microsoft
NetEase lays off staffers who were working on Blizzard games in China
Lest we forget, the falling out between NetEase and Blizzard has a toll greater than either company's bottom line; it also saw a human...
Microsoft buys a fluffy ad that talks up CWA unions and tries to smooth things over with the FTC
You could assume that Microsoft's PR department is working extra hard after the company raged in legalese at the Federal Trade Commission when you...
EVE Online says lowsec murder and ship production are up since Uprising
In its first producer's letter of 2023, CCP Games is once again talking up EVE Online's active players, but if you're hoping for an...
Microsoft walks back constitutional rights complaints in re-filed response to FTC antitrust lawsuit
Microsoft caused plenty of eye rolling and head shaking when it filed its response to the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust lawsuit, claiming among other...
Massively Overthinking: Hopes and fears for MMOs in 2023
As 2022 drew to a close, we spent our Massively Overthinking roundtables discussing our predictions for 2023 as well as our goals. Now, we're...
FTC and Microsoft confirm a lack of ‘substantive’ settlement talks as UK regulatory body extends its investigation
There have been a couple of small but no less important steps in the continuing story of Microsoft's buyout of Activision-Blizzard. We begin with...
Microsoft’s ZeniMax QA just formed the largest games industry union in the country
Just before the holiday break, workers at Microsoft's ZeniMax Media - including Elder Scrolls Online's ZeniMax Online Studios and Bethesda itself - announced their...
FTC lawsuit against Microsoft enters pre-trial hearings today while the merger is approved in Chile
The antitrust lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission against Microsoft is taking its first plodding steps forward. A judge confirmed last week that...
Blizzard-owned studio Proletariat announces plans to form a union
Workers at a third studio owned by Activision-Blizzard are planning to organize: Proletariat, which readers may recall was the studio behind battle royale game...
Microsoft claims the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit violates its fifth amendment rights
The beginning of this month saw Microsoft's big money buyout of Activision-Blizzard hit a US federal government-level snag when the FTC filed an antitrust...
Overwatch 2 breaks down its MMR and matchmaking systems while hinting at planned updates
A competitive shooter like Overwatch 2 lives and dies by a few different grinding gears, such as those that power player MMR and matchmaking,...
Gamers file lawsuit to stop Microsoft’s buyout of Activision-Blizzard over monopoly concerns
The multi-billion dollar purchase of Activision-Blizzard by Microsoft has run into another stern legal challenge, but this time it isn't coming from the Federal...
Activision-Blizzard’s president/COO leaves in March – for the Bored Apes Yacht Club crypto outfit
It appears that one of Activision-Blizzard's top brass will end his tenure by next year. According to a filing with the SEC, Activision-Blizzard president...
Members of US Congress send letters to game companies about combating extremism in online gaming
According to a December report from the Anti-Defamation League, extremism in online gaming is on the rise for the fourth year in a row....
Massively Overthinking: Our MMO predictions for 2023
Nobody can see the future, but it sure is fun guessing, and that's exactly what we're going to do for (to?) the MMO genre...
End-of-Year Eleven: The biggest MMO stories of 2022
I might be biased - by which I mean I am definitely biased - but 2022 was a year of big stories and big...
The FTC is moving to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard
Some things are just not surprising, and the FTC deciding that it wants to block the acquisition of Activision-Blizzard by Microsoft is one such...
Microsoft Xbox boss announces commitments to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo Switch and keep the series on Steam
Last week insider reports said that Microsoft was willing to enter into a 10-year commitment with Sony that would ensure access to the Call...
Hundreds of QA workers at ZeniMax – including Elder Scrolls Online’s ZOS – are preparing to unionize
File this one under reasons we can have nice things: QA workers at ZeniMax have announced they aim to unionize under the Communication Workers...
QA workers at Diablo IV studio unanimously vote to form a union
Activision-Blizzard has once more been thwarted in its efforts to stop workers at one of its studios from forming a union.
After fighting through months...
