After a rather rocky BlizzCon 2023, Blizzard announced early last year that they would skip hosting the annual event in 2024. Now, it seems, Blizzard will also be holding off on hosting BlizzCon in 2025 but will retu??rn in September 2026.

The once-annual event typically serves as a massive meetup for fans of Blizzard games (World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and at one time StarCraft) as well as a conference for ga?me reveals and updates on titles in those universes.

BlizzCon first started back in 2005, and after skipping 2006, continued annua??lly all the way until COVID forced it to be canceled in 2020. In 2021 Blizzard hosted an online-only event called BlizzConline, but realistically it wasn't really BlizzCon at all, before skipping 2022 altogether, then returning in 2023.

But in 2023, the event just seemed...different. In the past, BlizzCon seemed like a great value and fun event for fans of Blizzard to get together with?? like-minded fans and just have a good time. In 2019, the standard general admission was $229.99 and there was a special Portal Pass with additional perks for $550.

However, in 2023, the general admission ticket was $299.99 and the Portal Pass was a whopping $800. Despite the increase in pr??ice, most Portal Pass holders said the pass?? didn't really include much additional value. In fact, the 2023 Portal Pass advertised having guaranteed Arena Access as well as special Portal Pass lines but they simply did not exist. It's like paying for a Lighting Pass at Disney but then having to stand in the same line as everyone else.

Release timing-wise, it makes sense to skip 2025 for Blizzard. Outside of the World of Warcraft: Midnight expansion reveal expected later this year, there's not much new that we know about coming from Blizzard before 2026, including the second Diablo 4 expansion.

According to Blizzard, the company is still e?valuating a number of different? options for attendees to customize their BlizzCon experience, and as such, there is no information in regards to the pricing of ticket costs at this time. For Blizzard fans, how much would you pay to attend BlizzCon in 2026? How about the Portal Pass or something similar?

BlizzCon is set to return to Anaheim, California?? on September 12-September 13, 2026.

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Blizzard revealed the official title and release date for Season 5 of Diablo 4 today. Titled the Season of Infernal Hordes, Diablo 4 Season 5 will kick off in just one week on August 6 at 1 p.m. EST. In the Season of the Infernal Hordes, players will ta??ckle a new wave-based feature called the Infernal Hordes to earn powerful seasonal rewards.

Face the Infernal Hordes

Each Season for Diablo 4 typically revolves around a seasonal mechanic, with Season of the Infernal Hordes revolving around a new wave-based feature where players can take on hordes of enemies eit??her solo or with friends. In between each wave, Infernal Offerings, which augme??nt future waves with boons or banes, can be chosen to increase wave difficulty while also increasing potential rewards.

After each Infernal?? Hordes run, players will take on 3 of the 5 members of the Fell Council, e?ach with their own unique abilities that can create interesting combinations based on other members of the Fell Council joining them in the fight.

Also part of the new Infernal Hordes seasonal mechanic are the all-new Hellbreach Dungeons. These new dungeons grant B?urning Aether throughout that can then be spent to open unique chests at the end of the dungeon.

Even though the Infernal Horde feature is the main point of the new season, over ????50 new Unique and Legendary Items are also being added the season, adding some new unique build variety and possibilities.

Diablo 4 Season 5, Season of the Infernal Hordes is set to lau??nch on all pla??tforms on August 6.

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Every new Call of Duty season usually adds new content while keeping the standard gameplay loop relatively the same. H?owever, Activision is looking to shake things up a little bit with Season 4 with the introduction of an all-new game mode in the form of a unique playlist modifier called Bit Party, a pixel-inspired playlist.

Minecraft Steve would be proud of the new mode, which allows players to experience the multiplayer of Call of Duty in a new lens. In Bit Party mode, eliminating enemies causes your Operator's head to inflate, with it resetting back to normal when you are elimin?ated. Even though the increased head size will certainly make you an easie??r target, it also gives you some perks. The bigger your head, the more points you earn for completing objectives in multiplayer.

The Retro Warfare event is also kicking off alongside the ?new playlist, as well as the addition of pixel-art-inspired members of Task Force 141 and a new 8-Bit Blitz Bundle. Pixelated Operator skins will feature Ghost, Price, Soap, and Farah, as well as a pixelated 8-Bit Tracer and red Violence Death EFfect for the Striker SMG and SVA 545 Assault Rifle.

Call of Duty Season 4 Reloaded will also add a new Core 6v6 ??map titled In??cline, taking place in the snowy mountains of Urzikstan. Several new game-altering modes are also launching with this season including Mutation, Havoc, Headshots Only, and Blueprint Gunfight.

The Call of Duty Season 4 Reloaded kicks off across all pl??atforms on June 26 a?t 12p.m EST.

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With pre-patch for Classic Cataclysm underway, and the release of Classic Cataclysm just around the corner, Blizzard has announced that they are bringing various changes to the Classic version. A few of ?these h??ave received backlash from players.

Some of the major changes involve guilds. While Blizzard is keeping some guild perks, they are removing the guild leveling system. While they have removed guild levels, any items that were previously tied to levels are now obtainable from the start, depending on the player's guild reputation level. When people join a guild or ??are a part of one, they will obtain items and perks immediately upon joining. The two major perks that are being removed, however, are the two receiving backlash from players.

Cash Flow and Have Group Will Travel have been removed from Classic Cataclysm

Cash Flow level 2 was originally obtainable from Guild Level 15, and it allowed 15% of the money collected from monsters to be directly deposited in the guild bank. It allowed for a passive collection of gold, which was helpful for building up funds to buy the last two guild bank tabs, which were quite expensive. However, it also allowed guilds to recruit as many people as they could to make the gold, and then remove players who weren't playing often or planning to go into end-game on more than a casual level. Other guilds would be robbed by the guild master and disbanded the guild after withdrawing all the gold from the guild bank. This perk will not be included in the Classic Cataclysm patch 4.4.0.

Have Group, Will Travel (HGWT) was a guild perk unlocked at Guild Level 20 that allowed a single person to be at the summoning stone for a dungeon or raid to summon the entire raid team in one spell. While warlocks have closets and summoning stones still exist, they do take a bit longer and aren't an infinite range like HGWT. While this made accessing dungeons and raids faster, it also meant that guilds could form up several raid groups, summon at a nearby summoning stone, and then find a location where players are farming for ore, herbs, or just items or skins, and grief those players in that regard. Like Cash Flow, this will not be included in Classic Cataclysm 4.4.0.

Removal of Void Storage

This is another change that has players divided. Some believe it's no longer necessary for transmogrification, as Blizzard has stated that there will be a new collections tab system, and that transmog will be account-wide. It will likely look something like WoW retail's version, but ?that has not yet been confirmed. For the players who argue against this change, they believe Void Storage to be useful to store items such as unobtain??able armor or weapons to not take up actual bank space.

Other Changes

Though it'll be available at a later time, either during the pre-patch or once Classic Cataclysm officially releases May 20, Worgens will not have access ??to the barber shop initially in pre-patch.

Hunters will go into the pre-patch, and possibly the start of Classic Cataclysm with Wrath of the Lich King's current pet system—they will only have one pet available while the rest are stabled, and must go to a stablemaster in order to trade ou?t pets. By the launch on May 20, hunters may have their original Cataclysm pet system, where they can hold five pets on them, with far more in the stable.

These are some of the major changes so far, but if you want to read more, you can head over to their blue post on the forums to read all of it. If you're unsure of whether you want to stay with your main class or want to try something different, you can see how the class system lines up in early Classic Cataclysm.

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On the company’s website, Toys for Bob, the developer behind Skylanders and Crash Bandicoot 4, has announced that it's diverging from Activision Blizzard ??to become independent.

The post doesn’t really give much more in the way of details. It states that the company will return to being a “small and nimble studio.�?They also state that, while they’re separating, they are looking into a “possible partnership�?with Microsoft. Explaining, “Our friends at Activision and Microsoft have been extremely supportive of our new direction, and we’re confident that we will continue to work closely together as part of our future.�?/p>

That’s somewhat surprising, considering Toys for Bob was reportedly among those hit by the massive wave of Microsoft layoffs in the wake of the Activision Blizzard acquisition. Don’t burn any bridges, I supp??ose.

Toys for Bob says it's in the early days of developin?g its n?ext game and is looking forward to providing more updates.

This news comes shortly after the news that Saber Interactive and Gearbox are being sold off by Embracer Group. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic and even following that, we say a period of rapid acquisitions from companies like Sony, Microsoft, and Embracer. In the fallout of that, there have been a dizzying number of layoffs and studio closures, so seeing a developer spin-off on their own?? is almost refreshing.

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After finally securing its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft is now bringing the company's games under the Game Pass umbrella. Activision Blizzard titles will be heading to the Xbox Game Pass service, starting with Diablo IV this March.

Xbox president Sarah Bond announced the news in an official Xbox podcast today, with Diablo IV leading the charge on March 28, 2024.

"It's all part of our commitment to make Xbox, the Xbox experience, and the games that we build, as widely available as possible, so now the 34M Game Pass members can all enjoy the fantastic experience of Diablo IV," said Bond.

An expanding Xbox ecosystem

This was all tied up in a very anticipated update on "the Xbox Business" today, after many rumors that Microsoft would make more games multiplatform. Xbox head Phil Spencer confirmed today that four games would be heading to other platforms. He declined to name which ones they were, though he did confirm two that aren't going multi-platform yet: Starfield and Indiana Jones.

Additionally, Spencer and co. teased some hardware news on the horizon. In an interview with The Verge, the Xbox head didn't comment on the Xbox leaks, but did say this:

"We’ll talk about things that are coming up. I will say I’m very proud of the work that the hardware team is doing, not only for this year, but also into the future. [We’re] really thinking about creating ?hardware that sells to gamers because of the unique aspects of the hardware. It’s kind of an?? unleashing of the creative capability of our hardware team that I’m really excited about."

- Xbox head Phil Spencer, to The Verge

While today's news isn't necessarily drastic, seeing Activision Blizzard games finally make their way to Game Pass is good news for anyone holding a subscription. Diablo IV alon?e is some big bang-for-your-buck, and then there's the prospect?? of seeing other titles from the massive publisher make their way over.

Diablo IV hits Game Pass on March 28, 2024.

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As part of the 1,900 job cuts that Microsoft made last week, perhaps the most surprising was the coinciding departure of Blizzard president Mike Ybarra. It has been announced that Ybarra’s position will be taken over by Johanna Faries, an executive who helped oversee recent Call of Duty titles at Activision.

Ybarra stepped into the role of company president in 2021 with the departure of then-president J. Allen Brack, following reports of sexual misco??nduct, harassment, and discrimination?? within Blizzard. Ybarra initially shared the role with Jen Oneal but became the sole president when Oneal left the company shortly after.

Prior to starting work at Activision Blizzard in 2018, Faries was an NFL executive. Her work with Call of Duty was largely in regards to its esports league.

There was some concern by fans that Microsoft would install their own leadership to the company following Ybarra’s departure. While this isn’t the case, as Faries was already working at Activision Blizzard, I’m not sure it’s going to be of? much comfort. Or maybe it will be if you’re someone who enjoys the esports side of Blizzard’s games. I don’t really have much of a horse in this race.

Faries introduced herself to Blizzard employees in an email where she identifies herself as a Diablo IV fan. She states that she’s aware that Call of Duties priorities differ from the way Blizzard does things and says she walks “into this role with sensitivity to those dynamics, and deep respect for Blizzard, as we begin to explore taking our universes to even higher heights.�?/p>

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According to IGN, Microsoft has fired 1,900 employees from its video game divisions including Xbox and Activision Blizzard. The layoffs affect almost 9% of the 22,000 employees at the company. In a memo to staff, Microsoft Gaming CEO claims the layoffs come after leadership at Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard identified areas of overlap following the ??recent acquisition of Activision, Bli??zzard, and King.

Here is the full memo Phil Spencer sent to staff:

It’s been a little over three months since the Activision, Blizzard, and King teams joined Microsoft. As we move forward in 2024, the leadership of Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard is committed to aligning on a strategy and an execution plan with a sustainable cost structure that will supp??ort the whole of our growing business. Together, we’ve set priorities, identified areas of overlap, and ensured that we’re all aligned on the best opportunities for growth.

As part of this process, we have made the painful decision to reduce the size of?? our gaming workforce by approximately 1,900 roles out of the 22,000 people on our team. The Gaming Leadership Team and I are committed to navigating this process as thoughtfully as possible. The people who are directly impacted by these reductions have all played an important part? in the success of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax and the Xbox teams, and they should be proud of everything they’ve accomplished here. We are grateful for all of the creativity, passion and dedication they have brought to our games, our players and our colleagues. We will provide our full support to those who are impacted during the transition, including severance benefits informed by local employment laws. Those whose roles will be impacted will be notified, and we ask that you please treat your departing colleagues with the respect and compassion that is consistent with our values.

Looking ahead, we'll continue to invest in areas that will grow our business and? support our strategy of bringing more games to more players around the world. Although this is a difficult moment for our team, I'm as confident as ever in your ability to create and nurture the games, stories and worlds that bring players together.

- Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming CEO

Blizzard President out as well, survival game canceled

Shortly after the news broke, Blizzard President Mike Ybarra took to Twitter to announce that today would be his last day at Blizzard. According to Ybarra, "with the acquisition of Activision ??Blizzard behind us, it's time for me to (on??ce again) become Blizzard's biggest fan from the outside."

Ybarra was at Microsoft for over 20 years before joining Blizzard, becoming its President in 2021. As a huge Blizzard fan, this feels like a big loss, as World of Warcraft has certainly started to improve under Ybarra.

According to The Verge, the previously unannounced survival game that Blizzard had been working on has also been canceled. This would have been the first new IP by Blizzard since Overwatch. Head of Xbox Studio??s Matt Booty confirmed the cancellation.

As par?t of this focus, Blizzard is ending development on its survival game project and will be shifting some of the people working on it to one of several promising new projects Blizzard has in the early stages of development.

- Matt Booty, Head of Xbox Studios

This all just feels so strange to me. It's only been three months since Microsoft acquire Activision for a record-breaking $69 billion?, one of the biggest tech ?acquisitions ever. And yet, almost 2,000 employees are losing their jobs.

While certainly one of the biggest reductions in the workforce recently, unfortunately, the news feels par for the course in the games industry at the moment. In just the last few days, several other companies have undergone layoffs including League of Legends creator Riot Games and Outriders developer People Can Fly.

In 2023 over 10,000 jobs were lost in the industry. We're not even out of January and 2024 has already?? seen almost half of that.

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It's official: The Bobby Kotick era at?? Activision ??Blizzard will end on December 29. According to The Verge, Instead of appointing a new replacement, the top Activision Blizzard executives will now report to Microso??ft's game content and studios president Matt Booty. Several more higher-level Activision Blizzard employees will also leave the company in the new year with departures planned through March 2024.

A lot of changes up top

It looks like the ripple effects of Microsoft acquiring?? Activision Blizzard will really go into full effect in the new year. In an internal memo, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer highlighted some of the changes including the departure of Lulu Meservey at the end of January and Humam Sakhini at the end of December. In March, Vice Chariman of Activision Blizzard Thomas Tippl will leave the company as well as Chief Administrative Officer Brian Bulatao, Chief People Officer Julie Hodges, Chief Legal Officer Grant Dixton, and CFO Armin Zerza.

End of an era

After 32 years with the company, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick's reign comes to an end. His resignation comes just two months after the acquisition of the company by Microsoft. After joining Activision in 1991, Kotick was responsible for several larger acquisitions in the industry including the Vivendi Games? merger in ?2008 that created Activision Blizzard and the acquisition of mobile game developer King.

However, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows with Kotick. Just a few weeks ago his company agreed to pay over $54 ??million in a settlement with? the California Civil Rights Department to settle a very messy w??orkplace discrimination lawsuit.

Kotick will receive a farewell payout of at least $15 million when he leaves the company next week.

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Following allegations of workplace discri??mination at ??Activision Blizzard, the gaming giant has agreed to pay just under $55 million. The settlement with the California Civil Rights Department is still subject to court approval.

The terms of the settlement make "women who worked for the company between Oct. 12, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2020, either as hire?s or independent contractors" eligible for compensation. Under the agreement, the company will also "take additio??nal steps to help ensure fair pay and promotion practices also agrees to ensure fair pay and promotion practices."

With the settlement comes an "amended complaint" regarding the sexual assault allegations Activision Blizzard faced. As the Associated Press reports, the settlement agreement states that no court or independent investigation has substantiated allegations "of systemic or widespread sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard, nor claims that the?? company’s board of directors and CEO acted improperly or ignored or tolerated ?a culture of harassment, retaliation or discrimination."

Activision Blizzard also previously agreed to pay a $35 million settlement earlier this year to the SEC.

A long road to here

The discrimination lawsuit was from California’s civil rights agency, representing women from Activision Blizzard. The first lawsuit was brought forward in 2021, and it contained several allegations against the video ??game company. Many of the allegations were centered on discrimination:

• Women were receiving lower starting pay
• Women were promoted more slowly and terminated faster than their male counterparts

There were also allegations of a frat-boy culture w?here women routinely faced sexual harass??ment. These included description of "cube crawls" and other reports of sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard.

Though the allegations brought controversy to the Call of Duty publisher, it was still acquired by Microsoft for $68.7 billion. Shortly after the acquisition was finalized, CEO Bob?by Kotick announced ?he would be stepping down after 32 years at the company.

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According to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, Modern Warfare 3 was developed in about half the time Call of Duty titles usua??lly t??ake. With only a year and a half to work on the game, development was fraught with issues, Schreier's sources reveal.

As Schreier explains, MW3 was originally pitched as a DLC, but the game was suddenly turned into a standalone title to fill in a gap in the company's release schedule after another 2023 CoD game planned for this year was delayed. This has been denied by an Activision spokesperson, but Schreier insists that "more than a dozen current and former Call of Duty developers said that conflicts with what the?y were told at the time."

As you can imagine, having such a short development time requ??ired many Sledgehammer employees to work long hours, including nights and weekends. This upset many employees who also complained that they had to make unwanted changes based on instructions from the higher-ups.

Critics have been reacting unfavorably to the threequel, with many criticizing the short campaign, and Schreier suggests that the rushed development "may be contributing to a spate of bad reviews about the game’s storyline." This may negatively affect the cash cow's ability to rake in money during a time when Microsoft is looking to profit from its pricey acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Consequently, some MW3 developers hope the corporate seniors don't judge them too harshly based on the "shortened development cycle? that was beyond the studio’s control."

Not all are convinced that Modern Warfare 3's disastrous reviews will significantly affect the franchise's performance. Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Kevin Tsao doesn't see it "having a lasting impact on the franchise or on any of Microsoft's plans with the franchise ev??en if it is universally panned."

Perhaps most interestingly, it's revealed that Sledgehammer was originally planning on working on a new title set in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's world but the project was scrapped. Depending on how much you lik??e that game, it's either a bullet dodged or an opportunity wasted.

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BlizzCon 2023 opened its doors today, and set the stage for the p??ublisher's road ahead. From a?n acquisition to new heroes and expansions, there's a quite a few things to recap from the BlizzCon 2023 Opening Ceremony.

This year's ceremony certainly had a big ring of roping old fans back into the fold. But the star of the show was certainly World of Warcraft, which saw the reveal of a Classic Cataclysm and a new structure for its story and expansions moving forward, under the Worldsoul Saga moniker.

Here's everything Blizzard announced at the BlizzCon 2023 ?Opening Ceremony.

Overwatch this

While the Overwatch 2 hero leaked a little early, Mauga still took center stage for Overwatch 2's news. The new? hero wields dual chainguns and is playable this weekend.

Though that surprise got a little spoiled, game director Aaron Keller teased a few more reveals. A new game mode, Clash, is coming to Overwatch 2 and sounds like a familiar kind of tug-of-war mode. A competitive rework and two other heroes—Venture and Space Ranger—are being teased too, with more info coming in the "What's Next" panel for Overwatch 2 this weekend.

Diablo 4 gets a new expansion

The first expansion for Diablo 4 is called Vessel of Hatred, and it arrives sometime in late 2024. Alongside new demons to demolish, there's also going to be a new class, one completely new to th??e series. No?? word yet on class details.

Additionally, Blizzard ran down the list of quality-of-life updates that they've issued, and are continuing to patch into, Diablo 4. Season 3 will add leaderboards, and later Season 2 will see an Enchanting preview heading to the Occul??tist and more Seasonal Events on the way.

Draw yer cards, partner

Hearthstone's next expansion heads to the wild, wild west with Showdown in the Badlands on November 14. It's got some obvious Western themes, including a jail mechanic, which looks fun. It was already revealed a while ago, but today's cinematic really sells the vibe.

Additionally, Hearthstone is getting "Catch-Up Packs," which are big packs of collected cards from the last two years of Constructed play. Every player who logs in can get some, and get more through upcoming bundles, in an effort to "catch up" with the Hearthstone meta.

For autobattler fans, Hearthstone Battlegrounds is getting a co-op game mode, Duos. It's a smart update that other auto-rumbler games, like Teamfight Tactics, have implemented. These updates do feel like Hearthstone is?? trying to reignite interest, but they seem like a pretty solid set of ??additions to do so.

Rumble time

If you hadn't already downloaded it, Warcraft Rumble is out now on mobile devices. The Clash of Clans-adjacent line battler went fully live with Season 1 today, and it's adding Sylvanas as a mini-fig today.

Additionally, Raids and more are on the way. More of that is getting discussed at the panels throughout BlizzCon 2023 after the Ope??ning Ceremony concludes.

The end of the World (of Warcraft)

Yes, Cataclysm is coming to World of Warcraft Classic. The apocalyptic expansion is making its way to the throwback experience with some changes in the first half of next year.

It'll be interesting to see how the team handles the world changes of Cataclysm, when it feels like a big appeal of Classic is touring the old haunts. New seasonal servers, Season of Discovery, is also teasing some new con??tent. Season of Discover will start with a Level 25 cap wh?ich will increase as time goes on. There will also be new content to explore.

The Season of Discovery will not Public Test, and instead heads to WoW Classic on November 30.

The Worldsoul Saga

For modern WoW players, Guardians of the Dream goes live very soon. But Chris Metzen took the stage to reveal something much larger in store: the Worldsoul Saga.

Billed as a s??tory spanning several expansions, Metzen intimates this will have a pretty massive scope. And instead of debuting one expansion by itself, Blizzard showed a glimpse of the next t?hree expacs.

First up is The War Within, with earthen and Nerubian enemies. Players will be called in to "dispense indiscriminate justice upon all those who got it coming," as Metzen says. Then comes World of Warcraft: Midnight, with a dark-versus-light motif. Which, hey, that should be pre??tty interesting.

Finally, World of Warcraft: The Last Titan heads north to see the titans return to Azeroth. A "vast conspiracy" will be uncovered, challenging "everything you think you know" ab??out Azer?oth.

The War Within

A teaser for The War Within showed Anduin and Thrall talking about ominous portents. It's a strong trailer, and definitely one that seems like it could reignite the spark for WoW players. This first expansion? ??is set to arrive in Fall 2024.

Warbands, Delves, and more are on the way. You can get a deeper look from a World of Warcraft fan in our write-up of the news here, but it certainly seems like Blizzard is gearing up for big things in WoW.

That's everything to recap from the opening ceremony at BlizzCon 2023, but there's even more in store this weekend at the panels and talks. You can follow the schedule here.

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Blizzard has announced that Diablo 4 will receive a free PC trial that is live now through October 30. Players can jump into Sanctuary on Battle.net and play up to Level 20 before needing to p??urchase the game. It doesn't look like the trial is available on the Steam version, and is only available through Battle.net.

Unfortunately, the trial? is also only available on PC. Console players won't have the option t?o try out the game before buying just yet.

Great time to try out Diablo 4

Season 2 of Diablo 4, Season of Blood is now in full sw??ing, having?? been out for a little over a week. Season 1 was a bit rough, but this season is much better. Leveling is the fastest it has been yet, and all classes seem to have several viable builds. Furthermore, five new bosses have been added, which also gives players the ability to target farm Uber Unique Items.

With BlizzCon around the corner, it's likely we're going to see some Diablo 4 announcements. We already know Blizzard plans to release quarterly seasons and annual expansions, so it's possible we will see ????the announcement of both.

For players that try out Diablo 4 during the trial and want to continue, the ARPG is c??urrently on sale for 25% off.

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Don't worry gamers, you can stop killing The Lich King on ten alts every week for your chance at the Invincible mount. The popular but rare World of Warcraft mount from the Wrath of the Lich King expansion is now available in Diablo 4. ?And don't worry...if you are fearing the grind, it's not necessary here. Instead, all you need is a credit card!

That's right, instead of purchasing a quality game, you can spend just $25 to get enough Platinum for the cool mount. The Invincible Aspect bundle is available now for 2,500 Platinum through the Diablo 4 store. In case you were wondering, you can get 2,800 Platinum for $25. There's nothing in the store you can spend the leftover 300 Platinum on, but that's OK! I mean come on, it's the Invincible Mount in Diablo 4!

You are not prepared

Sorry if I'm sounding facetious here, I just hate it when a full-priced $70 game locks its coolest cosmetics behind an overp??riced purchase. There should at least be a way to get the cosmetic ??in-game, even if it requires some sort of farming.

The Invincible Aspect bundle includes four?? cosme??tics:

• Invincible Aspect Mount
• Bard of Undying Loyalty Mount Armor
• Domination Helm Mount Trophy (The Lich King's helmet)
• Echo of Frostmourne Mount Trophy (The Lich King's weapon)

In World of Warcraft, the mount has a 1% drop chance from the final boss in the Icecrown Citadel raid. As if that's not rare enough, you can only clear the raid once per week on each character. Some players have been farming the mount for ?years with no success.

I was going to get the Diablo 4 Invincible Mount ??but as you can see in the screenshot I was 2,440 Platinum short. Maybe next time!

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UPDATE: After about 2 hours, Season of Blood has officially started for Diablo 4. The servers appear to be getting slammed, but theoretically, you should now be able to login to play. Also, the Steam version is now avai?lable as well w?ith a 25% discount.

Well, I didn't have this one on my Season of Blood bingo card. Season 2 of Diablo 4 was supposed to launch, well, 10 minutes or so ago. Instead, Blizzard released a post on their forums announcing that some technical issues h??ave popped up w??????????????????????????ith the current build. According to the post, they anticipate the delay of Season 2 to be "by a few hours" while they remedy the issues.

Blizzard's definition of a few hours have varied between like one hour and several days in the past. Hopefully, it's on the shorter sid??e today.

Wait, who do I blame now? Microsoft? Bobby Kotick still? Just ki??dding. Mostly.

Diablo 4 Season 2, Seaso?n? of Blood, launches soon�?on all platforms.

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The third and more than likely final season of the World of Warcraft: Dragonflight expansion is almost here. Guardians of the Dream will release on November 7 and bring with it an all-new zone—The Emerald Dream—a new faction, updates to Dragonriding, new character customizations, and a new public event. And just one week later the new raid, Amirdrassil, will open up for players to challenge. Inside the raid players will find new class tier sets as well as a new legendary weapon called Fyr'alath the Dream Render. Fina??lly, alongside the raid, a brand new Mythic + Seasonal rotation will begin as well as a new PvP season with a new PvP Brawl Mode called Battleground Blitz.

Enter the Emerald Dream

The Emerald Dream has long been an important location in World of Warcraft. More specifically, the Emerald Dream is an ethereal dimension that is ever-shifting spirits and nature magic. The realm itself de?fies mortal perception of reality and is home to the Emerald Dragonlight and Ysera.

Here players will team up with The Dream Wardens, ?a new Renown faction, as they fight against Fyrakk and his minio??ns. Blood Elves and Druids will get all-new character customization options to celebrate the update that focuses heavily on them both.

A new public event called Superbloom allows players to escort and protect a Wandering Ancient. If they succeed in doing ??so they will receive currencies and seeds as a reward. The seeds can than be planted to sprout an Emerald Bounty which is a greater reward for ??players.

Amirdrassil, the Dream's Hope

The new raider will allow raiders to challenge nine bosses in Amirdrassil, the Dream's Hope. In the end they will take on Fyrakk the Blazing, as he attempts to feast on the energies of Amirdrassil. The shadowflame dragon has been the big bad of the expansion, so it makes sense. Players who are ab??le to take down Fyrakk will get a shot at a new legendary weapon, Fyr'alath the Dream Render. The weapon can be used by Death Knights, Paladins, and Warriors.

Keeping with the new changes, all three tiers of difficulties for the raid, Normal, Heroic, and Mythic, will all unlock on November 14. Wing 1 of the raid will also unlock on Raid Finder, with a new wing opening each successive week throu??gh December 12.

Guardians of the Dream goes live on November 7.

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It has been an exceptionally eventful day over at Activision Blizzard's slice of the gaming world. In an email to staff, Bobby Kotick revealed that he is stepping down as CEO of Activision Blizzard after 32 years of leading the company. This news comes following the announcement that Microsoft's acquisition of Acti??vision Blizzard is complete.

Kotick isn't leaving immediately, and he'll remain CEO until the end of 2023. During this time, he'll be reporting to Xbox CEO Phil Spencer to faci??litate the company's integration into the Xbox family of first-party studios.

New days for Activision Blizzard

In Kotick's email, he expresses a positive attitude toward the acquisition, claiming it will allow Activision Blizzard to "deliver more fun, more joy, and more connection to more players than ever before." He also mentions several of the industry-defining franchises that have come from the company, including Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.

Following the acquisition, Activision Blizzard also released a public statem?ent revea?ling how, as Xbox's team, it'll continue its mission to "deliver the worl?d’s most epic interactive entertainment experiences to more people, more platforms, and across more worlds than ever before."

Kotick's career as Activision Blizzard CEO has been an eventful one filled with plenty of successes, including the acquisition of Candy Crush developer King in 2015. However, he has also been the subject of controversy, and there have been reports that he was awar????e of instances of sexual assault in the workplace.

We already have an idea of what will come from the acquisition, as Activision Blizzard announced that we can expect more of its games to hit Game Pass next year.

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UPDATE: Xbox CEO Phil Spencer has announced that Activision Blizzard Ki?ng is of??ficially a part of Microsoft. This means that a cornucopia of big franchises, from "Pitfall to Call of Duty, World of Warcraft to Overwatch, Candy Crush Saga to Farm Heroes Saga" now fall under the Xbox banner.

It appears that Microsoft may finally have its toes over the finish line when it comes to acquiring Activision Blizzard. The process began in 2022, and Microsoft has had to navigate several obstacles since then to finalize the deal. After plenty of negotiating, the UK's Competition and Markets? Authority has given its consent for the acquis??ition to close.

It was rumored that this was the case earlier in the week, but we now have an official statement. The step forward comes after Microsoft agreed to not acquire Activision Blizzard's cloud streaming rights, instead handing it over to Ubisoft. When commenting on Microsoft's concession, Martin Coleman, Chair of the Independent Panel, stated that the new deal is "bette?r for competition, better for consumer?s and better for economic growth."

What does Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard entail?

In a series of documents released by the CMA on October 13, it is explained that when the acquisition goes through, Activision Blizzard "will survive as a wholly owned subsidiary solely controlled by Microsoft and will cease to be distinct." Following renegotiations to appease the CMA, Activision's cloud st??reaming rights will be transferred to Cloud Newco, which will be acquired by Ubisoft.

This doesn't mean Microsoft is entirely out of the woods yet. One of the biggest concerns is that the acquisition will result in less competition within the gaming industry, specifically regarding cloud gaming. Consequently, the CMA has been given the right to appoint a trustee and the ability to ensure compliance with the undertakings set out to reduce Microsoft's monop??olization.

With the finalization of the acquisition, we know that Activision Blizzard expects far more of its titles to wind up on Game Pass. We could also be looking at many of the company's games becoming Xbox console exclusives, though big franchises like Call of Duty may be safe for now.

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Diablo 4 Community Director Adam Fletcher revealed on Twitter today that the ARPG will be Steam Deck Verified when it launches on Steam. Diablo 4 will be heading to Steam with the upcoming Season 2, Season of Blood. The second season releases on October 17 on all platforms, and will be the first time D4 is playable on Steam. The Store Page for the game on Steam has already been updated to i??ndicate its ve??rification.

This is honestly a pretty big move. The other Blizzard game that recently came to Steam, Overwatch 2, is Playable on Steam Deck but not Verified. One of the many issues players have with OW2 on Steam is its poor performance on Steam Deck.

The decision to make Diablo 4 Steam Deck Verified is a good one because the gameplay fits pretty naturally on a handheld device like the Steam Deck. The verification indicates that Valve has tested D4 on the device and can verify that it is fully functional and ??works great with the built-in controls and display.

A not?e on the verification page points out that the singleplayer gameplay will still require an active inte??rnet connection.

Diablo 4 comes to Steam and Steam Deck on October 1??7 with the launch of Season 2.

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No, you're not reading that wrong. Former late-night host and Cinderella star James Corden reportedly hosted a town hall meeting for Activision. The company, run by Bobby Kotick, is making headlines as Microsoft may close its $68.7 billion purchase of them on Friday.

According to sources speaking to Windows Central, an intern?al meeting between Kotick and employees recently occurred. James Corden, the 'mastermind' behind Carpool Karaoke, emceed the conference, much like Jamie Kennedy did at E3 2009: unnecessarily. Kotick, who has been CEO of Activision since 19??91, responded to a bevy of questions.

He talks about the potential for AI and VR, as well as Elon Musk's Neuralink. Weirdly, he also mentions that, with Microsoft's advanced technology, a potential Guitar Hero revival was teased. A repea?ted phrase that popped up a lot during the meeting was "magic", as Ko??tick believes Microsoft will keep it alive, just as Activision has for more than 40 years.

It seems like the company, likely to soon become part of Microsoft, wants to deliver fresh content to consumers. Having already absorbed studios Blizzard and King, Activision can finally work on creating a bigger legacy. However, it seems they want to experiment with new technologies more than to build upon what they have. Microsoft had said they wanted to compete with Apple and Google in mobile gaming, which led to them purchasing Activision. While some may dislike the company, Call of Duty, Candy Crush Saga, and World of Warcraft continue to make millions of dollars every year. Where the future might go is unclear. But please don't let James Corden be in Call of Duty.

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After years of negotiations with various regulatory bodies around the world, it appears that Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is nearing completion. This, of course, will bring some big changes to the gaming landscape, as Activision Blizzard has several major franchises under its belt, including Call of Duty and Diablo.

Many people have been eager to know whether the acquisition will result in more Activision Blizzard games landing on Game Pass. On Twitter, the company clarified that it currently has no plans to put Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Diablo 4 on Game Pass this year. However, once the deal with Microsoft closes, it anticipates that more of ????its games will show up on the subscription service as soon as next year.

The fate of Call of Duty following Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard

While many players may not particularly care about the economic factors surrounding the development of video games, the Activision Blizzard acquisition is impossible to ignore due to the massive impact it will have. Some players have been concerned about Call of Duty's future following the acquisition.

Microsoft has clarified that the franchise will not be a console exclusive, at least for the next decade. Xbox players will have an easier time accessing Call of Duty if it does become a Game Pass regular.

Signs indicate that the battle to finalize the acquisition may be coming to a close. After some criticisms from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Microsoft amended the deal, and reports indicate that it could close as soon as October 13.

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It would seem Microsoft’s long, uphill battle to acquire Activision Blizzard could be nearing its end. The Verge reports via an unnamed source that the deal could be closed by the end of next week, though they mentioned that is still tentative, as the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority could still ?threaten the successful closure of Mic?rosoft's long-sought deal.

If the deal is indeed closed by its target date of October 13 �?Friday the 13th �?that will mark the end of a nearly two-year long process for Microsoft to add the Call of Duty publisher to its rank and file.

It all began on January 18, 2022 when the deal was announced. In the nearly two years since the process began, a big concern has been whether or not this deal would impede competition in the gaming space. The focus has been on Call of Duty, a franchise that has been multi-platform for most of its life, but the con?cern could be applied to a great many fr??anchises. 

It’s a valid anxiety to have, given Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda Game Studios has made The Elder Scrolls VI, part of a series that has also been multiplatform since The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, to be exclusive to PC and Xbox. But, at least in regards to the Call of Duty franchise, Xbox head Phil Spencer committed to continuing its legacy as a multiplatform series. That hasn’t exactly impressed everyone involved in this debacle, including outgoing PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan. 

Microsoft's attempt to purchase Activision Blizzard has gone through several regulatory reviews, including a court battle with the United States Federal Trade Commission where Microsoft eventually won out. The FTC is appealing the outcome of its decision after failing to block it, with a decision on its appeal due to arrive in December. Otherwise, CMA has stood as essentially the last barrier to the deal going through, initially blocking the acquisition and now reconsidering after a restructuring of the deal.

As mentioned, the deal is not set in stone, though the CMA has an incoming deadline of today to gather opinion on whether it will allow the acquisition to continue. If the deal is greenlit to close on October 13, it will beat the revised deal deadline of October 18 by a narrow margin, thus ending this long and drawn-o??ut acquisition.

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Blizzard hosted the first of their two Devstreams regarding the upcoming Diablo 4 Season 2, Season of the Blood, yesterday. And, I have to say...it was actually pretty good. In the trove of quality-of-life changes and enhancements coming to the ARPG, a buff to the drop rate of Uber Uniques was mentioned. Diablo Designer Joe Shely followed up on Twitter afterward confirming the buffed drop rate.

Promising changes coming to Season of Blood

In the slide, Shely refe??rences, it mentions that players will have "Greater access to Uber Uniques via Uber Duriel". Duriel is the final of the five new bosses coming in Season 2. Players? will need to farm materials from earlier bosses in order to spawn him. In the tweet, Shely states that Uber Uniques will still be rare. But players who farm Uber Duriel are going to see them eventually. In its current form, there's no way to farm Uber Uniques and even players who spend hundreds of hours farming a season aren't likely to see them drop.

This is an immensely positive change for Diablo 4, and makes me hopeful about future development. The ability to actually target farm Uber Uniques, even if they still have a rare drop, at least gives players a goal. Blizzard has a history of refusing to chan?ge their philosophy on certain mechanics like drop rates. But the decision to make a big change like this is a big improvement over previous Blizzard? titles.

I'm still reserving my overall judgment for the fate of Season 2 because that will depend a lot on the new content of the season. But a lot of the changes that were announced simply make the game better. Blizzard plans to support Diablo 4 for years, so we're still very early on its lifecycle. If it plans to stand with other long-lasting ARPG's like Diablo 2: Resurrected, Diablo 3, and Path of Exile, updates like this are a big part of it.

Diablo 4 Season 2, Season of Blood, launches on October 17 on all platform??s.

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During the October 3 Diablo 4 Devstream about the upcoming Season 2, Diablo Community Manager Adam Fletcher casually revealed that Diablo 4 is coming to Steam. When Season 2, Season of Blood launches on October 17th, players will be able to download and play the ARPG through Steam. Earlier this year another Blizzard title, Overwatch 2, also came to Steam.

According to Fletcher, cross-play and cross-progression will work immediately on day one. Players on Steam and Battle.net will be able to party up and play together seamlessly on the same server. Despite being on the Steam platform, it looks like players will still require a Battle.net account to activate and play. This isn't too surprising since most modern-day Blizzard titles are built?? around the Battle.net network.

Platforms for platforms

You can already wishlist Diablo 4 on Steam via its own page. Looking at the store page, it appears they will be selling the?? Standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate editions as well. There's currently no pricing information, but it's likely it will follow the same price structure as the Battle.net version. Standard is $69.99, Deluxe? is $89.99, and Ultimate is $99.99.

It's pretty common knowledge that Steam typically takes about a 30% cut for sales through the platform. Of course, it's possible Blizzard has worked out a special deal that adjusts those terms. Regardless, it's a move that makes sense. Diablo 4 has been out for four months now, so ??anyone w??ho wanted to get in from the start has already done so.

In the event anyone is holding out just because they prefer to purchase through Steam, or has money in their Steam wallet from selling CS2 skins that might otherwise not be able to purchase Diablo 4 will have the ability to do so. Blizzard has already said they want to support Diablo 4 for years, so it makes sense to get it in the hands of as many players as possible. Hopefully, the fact that Diablo 4 is coming to Steam was always part of the plan, and not due t??o low p??layer numbers.

Diablo 4 will release on Steam on October 1?7 with the launch of Season 2, Season of Blood.

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Announced last year, Activision Blizzard's upcoming mobile entry, Warcraft Rumble will be hitting iOS and Android devices in exactly one month on November 3. The collectible action-strategy title was originally announced as Warcraft: Arclight Rumble but somewhere lost the Arclight along the way. Those interested in checking it out can pre-register with Battle.net, on the App Store, or via Google Play. Warcraft Rumble will be free-to-play, though I'm sure t??here?? will be a cash shop.

Pocket Warcraft

According to the Warcraft Rumble website, players can expect to collect over 65 Warcraft-universe minis as they play through multiple game modes including a single-player campaign, head-to-head PvP battles, and more. Each mini will have its own unique playstyle and strategy to take on Warcraft Rumble's c??ampaign and dungeons, leveling yo?ur army along the way.

A few of the iconic Warcraft characters listed on the website include the Human Mage Jaina Proudmoore, Horde Leader Grommash Hellscream, and even Elwynn Forest miniboss Hogger. There are actually some pretty cool characters, like Rend Blackhand and Baron Rivendare. As players complete challenges they will unlock more Leader??s and Spells, and eventually talents.

When Warcraft Rumble originally got announced, I wasn't too interested. But seeing all of the different characters and game modes it will be launching with, I'm willing to give it a shot. Just please don't have the same level of predator monetization that Diablo Immortal has. I know they aren't simi?lar in any way, but?? there's a reason Blizzard is making this a mobile game, right?

World of Warcraft crossover with Warcraft Rumble brings new toys

Starting October 3, players can find Warcraft Rumble Machines throughout Azeroth in World of Warcraft. More specifically, all four major Dragonflight zones as well as Orgrimmar, Stormwind, and Valdrakken. Players can collect their own Warcraft Rumble minis that are actual toys in WoW. There are seven in total and each one requires a Rumble Coin to unl?ock it at a Rumble Machine. There are also two foil versions which players can find scattered around the world.

This is a pretty cool event, to be honest. I could never really get into the pet battle and collecting system in WoW??, but the idea of their being foil versions makes me interested in collecting these mini?s.

Warcraft Rumble releases on iOS and Android on November 3.

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In a post on Twitter, Blizzard has revealed some statistics regarding the World of Warcraft Classic Hardcore. The Hardcore servers released 30 days ago, and so far almost 2 million character?? deaths have occurred over ??this timeframe. Under the server rules of these new realms, a single death results at the end of that character no matter your level. Whether your character meets its end at Level 1 or Level 60, the character is lost upon death, and players must start all over.

One simple change has energized World of Warcraft Classic

Interestingly, Hunters have met their untimely end the most by far. Over 400,000 Hunter characters have perished, which probably has more to do with it being the most popular class for Hardcore. As we mentioned in our World of Warcraft Classic Hardcore leveling tier list, Hunters are the best class. They have the ability to do insane burst damage, and an arsenal of pets to help draw aggro. This can easily save your life if you find yourself surrounded by unexpected respawns, or accidentally pu??ll too much. Even still, if you figure it'??s the most played class, that can also equate to the most deaths.

On the other end, Shamans have the least deaths by far, with just over 75,000 in total. Unfortunately, Shamans aren't exactly the best option for WoW Classic Hardcore. They are extremely gear-dependent to deal much damage, and there are just tankier and more efficient options when it comes to their utility. It's not to say that Shaman is bad in any way, there are just b??etter options when trying to reach max le??vel before dying a single time.

I jumped into WoW Classic Hardcore back when the servers dropped, ??and found the added element to be pretty fun. However, after being extremely safe for hours—I was level 19, in fact—I suffered a disconnect and when I logged back in I was dead. Not exactly the most fun way to lose hours of progress. Even though I enjoyed th??e ride, that was about it for me. Unfortunately, I'm way too busy to risk losing hours of progress due to a disconnect out of my control.

One thing that World of Warcraft Classic Hardcore has shown me though, is that I really want World of Warcraft Classic + to be a real thing. Let's see it Metzen!

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Just a couple of weeks ago General Manager of Diablo Rod Fergusson revealed that the team had two streams worth of new stuff for the upcoming Season 2, Season of Blood. Now, we know the exact dates of those two streams. Blizzard revealed today that the first s?tream will take place on October 4 at 11 a.m. PDT.

This first stream will unveil the vampiric scourge that is front and center with the new Season 2 theme, Season of Blood. Alongside going over the new seasonal content, this stream will also detail the many quality-of-life updates coming to Diablo 4 throughout Season 2. Confirmed features to be discussed are Stash Tab updates, functionality, improvements to dungeons, m??ounts, and more. The stream will?? end with a Q&A with players.

Then, just six days later, the Diablo 4 team will host a Campfire Chat on October 10. The focus of this stream will be to deep dive into upcoming class balance changes. Also, we can expect to learn more about new reworks coming t??o several of the in-game systems.

Those interested in watching the streams can do so via the official Diablo Twitch and YouTube channels once live.

Season 1 was prett??y disappointing. We already know Season 2 will have some new bosses, but I don't think that alone will be enough new content to reel me back in. Hopefully, we get some promising information from the two streams that gives me a reason to play Season 2.

Diablo 4 Season 2, Season of Blood, releases on October 17. The new season will start at the same time for players on PC, X????box, and PlayStation.

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In January 2022, Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard for a whopping $68.7 billion. Since then, Microsoft has had to overcome several hurdles to get the deal approved in various regions. The UK has been one of the biggest obstacles, though it appears s??ome important progress has been made.

A press release from the Competition and M??arkets Au?thority reveals that it is pleased with the adjustments Microsoft has made to the deal following prior objections. As previously reported, Microsoft w??ill no longer purchase Activision Blizzard's cloud gaming rights. Instead, they will be sold to Ubisoft. This is being done to stave off any sense of Microsoft's monopolizat?ion of cloud gaming.

Following the restructured deal, the CMA still had some remaining concerns about how "certain provisions in the sale of Activision’s cloud streaming rights to Ubisoft could be circumvented, terminated, or not enforced." However, after Microsoft offered additional remedies, the CMA concluded that the "add?itional protection should resolve those residual concerns."

What happens if the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard goes through?

Commenting on the new deal, Sarah Cardell, CEO of the CMA, stated that "Microsoft has now substantially restructured the deal, taking the necessary steps to address our original concerns." It is true ?that the deal has significantly changed, as Microsoft will no longer have owner?ship of Activision Blizzard's cloud gaming.

Microsoft president Brad Smith?? also issued a public comment on the deal, saying they are "encouraged by this positive devel?opment" in the review process.

Nevertheless, should the deal go through, it will significantly expand Microsoft's footprint in the gaming world. It'll introduce several major IPs to the company's gaming stable, including Crash Bandicoot, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch. Microsoft will also gain ownership of Call of Duty, though it has committed to keeping the first-p?erson shooter multiplatform.

It should be stressed that this doesn't mean that the deal has been finalized in the UK. If the deal is approved, Microsoft will be one step closer to sealing the largest gaming acquisition in history. The deadl??ine for the closure is currently set for October 18.

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The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has rated Sledgehammer Games' upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 ahead of its November 10, 2023 release. In the contents of the ESRB rating summary, the board may have revealed new freight delivery, No Russian-style mi?ssion.

2009's Modern Warfare 2 featured one of the m?ost controversial main?stream video game missions, where players opened fire on civilians in a terrorist attack. Though 2011's Modern Warfare 3 had its own take on the shocking sequence, the mission didn't receive quite as much attention. Since then, Call of Duty hasn't done much similar. However, as reported by Eurogamer, the ESRB may have just revealed that Sledgehammer Games has a similar mission planned for Modern Warfare 3.

Is Modern Warfare 3 (2023) revisiting the 2009 No Russian mission?

As for the specifics, ??here's part?? of the ESRB's summary on the No Russian-style mission:

"A handful of sequences depict more intense acts of violence: terrorists taking over an airplane; terrorists (dressed as police officers and paramedics)? shooting/killing fleeing civilians inside a stad?ium concourse; airline passengers getting shot on a plane; prisoners shot inside a cell."

The new Modern Warfare trilogy has, granted, been fairly gruesome and violent in its own right. 2019's title, for example, featured a waterboarding scene among various other disturbing sequences. Last year's sequel felt a tad tamer in comparison, but it seems Modern Warfare 3 may revisit some of th??e series??' most shocking scenes.

Curiously, the ESRB notes m??arijuana use as well. The agency mentions a "move in which marijuana smoke from a bong can be forced into an opponent's face". There's ?also the usual language, blood, and zombie dismemberment, but none of this is out of the ordinary.

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In an interview with GameSpot, World of Warcraft Game Director Ion Hazzikostas hinted that another old-world revamp of Azeroth is "likely to happen". The last time this happened was the 2010 WoW expansion Cataclysm. According to Hazzikostas, the development team would learn lessons from Cataclysm which got a lot of negative criticism for deleting parts of the 2004-era WoW that many players ?loved. The goal would be to use modern solutions to preserve currently existing pieces of the game.

"We are definitely open to it at some point," Hazzikostas told GameSpot. "It is a shortcoming, if you take a step back and think about World of Warcraft as an ongoing living world, if we've kind of painted ourselves into a corner where we have all thes?e ??iconic locations but we can't really use them because they've already been used."

Even though not everyone likes this sort of change, it's definitely an understandable situation for WoW. The popular MMORPG turns 20 next year and much of the current game world exists on old technology and assets. However, with the popularity of World of Warcraft: Classic, it's eas?y to understand why the hesitance is there. Even though the t??wo games run separately from each other, a part of the player base prefers the old content.

[caption id="attachment_403050" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

New expansion on the horizon

Blizzard revealed the final update of the current expansion World of Warcraft: Dragonflight yesterday. The update will pave the way for the next WoW expansion which may get a reveal at BlizzCon 2023. The event takes place November 3-4 and the announcement is expected to come in the opening ceremony. Even though Hazzikostas didn't confirm when the revamp will happen, we could see it as soon as this next expansion. However, it's also possible we see the s?tart of the revamp, but not the entire thing. The complete overhaul could take place over the course of the expansion or even several expansions.

Dragonflight has been one of the better expansions recently, so hopefully the new expansion builds upon it. Legendary writer Chris Metzen, one of the original creators of Warcraft, recently returned to Blizzard. Hopefully, he's a large part of the creative process and can help build upon the positives of Dragonflight.

Looking back, Cataclysm was definitely not the greatest expansion. Other than visually, the world revamp felt like a downgrade as opposed to an upgrade in many ways. I wouldn??'t mind seeing a more modern take on a complete overhaul though, using what Blizzard has learned over the last 20 years.

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