GamesIndustry

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Nearly two dozen members of US Congress have signed a letter calling for the Federal Trade Commission to abandon its legal challenge against Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

The letter is signed by 22 Republicans and addressed to FTC chairperson Lina Khan and commissioners Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya.

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15.5 million games were sold across Europe last month, according to the latest GSD data.

This data covers digital games from most major AAA games publishers, and physical retail games from the big European countries. Full list below.

Five million games were sold via physical retail, with the remaining 10.5 million via digital download stores.

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The GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit has added four new speakers to the bill.

The Summit will take place at BAFTA's HQ in London on Wednesday, September 27th. Tickets are on sale now.

Video games business and development leader Gina Jackson OBE has joined the event to host a roundtable titled: Can male allyship confront toxicity against women.

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The US Supreme Court has turned down a request from a group of consumers trying to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

The group of plaintiffs filed an emergency request on Saturday in an attempt to defeat the deal before the July 18 deadline. But a court filing, spotted by Seeking Alpha, shows this was rejected yesterday by Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan.

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Neopets has announced that it is now an independent company.

The firm shared the news in a statement detailing its new direction for the team.

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EA, Bungie, and Kongerate alums have formed a new games studio Look North World.

The developer was established by Alex Seropian, Jay Pecho, Patrick Moran, Kyle Marks, Aaron Marroquin, and Prashant Patil.

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Staff at Roblox have reported a climate of marginalisation of minorities and a lack of diversity efforts, according to a new report.

Current and former employees spoke to Bloomberg describing their experiences of marginalisation at Roblox, which include discriminatory and racially charged language and a lack of diversity across the company, with few efforts to address it leading staff to seek employment elsewhere.

One such incident occurred in 2021 when a female employee recalled the moment a vice president used racially discriminatory language when referring to the employment of female managers. The VP was subsequently put through a disciplinary process and issued an apology. They currently still work for the company.

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When I was asked if I'd like to speak to James Robinson, the creator of Wordle-like browser game Waffle, I wasn't especially enthusiastic.

After Wordle took the world by storm, there was a rush of similar games: Quordle, Factle, Heardle… Waffle was simply another one of those. The hook I was given is that Robinson – a solo developer based in Portsmouth, UK – had struck a deal with Amazon that gives Prime subscribers an exclusive daily Waffle game. That's certainly a little more interesting, but I still wasn't convinced.

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UKIE has today announced 11 new principles curated by sectors of the UK games industry to provide guidance on paid loot boxes.

The main objectives of these principles, published in full on UKIE's website, include restricting the ability for under-18s to purchase loot boxes without the consent of a parent, carer or guardian, and providing transparent information for players via targeted public information campaigns.

The newly-released document further advised that paid loot boxes need to be disclosed before purchase and download, and that they need to be designed in accordance with age rating systems like PEGI.

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Microsoft and Activision are reportedly in talks to extend today's deadline for the former's proposed $69 billion acquisition.

The deal was due to be completed by the end of today (Tuesday, July 18). If it is not, Microsoft is expected to pay a $3 billion fee to Activision Blizzard and renegotiate the terms and price of the acquisition.

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The appeal process against the UK's block on Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been paused for two months.

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard were due to face the Competition and Markets Authority in court next week after the regulator said it would not approve the $68.7 billion deal earlier this year.

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Almost 20 major UK games companies have already signed-up to a new pilot programme to benchmark in the video games industry.

The project is being run by GamesIndustry.biz and our sister company XpertHR, which currently offers the same service across a number of different industries. The project is designed to help companies pay their teams fairly and retain talent.

The pilot programme is live now and runs until the end of July. All data is confidential and anonymised, so nothing can be traced to your company or any individual.

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UK game alums have formed the indie studio Scallywag Arcade.

Its founding teams' experience includes Merge Games, Evolution Studio, and Just Add Water.

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Portable gaming consoles will be required to have replaceable batteries by 2027 to comply with a new European Union law.

On July 10, the European Council voted for a new regulation to implement sustainability rules for batteries.

Manufacturers will be required to make batteries accessible for consumers using commercially available or specialised tools, and provide instructions and safety information.

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Like most annual franchises, Football Manager is not built from the ground up every year. The game is iterated upon, with various improvements and additions keeping the game fresh while still holding true to everything Sports Interactive has built before.

This, however, is about to change.

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Microsoft has announced that it will launch Xbox Game Pass Core, the rebranded Xbox Live Gold, on September 14.

The service will setback users $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year. The subscription will provide consumers access to its multiplayer network, more than 25 games, and various deals.

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James Batchelor and Christopher Dring discuss a busy week in the ongoing saga that is Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Following the denial of the FTC's preliminary injunction, the denial of its request for an extension to the temporary restraining order, and the denial of its appeal, there is seemingly nothing to stop Microsoft completing the deal in the US before its deadline tomorrow. And with a ten-year deal signed with Sony to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation, the barriers do seem to be lowering.

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Larry 'Major Nelson' Hryb has announced he is leaving his position as director of programming at Xbox Live.

Hryb joined Microsoft in 2001 and moved to the Xbox team in 2003. He spent two decades with the company and was known for his work within the Xbox Live community.

"After 20 incredible years, I have decided to take a step back and work on the next chapter of my career," he shared in an announcement posted to Twitter on July 14.

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UK supermarket chain Tesco will no-longer stock physical video games in its 2,800 stores, Gamesindustry.biz can reveal.

Once the current range of games have sold out, the firm will not be giving any more shelf space to games products. The one exception are digital points cards, which will remain available through its outlets.

The supermarket chain says it's due to the move from its customers "towards digital entertainment".

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TinyBuild does not use AI to spy on employees, CEO Alex Nichiporchik said in a statement.

Nichiporchik has responded to criticism of his presentation, 'AI in Gamedev: Is My Job Safe?' at Develop:Brighton last week.

WhyNowGaming suggested that the TinyBuild CEO recommended managers and HR should use AI to identify "problematic team members."

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Turkey is the latest market to give the thumbs up to Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Spokespeople from both companies announced last week that Turkish regulators have "unconditionally" approved the $68.7 billion deal.

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Original story, July 16, 2023: Another key concern around Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard appears to have been resolved as the former claims it has reached an agreement with rival Sony regarding Call of Duty.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer announced the arrangement via Twitter, writing today that the two platform holders have "signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty of PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard."

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The Federal Trade Commission's last-ditch effort to block Microsoft from acquiring Activision Blizzard before the $68.7 billion dollar deal's deadline has failed.

The FTC filed an appeal with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal after US District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley denied the regulator a preliminary injunction that would prevent Microsoft from completing the deal before the Commission's administrative hearing in August.

Judge Corley also denied the FTC an extension to the temporary restraining order that was put in place while the hearing for the injunction took place.

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A voice actor who worked on Genshin Impact alleges they have not been paid for months.

The accusations came from Brandon Winckler, whose professional credits include Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, Monster Hunter: Rise, and Honkai: Star Rail.

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The Sub-Saharan gaming sector hit $863 million in consumer revenue in 2022.

A new report from Newzoo and Carry1st says the figure is up 8.7% year-on-year.

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People Can Fly, the developer behind Outriders, has established a studio in Montreal.

As reported by VGC, the new office joins the company's locations throughout Poland, England, and the US.

The Montreal studio will develop a AAA project led by creative director Roland Lesterlin.

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We racked our collective GI brain for another topic for This Week In Business. We tried, we really did. But there's no escaping it. The thing that must be discussed (yet again) is Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Before you reach for that little 'x' that closes the tab, let's make this as painless as possible with the use of the time-honoured Q&A format and more than a smattering of analysts' insights.

On the off-chance you somehow missed the news this week (if so, have we ever told you we have a daily newsletter?), here's what happened:

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LightSpeed Studios has acquired Destruction AllStars developer Lucid Games.

The UK-based developer revealed the news on Twitter, sharing that it would "continue to enjoy full independence in the games that we create and the operation of the studio, while having the support from LightSpeed Studios' global network and technology capabilities."

Neither Tencent or Lucid Games have disclosed the amount linked to the acquisition.

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During the first six months in Japan, the Nintendo Switch moved 1.94 million consoles across its three model units.

Here's what you need to know for Japan's H1 2023:

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Content warning: Article contains references to racism and racial violence

A Destiny 2 player has been ordered to pay nearly $500,000 in damages to Bungie after racially harassing a community manager last year.

As reported by Game Developer, the unnamed employee featured artwork from a Black creator, Detrick 'Uhmaayyze' Houchens, as part of a spotlight on community members. In response, the player obtained the community manager's personal information and began a campaign of "racist, stochastic terrorism" towards them and their family, the court said.

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Xbox will be supporting a third-party cloud gaming service for the first time, with Anstream Arcade launching on July 21.

The retro streaming platform will provide players with over 1,300 games on the Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, including Space Invaders, Pac Man, and Mortal Kombat. Its catalogue includes titles from Atari, Commodore, Sega, Nintendo, and PlayStation consoles.

Players will be able to choose between an annual subscription to the platform for $29.99 or $79.99 for lifetime access. The service will be available in Europe, UK, USA, and Canada.

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Arm is reportedly in talks with Nvidia to bring the company in as an anchor investor ahead of its IPO.

This is according to the Financial Times, who talked to sources close to the matter. The publication reported that Arm has plans to float on a New York stock exchange as early as September.

The negotiations reportedly underway focus on Arm's valuation, with the SoftBank-owned chip manufacturer hoping to get an investment that'd value it around $80 billion, while Nvidia is aiming for a value between $35 billion to $40 billion.

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Media Molecule has updated Dreams' usage terms, allowing players to use some of their creations outside of the platform's ecosystem.

In a blog post published on Wednesday, the developer clarified that it won't apply to all creations, but personal and commercial use of music, animation, films, and art made in Dreams will be allowed outside the game.

Users will only be allowed to use creations they made themselves.

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The CMA will no longer make its final order on the Activision Blizzard merger next week, the regulator has announced.

Originally the CMA was expected to block the deal formally on July 18, but Microsoft has submitted a 'detailed and complex' proposal that says there has been changes in circumstances. Microsoft has suggested that the CMA should not adopt its plans to block the deal as a result.

The CMA says there is not enough time to consider Microsoft's submission thoroughly, and so has decided to extend the period in which to look at the proposal by six weeks. The revised period will now end August 29, although the CMA hopes to reach a conclusion before that time.

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Engine maker Unity has unveiled its new feature Safe Voice, technology that intends to detect toxic game behavior.

The tool analyzes tone, loudness, and pitch to provide insight to game studios to maintain more positive communities.

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The Polish games industry generated €1.3 billion throughout 2022, up 11% year-on-year.

A new report from the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, Creative Industries Development Center, and Game Industry Conference in Poland says digital distribution makes up 85% of game sales in the country.

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Naughty Dog's live-action adaptation of The Last of Us has been named in 24 Emmy categories.

The series trails behind another HBO drama, Succession, leading with 27 nominations.

The Television Academy has it up for drama series, Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series, and Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series categories.

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Today, in a keynote, EA provided details for EA Sports FC 24, its new rebranded football title.

The show kicked off with CEO Andrew Wilson sharing a story of his youth as a football fan, culminating in the executive sharing that the firm eventually aims to connect with one billion football fans.

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