Tag: Microsoft
News Microsoft's Activision Blizzard Acquisition Has Been Officially Blocked In The UK
Is Microsoft's deal with Nintendo in jeopardy?
Microsoft's planned acquisition of publisher Activision Blizzard has been officially blocked in the UK by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The $68.7 billion acquisition was blocked on grounds that it would "alter the future of the fast-growing cloud gaming market, leading to reduced...
News Microsoft "Confident" Activision Could Optimise Call Of Duty For Nintendo Switch
Including titles like Warzone & Modern Warfare II
Believe it or not but Activision's Call of Duty series is actually coming back to Nintendo platforms after a 10-year commitment was finalised in February. Since then, Microsoft has mentioned how it aims to bring the "best version" of the Call of Duty to Nintendo device
News Microsoft Wants To Bring The "Best Version" Of Call Of Duty To Nintendo Platforms
Expect the same experience across all systems
Last week, Microsoft put pen to paper, announcing its 10-year commitment to bring the Call of Duty franchise to Nintendo platforms is now legally binding. Microsoft president Brad Smith followed this up by mentioning how the tech giant would ensure the series works exactly as people expect on other...
News Call Of Duty Will Run As You "Would Expect" On Nintendo Platforms, Says Microsoft
The 10-year commitment is now legally binding
Earlier this week, Microsoft officially locked in a deal to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms for the next 10 years. Microsoft president Brad Smith has now answered some questions regarding this new deal. While Smith admits he's "not the right person" to dive into a discussion about system...
News Microsoft's Commitment To Bring Call Of Duty To Nintendo Is Now Legally Binding
Update: Deal does not encompass additional Xbox IP
Update [Wed 22nd Feb, 2023 12:30 GMT]: There has been some confusion in light of Brad Smith's tweet regarding the 10-year legal agreement between Microsoft and Nintendo. Smith stated that the deal was to "bring Xbox games to Nintendo's gamers", leading many to assume - quite naturally - that this...
News Minecraft Legends To Feature At Xbox's New 'Developer_Direct' Broadcast
Tune in January 25th
After a number of rumours and reports, Microsoft has officially confirmed it will be broadcasting an Xbox & Bethesda 'Developer_Direct' later this month on January 25th. As part of this, it seems Minecraft fans will be getting an "inside look" at the upcoming action-strategy game, Minecraft Legends. This title will be...
News 75% Of Public Comments On Microsoft's Acquisition Of Activision Were Positive
Microsoft recently announced 10-year deal with Nintendo
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recently announced that over the course of a two-week window, it received a total of 2,100 public emails regarding Microsoft's planned acquisitiion of Activision Blizzard, of which around 75% were positive. The regulator laid out a high-level...
News Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Explains Microsoft's Plans For Call Of Duty On Nintendo Platforms
It will take some time
Yesterday, Microsoft Gaming CEO and Xbox head Phil Spencer announced the company had entered a 10-year agreement to bring Activision's Call of Duty series to Nintendo platforms. If you're wondering how exactly it will work, Phil has now shared some insight in a new interview with The Washington Post. Apparently, it could take...
Talking Point Are You Excited To See Call Of Duty Return To Nintendo Platforms?
Whisky tango foxtrot
In case you missed the recent bombshell from Xbox Game Studios' CEO Phil Spencer, the business executive confirmed in a tweet that Microsoft would enter into a ten-year commitment to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms following the presumed merger of Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard. <related ids="142197"> The...
News Microsoft Enters "10-Year Commitment To Bring Call Of Duty To Nintendo"
Xbox's Phil Spencer confirms
Microsoft Gaming CEO and Xbox head Phil Spencer has mentioned in recent times how he would love to bring Activision's Call of Duty franchise to platforms like the Nintendo Switch once the Activision Blizzard merger is finalised. Well, today Phil has shared some absolutely massive news - revealing how Microsoft has...
Random Sony Alleges That Microsoft Is Trying To Turn It Into Nintendo
Is that such a bad thing?
The ongoing drama surrounding Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard continues to surge. For anyone who might not be aware of what's going on, the Xbox giant moved to acquire the publisher of Call of Duty, Overwatch, Crash Bandicoot, and other major IP for an astonishing $68.7 billion. Sony, meanwhile, isn't...
News Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Would Love To See Call Of Duty On Nintendo Switch
"Our intent is to treat CoD like Minecraft"
Activision's latest Call of Duty game arrives this week, and while there's no Nintendo release, there has been some conversation from the Xbox boss Phil Spencer about bringing the popular first-person shooter series to the Switch. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal recently, Spencer mentioned how...
News Microsoft Renews Trademark For Rare's Classic N64 Game Blast Corps
Viva Piñata, too
Video game trademark renewals are always happening, and while they don't necessarily mean something is on the horizon, they do tend to create some excitement whenever it's a classic game or series we haven't heard about for some time. The latest ones, as highlighted by Game Rant, are tied to iconic British developer Rare - owned...
News More Switch Owners Would Consider Game Pass If Activision Titles Were Added, Poll Finds
Like and subscribe for skateboarding
Xbox Game Pass is pretty hard to resist, right? A monthly subscription brings you tons of titles that you can download and play whenever you want - as long as they stay on the surface. And with Microsoft acquiring companies like Bethesda and Activision Blizzard, the prospect of those games becoming exclusive to...
News Microsoft Wants Call Of Duty On Switch, Along With Other "Popular" Activision Blizzard Games
"Bring it to more people, bring it to more platforms"
Microsoft president Brad Smith has said that it wants to bring the Call of Duty series to Switch, assuming its purchase of Activision Blizzard goes ahead as planned. Smith made the comments in an interview with CNBC, in which he once again made clear that Microsoft's $68.7 billion acquisition of...
Soapbox Don't Cheer For Corporate Takeovers - It's Not A Game
Monopoly isn't just for fun when it's real money
Back in September 2020 when Microsoft announced its acquisition of Bethesda for around $7.5 billion, it was a big move — one that some fans would have been excited by, and others less so. It was a huge deal at the time, with that purchase giving Microsoft Gaming / Xbox a number of new studios and...
Talking Point Don't Worry, Microsoft Probably Isn't Going To Buy Nintendo - Here's Why
It's not just about money
With this week's unprecedented news that Microsoft is kickstarting the process to acquire Activision Blizzard for a little under $70 Billion, there's been a lot of talk about what the company could do next. The likelihood is not very much for the next 12-18 months; like with the Bethesda deal the process will have...
Back Page After Spending $70B On Activision Blizzard... What If Microsoft Buys Nintendo Next?
We don't talk about Bobby
In the magazine business, the Back Page is where you'd find all the weird goofs that we couldn't fit in anywhere else. Some may call it "filler"; we prefer "a whole page to make terrible jokes that are tangentially related to the content of the mag". We don't have pages on the internet, but we still love terrible jokes —...
Talking Point How Does Microsoft's Purchase Of Activision Blizzard Impact Nintendo?
The latest extraordinary power move by MS
Microsoft caused a stir last year when it confirmed that its intended purchase of Zenimax had gone through, known better as the Bethesda deal. For over $7 billion Microsoft picked up Bethesda and a range of talented studios, with lots of discussion at the time over the impact of franchises like Fallout,...
News Microsoft And Activision Will Continue To Support "A Variety Of Platforms" Despite Acquisition
But does that include Switch?
Well, who was expecting that? Microsoft has agreed to acquire Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard in a deal thought to be worth $68.7 billion. Announced just a couple of hours ago, the news has already led to much confusion and speculation amongst gaming fans. Is purchasing Activision, which is currently...
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...
And so Kinect was born
Xbox's new six-part documentary series celebrating the 20 year history of Microsoft's console gaming division has a lot of company secrets and industry insights and one highlight from a Nintendo perspective is a brief segment about motion gaming in Chapter 5. In the holiday 2006, Nintendo launched its new motion-controlled...
Random Xbox's 20th Anniversary 'Metaverse' Acknowledges The Time It Tried To Acquire Nintendo
And the rest is history
Update: Our friends at Eurogamer have gone an extra step and transcribed part of the letter from within Xbox's virtual museum. The letter was sent by Xbox's Rick Thompson to NoA's business boss Jacqualee Story and attempts to set up a meeting with Nintendo's boss Hiroshi Yamauchi and hardware chief Genyo Takeda. "Dear...
News Sega And Microsoft Are Teaming Up To Make "Super Games"
Sonic the Cloudhog
Metaverses are so hot right now, and it looks like Sega is making the moves to create their own. You might know the concept of 'metaverse' from Fortnite, Space Jam, or Ready Player One — it's basically a hub where you can find all of your favourite brands and fictional characters, all in the same place. Unsurprisingly, with...
News Banjo-Kazooie Is 'Coming Home' To A Nintendo Console Via Switch Online
Bayonetta's great and all, but B-K's back baby!
You could be forgiven for missing the biggest news buried in the latest Nintendo Direct — the real megaton that turned it into the finest 40-minute presentation Nintendo has ever assembled. No, we're not talking about a gameplay reveal for the elusive Bayonetta 3 or the long-awaited
Random Xbox's Phil Spencer Reveals His Favourite GameCube Game
In an insane world, it was the sanest choice
As you may have noticed, today marks 20 years since the Nintendo GameCube launched in Japan and we (along with the rest of the internet) have been getting all nostalgic for Nintendo's purple box. As is customary on these significant anniversaries (or any anniversary when it comes to social media —...
Random We're Getting Major 'Nintendo DS' Vibes From Microsoft's Surface Duo Running Xbox Game Pass
Dual-screen goodness
This week, Microsoft pushed a new update to its Android-based Surface Duo which allows owners to run Xbox games via Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. So far, 50 titles are available, but the really cool thing about this is that it effectively turns the Surface Duo into a Nintendo DS-style games console. The catch here is that the Duo...
News F4F Reveals Banjo-Kazooie Mumbo Jumbo And Crocodile Banjo Statue
Pre-orders are now live
Update [Wed 12th May, 2021 04:55 BST]: Following on from last week's teaser, First 4 Figures has now officially revealed its Mumbo Jumbo statue and a Crocodile Banjo one. Pre-orders are now live on the official F4F website. The Mumbo Jumbo statue will be available as a standard and exclusive edition. Crocodile Banjo can be...
But thought a deal with Nintendo would be a "moonshot"
Take this with a grain of salt, but at some stage, the Fortnite creator Epic Games was apparently eager to get Sony, Microsoft and even Nintendo's first-party titles on its digital storefront - and for all we know, it could still be interested in making this happen one day. According to yet...
Random You Can Buy A Fake "Animal Crossing New Horizons" Game On The Microsoft Store For Just $2.99
Redd would be proud
We've seen a lot of games attempting to cash in on the success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons but this shamelessly takes it to the next level. If you've browsed the Microsoft Store at all in recent times, you might have stumbled across a page for...you guessed it, a PC and mobile game with the same name. Yes, the Microsoft...
Random Halo Instagram Shows Off Amazing Mario X Master Chief Fan Art
Hmm, interesting timing...
Phil Spencer's shelf has become a bit of a talking point over the past week. First, we heard how Hideo Kojima might be doing something exclusively with Microsoft, and now, the latest focus is the Switch on the top run. We've already noted how Jeff Grubb said "pretty much everything" is a reference to something or other,...
News Xbox Says It's "More Important Than Ever" To Preserve Gaming Icons And Classics
You hear that, Nintendo?
The digital era of gaming should have made video game preservation easier than ever, but as we've slowly been learning over the past decade, it appears to come with a number of setbacks. Some companies aren't interested in reviving older libraries of games, others put odd restrictions and limitations in place, and then...
News Rare Gives Us A Side-By-Side Comparison Of Banjo-Kazooie's amiibo And Totaku
Who wore it better?
Last week saw the arrival of three brand new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate amiibo. For many, the highlight of the lot was the release of Banjo-Kazooie - you know, the Microsoft-owned character. While we think the overall design of this particular amiibo is already fantastic, Banjo's creator, Rare, has now gone one step further,...
News Bethesda's Future Games Will Be "Where Game Pass Exists"
So that's Xbox, PC and devices that support the service
It's been a big week in the video game industry, with Microsoft officially finalising its $7.5 billion acquisition of Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax Media. Microsoft is expected to limit Bethesda's third-party support at a certain point in the future and in a special roundtable discussion,...
News Bethesda Will Make "Some" New Titles Exclusive To Xbox And PC
Exact games not yet revealed
Last year, Microsoft announced it would be acquiring Bethesda's parent company ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion. It's now a done deal - with the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, confirming everything has been finalised. So, what does this mean for Bethesda games on other platforms such as the Nintendo Switch? In the same Xbox...
News Niantic Showcases Pokémon GO Proof-Of-Concept HoloLens Demo At Microsoft Ignite 2021
"We’ve only scratched the surface"
At Microsoft Ignite 2021, Niantic announced it would be collaborating with Microsoft and showed off a proof-of-concept Pokémon GO demo on a HoloLens 2 headset. Niantic founder and CEO, John Hanke, appeared in a video illustrating how AR can enrich daily routines. Keep in mind, this demo is not intended for...
News Microsoft's Edge Extensions Store Has Reportedly Been Hosting Illegal Copies Of Nintendo Games
Sonic, Pac-Man and Minecraft also spotted
Microsoft's Edge extensions store is believed to have been hosting "illegal copies" of classic games like Mario Kart 64, Super Mario Bros. and various other titles like Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man and Tetris. Even the Microsoft-owned IP Minecraft
News Microsoft Was Simply Exploring "Every Angle" When It Approached Nintendo About A Buyout
"it wasn't like we had to make a long trip to go see them"
Earlier this month, Bloomberg ran a story about how Microsoft attempted to buy out Nintendo many years ago. EA, at the time, apparently told Microsoft it had "no clue" how to make a console, while Nintendo supposedly thought Microsoft's proposal was hilarious, according to Xbox's former...
News This Free Software Lets You Play Minecraft With Your Eyes
Making the game accessible for those who can't use their hands
The past few years have seen some incredible leaps and bounds in technology, and many of those improvements have been focused around accessibility. You may remember the story about inclusivity advocate, developer, artist, and gamer Becky, AKA EyeGazeGirl, who hooked up the Xbox adaptive...
News Nintendo "Laughed Their Asses Off" At Microsoft's Buyout Offer
You say Halo, I say goodbye
We love a good oral history, and Bloomberg's latest is all about the Xbox. Wait, come back! It's still Nintendo Life, don't worry, we haven't changed teams. It turns out that Microsoft had big plans back when the Xbox was in development, and those plans involved trying to buy out a bunch of gaming companies. Long story...
News Minecraft Was The Most-Watched Game On YouTube In 2020
Also one of the most-watched live games
It's that time of year once again where companies are revealing stats of this and that. On the YouTube front, it's all about what's been watched the most. In terms of video games, Minecraft is still the top dog - with the game being viewed on the platform 201 billion times throughout the year. Roblox was in...
News Microsoft Won't Be Taking Bethesda's Games Away From Nintendo Platforms
But wants to offer "best" experience on its own platforms
There have been some concerns about the future of Bethesda games on certain other platforms since the third-party video game giant responsible for the likes of Doom and The Elder Scrolls series was acquired by Microsoft in September. Fortunately, there's no need to worry (at
Xbox games should have access to full ecosystem, says Phil
Microsoft and Nintendo have collaborated a lot lately, but there are no guarantees moving forward, according to Head of Xbox Phil Spencer. When asked by Kotaku this week about the possibility of more Microsoft published games coming to other consoles - like the Nintendo Switch, Phil replied...
Quiz How Well Do You Know Minecraft?
Soon to be Smashin'
With the announcement of Steve, Alex, Zombie and Enderman coming to Smash Bros. Ultimate as DLC Challenger #7, it's the perfect time to test on your Minecraft knowledge. As the best-seling video game of all time, many of you will likely have a deep understanding of the game mined from years of experience, and there'll be a few of...
Random Microsoft Shuts Down Rumours That It's Buying Sega Next
Sonic X?
Microsoft shook the gaming world to its very core recently by announcing that it was gobbling up ZeniMax, the parent company of video game giant Bethesda – a purchase which gives it control of million-selling brands such as The Elder Scrolls, DOOM and Fallout. When you drop a cool $7.5 billion on a company, it's almost inevitable that...
News Microsoft Has Just Bought Bethesda, Giving It Doom, Fallout, Elder Scrolls And Wolfenstein
2020 sure is wild
Update: Xbox boss Phil Spencer has confirmed that future Bethesda games will still come to other consoles on "a case by case basis" (thanks, Jason Schreier). Original Article: Microsoft has just purchased Bethesda parent company ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion, giving it ownership of franchises such as DOOM, Wolfenstein, Elder...
News Image & Form's New Game Is "Permanently Exclusive" To Xbox And Windows
Dev says it wanted a "strong partner"
Earlier this month, Thunderful CEO Brjann Sigurgeirsson confirmed Image & Form's new game - The Gunk, wouldn't be coming to the Switch, as it's exclusive to
Random Some Of Microsoft's New 'Designed For Xbox' Controllers Look Pretty Familiar
Where have we seen these before?
Today, Microsoft has unveiled a new range of controllers and accessories all under a 'Designed for Xbox' banner, coinciding with the news that it'll be launching its Project xCloud streaming service on Android devices next month. You can learn all about the news over on our sister site, Pure Xbox, but it's the...
News Phil Spencer Shuts Down Idea Of Xbox Game Pass Coming To Other Platforms
They "aren't really that interested in having a full Xbox experience"
Last year, you might recall how the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, spoke about bringing Microsoft's Game Pass service to more platforms. While the company has now achieved this within its own ecosystem, these comments have still got many people questioning if the subscription service...
News Blatant Pokémon Rip-Off Appears On Microsoft Store
'Capsmon', apparently
Like a heavy thunderstorm that never seems to end or that pesky piece of dirty chewing gum that you just can't get off your shoe, the trend of blatantly obvious Pokémon rip-offs continues to rear its ugly head. The latest, 'Capsmon Adventure: Brave Heroes Assemble', can be found on the Microsoft Store. Available to download...
