politics
Some U.S. senators give the Microsoft-Activision buyout the big stink-eye
Not everyone is jumping up and down in approval over the upcoming $68.7 billion Microsoft buyout of Activision Blizzard. According to the Wall Street...
International sanctions cause Steam payment snarl-ups for indie game devs in Russia and Ukraine
The effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine have already been felt across the gaming industry in a variety of ways, but a new effect...
Chinese regulators draft ‘youth mode’ requirement for online games and more
It appears that China's gaming industry still hasn't come close to hitting rock bottom. According to the South China Morning Post, China's Cyberspace Administration...
Activision-Blizzard cuts sales to Russia, pledges support for Ukraine
Activision-Blizzard is the latest gaming company to cut ties with Russia in the wake of the country's recent invasion into Ukraine.
"Today, we are announcing...
Ukraine implores game companies to block Russian esports participation
"Who had 'writing games industry roundups at the barest edge of a third world war' on their bingo card?" MOP's Chris marveled this morning,...
Battlefield 2042 yanks Russian helicopter reward in light of Ukraine invasion
In light of the highly unpopular Russian invasion of Ukraine this past week, it's been interesting to see how the gaming industry as a...
Activision Blizzard’s Bobby Kotick urged by U.S. Senator to get out of the way of unionization efforts
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick received a stern warning from the highest levels of the U.S. government not to interfere with burgeoning unionization efforts...
Treasurers of states invested in Activision-Blizzard join the call for leadership changes
In mid-November, we reported on a group of shareholders joining the calls for change at Activision-Blizzard leadership, led by the Strategic Organizing Center Investment...
Malaysia’s mufti calls out lockboxes as gambling, states buying them is not permissible in Islamic religion
To appreciate this story, one has to first understand the concept behind a mufti and performing something that's against the religion of Islam. A...
China adds new rules against games with ‘effeminate males’ and ‘blurred moral boundaries’
The Chinese government is further putting the screws to game developers in the country according to the details of a new internal memo from...
Congress asks publishers to self-regulate lootboxes via a UK regulation that has nothing to do with lootboxes
There are some Democrats in the US Congress that are hoping to do something about lootboxes in the country. That's good. They even went...
Tencent reacts to Chinese state media calling online games ‘spiritual opium’ by adding new restrictions
Young online game fans in China are going to be facing some new restrictions from Tencent-operated games. That's in response to an article from...
MMO Business Roundup: Discord, Ubisoft, Twitch, WB Games, Starfield, and more
Welcome back to another quick roundup of MMO- and MMO-adjacent games industry news! First, let's talk about Clyde. He's got a bit of a makeover.
Discord:...
Chinese Overwatch teams are boycotting a South Korean player who called out Chinese policies
Another year, another furor involving Blizzard, boycotts, China, and livestream remarks. Sounds familiar, eh? Well, the situation is a little bit different this time...
New UK research finds opening lootboxes is ‘structurally and psychologically akin’ to gambling
The mountain of research-based evidence against lootboxes has had another leaflet added to the pile. A recent report from researchers at the universities of...
Arizona moves forward with legislation that will force Apple and Google to allow alternative payment options
While Apple and Google likely breathed a sigh of relief when a proposed North Dakota bill that would require the mobile platforms to allow...
House financial services committee investigates Gamestonk as investors sue Reddit ‘agitator’
As promised, the US House Financial Services Committee held its hearing on Gamestonk yesterday, and to read some of the coverage, you'd think the...
MMO Business Roundup: ESA’s PAC, mail criming, Steam by the numbers, and Blizzard charity
Welcome back to another quick roundup of MMO- and MMO-adjacent industry news in our first MMO Business Roundup of 2021!
The ESA: The Entertainment Software...
Twitch lowers a (temporary?) banhammer on Donald Trump
Following the shameful events of this past week in Washington D.C. during which an outgoing U.S. president urged supporters to storm the Capitol, many...
Why WB Games should make a new Asheron’s Call game in 2021+: The lore
So we recently brought up how Asheron's Call 2 died twice during the winter seasons, with the second one being a double funeral with the original...
