Tag: blizzard
EU Commission OKs Microsoft’s $69B acquisition of Activision Blizzard
The EU Commission today announced its approval of Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of gaming studio Activision Blizzard, a month after the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ruled against the deal.
While the Commission said it was reassured that the commitments offered by Microsoft “fully address the competition concerns identified by the Commission,” the approval is conditional on full compliance with the commitments. An independent trustee under supervision of the Commission will be in charge of monitoring their implementation.
“As always, the Commission has based its decision on hard evidence, and on extensive information and feedback from competitors and customers, including from game developers and distributors as well as cloud game streaming platforms in the EU,” a statement on the Commission’s website read.
Microsoft’s proposed Activision Blizzard acquisition has been approved by EU regulators
Microsoft’s proposed buyout of Activision Blizzard just received some good news. The European Commission have today approved the $70 billion acquisition, saying that Microsoft’s commitments “represent a significant improvement for cloud gaming.” That’s a markedly different tone to the UK’s conclusion last month, as the British regulator blocked the acquisition over concerns about the cloud market’s future.
WoW Classic’s most popular fan created mode gets Blizzard support
An official WoW Classic Hardcore mode is on the way from Blizzard, as the MMORPG game developer has announced at the end of a community Hardcore event that it wants to give players an official way to play the mode that keeps in the spirit of the idea. With World of Warcraft Classic constantly getting new content, it’s great to see that Hardcore is getting an even more expansive mode from Blizzard itself.
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UK slaps additional restrictions on the Microsoft x Activision Blizzard King deal
Following the controversial rejection of the Activision Blizzard x Microsoft merger from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the institution has imposed additional restrictions on the deal going forward.
This restriction largerly revolves around the newfound necesity for Microsoft to recieve written consent from the CMA before acquiring an Interest in Activision or any of its subsidiaries, acquiring an Interest in an enterprise holding an Interest in Activision, or holding an option to acquire an interest a company mentioned prior.
In basic terms, the CMA has demanded that any future move to acquire any aspect of Activision by Microsoft must first recieve its explciity approval. The official interim order where this was first announced states that this was done to halt any pre-emptive action from either Activision or Microsoft.
Activision Blizzard releases new report on DE&I and sustainability
Blizzard reveals Diablo 4 seasonal plans and battle pass
Diablo 4 Season 1 Begins In July, Blizzard Details Seasonal Bonuses And Battle Pass Rewards
Diablo IV’s first season will arrive in mid to late July following the game’s launch on June 6, Blizzard has announced. The news came as part of developer livestream dedicated to offering new details related to how Diablo IV’s seasons and battle pass will work.
Seasons in Diablo IV will be quarterly (four a year) and will function similarly to how they did in Diablo III, with players looking to complete objectives as part of a Season Journey. Objectives are broken down into chapters, and players will need to complete most, but not all, of the objectives in one chapter before progressing to the next. Completing objectives as part of the Season Journey will contribute towards leveling up the seasonal battle pass, which will feature 27 free reward tiers. Playing and leveling up seasonal characters will also contribute towards battle pass progress.
The free reward tiers will occasionally include a special currency called Smoldering Ash, which is used to unlock and upgrade seasonal perks (called Season Blessings) that will grant various benefits to seasonal characters, ranging from increased XP earned from monsters to having a higher chance of acquiring rare salvage materials. Blizzard re-emphasized that players won’t be able to pay for power in Diablo IV by purchasing tier skips for the battle pass to earn Smoldering Ash and immediately make their seasonal characters more powerful, as each Smoldering Ash reward will have level requirements that will need to be met before they can be used.