In the space of two days, Microsoft has announced long term partnerships with two different cloud gaming services. It is posited that the technology giant is rolling out a wide-ranging strategy to make good with regulators, who hold the keys to the clearance of an Activison Blizzard acquisition worth a reported $68.7 billion. Microsoft is facing significant push back from numerous international regulatory bodies, due to fears of anti-competitive impacts from a possible Activison Blizzard purchase.

Xbox Gaming CEO Phil Spencer today tweeted about the deal with the Taiwan-based company Ubitus K.K: "A leading cloud gaming provider, have signed a 10-year partnership to stream Xbox PC Games as well as Activision Blizzard titles after the acquisition closes. Our commitment is to give more players, more choice."

On Tuesday, Microsoft and NVIDIA announced the companies have agreed to a 10-year partnership to bring Xbox PC games to the NVIDIA GeForce NOW cloud gaming service, which has more than 25 million members in over 100 countries. The agreement will enable gamers to stream Xbox PC titles from GeForce NOW to PCs, macOS, Chromebooks, smartphones and other devices. It will also enable Activision Blizzard PC titles, such as Call of Duty, to be streamed on GeForce NOW after Microsoft's acquisition of Activision closes.

"Xbox remains committed to giving people more choice and finding ways to expand how people play," said Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer. "This partnership will help grow NVIDIA's catalog of titles to include games like Call of Duty, while giving developers more ways to offer streaming games. We are excited to offer gamers more ways to play the games they love."

Blizzard is about to shut down its services in China today, as it was unable to reach a favorable partnership renewal with NetEase, the Chinese company handling Blizzard's business in the Chinese market, including local regulatory compliance, geographic localization of servers, and accepting payments. NetEase CEO William Ding said the partnership renewal negotiations fell apart due to "material differences on key terms." This means gamers in China no longer have a means to play the genre-defining MMORPG "World of Warcraft," "Starcraft," and other popular titles. A lot has changed in China's domestic gaming industry over the past two decades, and there are dozens of popular game studios with their titles in the MMORPG genre.

Diablo IV, the next generation installment in the genre-defining series by Blizzard Entertainment, will be released on June 6, 2023. Diablo IV will feature cross-platform play and progression on Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, plus couch co-op on consoles at launch.

"We are excited to soon be opening the gates to our most brutal vision of Sanctuary yet with Diablo IV," said Rod Fergusson, general manager of Diablo. "We are bringing the darkness of the original game, fusing it with the progression elements of Diablo II and the visceral combat of Diablo III, culminating in the vast, active overworld of Diablo IV, which has been built to be supported for years to come. Players will have more choices than ever before as they battle unspeakable horrors, explore dungeons, collect Legendary loot, and uncover what the return of Lilith, the Blessed Mother, means for the world of Sanctuary."

The Federal Trade Commission is seeking to block technology giant Microsoft Corp. from acquiring leading video game developer Activision Blizzard, Inc. and its blockbuster gaming franchises such as Call of Duty, alleging that the $69 billion deal, Microsoft's largest ever and the largest ever in the video gaming industry, would enable Microsoft to suppress competitors to its Xbox gaming consoles and its rapidly growing subscription content and cloud-gaming business.

In a complaint issued today, the FTC pointed to Microsoft's record of acquiring and using valuable gaming content to suppress competition from rival consoles, including its acquisition of ZeniMax, parent company of Bethesda Softworks (a well-known game developer). Microsoft decided to make several of Bethesda's titles including Starfield and Redfall Microsoft exclusives despite assurances it had given to European antitrust authorities that it had no incentive to withhold games from rival consoles.

World of Warcraft : Dragonflight, the ninth expansion to Blizzard Entertainment's critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game, is now live! Heroes of the Horde and Alliance are called back to Azeroth to explore the mystical Dragon Isles and its ancient secrets, where the dragon aspects have returned to reclaim their kingdom and ancestral home.

"Dragonflight goes to the heart of what players have always loved about World of Warcraft—exploration, customization, and the feeling of wonder as the world and its stories unfold," said Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Entertainment. "The updates to core systems, such as the new talent trees, build on the legacy of WoW for players of all types, allowing old friends and new to enjoy everything Azeroth has to offer for years to come."

As the world's leading e-sports equipment brand, GTPLAYER announced its official partnership with Blizzard Entertainment to launch the GTPLAYER Lich King co-branded gaming chair, which is also GTPLAYER's largest collaborative series to date, and will be released globally on October 24. "World of Warcraft" is definitely high on the list of the masterpieces enjoying worldwide popularity, and among the "World of Warcraft" series, the Lich King is one of the most popular, with well-rounded and successful characters and countless fans who have found love and hate in him.

This September is destined to be extraordinary for the existing players of "World of Warcraft". Blizzard officially announced that the "Wrath of the Lich King" content will be launched in the World of Warcraft Classic on September 26. The Lich King once again reigns in the world, which is enough to excite millions of fans.

Rather than another leak of performance numbers for NVIDIA's upcoming RTX 4090 and 4080 cards, the company has shared some performance numbers of their upcoming cards in Overwatch 2. According to NVIDIA, Blizzard had to increase the framerate cap in Overwatch 2 to 600 FPS, as the new cards from NVIDIA were simply too fast for the previous 400 FPS framerate cap. NVIDIA also claims that with Reflex enabled, system latency will be reduced by up to 60 percent.

As for the performance numbers, the RTX 4090 managed to 507 FPS at 1440p in Overwatch 2, using an Intel Core i9-12900K CPU, at the Ultra graphics quality setting. The RTX 4080 16 GB manages 368 FPS, with the RTX 4080 12 GB coming in at 296 FPS. The comparison to the previous generation cards is seemingly a bit unfair, as the highest-end comparison we get is an unspecified RTX 3080 that managed to push 249 FPS. This is followed by an RTX 3070 at 195 FPS and an RTX 3060 at 122 FPS. NVIDIA recommends an RTX 4080 16 GB if you want to play Overwatch 2 at 1440p 360 FPS+ and an RTX 3080 Ti at 1080p 360 FPS+.

Today marks the beginning of a new era for Blizzard Entertainment's award-winning franchise: Overwatch 2 is live now and free to play worldwide with cross-platform play and progression for all players on Windows PC via Battle.net, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch consoles! Setting the stage for years to come, Overwatch 2 will receive substantial seasonal updates, often including features such as new heroes, maps, game modes, cosmetics, and more released at a regular cadence.

Log in today to play as the recently unveiled support hero Kiriko: a fierce protector with a heart of gold. She joins tank hero Junker Queen and damage hero Sojourn as three game-changing women rounding out a playable roster that now includes 35 heroes. And what's a new era without a new look and feel? Going live today are updated appearances for every hero, numerous hero ability kit reworks, a new five-versus-five multiplayer format, six new maps, the new Push game mode, a new ping system, a redesigned competitive mode, and more—all experienced through updated graphics and audio engines. Additionally, the diverse cast of characters has never felt more alive, with over 40,000 new voice lines in the game.

AMD today released the latest version of the AMD Software Adrenalin drivers. Version 22.10.1 beta comes with optimization for "Overwatch 2," the hot new online shooter from Blizzard. The drivers also fix a couple of outstanding issues. The first one fixes "GPU for image processing" preference not being available in Adobe Lightroom, with graphics cards such as the Radeon RX 6000 series. The second one is an application crash experienced with "Street Fighter 6" beta. With this release AMD also acknowledges identifying several new issues, which it will fix in future releases.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Software Adrenalin 22.10.1 beta

The ancestral home of dragonkind is stirring as Blizzard Entertainment today announced Dragonflight, the ninth expansion for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft, will be released worldwide on November 28 at 3:00 p.m.

"Dragonflight was crafted with our incredible community in mind and with the desire to return to what we all love most dearly: the splendor of Azeroth and its characters, with our players cast as heroes," said World of Warcraft executive producer Holly Longdale. "We invite everyone into this new adventure where we will bask in the landscape of dragons, become a part of their ancient legacy, and watch the secrets of this land unfold together."

The icy winds of Northrend are wailing once more, heralding news that Blizzard Entertainment's Wrath of the Lich King Classic is now live. All players with an active subscription automatically receive access to the re-creation of WoW 's acclaimed second expansion at no additional cost and can log in to begin their adventures into the frozen wilds of Azeroth's northern continent today. The legendary story can be experienced on all realms previously dedicated to World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic content.

Players will embark on a treacherous adventure through lush locales, battling foes unlike those found anywhere else in Azeroth, and will fulfil numerous quests before confronting the iconic Lich King in Icecrown Citadel and putting an end to his heartless destruction. This journey includes the rise of the fearsome Death Knight hero class, available to all players (even new ones!) and starting at level 55, the original iteration of the World of Warcraft achievement system to recognize various accomplishments in the game, and the Inscription profession, which enables players to scribe ability-enhancing glyphs that alter the appearance and modify the properties of spells and abilities.

Microsoft's USD $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision-Blizzard is running into hurdles with competition regulators in both the UK and the EU, with both Brussels and London hinting at a thorough investigation into the impact the acquisition will have on competition in their respective markets. Microsoft is already a game publisher under Microsoft Games Studio, and makes at least two leading gaming platforms—the Xbox and Windows PC; whereas Activision-Blizzard own a constellation of dozens of game developers, and a mountain of IP over some of the most valuable game franchises of all time.

Britain's Competition and Markets Authority has hinted that the acquisition warrants a "second-phase investigation" since it has concerns that the deal would "result in a substantial lessening of competition within a market or markets in the United Kingdom." Over in Brussels, the EU market regulators, too, are taking a closer look at what the deal could entail for European consumers. Sony Computer Entertainment is particularly unhappy with the acquisition, and is the primary source of opposition to the deal that's invoked by regulators. Sony fears that with this acquisition, Microsoft will be in a position to deny popular game franchises such as "Call of Duty" to the PlayStation platform, and will have too much control over whether Sony can deliver an experience comparable or better than that of the Xbox.Many Thanks to DeathtoGnomes for the tip.

Blizzard Entertainment announced today that Dragonflight, the next expansion to the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft, is now available for pre-purchase and is set to launch later this year. In Dragonflight, players will embark to the awakening Dragon Isles, the origin place of dragonkind, where the fabled dragon aspects have returned to claim their rightful home.

The Dragon Isles feature four lush new zones for players to adventure through on their journey to the new level cap of 70: the vibrant Waking Shores, the verdant Ohn'ahran Plains, the sprawling Azure Span, and the resplendent Thaldraszus. Dragonriding, a new method of aerial movement, empowers players to soar through the skies of each new area in style atop customizable Dragon Isles Drakes. The isles are home to the all-new playable Dracthyr allied race, who mix the magics of the dragonflights with ranged damage and healer specializations as a solely dedicated Evoker hero class that start off at level 58.

Blizzard Entertainment announced today that Diablo IV, the next generation installment in the genre-defining series, is debuting in 2023. Blizzard also announced that Diablo IV is coming to Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, alongside versions for Windows PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, with cross-play and cross-progression enabled for all platforms. Inside Sanctuary—a realm long embattled by the devastating wars between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells—decades have passed since the events of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, but the world remains plagued by a sinister, corrupting force. And now Lilith, the Daughter of Hatred, has been reborn in the mortal world and is determined to rule over Sanctuary once more.

Joining the battle alongside iconic classes Barbarian, Sorceress, Rogue, and Druid is the legendary Necromancer, the fifth playable character class, which returns with newly designed undead mechanics. Players will be able to utilize the Necromancer's Book of the Dead, an all-new ability for the class, allowing them to dominate the battlefield with deeper customization of their undead army than ever before. Fight with aggressive skeleton Warriors, fast-attacking Skirmishers, sword and board Defenders, or scythe-wielding Reapers. Unleash a litany of spells with Skeleton Mages, imbuing them with shadow, cold, and sacrificial magics. Deploy tanking Bone Golems, health-stealing Blood Golems, and charging Iron Golems. Or sacrifice them all to absorb their power.

Overwatch 2 is launching in early access with dynamic new PvP content releasing on Windows PC and Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch consoles on October 4, kicking off the next chapter for Blizzard Entertainment's acclaimed team-based shooter. Featuring a new five-versus-five multiplayer format with cross-platform play and cross-platform progression, Overwatch 2's PvP experience is designed to offer incredible and fresh competitive gameplay with a new, free-to-play model and major game updates such as new heroes, hero reworks, maps, modes, and premium cosmetics.

At launch, players will have an opportunity to get their hands on the newest tank hero to join the roster, the ruthless Australian-born ruler of Junkertown: the Junker Queen. More details on the Junker Queen, Overwatch 2's live service model and seasonal content plan, and the upcoming phase of the game's closed beta testing will be shared during the Overwatch 2 Reveal Event livestream on YouTube.com/PlayOverwatch or Twitch.tv/PlayOverwatch this Thursday, June 16, at 10:00 a.m. PDT.

Millions of viewers around the world today watched the world premiere cinematic trailer for Frost Giant Studios' eagerly-anticipated real-time strategy game, Stormgate. Southern California-based Frost Giant Studios was founded in 2020 by Tim Morten and Tim Campbell, veteran game development leaders who helped create some of the most acclaimed and best-selling PC games of all time-as well as some of the most-watched esports-including Blizzard Entertainment's WarCraft III and StarCraft II.

"We are building Stormgate for the real-time strategy community--past, present, and future," said Tim Morten, CEO and production director at Frost Giant Studios. "Our vision is to create a social experience that breaks down the barriers that have kept people away, to welcome back players who have been waiting for the next great RTS, and to prove that the RTS genre can thrive once again."

The Lord of Terror has been defeated, but darker days lie ahead for Sanctuary's newest heroes. Diablo Immortal, the latest, all-new entry in Blizzard Entertainment's iconic Diablo franchise, is live and available for download free on iOS and Android mobile platforms, and in open beta on Windows PC via Battle.net, throughout most regions of the world, with select Asia-Pacific regions coming June 22. In celebration of the launch and in gratitude to the more than 35 million people who pre-registered for Diablo Immortal, all players who log in to the game and complete the tutorial within the next 30 days will be able to deck out their characters to battle demons in style with the ceremonial Horadrim Cosmetic Set.

"We're thrilled to now be able to put the newest entry in the Diablo series in players' hands," said Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Entertainment. "The visceral gameplay, dark story, and depth of character customization that Diablo is known for are all here in Diablo Immortal. And with this being a AAA free-to-play Blizzard game, it was important to us to give players a full and highly engaging core game experience—including upcoming features, character classes, story, and more—completely free."

Thursday will see Blizzard's most ambitious take on the MMO genre—taking it to the mobile platform exclusively, with "Diablo Immortal." The game is being launched as "free to play," and like most titles built on this business-model, you buy in-game items to improve your gameplay, some of these are lootboxes. Blizzard decided to not release the game in countries with laws against lootboxes. This would mean that gamers in The Netherlands and Belgium would miss the game, Blizzard will not release or support the game for players from these countries. Even if they manage to install the game somehow (eg: using a VPN), Blizzard says it cannot guarantee that such players won't be banned from the game (because even playing the game would be illegal).

The Worldstone is shattered, and it now falls to the heroes of Sanctuary to fend off the terrors rising in its wake. Blizzard Entertainment today announced that beginning June 2, players in most regions across the world will take up the call to defend against the Burning Hells in Diablo Immortal, the first Blizzard game designed from the ground up for mobile, with the remaining regions in Asia-Pacific gaining access a few weeks later. n addition to offering an uncompromised AAA experience on mobile, the most ambitious game released in the Diablo franchise's 25-year history will enter into Open Beta on Windows PC at launch. Diablo Immortal supports both cross-play and cross-progression, allowing Sanctuary's heroes to join the fight with each other regardless of platform while being able to seamlessly transition between mobile and PC gameplay. The Open Beta on PC will contain all game features, including cross-play and cross-progression, and upon conclusion all progress will be maintained.

"The demons of the Burning Hells are ready to be slain in the most expansive Diablo game that Blizzard has ever released," said Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Entertainment. "As Blizzard's first game designed from the ground up for mobile, it was important to us to deliver an experience worthy of the franchise, so we did a lot of testing, incorporated a lot of feedback, and created a game that we're very excited to share with players. We're looking forward to unleashing this epic new entry in the Diablo franchise, and we can't wait to join everyone in Sanctuary." With the fate of Sanctuary in their hands, players will choose between six iconic Diablo classes-Barbarian, Crusader, Demon Hunter, Monk, Necromancer, or Wizard-and embark on a journey through eight unique zones and the great city of Westmarch. They will join up with new and familiar Diablo characters, including the franchise's patriarch Deckard Cain, on an expansive quest to hunt down the shattered pieces of the corrupted Worldstone before the forces of the Burning Hells can gather them for their own sinister plans in an epic all-new story taking place between the events of Diablo II and Diablo III.

From his grim citadel deep in the frozen continent of Northrend, the dreaded Lich King Arthas Menethil sets in motion his conquest of Azeroth, ushering in one of the most unforgettable sagas in Warcraft history. Blizzard Entertainment today announced that World of Warcraft : Wrath of the Lich King Classic is coming later this year, inviting players to experience anew an adventure that indelibly shaped the ongoing story of Warcraft. When it launches in 2022, this finely tuned re-release of the smash-hit 2008 expansion will be available at no additional cost to all players with an active World of Warcraft subscription.

"We're thrilled to revisit one of the most beloved eras in Warcraft history with Wrath of the Lich King Classic," said Mike Ybarra, President of Blizzard Entertainment. "The original release of this expansion brought many improvements to the game, along with a timeless villain and an epic story. We're taking care to preserve the authentic Classic experience for those looking to relive their glory days in Northrend—and deliver a worthy and accessible re-creation for those embarking on this vast adventure for the first time."

With three billion people actively playing games today, and fueled by a new generation steeped in the joys of interactive entertainment, gaming is now the largest and fastest-growing form of entertainment. Today, Microsoft Corp. announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard Inc., a leader in game development and interactive entertainment content publisher. This acquisition will accelerate the growth in Microsoft's gaming business across mobile, PC, console and cloud and will provide building blocks for the metaverse.

Microsoft will acquire Activision Blizzard for $95.00 per share, in an all-cash transaction valued at $68.7 billion, inclusive of Activision Blizzard's net cash. When the transaction closes, Microsoft will become the world's third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony. The planned acquisition includes iconic franchises from the Activision, Blizzard and King studios like "Warcraft," "Diablo," "Overwatch," "Call of Duty" and "Candy Crush," in addition to global eSports activities through Major League Gaming. The company has studios around the word with nearly 10,000 employees.

Activision Blizzard, Inc. today announced the hiring of two senior executives to help the company build a more inclusive workplace as well as diversify and grow its revenue. Julie Hodges, Senior Vice President, Corporate HR and Compensation, Benefits and Talent Acquisition at The Walt Disney Company, will become Chief People Officer, effective September 21. Sandeep Dube, Senior Vice President, Revenue Management at Delta Airlines, will become Chief Commercial Officer, effective September 27.

"These two outstanding leaders from companies with exceptional reputations will help us achieve our goal of becoming the best company to work for in the entertainment industry while growing our reach, engagement and player investment," said Bobby Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard. Ms. Hodges brings more than three decades of global human resources experience in entertainment and an impeccable record of shaping corporate culture. She will be responsible for the company's global talent organization, making Activision Blizzard the destination for top talent. In her role, she will lead all aspects of human resources, including diversity, equity and inclusion, talent acquisition, employee experience, learning and development, compensation and benefits and workforce planning.

"You are not prepared!" Fourteen years ago, Illidan Stormrage issued that thunderous warning to those who would dare confront him in the shattered realm of Outland. Starting June 1, heroes of Azeroth new and old will have the opportunity to gather their courage and rally their allies to face the Betrayer once again with the worldwide launch of World of Warcraft : Burning Crusade Classic.

Burning Crusade Classic, Blizzard Entertainment's authentic recreation of the acclaimed first World of Warcraft expansion, sends players back through the Dark Portal to the shattered realm of Outland—a distant, fel-scarred planet where the forces of the demonic Burning Legion prepare to mount an assault against all life on Azeroth. Featuring a strange and treacherous new world to discover; two new playable races, the blood elves and draenei; and the all-new ability to soar and explore upon flying mounts in Outland, Burning Crusade Classic will give WoW veterans and newcomers alike a chance to experience a timeless era of Warcraft adventure.

Blizzard, a popular game developer, has today implemented NVIDIA's latest technology for latency reduction into its first-person shooter—Overwatch. Called NVIDIA Reflex, the technology aims to reduce system latency by combining the NVIDIA GPUs with G-SYNC monitors, and specially certified peripherals, all of which can be found on the company website. NVIDIA Reflex dynamically reduces system latency by combining both GPU and game optimizations, which game developers implement, and the gamer is left with a much more responsive system that can edge out a competitive advantage. Today, we get to see just how much the new technology helps in the latest Overwatch update that brings NVIDIA's Reflex with it.

Blizzard has tested three NVIDIA GPUs: GeForce RTX 3080, RTX 2060 SUPER, and GTX 1660 SUPER. All three GPUs cover three different segments, so they are a good sign of what you can expect from your system. Starting from the GeForce GTX 1660 Super, the system latency, which was measured in milliseconds, was cut by over 50%. The middle-end RTX 2060 SUPER GPU experienced a similar gain, while the RTX 3080 was seen with the smallest gain, however, it did achieve the lowest latency out of all GPUs tested. You can check out the results for yourself below.