be in-development, but during the UFC's tentpole International Fight Week event over the weekend, EA Sports and the UFC made it official. While no additional details were revealed outside of the logo, we know that a full reveal is coming in September of this year. EA Sports UFC 5 marks the longest gap between entries since the series' introduction. Since the first EA Sports UFC game arrived in 2014, the games have arrived every two years, with UFC 2 arriving in 2016, UFC 3 in 2018, and UFC 4 in 2020. The series has traditionally been developed by EA Vancouver, so that's the expectation with this entry as well, but no official confirmation has been provided by EA one way or the other...

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