Microsoft buys Activision, maker of Diablo, Warcraft, and Call of Duty, for $69 billion

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 ]
News tagged with: #foreseeable future #video games #publishing giant

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Winter Institute 2024: Bookselling Activists Call for Words and Deeds

At the ABA Community Forum, held at Winter Institute 2024 in Cincinnati on February 14, a developing coalition of booksellers spoke on behalf of Palestinians under fire in Gaza and advocated for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Microsoft is teaming up with Semafor on AI-assisted news stories

Microsoft is teaming up with media website Semafor on a new project that uses ChatGPT to aid in the creation of news stories, The Financial Times has reported. It's one of several journalistic collaborations Microsoft is set to announce today, and follows a New York Times lawsuit filed against... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-02-05 12:43:20 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘I Heard Her Call My Name,’ by Lucy Sante

Lucy Sante recounts the trials and joys of her gender transition in the memoir “I Heard Her Call My Name.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-02-03 10:14:55 UTC ]
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When They Got the Call: PW Speaks with the 2024 Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz Winners

We spoke with the three big ALA Award winners about their initial reactions to the news. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-23 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Canada Calls for AI Input With Copyright Needs Still Unmet

Ottawa is working through an AI inquiry while Canada's publishing industry is 'still waiting for ministers to honor their commitment.' The post Canada Calls for AI Input With Copyright Needs Still Unmet appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-01-16 13:58:06 UTC ]
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In Wales: Graffeg Buys World Rights to a Kids’ Book on Immigration

The Dandelion's Tale by Margaret Anne Suggs is being published by Graffeg Books and helps children understand more about immigration. The post In Wales: Graffeg Buys World Rights to a Kids’ Book on Immigration appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-01-12 18:03:28 UTC ]
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'New York Times' Sues OpenAI, Microsoft for Copyright Infringement

The suit, said to be the first AI-related action filed by a major American media company, alleges that AI services from both multibillion dollar companies are businesses “built on mass copyright infringement,” with potentially massive implications for the future of journalism. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-27 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Skyhorse Buying Regnery Publishing

After a deal to sell Regnery Publishing appeared to be dead in November, Salem Media Group has signed an agreement sell the conservative publisher to Skyhorse Publishing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Bobby Kotick's reign at Activision Blizzard ends December 29, 2023

We knew it was coming, but now we have a date: Bobby Kotick will officially step down as CEO of Activision Blizzard on December 29, 2023. Blizzard and King vice chairman Humam Sakhnini will also leave at the end of December, Activision Blizzard chief communications officer Lulu Meservey is out... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-12-20 19:42:25 UTC ]
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Chris Bowen calls on News Corp to sack Andrew Bolt for column saying Australians sick of ‘kowtowing to the primitive’

Columnist lashes out after climate change minister makes speech during Cop28 declaring ‘profound respect’ for Indigenous people’s care for landFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails,free app or daily news podcastChris Bowen has called on... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-12-14 05:53:25 UTC ]
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China Literature Buys Tencent Animation and Comics

Pursuing its strategy of seeking to further leverage IP, China Literature, China's dominant online publishing and e-book company, has bought Tencent Animation and Comics for 600 million yuan (US$83.6 million). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-13 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Year End: Cambridge University Press Reports Record £1 Billion in Revenue

England's merged Cambridge University Press & and Assessment reports record revenues and numbers of users in 2022-2023. The post Year End: Cambridge University Press Reports Record £1 Billion in Revenue appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-12-12 20:15:01 UTC ]
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B&T’s Aman Kochar Reflects on the Changes He Has Made Since Buying the Company Two Years Ago

Baker & Taylor’s Aman Kochar has embraced the wholesaler’s role as a conduit between libraries and publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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AAP Calls Big Tech's AI Arguments 'Nonsense'

In comments submitted to the U.S. Copyright Office this week, the Association of American Publishers slammed assertions by the tech industry that fair use permits AI developers to use copyrighted works to train their systems without permission or compensation. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-06 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Canadian Publishing Calls Out Ottawa’s Inaction

Seeing no follow-through on the Canadian government's promise to review the Copyright Modernization Act, a coalition asks for a meeting. The post Canadian Publishing Calls Out Ottawa’s Inaction appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-11-30 18:54:10 UTC ]
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All the best Black Friday deals of 2023 from Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy and others

Black Friday 2023 is finally upon us, and even though the sales seemed to start a little earlier this year, most of the deals are still going strong. Plus, we're seeing a few brand new deals that went live early this morning. We at Engadget care most about consumer... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-11-25 00:10:35 UTC ]
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Arundhati Roy calls the siege of Gaza “a crime against humanity.”

In a video address to the Munich Literature Festival yesterday, the human rights activist and Booker Prize-winning author of The God of Small Things Arundhati Roy made a powerful speech in solidarity with the Gazan people, and with the millions around the world marching for a ceasefire. Roy—who... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-17 17:42:49 UTC ]
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IAC and News Corp call out generative AI companies for scraping their content without compensation

During News Corp’s and IAC’s latest earnings calls, the publishers reiterated their anger toward generative AI companies scraping their content without permission or payment — and what they think the next steps will be. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2023-11-17 05:01:00 UTC ]
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Black Friday 2023: The best early deals from Amazon, Target, Best Buy and more

With each passing year, the phrase "Black Friday" becomes more of a misnomer. What was once a day of post-Thanksgiving special offers has become a month of sales promotions from retailers across the web. It's happening again in 2023: Target and Best Buy are already... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-11-03 16:30:54 UTC ]
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