Gaming News - Page 114

All the latest gaming news, with everything related to PlayStation releases (PS4 & PS5), Xbox, PC Games, Nintendo Switch & plenty more - Page 114.

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Internal Microsoft doc hints advertisements could come to Xbox games or Game Pass

Derek Strickland | Jun 29, 2023 10:04 AM CDT

Advertisements may become a larger part of the Xbox gaming business in the long-term future.

Internal Microsoft doc hints advertisements could come to Xbox games or Game Pass

Over the past few months, we've talked a lot about how the Xbox business could evolve. At $16 billion dollar in annual revenue, Microsoft's video games unit is clearly able to make strong earnings...but what about profits? Recent testimony from Microsoft CFO Amy Hood discussed Xbox's profit margins but these values were predictably redacted.

How can Xbox continue to grow when it is 3rd place in the console market, spending big on Game Pass, and also invested in costly and unsuccessful attempts like Project xCloud? The games unit will need to find new ways to monetize its platform of 120 million monthly active users, and advertising revenue could be the next big step.

Continue reading: Internal Microsoft doc hints advertisements could come to Xbox games or Game Pass (full post)

Sony says it 'does not typically require subscription exclusivity' for games on PS Plus

Derek Strickland | Jun 28, 2023 10:05 PM CDT

Sony legal counsel and/or the FTC have accidentally uploaded a poorly-redacted document that reveals key insights on PlayStation's business practices.

Sony says it 'does not typically require subscription exclusivity' for games on PS Plus

Sony and Microsoft are known for their third-party exclusivity deals. Sony's agreements in particular have led to big-budget games like Final Fantasy XVI outright skipping Xbox. These deals offer commercial and operational incentives like upfront payments, direct access to console engineers, and the opportunity to release a game more quickly.

What about subscriptions like Game Pass and PlayStation Plus? Microsoft has already revealed the dynamics of its Game Pass deals, with developers receiving things like an initial payout and earnings based on engagement within the title. Sony, on the other hand, has mostly kept quiet on how it handles its PlayStation plus deals.

Continue reading: Sony says it 'does not typically require subscription exclusivity' for games on PS Plus (full post)

Microsoft may have significantly lowered Windows license prices for NVIDIA's GeForce Now

Derek Strickland | Jun 28, 2023 7:05 PM CDT

The FTC v Microsoft federal case gives more insight into how Microsoft eventually got NVIDIA to get on board with the $68.7 billion Activision merger proposal.

Microsoft may have significantly lowered Windows license prices for NVIDIA's GeForce Now

When Microsoft announced it was planning to buy Activision for nearly $70 billion, NVIDIA had originally opposed the deal. In today's evidentiary hearing of the FTC v Microsoft case, NVIDIA's SVP of gaming Jeff Fisher gave insight on how Microsoft allayed NVIDIA's concerns about the merger affecting cloud gaming.

In his testimony, Fisher said that a secondary attachment to the main Microsoft-NVIDIA agreement had solved NVIDIA's worries on the merger. The add-on is called the Windows Addendum, and it seems to have significantly lowered the licensing fees that NVIDIA has to pay Microsoft to secure Windows OS licenses (possibly among other things).

Continue reading: Microsoft may have significantly lowered Windows license prices for NVIDIA's GeForce Now (full post)

Satya Nadella wants to remove all game exclusivity: 'I have no love for that world'

Derek Strickland | Jun 28, 2023 5:43 PM CDT

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella strongly dislikes video game exclusivity and wants all of Microsoft's software everywhere it can possibly be.

Satya Nadella wants to remove all game exclusivity: 'I have no love for that world'

Today Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella gave testimony in the federal FTC v Microsoft court case, and shared his views on one of the most powerful and lucrative business tactics in the interactive entertainment industry: Exclusives.

"If it was up to me I would like to get rid of exclusivity on consoles," Nadella said. "The dominant player has defined market competition using exclusives. I have no love for that world."

Continue reading: Satya Nadella wants to remove all game exclusivity: 'I have no love for that world' (full post)

Bobby Kotick indicates Activision games could come to subscription if the price is right

Derek Strickland | Jun 28, 2023 3:23 PM CDT

During his testimony at the FTC v Microsoft federal hearing, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick says that Activision titles could be made available on content library subscriptions and cloud streaming services if the commercial incentive is large enough.

Bobby Kotick indicates Activision games could come to subscription if the price is right

While Activision currently has no strategy in its long-term plan (which is a 3-year period) to include Activision-Blizzard games like Call of Duty, Diablo, and others on a multi-game content library subscription service like Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium, the executive today indicated that it's not an impossibility.

Microsoft or Sony would just have to make it worth Activision's while and offer up a substantial monetary incentive. In other words, Activision games could show up on subscription services...but the price would be very high.

Continue reading: Bobby Kotick indicates Activision games could come to subscription if the price is right (full post)

Can't wait for the Zuck vs Musk cage fight? Find out who'll win with this free browser game

Darren Allan | Jun 28, 2023 10:51 AM CDT

Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg might be set for a cage fight - or at least some of the gossip from the rumor mill claims - but if you're keen on getting some big-tech-CEO brawling action right now, well, you can simulate the bout in a freshly released browser game.

Can't wait for the Zuck vs Musk cage fight? Find out who'll win with this free browser game

The freebie Zuck vs Musk 'techbro beatdown' is the brainchild of the designer of Bejeweled, and founder of Blue Wizard, Jason Kapalka (as PC Gamer reports). It's actually a modified spin of an existing Blue Wizard game, WrestleBros, but with Musk and Zuckerberg starring as the wrestlers.

You can partake in a match against the computer, or versus a human opponent (playing against a local player on the same PC, or online), with wins facilitating upgrades.

Continue reading: Can't wait for the Zuck vs Musk cage fight? Find out who'll win with this free browser game (full post)

Red Dead Redemption rated in Korea, could be RDR1 remaster

Derek Strickland | Jun 28, 2023 10:04 AM CDT

Rockstar's original Red Dead Redemption has suspiciously been re-rated by Korea's Game Rating and Administrative Committee, hinting at a possible remaster.

Red Dead Redemption rated in Korea, could be RDR1 remaster

It looks like Red Dead Redemption could be getting a remaster. Korea's GRAC ratings board has just published a final decision for Red Dead Redemption, giving it a mature rating. GRAC received the application earlier this month on June 5, 2023, and made a decision on June 16, 2023.

This new rating is separate from the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game. The new rating does not list a platform so it's hard to be sure.

Continue reading: Red Dead Redemption rated in Korea, could be RDR1 remaster (full post)

FTC economist witness unprepared to illustrate size and scope of Activision's megaton games

Derek Strickland | Jun 28, 2023 9:29 AM CDT

Despite opinions of the contrary, data shows that Activision-Blizzard is a unique video games company. The publisher routinely generates multiple billions of dollars every year principally from three major franchises--Call of Duty, Warcraft, and Candy Crush. In my coverage on the Microsoft-Activision merger, there's been one point that I've reiterated over and over: Activision is an absolutely massive force in the video games industry.

FTC economist witness unprepared to illustrate size and scope of Activision's megaton games

Unfortunately, this is something that the FTC's key witness, the economist Dr. Robin Lee, failed to adequately demonstrate to federal judge Jacqueline Scott Corley. Lee was provided with a valuable opportunity to illustrate the full magnitude of Activision Blizzard King's presence in the industry.

Judge Corley had asked Lee specifically what other Activision games are important--much of the focus of today's hearing was on the $31 billion Call of Duty franchise, and rightfully so because that series is one of the consistently best-earning franchises ever created--but there's a lot more to Activision's billion-dollar portfolio.

Continue reading: FTC economist witness unprepared to illustrate size and scope of Activision's megaton games (full post)

AMD partners with Bethesda for Starfield, FSR 2 confirmed for both PC and Xbox

Kosta Andreadis | Jun 27, 2023 11:27 PM CDT

"AMD is proud to announce that we are Bethesda's exclusive PC partner for the next-generation role-playing game, Starfield," reads the announcement. As one of the biggest PC releases of the year (or decade), the 25-years-in-the-making sci-fi RPG epic from the studio behind Skyrim is out in September.

AMD partners with Bethesda for Starfield, FSR 2 confirmed for both PC and Xbox

AMD notes that it has worked closely with the team at Bethesda Game Studios on the release of Starfield across the PC and Xbox versions. This makes sense, as Xbox features AMD hardware for its CPU and GPU.

AMD highlights that optimizations have been made for multi-threaded processing for both PC and Xbox, with added support on PC for the new Ryzen 7000 series of processors and the new Radeon RX 7000 series graphics cards. FSR 2 upscaling will be available in the game across PC and Xbox Series X|S hardware.

Continue reading: AMD partners with Bethesda for Starfield, FSR 2 confirmed for both PC and Xbox (full post)

Sony's Jim Ryan: Kotick asked to negotiate Call of Duty to 'cover himself' if merger fails

Derek Strickland | Jun 27, 2023 6:26 PM CDT

Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan tells federal courts that he believes Activision CEO Bobby Kotick wanted to make a separate side deal to ensure Activision games, including Call of Duty, would continue shipping on PlayStation if the $68.7 billion merger with Microsoft fell through.

Sony's Jim Ryan: Kotick asked to negotiate Call of Duty to 'cover himself' if merger fails

In 2022, the bosses of some of the most powerful forces in gaming came together in Brussels to share their opinions of the Microsoft-Activision merger with the European Commission. Among them was PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan and Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, two men that have enjoyed a prolonged business relationship that has spiraled upward into a multi-billion dollar arrangement.

In private, Ryan allegedly told Kotick:"I don't want a new Call of Duty deal. I just want to block your merger." Now in today's recent evidentiary hearing in the FTC v Microsoft federal case, Ryan clarifies on what led up to that eye-opening statement.

Continue reading: Sony's Jim Ryan: Kotick asked to negotiate Call of Duty to 'cover himself' if merger fails (full post)