United Kingdom regulators were effectively the last hurdle stopping Microsoft from purchasing Activision Blizzard, in the biggest merger the video game industry has ever seen. That hurdle was cleared this morning as the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority relented to adjusted terms. With the nearly $70 billion purchase now officially complete, Microsoft unveiled a victory blog post, complete with an extended showcase of its now-combined intellectual property with Activision, Blizzard, and King. The CMA’s sticking points included Microsoft’s prospective dominance in the unfolding game streaming market, and Microsoft’s concessions were deep. When it initially blocked the merger early this year, regulators said that the combined publishing giant could effectively monopolize games streamed to consumers without the need for local PCs or consoles, as is already the case with Xbox Game Stream and the all-you-can-eat Game Pass subscription. Microsoft’s concessions to the UK include a block on exclusivity for cloud streaming for all existing Activision games, crucially including the massive Call of Duty shooter franchise. The block will continue for 15 years, with streaming rights sold (or surrendered, depending on your point of view) to French mega-publisher Ubisoft. Significantly, this will allow Call of Duty to be streamed to players on the PlayStation for the foreseeable future. With the UK and EU obstacles out of the way, the United States Federal... Continue reading at 'PC World'
[ PC World | 2023-10-13 14:10:14 UTC ]
Even compared to this year’s other brutal weeks for American journalism, the past seven days have been particularly turbulent. Last Wednesday, the publishing giant McClatchy reported severe liquidity problems along with its third-quarter results; its share price has since collapsed from $2.28 to... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review
[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2019-11-20 13:10:34 UTC ]
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Indie 404 Ink has landed a part-memoir, part-investigation of how video games can positively impact mental health from journalist Joe Donnelly. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-31 16:31:20 UTC ]
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The brand strategy behind the best-selling book series expanding to Netflix, toys, and video games. When my son Henry was seven he hated reading. Hated it. Loved the story part, hated the reading part. Now 10 years old, Henry is rarely farther than arm’s length away from a book.Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2019-10-30 07:00:43 UTC ]
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The kids in “Look Both Ways,” a National Book Award finalist, share hustles, jokes, video games, board tricks, secret messages and private dreams. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-10-08 20:46:07 UTC ]
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In recent months, a shareholder battle has roiled Le Monde, which is effectively France’s paper of record. In October 2018, staff and readers, representatives of whom own 25 percent of its parent company, lashed out after one of Le Monde’s shareholders furtively sold a chunk of his stake to a... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review
[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2019-10-08 12:07:56 UTC ]
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The incoming prime minister’s Shakespeare: The Riddle of Genius was scheduled for October 2016, but has been pushed back multiple timesThe riddle of Shakespeare’s genius must remain unsolved, for now at least, after Boris Johnson’s publisher said on Wednesday morning that the new prime... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-07-24 13:09:42 UTC ]
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Hodder and Stoughton has shelved plans to publish Boris Johnson’s long-delayed book on Shakespeare “for the foreseeable future” after he was announced as the next Prime Minister. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-23 01:30:30 UTC ]
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Welcome to the latest edition of Ad Age Publisher’s Brief, our roundup of news from the world of content producers across digital and print. Got a tip? Send it our way. Joining us late? Here’s the previous edition. A private word: Back in April, The New York Times announced the launch of... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-07-17 18:51:36 UTC ]
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Welcome to the latest edition of Ad Age Publisher’s Brief, our roundup of news from the world of content producers across digital and print. Got a tip? Send it our way. Joining us late? Here’s the previous edition. Food for thought: Back in April, The New York Times announced that it would be... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-07-11 19:24:56 UTC ]
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The company that recently bought has found someone to run it: a small media company called Maven. Authentic Brands Group bought Sports Illustrated from publishing giant But in a filing Monday,... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2019-06-18 15:21:07 UTC ]
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Bad news, Moby fans: The book tour is off. On his website, the electronic musician announced he was canceling all upcoming appearances. “Moby is canceling all upcoming public appearances for the foreseeable future,” the statement reads. “We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. All... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-05-29 21:50:00 UTC ]
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Plus unfortunate controversy in the competitive 'Overwatch' scene, a publishing giant goes on the market, and more gaming news. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2019-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The late Peter Mayer is remembered as the man who made the Penguin Group 'the world’s most admired and successful publishing company.' The post At Peter Mayer’s Memorial Service: Appreciation for a Publishing Giant appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The U.S.-based DK imprint, which publishes strategy guides to video games, will stop commissioning new titles immediately, and will be discontinued in spring 2019. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Headline will publish a book about the history of video games by comedian and gaming expert Steve McNeil. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The role-playing adventure books sold 20m copies in the 80s, before being eclipsed by video games. Now they’re back with a new story by Charlie Higson, can they captivate the web generation?Ian Livingstone calls it the “five-fingered bookmark”: that grip known to children of the 80s and 90s.... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fred Santarpia, Conde Nast's chief digital officer, discussed the publishing giant's paywall strategy, e-commerce plans and more. The post More paywalls are ‘highly likely’: A Digiday+ Slack town hall with Conde Nast’s Fred Santarpia appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2018-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For decades, the creators of movies, comic books and video games have dreamed up a future where giant robots engage in combat. Inspired by their childhood fandom and aided by extensive expertise in robotics, Matt Oehrlein and Gui Cavalcanti decided to make that fantasy a reality. Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal
[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2017-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook revealed the most talked about video games and consoles on its platform during Gamescom, the German trade fair taking place Aug. 22 through 26. During the week of Gamescom, Facebook said more than 14 million users were behind 29 million interactions (posts, comments, Reactions and... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2017-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The beleaguered FTSE 100 firm strengthens balance sheet by selling a 22% stake to Bertelsmann in deal valuing the publishing giant at $3.55bn Pearson has sold a 22% stake in Penguin Random House, the world’s biggest publisher, with titles ranging from Fifty Shades of Grey, Jamie Oliver and The... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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