Activision News Articles
Tuesday18th Jan 2022
News Microsoft Buys Activision Blizzard, Now Owns Call Of Duty And Crash Bandicoot
Deal cost a cool $68.7 billion
Microsoft has purchased embattled Call of Duty and Crash Bandicoot publisher Activision in a deal worth a whopping $68.7 billion. To give some perspective on the astonishing size of that figure, Disney paid $4.05 billion for Star Wars studio Lucasfilm in 2012, with half of the money paid in cash and the other half in...
Tuesday11th Jan 2022
News Overwatch 2 LEGO Set Gets Shelved Following Activision Blizzard Lawsuit
"We are currently reviewing our partnership," says LEGO
The LEGO Overwatch 2 "Titan" set pictured above was scheduled to come out next month, but The LEGO Group has decided to postpone the release following accusations of harassment, discrimination, and misconduct at the California-based offices of Activision Blizzard. Activision Blizzard, the...
Tuesday23rd Nov 2021
"They run counter to my values as well as Nintendo’s beliefs"
Update: Nintendo has now officially confirmed this in a PR response to Fanbyte: “We can confirm the content of Doug Bowser’s internal email to Nintendo of America staff is accurate. We have nothing further to share on this topic.” Nintendo of America's president Doug Bowser...
Friday19th Nov 2021
News Activision Blizzard Employees Stage A Walkout Calling For CEO Bobby Kotick's Resignation
Update: Over 1300 employees sign a petition calling for Kotick to go
Update: More than 1300 Activision Blizzard employees have signed a petition demanding that CEO Bobby Kotick resign in the wake of this week's Wall Street Journal report alleging his failure to act on knowledge of misconduct at studios within the company. At the time of writing,...
Thursday28th Oct 2021
News Vicarious Visions Staff Left "Blindsided" By Reported Merger With Embattled Blizzard
All is not well at the Diablo II: Resurrected studio
Vicarious Visions – the studio behind multiple Crash Bandicoot, Tony Hawk, Guitar Hero and Skylanders entries – is to be merged with Blizzard, it is being reported. According to Polygon, which has spoken to various staff at the studio, the decision to abandon the Vicarious Visions name and...
Friday10th Sep 2021
News There's More Crash Bandicoot Coming "Very Soon", According To Toys For Bob
25 years and counting
As you may have already heard, it's Crash Bandicoot's 25th anniversary this year. Yes, like all of the other classic mascots, Crash is also getting on. While many fans were hoping for a big reveal this week, unfortunately, all there's been so far is a special video message. In it, Toys for Bob co-studio heads, Paul Yan and...
Friday27th Aug 2021
News Blizzard Outlines Plans To Rename Popular Overwatch Character
A new story arc will introduce a new name for McCree
Blizzard has announced via the official Overwatch Twitter account that it plans to change the name of popular character McCree. In a statement (below), the makers of the popular multiplayer FPS outlined plans to rename the character originally named after former Blizzard designer Jesse McCree,...
Tuesday3rd Aug 2021
News Blizzard President J. Allen Brack Is Leaving The Company
Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra to replace him
Content warning: Please be aware that the following article and the sources linked within touch on topics including discrimination, sexual harassment and assault, and suicide. On July 21st, Bloomberg Law reported that Activision Blizzard — the multi-billion dollar company behind Diablo, Ov
Thursday22nd Jul 2021
News Activision Blizzard Sued Over Culture Of Harassment And Discrimination
Allegations of "sexual harassment with no repercussion"
Content warning: Please be aware that the following article and the sources linked within touch on topics including discrimination, sexual harassment and assault, and suicide. A lawsuit has been filed against Activision Blizzard, Inc., owners of Diablo, Overwatch, and MMORPG World of Warcraft...
News Crash Bandicoot Celebrates 25 Years With A Special Anniversary Bundle
Get five games for the price of one
Like many other video game icons this year, Crash Bandicoot is also celebrating a major anniversary. Believe it or not, but the former PlayStation mascot has now been around for 25 years. If you've been interested in some of his newer releases recently, but haven't been willing to fork out the higher prices for...
Saturday22nd May 2021
Rumour It Sounds Like A New Tony Hawk Game Might Be Happening
Is the Birdman returning?
Before Activision's announcement of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, a number of musicians spilled the beans ahead of schedule. Now it seems history could be repeating itself. On an episode of The Behind Closed Doors Podcast last month, the drummer of the ba
Sunday16th May 2021
News Crash Bandicoot 4 Voice Actors Tease "Fun New Project"
Could it be another Crash game?
At the start of this month, Crash Bandicoot's resurgence was thought to be over, and then an Activision spokesperson denied a report about "layoffs" at Toys for Bob - stating how the studio would continue to support Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. Now, just a week later, the voice actors of Crash and Dr. Neo...
Wednesday5th May 2021
News Toys For Bob Is Now A Support Developer For Call Of Duty: Warzone
Update: Activision says studio will continue to support Crash 4
Update: [Wed 5th May, 2021 00:45 BST]: In a response to VGC, an Activision spokesperson has denied reports about "layoffs" at Toys for Bob and says the studio will "continue supporting" Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time while providing additional support to Call of Duty Warzone...
Sunday21st Mar 2021
News Activision Confirms Original Dev Is Handling Tony Hawk Switch Port
"Vicarious Visions is on the case"
When it comes to third-party games on the Nintendo Switch, a lot of companies call on support studios or specialists such as Panic Button to do the heavy lifting. We recently saw this with Respawn Entertainment's title, Apex Legends. With the upcoming release Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 , Activision has confirmed...
Wednesday17th Mar 2021
Including "50 employees" in live events
It has been tough times for a lot of industries over the past year, and perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of the pandemic for the video game industry has been the cancellation of live shows including expos and e-sports events. As these in-person events are no longer happening, Activision Blizzard has...
Friday12th Mar 2021
Video Here's Digital Foundry's Technical Analysis Of Crash Bandicoot 4 On Switch
What's the verdict?
One of the big releases for the Nintendo Switch this week is Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. Although we've already got a good idea of how it runs on the hybrid device, John Linneman of Digital Foundry has now shared his own technical analysis of the game alongside the new PlayStation 5 version. Both are running on Unreal...
Sunday7th Mar 2021
Video Check Out This Side-By-Side Comparison Of Crash Bandicoot 4 On Switch And PS4 Pro
Can you tell the difference?
Next week sees the arrival of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time on the Switch. In the lead-up to this exciting third-party release, YouTuber Cycu1 has put together an "early graphics comparison" video in 1080p, comparing the cut scenes in the Nintendo version to the PlayStation 4 Pro release. At a glance, it's honestly...
Sunday14th Feb 2021
News Crash Bandicoot 4 Switch eShop File Size Revealed
Go digital and score some "Totally Tubular Skins"
After multiple reports and rumours, earlier this week, Activision finally made it official - announcing Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time for the Nintendo Switch. It's priced at $39.99 / £44.99 and will be arriving digitally and physically on 12th March. For those of you planning on getting a...
Tuesday9th Feb 2021
News Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time Hits Nintendo Switch This March
"It's a big undertaking"
After rumours and reports, it's finally official – Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is coming to Switch this year. The game will release on March 12th, 2021, and will cost $39.99 in North America. Our friends over at
Saturday6th Feb 2021
News Get Ready For More Remasters From Activision Blizzard In 2021
What might be making a comeback?
Video game powerhouse Activision Blizzard has been banking big bucks for some time now thanks to a number of remasters. We've seen the return of IP like Crash Bandicoot and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater from Activision's side, while Blizzard has chipped in with titles such as Warcraft III: Reforged - that one obviously...
Friday5th Feb 2021
News Activision Blizzard Says Overwatch 2 Won't Be Released This Year
But the world needs heroes
Activision Blizzard has confirmed the sequel to the team-based shooter Overwatch will not be arriving this year. This announcement was made by the company's chief financial officer and president of emerging businesses, Dennis M. Durkin, during the fourth-quarter earnings call. "Our outlook does not include Diablo IV or...
Wednesday3rd Feb 2021
News No, Nintendo Is Not Solely To Blame For The Cancellation Of Goldeneye's XBLA Remake
A long-standing rights issue prevented this happening, it seems
You might've seen that GoldenEye 007 has been back in the news lately. We've known for a long time that Rare planned an Xbox Live Arcade remake of the acclaimed shooter and, courtesy of Youtuber G
Friday22nd Jan 2021
The 200-person studio now only works on Blizzard games
Vicarious Visions is no more. As of today, the 31-year-old company has been fully subsumed into Blizzard, and will be "fully dedicated to existing Blizzard games and initiatives" from now on. In an interview with gamesindustry.biz, a representative for Vicarious Visions said the following:...
Wednesday13th Jan 2021
News Overwatch's New Kanezaka Map Is Now Live, And It's Gearing Us Up For Overwatch 2
A new micro-event based around Hanzo is also available
We first got word that Kanezaka was heading to Overwatch last month, via game director Jeff Kaplan's developer update. Much like Hanamura Castle, this new map is set within Tokyo, Japan but instead of the usual 6v6 fights, Kanezaka offers a free-for-all deathmatch instead. After several weeks of...
Rumour Looks Like Crash Bandicoot's Cartoon Series Has Been Cancelled
It's believed to have been in development between Amazon and Activision
Crash Bandicoot has witnessed one heck of a revival in recent years. Whilst we continue hoping for a Switch port of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time (any day now, right?), we've already seen two fantastic games with Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and
Thursday29th Oct 2020
News New Discovery Suggests Crash Bandicoot 4 Might Be Coming To Nintendo Switch
It's about time
Activision has been talking about bringing Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time to the Switch for a while and the official game site has even potentially revealed a Nintendo version ahead of schedule. Now, in the latest development
Thursday20th Aug 2020
Rumour Switch Control Options Supposedly Uncovered In Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 Warehouse Demo
Is the Birdman on the way?
Back in May, Activision announced it would release Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 on Xbox One, PS4 and PC this September. At the time, there was no mention of a release on Nintendo's platform, but now dataminers have reportedly uncovered of evidence of a potential Switch version within the recently released Warehouse demo -...
Saturday18th Jul 2020
News Activision Says It's Evaluating Additional Platforms For Crash Bandicoot 4
Will it make the Switch?
One game we would really love to see make its way across to the Nintendo Switch, is the recently announced Activision title, Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. So far, the Toys for Bob-developed game has been confirmed for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 and is arriving this October. What about other platforms, like Switch...
Friday19th Jun 2020
News Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time Has Been Rated In Taiwan
But will it come to Nintendo Switch?
Taiwan's Digital Game Rating Committee has just rated Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game has not yet been officially announced by Activision, but as you can see above - the box art has already been uploaded. While we wouldn't normally cover news like this for other...
Wednesday11th Mar 2020
News Aussie Band Says It "Just Licensed" Five New Songs For A Tony Hawk 2020 Game
Is an announcement on the way?
Back in the early 2000s, one video game series absolutely shredding was Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. These games became some of Activision's best-selling releases and gave the skateboarding scene a much-needed boost. While the Birdman himself certainly hasn't fallen from grace over the years,unfortunately, you can't say the...
