The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) regulatory body has today delivered its provisional approval of Microsoft's proposed purchase of the Activision Blizzard group, but has added that it will conduct further reviews into the topic of whether the buyout will have any detrimental effect on competition in the area of cloud gaming services: "where the CMA is continuing to carefully consider the responses provided in relation to the original provisional findings. The CMA's merger investigation continues, and it remains due to issue its final report by 26 April 2023."

The antitrust watchdog's stance looks to have changed in a significant way since February, when it declared that Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard had the potential to "harm U.K. gamers". New evidence has been presented to the CMA in recent weeks, and its members have moved to provisionally conclude that: "overall, the transaction will not result in a substantial lessening of competition in relation to console gaming in the UK."

Today Daedalic Entertainment and NACON announced that their highly anticipated adventure game, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, will release to PC, PlayStation, and Xbox on May 25th. A version for Nintendo Switch is planned for later this year.

Based on the beloved The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, the fantasy game takes players on an epic journey across Middle-earth, starring one of the lore's most compelling characters: Sméagol - *Gollum, Gollum*.

Microsoft is still deep into its negotiations with several international regulatory bodies regarding the buyout of Activision Blizzard, with a deadline looming it seems that tensions are rising. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) needs a lot of convincing since it regards the proposed takeover as a serious threat to Sony's ability to compete with Microsoft, with the ownership of the Call of Duty series being a main focus. Sony has expressed concern about the blockbuster franchise becoming a potential Xbox console exclusive in the future - Microsoft has pledged to continue development on PlayStation platforms for a proposed 10-year period, with no technological compromises and a promise to release all versions simultaneously on launch days.

In its latest testimony given to the UK's CMA, Microsoft has made a (slightly odd) suggestion that Sony should figure out a way to make its own answer to the Call of Duty series: "Microsoft considers that a period of 10 years is sufficient for Sony, as a leading publisher and console platform, to develop alternatives to Call of Duty.…The 10-year term will extend into the next console generation.… Moreover, the practical effect of the remedy will go beyond the 10-year period, since games downloaded in the final year of the remedy can continue to be played for the lifetime of that console (and beyond, with backwards compatibility)."

In the far future, armadas from surrounding systems have suddenly waged war on Earth. You are a pilot from the Ares Squadron, flying the fastest, most dangerous crafts ever made. You're outgunned, outmanned, and strapped into a flying coffin.

Terminal Velocity : Boosted Edition runs the original Terminal Velocity natively on modern systems with the Infernal Engine, rendering the original graphics with an improved HUD for widescreen displays!

Global video game publisher Good Shepherd Entertainment has revealed a new partnership to adapt series creator Mike Mignola's Hellboy franchise, published by Dark Horse Comics. Developed by Upstream Arcade, Hellboy Web of Wyrd is an upcoming roguelite action-adventure game in development for all major gaming consoles and PC. It features an original storyline crafted in collaboration with Mignola, as well as the renowned voice talents of Lance Reddick as Hellboy himself. Mignola has also designed the game's unique key art.

"Adapting the Hellboy comics to a game is a dream project for all of us. The opportunity to create something authentic—that's something we take very seriously," said Amanda Kruse, Publishing Director at Good Shepherd Entertainment. "Our partnership with Mike Mignola and the creative team at Dark Horse has been inspiring. The support and trust they've given us has allowed Upstream Arcade to bring their vision to life. Hellboy Web of Wyrd is a bold new work we are excited to share with fans of the comics and action-adventure games alike."

Audeze, the leading audio technology brand and pioneer of high-end gaming audio products, today announces Maxwell, a new ultra-low-latency wireless PC & console gaming headset with class-leading 80+ hours of battery life. Two versions of Maxwell will be available: Maxwell for Xbox & PC is officially licensed by Microsoft and includes the first auto-activating Dolby Atmos license, while Maxwell for Playstation & PC supports Tempest 3D Audio. Maxwell is the latest release from Audeze in a line of purpose-built gaming headsets like the LCD-GX and Mobius which have garnered rave reviews for their innovations in audio performance and headtracking.

Connect and game anywhere, without limitations. Maxwell provides ultra-low-latency, high-resolution audio up to 24-bit 96 kHz when connected to the included USB dongle. Low-latency wireless range and stability are improved up to 3X from the award-winning Audeze Penrose headset. Maxwell features many wired and wireless connection options including the latest Bluetooth 5.3 LE Audio technology, supporting the LC3 and LC3plus codecs. In addition, Maxwell supports classic Bluetooth codecs like SBC, AAC and LDAC for high-quality portable audio. Maxwell also supports lossless high-resolution audio up to 24-bit 96 kHz over wired USB.

Publisher Meridiem Games is thrilled to announce the signing of the hand-drawn, enigmatic, point & click adventure The Many Pieces of Mr. Coo from solo developer Nacho Rodriguez coming to PC and consoles in 2023.

The Many Pieces of Mr. Coo transports players to a surreal and amazing world, beautifully created in hand-drawn 2D animation, combining hilarious puzzles with point & click adventure gameplay. With over 20 years of experience as a 2D animator, solo developer Nacho Rodiguez is creating a gameplay experience unlike anything players have experienced before. Players must guide the protagonist Mr. Coo, who is trapped in a surreal nonsensical world where quirky characters and crazy situations are hidden around every corner. Fans who would like to experience some of the innovative gameplay The Many Pieces of Mr. Coo will offer when it's released can download an early PC demo from Steam here as well as add the game to their wishlist for PC and on PlayStation at the PlayStation Store.

Skullcandy, the #1 selling brand in Stereo Headphones and True Wireless Earbuds under $100, announced today its re-entry to the gaming category with a trio of value-packed headsets for all skill levels. Offering compatibility across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and mobile, the all-new SLYR, SLYR Pro and PLYR Multi-Platform Gaming Headsets were purpose built for gamers, delivering rich, detailed sound, crystal-clear communications and all-day comfort. The collection is rolling out now at Skullcandy.com, starting at $59.99 MSRP for SLYR and ranging to $129.99 MSRP for PLYR.

"Everyone knows Skullcandy offers a premium sound experience and getting back into gaming is something our fans have been requesting for years-We're stoked to release our new multi-platform gaming collection into the wild," said Jason Luthman, Director of Global Product Management, Skullcandy. "As gamers will attest, exceptional audio, seamless communication and comfort are absolutely crucial. From illuminating unique nuances with personalized audio profiles, to executing crystal-clear player-to-player comms, we packed PLYR, SLYR Pro and SLYR with the must-have technologies gamers demand for fully immersive play."

SteelSeries has released a pair of new headsets that builds on its well known Arctis-series, but brings with it a much more modern and premium looking design. Besides the overhaul of the design, SteelSeries has added support for 360 degree spatial audio and the company has also updated its GameDac, which is built around the ESS Sabre 9218PQ40 Quad-DAC. Other new features include an "AI-powered" noise cancelling microphone and a new headband design that's meant to be more comfortable. The wired Arctis Nova Pro comes in a PC and Xbox version, both sporting multi-system connect with dual USB inputs, although 3.5 mm jack input is also supported. A nice touch is that the ear pads are attached with magnets and should as such be easy to replace.

The Arctis Nova Pro Wireless on the other hand comes in three different versions, with a dedicated Xbox and Playstation version, as well as a PC version. Here, SteelSeries has also added active noise cancelling, which is not a feature you find on many gaming headsets. The ANC is using a 4 microphone hybrid system and has support for transparency mode. SteelSeries has replaced the GameDac with a wireless base station for the three wireless versions, which also charges the batteries, as SteelSeries has gone for user swappable battery packs. A 15 minute charge gives you three hours of usage, and a fully charged battery is good for up to 44 hours. Interestingly there's also an eight second power buffer, which allows you to hot swap the batteries, if you're fast. The wireless side of things consists of a proprietary low latency 2.4 GHz radio, as often is the case for wireless gaming headsets, as well as Bluetooth 5.0 support. There's support for simultaneous use of both wireless standards, which is a nice touch and something we've seen from a couple of SteelSeries competitors. The Arctis Nova Pro has an MSRP of US$249.99, with the wireless version costing US$349.99.

System Shock Remake developer Nightside Studios has announced that the modern-graphics rendition of the original immersive sim is "largely complete" - at least when it comes to its PC version. The developer has announced that PC content development of the game is finished, and is considered to be in a pre-Beta stage as the developer aims to bring up development for the games' console releases for a cross-platform launch (PlayStation, Xbox and PC) later this year.

The System Shock Remake being developed by Nightdive Studios has had a relatively troubled development, with the developer previously announcing it had to scale back production on the game due to an unintended "feature creep" as they strove to update the games' mechanics towards our current videogame design expectations and sensibilities.

If you're a fan of From Software's games - and that requires that you have slight masochistic tendencies and enjoy evocative world building more than most - there are good news for you. From Software has confirmed that the game will be released come January 21st 2022 in all major platforms - including the all-dominating PC sphere. The game's worldbuilding has been crafted by both From Software's veteran Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R. R. Martin (of Game of Thrones fame), and will feature an open-world game with horse riding and the usual From Software design philosophy. Check out the game's trailer after the break, and as always: prepare to die.

CD Projekt RED (CDPR), the maker of popular games like Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, has just published company's quarterly earnings report. The video game maker is responsible for the development of the most anticipated game in the year 2020—Cyberpunk 2077. Featuring Hollywood star Keanu Reeves, the game was teased multiple times with an amazing delay that happened three times. A bug-ridden debut happened and the overall gaming experience was very unpleasant, leading to an unprecedented move from PlayStation maker Sony. The Japanese company has delisted Cyberpunk 2077 from its PlayStation store, which caused a big impact to CDPR's sales figures.

Today, we got the exact details. The Q1 numbers are down, with net profits down by 67% to 32.5 million zlotys (Polish national currency), revenue down 2% to 197.6 million zlotys, and selling costs that soared 79.6% to 62.1 million zlotys. The company shares have tumbled down by around 10% since the Q1 report, closely following the outlook of the quarter. What remains for CDPR is to re-engage the Cyberpunk 2077 community and repair the game so it can reach its full potential, and give players a chance to finally enjoy the whole experience the game has to offer. This will hopefully get the company's financials back on track.

Sony was in discussions with Epic Games to bring six of their first-party titles to PC as Epic Games Store exclusives and was offered a 200 million USD minimum guarantee contract in return. These talks did not succeed with Sony bringing their exclusive titles such as Horizon Zero Dawn and Days Gone to both Steam and the Epic Games Store. Epic Games did succeed in securing some smaller titles as exclusives for their store including Predator: Hunting Grounds and ReadySet Heroes. Epic was also in discussions with Microsoft to bring first-party titles to the store as exclusives and had wanted to engage with Nintendo for a similar offer.

Sony had previously announced plans to shut down the PlayStation digital store for PS3 and PS Vita devices later this year but after the public backlash they have decided to reverse this decision and now plan to keep the store open on these devices for the "foreseeable future". Sony stated that their decision to shut down the store was a mistake and that they were inspired by the passionate gamers who wanted the store to remain live. This move will help to preserve the digital-only games released on the platforms. Sony still intends to retire PSP commerce functionality on July 2nd as planned, the full announcement can be found below.

This article serves as a way to sate my curiosity: does anyone even care about Cyberpunk 2077 anymore, or was the release state of the game (and the terrible media surrounding it and CD Projekt Red) enough for people to forget what likely was the world's most anticipated game ever? While this editor had loads of fun playing the game in a PS4 Pro system, such wasn't the case for many, many players - and especially for PS4 players, who couldn't even buy the game from the PS store after a certain point, and still can't. CD Projekt Red has, since the game's release, launched 11 patches that fixed a myriad of bugs and optimized the games' performance - but a ton of issues still remain, and remained.

Now, update 1.2, the second in the two major bug-fixing updates for the game, is being ready for prime-time, and there's a veritable laundry list of fixes on offer. The intention is for this update to solve most of the underlying, fixable issues that don't require reworking of core gameplay aspects of the game, paving the way for the upcoming free DLC and downloadable expansions which are sure to be coming - at least one throughout 2021 seems not only plausible, but extremely likely. But is this enough? Do you still have faith in this game and hope CD Projekt Red pulls a No Man's Sky from Cyberpunk 2077? Or is it far away in your rearview mirror, abandoned in a dystopian setting? In either case, the full list of fixes follows after the break; just looking at it is more than enough information to see the state of the game now, almost four months after launch. Two things to point out: raytracing is now supported on AMD graphics cards, with the latest drivers; and there's an interesting "and many more" in the end of the patch notes.Update 19:36 UTC: The patch is live now! Download size is around 30 GB. Or 55 GB if you're on a PlayStation.

As security and innovation collide, Denuvo by Irdeto today announces it has joined the exclusive PlayStation 5 Tools and Middleware program. Denuvo, the leader in video games protection, offers its Anti-Cheat solution through this program to publishers and developers whose games are available on PlayStation 5.

Denuvo is at the forefront of games security with over 2 billion unique game installs protected across all platforms, and over 1,000 games secured. Joining the PlayStation 5 Tools and Middleware program therefore fosters Denuvo's continued commitment to excellence and innovation in game security. It also supports Denuvo's goal of protecting the developers' investment, where approximately 70% of their revenue is earned in the first two weeks after the launch of a game.

SteelSeries, the leader in gaming peripherals, today announces its acquisition of KontrolFreek, the industry leader in high-performance controller accessories. This acquisition bolsters SteelSeries' already strong presence in the console gaming market, and further equips it for success in the next generation of consoles. This is SteelSeries' second major acquisition this year, after purchasing A-Volute, creators of Nahimic and the leading independent developer of 3D sound solutions for gaming, in April.

For nearly two decades, SteelSeries has been a frontrunner in the gaming industry, offering high-quality gaming peripherals to pro and enthusiast gamers across PC and console. Its SteelSeries Engine software platform has millions of daily users and is integrated with popular games and applications. Over the years, the company has built a strong brand and has leveraged this to outpace category growth globally. The award-winning Arctis line of gaming headsets redefined the category and is the new standard of excellence in gaming audio hardware. KontrolFreek is the creator of globally-renowned Performance Gaming Gear, including Performance Thumbsticks, Precision Rings, Performance Grips, Gaming Cables, and other high-quality products for PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PC. KontrolFreek's controller accessories give gamers solutions that increase precision, accuracy and response time, regardless of platform.

Today we have found out that Sony has reportedly cut PlayStation 5 launch supply due to bad yields of the SoC powering the console. Previously, we reported that Sony has doubled production of the new console amid high demand, where the company expected to sell 10 million units in the fiscal year. The original plan was to have around 15 million units of the new console available by March 31st, 2021. Sony has been spending a lot of resources to get as many units out to consumers, however, the bad SoC yields have held the company back significantly.

It is reported by Bloomberg that instead of the original 15 million units Sony plans to supply, there will be only 11 million of them. That represents a massive reduction of 4 million units. And you are wondering how bad the yields of the new SoC are to have that big reduction. According to the source, TSMC and Sony are seeing only 50% yields on the production run. It is reported that the yields are gradually improving but have not yet reached the level needed to have a stable supply. This represents a big problem for the company and we don't know who is to blame. TSMC has been very good at manufacturing 7 nm silicon, however, it could be bad design from AMD and Sony that is making the production difficult. We are waiting for more information.

According to the Bloomberg report, Sony has reportedly doubled Playstation 5 orders and plans to ship 10 million units this fiscal year. Originally, Sony wanted to ship 5-6 million units between November of this year and March 31st of 2021. However, Sony is seeing a very high demand for its next-generation console and it had to double the production orders. Being manufactured in Kisarazu, Japan, the company can assemble two Playstation 4 consoles every minute, which is pretty impressive and gives hope that Sony can satisfy the demand for the new console. When the manufacturing costs of the console are broken down into parts, memory is making for more than half of it. The super-fast PCIe 4.0 SSD and GDDR6 memory cost about $250 combined. Reports are suggesting that the entire console costs an amazing $450 to manufacture.

Thanks to the report of ZDnet, we have information that Sony has launched a bug bounty program for its Playstation console. Sony will pay security researches upwards of $50K for a bug they discover. Of course, there are smaller rewards and it depends on what type of bug is discovered. The starting amount for the bug bounty program is $100. The area of bug exploits includes Playstation Network, the PlayStation 4 console itself, and the PS4 operating system. The bug bounty program is going to be available and managed through the HackerOne platform, where multiple companies like PayPal, Slack, etc. keep track of bugs and offer rewards for them. You can check out the Playstation bug bounty program here.

Square Enix and Marvel have partnered to bring gamers from all around the world a perfect combination - science fiction movies and the ability to play one as a game. Together, Square Enix and Marvel have made a game called Avengers, based off of the Avengers movie trilogy. Today, Square Enix will be hosting a live stream at 10 AM PT time, to show off the gameplay, showcase missions and co-op abilities, and much more. You can join the live stream once it starts here. Besides the live stream, the company has announced that it will offer a free upgrade to the next generation of consoles, for anyone who buys the game for the current generation. That means that if you purchase the game for your current Xbox One or PS4 console, you will get a free upgrade for PS5 or Xbox Series X consoles. The game is going to launch on September 4th.

Sony has revealed the design for DualSense, which will bring the sense of touch to PS5 gameplay. The new controller introduces haptic feedback, adaptive triggers for L2 / R2, a new "Create" button to replace "Share" and a microphone array built in.

We've reached an exciting milestone with PlayStation 5, as we're starting to ship our new controller in its final design to developers who are implementing its unique features into their games. But first, we wanted everyone in the PlayStation community to get a first look at the DualSense wireless controller, and hear our vision for how the new controller will captivate more of your senses as you interact with the virtual worlds in PS5 games. The features of DualSense, along with PS5's Tempest 3D AudioTech, will deliver a new feeling of immersion to players.

Sony has announced via Twitter that their lead system architect Mark Cerny will "provide a deep dive into PS5's system architecture, and how it will shape the future of games" tomorrow. This is likely the start of Sony's marketing campaign for the release of the PS5 which is due out Holidays 2020.

The Japanese company has remained puzzlingly tight-lipped regarding their next-gen games console, which is a far cry from Microsoft's position, who have been releasing details and teasing their next-gen Xbox Series X system for a while now. It remains to be seen how Sony's system will differ from Microsoft's Xbox Series X, since most specs are rumored to be close on both consoles. The underlying Zen 2 architecture for the CPUs is confirmed in both consoles, and so should the fabrication process and RDNA2-based graphics with dedicated ray tracing hardware. It remains to be seen how the companies will aim to differentiate their offerings.

Activision yesterday announced that its next Call of Duty game, called Warzone, is launching today. At around 8 AM PST, owners of Modern Warfare will be able to experience the Warzone couple of hours before everyone, while the rest of the players will have to wait until noon PST to play. The game itself is a massive, free-to-play, battle royale style game that can fit 150 players in the single match and is cross-play enabled, meaning that folks with PCs can join forces with Xbox and PlayStation players. The download size of the game is going to be around 80-100 GB alone, so players will have to free up some space on their disks for that. Below you can watch the trailer and see how the game looks before it officially drops today.

Corsair had acquired the performance system builder Origin PC in 2019, and we are seeing the first apparent synergic effects of this at CES 2020 with the all-new Big O system. The one-off from last year was a hand-built concept that made serious waves online by incorporating a PC, XBOX One X, PS4 Pro, and Nintendo Switch in the same chassis. It was not really intended to be a retail product, however, but this new 2020 version will actually come to the market in two main flavors: with an Xbox One S or a PS4 Pro pre-installed in a Corsair Crystal Series 280X dual-chamber case.

Origin will still offer all the usual configurations on the gaming PC side, with the base configuration starting at $2,499 MSRP for the XBOX One S version paired with a 1 TB HDD, as well as an Intel Core i5-9600K, 16 GB of RAM, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 GPU, a 240 GB SSD, and a 450 W power supply. The interesting element is certainly the console within, as it will be liquid cooled alongside some additional elements to keep the rest of the key components cool as well. You may also opt for upgraded storage options for the console, and further customize it by having an Elgato capture card built-in, so that you could stream your console gaming straight through the PC for example. Also, thanks to the completely separated power setup, your console would not shut down if your PC happens to go into standby for example. In terms of warranty, Origin PC will offer direct warranty for the consoles as well just like its traditional PCs. The Big O is up for pre-order with a special price starting at $2327 on the Origin website now.