politics
Former Bungie composer announces he doesn’t want to enter politics but is running for Congress anyway
Most people nowadays can only dream of being able to retire in general comfort and security, but it looks as if former Destiny and...
Argentinian World of Warcraft players say the game is ‘dead’ after January pricing changes
Argentinian fans of World of Warcraft are sounding the alarm over Blizzard's decision to change both the cost of subscription to the MMORPG and...
Blizzard is laying off over 126 people from its support center in Ireland
The massive culling of 1,900 workers by Microsoft looks to have had a significant global impact, as Ireland's minister for foreign affairs Michéal Martin...
MMO Business Roundup: Lockboxes, Twitch Korea, and the FTC’s latest MS/ABK merger appeal
Welcome back to another roundup of MMO and MMO-adjacent industry news.
The FTC vs. Microsoft and ABK - Surely you didn't think that "signing the...
UK government body issues order that blocks Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard from ‘acquiring an interest’ in each other
Despite the multi-billion dollar deal between Activision-Blizzard and Microsoft slowly making forward movement in multiple smaller markets and potentially one very large market, the...
Microsoft president and US intel say Russian operatives are targeting gaming for espionage
Earlier this week, we covered the bizarre but sadly believable news that the military secrets leak every major newspaper is currently focused on may...
Japan drops Microsoft/Activision-Blizzard antitrust probe as lawmakers scrutinize Japanese gaming market
Activision-Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick released a memo to his staff (and everyone else in the entire world) on the ABK Substack (which exists) last...
UK regulator finds Microsoft’s Activision-Blizzard buyout won’t harm competition or Call of Duty on PlayStation
The see-saw ride of findings and statements from the UK's Competition and Markets Authority continues, as the governing body has now put forth an...
Minecraft console dev studio argues buyout of Activision-Blizzard is ‘a natural evolution of the industry’
Responses to findings by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority to Microsoft's buyout of Activision-Blizzard are continuing to be revealed, following the paranoid scenarios...
Austrian court finds FIFA lockboxes violate the country’s gambling laws, orders Sony to issue refunds
The question of whether the lockboxes in the recent run of FIFA soccer titles constitute gambling has been one that many nations around the...
EU Parliament adopts resolution to regulate games industry harms from lockboxes to manipulative design
Call them lockboxes, lootboxes, gambleboxes, or gachapon: The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to adopt a resolution "ensuring a safe online environment for online...
Microsoft buyout faces pushback from the UK as Google and Nvidia express concerns about the deal to the FTC
The billion-dollar buyout of Activision-Blizzard from Microsoft was likely never going to be a smooth transaction, but we suspect all parties involved weren't expecting...
US Senator calls out Steam’s lax moderation of neo-Nazis and hate
The fact that Steam is extremely hands-off in regard to moderation isn't really news. Readers will recall it was referenced in a video report...
FTC orders Epic Games to pay $520M for privacy violations and deceptive ‘dark patterns’ in Fortnite
Epic Games has just received a walloping from the US Federal Trade Commission in the form of two massive payout settlements for violating the...
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....
Australian lawmaker proposes bill that would classify games with lockboxes for adults only
There is at least one lawmaker in Australia who feels very strongly about the matter of gaming lockboxes, apparently. Andrew Wilkie, an independent member...
UK regulatory body puts out a call for public evidence and opinions on the Microsoft Activision-Blizzard buyout
The ongoing scrutiny of Microsoft's enormous purchase of Activision-Blizzard by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority has entered its next phase. The CMA has...
Epic Games joins hands with beauty brand and activists to expand representation in video games
There's a new initiative being spearheaded by the beauty and skin care brand Dove called Real Virtual Beauty, which seeks to launch "a series...
Singapore creates a government body to regulate lootboxes, citing a blurred line between gambling and gaming
The government of Singapore is becoming another country that's less friendly to the monetization practice of lootboxes thanks to the formation of a new...
Indonesian government blocks access to Steam and EGS for failure to meet a database registration deadline
The government of Indonesia is drawing attention and ire after it implemented new regulation for internet services and digital games storefronts that have resulted...
