Microsoft is set to become the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue with the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The company has agreed to acquire Activision Blizzard Inc. in a transaction valued at $68.7 billion. Microsoft will launch Activision’s games into the Xbox Game Pass portfolio bringing users games such as Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Call of Duty and Candy Crush. Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO believes this acquisition will provide a building block for the Microsoft metaverse.
This will become the biggest acquisition since Satya Nadella took over as the Microsoft CEO. Surpassing the $26 Billion Microsoft paid to acquire LinkedIn in 2016. Last year Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media (Bethesda Softworks) for $7.5 billion in a move to build an industry-leading first-party Xbox games studios. The new acquisition will increase Microsoft’s internal game development studios to thirty. It will also bring with it Activision’s global eSports activities through Major League Gaming.
“Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms,” says Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO, Microsoft. “We’re investing deeply in world-class content, community and the cloud to usher in a new era of gaming that puts players and creators first and makes gaming safe, inclusive and accessible to all.”
Microsoft says Activision Blizzard will continue to operate independently until the deal closes in the fiscal year 2023. Then once the deal is complete Activision business will report to Microsoft Gaming CEO, Phil Spencer. Phil notes “we will offer as many Activision Blizzard games as we can within Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, both new titles and games from Activision Blizzard’s incredible catalog“.
“Together we will build a future where people can play the games they want, virtually anywhere they want.”
Phil Spencer, CEO, Microsoft Gaming
Microsoft is also announcing a new Xbox Game Pass milestone with over 25 million subscribers today. The company will be looking to increase this with the introduction of new and exclusive games and titles.
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Microsoft is introducing new Xbox gaming markets, get an Xbox Live Game Pass at a discounted price and more. The weekend is here and this is a round-up of stories making the news across the Microsoft ecosystem globally.
Xbox showcase, Tokyo Game Show 2021
First, we head off to Japan where the Japan Times reports that Microsoft is finally pulling its weight. That’s in terms of gaming and Xbox in Japan. It says Microsoft has lagged behind Sony and Nintendo over the years. At the side of the Tokyo Game Show, Microsoft revealed its renewed commitment to the region. By launching Xbox Cloud gaming service in Japan and localizing more than 100 gaming titles on Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft is also working with over 200 independent Japanese developers in the ID@Xbox program. Click to get the full gist here and find a recap of the Microsoft Tokyo Game Show 2021 here.
Xbox Live discounted
PCWorld says Newegg is selling 12 months of Xbox Live Gold for $50, that’s $10 off the usual price. But unfortunately, the offer is for today only. So if this is something you have been looking out for no long talk. Just click and head out to PCWorld for details and grab this.
New Xbox Markets
Microsoft is taking steps to reach three billion game players around the world. The company is announcing the launch of the Xbox Cloud Gaming in Australia, Brazil, Mexico and Japan. This comes as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which allows players to play their games on their smartphones, PC and tablets. The addition of the new markets means Microsoft Xbox gaming is now officially in twenty-six countries across five continents. With South Africa being the only supported market in Africa. And Israel, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia being the other markets in the Middle East Africa region. Xbox All Access and Xbox Game Pass Cloud gaming are still not available to these supported markets.
Expected Xbox Live games
Microsoft says Sherlock Holmes Chapter One and Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin Trial Version … is coming to Xbox Series X and S on November 16 and October 1 respectively. The company is also expected to release a new list of free games to the Xbox Live Gold family. Charles of istockanalyst has put together a list of Xbox games to look out for. This includes InnerSpace, Shovel Knight, Alan Wake and Metal Gear, Solid HD Edition. Check the full list and why you might like them here.
Have a lovely weekend and tell me what news excited you most from the Microsoft ecosystem this week. Share your thoughts in the comments.
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Microsoft is introducing the Surface Laptop Studio as a replacement to the Surface Book line. The name and design suggest it borrows heavily from the Surface Laptop, Surface Studio and even the Surface Pro devices. It isn’t your conventional laptop by design, but Microsoft has a reason. It is a powerhouse device designed for developers, creative pros, designers and gamers. But as usual, the question is how will it stack up against Apple’s MacBook.
The 14.4″ Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio runs on the latest quad-core 11th Gen Intel Core H Series processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti laptop GPU. It has a screen resolution of 2400 x 1600 and 201 PPI maintaining the famous 3:2 aspect ratio. 16GB up to 32GB of RAM and removable SSD storage starting from 256GB up to 2TB. Battery life estimations show up to 19 hours of typical device usage.
Microsoft says the feedback it got from Surface Book users was that they wanted a workstation with more power. They also wanted a device they can easily detach the screen and move around with. Interestingly this is Microsoft’s answer to that. The screen can’t be detached but like the Surface Pro models, you can adjust the kickstand to change the mode. But Microsoft isn’t calling it the kickstand here.
Price and release date
It starts at $1599.99 and you can pre-order it now and get it on 5th October 2021 when Windows 11 becomes generally available. Unfortunately, it will only be available in select markets, mostly the US, for now. But will come to other markets in 2022.
Watch the video below to find out everything new including design, specifications, and hands-on review about the Surface Laptop Studio.
Surface Laptop Studio full device specifications
Dimensions
12.72” x 8.98” x 0.746” ( 323.28 mm x 228.32 mm x 18.94 mm )
Display
Screen: 14.4” PixelSense™ Flow DisplayRefresh rate: up to 120Hz Resolution: 2400 x 1600 (201 PPI) Aspect ratio: 3:2 Contrast ratio: 1500:1 Surface Pen enabled Touch: 10-point multi-touchDolby Vision® support3
Memory
16GB or 32GB LPDDR4x RAM
Processor
Quad-core 11th Gen Intel® Core™ H35 i5-11300H Quad-core 11th Gen Intel® Core™ H35 i7-11370H
Accessories Support
Integrated Surface Slim Pen 2* storage for charging compatible with Surface Dial* off-screen interaction
Security
Hardware TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security and BitLocker support enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in Windows enhanced hardware security
Software
Windows 11 Home, Preloaded Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft 365 Home 30-day trial Preloaded, Xbox App Xbox Game Pass Ultimate one month trial
2 x USB 4.0 with Thunderbolt™ 4 technologies support 3.5mm headphone jack 1 x Surface Connect port
Cameras, video, and audio
Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)1080p resolution front-facing camera. Dual far-field Studio MicsQuad Omnisonic™ speakers with Dolby Atmos®
Wireless
Wi-Fi 6: 802.11ax compatible Bluetooth Wireless 5.1 technology Xbox Wireless built-in
Exterior
Casing: Magnesium and AluminumColor: Platinum
Warranty
1-year limited hardware warranty
Keyboard layout
Activation: Moving (mechanical) keys Layout: QWERTY, full row of function keys (F1-F12)Windows key and dedicated buttons for media controls, screen brightness Backlight
Battery capacities
Battery Capacity Nominal (WH): 58.0Battery Capacity Min (WH): 56.3
Hinge
Dynamic Woven Hinge made of woven fabric with embedded cables that can bend 180 degrees
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Microsoft is announcing that the popular PC simulation game Flight Simulator is now available on the Xbox series X and S consoles. This is the first time in its about forty years that the flight simulation game is making its way to consoles.
Microsoft says it is trying to give aspiring pilots the chance to take flight(lessons) using a console. The game comes with the same level of depth as the PC version the company notes. The PC version is receiving a massive bump in performance improvements. It also comes with added features such as improved flight training, world exploration, flight assistance and more. And these are also going to be experienced on the console as well. The improved features give a pilot real-time and realist experiences through the power of satellite data from Bing Maps and cloud-based AI using Microsoft Azure.
Microsoft Flight Simulator lets you travel to over thirty-seven thousand airports and two million cities across the world. The enhanced improvements like point of interest labels let you explore and find landmarks easily. For new pilots, there are twenty-two fundamental training flights to teach you basic handling.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is available with Xbox Game Pass. So you can play it on a Windows 10 PC, Steam or your Xbox series X or S console. Microsoft says the game will get third party partners who will introduce peripherals to make the console experience immersive.
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Today, Microsoft is hosting the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase at 5 pm GMT, 8 pm EAT, 10 am PT. Here is a time zone conversion to get the correct time in your zone. The 90-minute show will feature gaming lineups coming out of the Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks partnership. Games coming to Xbox this holiday, upcoming releases on Xbox Game Pass, and more.
Ahead of today’s showcase, Microsoft announced what’s next for Xbox and the future of Gaming. Talking about working with global TV manufacturers to embed the Xbox experience directly into internet-connected televisions with no extra hardware required except a controller. Opening cloud gaming on the browser and all browsers to all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members. Working with telecommunications providers on new purchasing models like Xbox All Access. Which will allow consumers to buy both a console and Game Pass for a low monthly price. Find out more on these and others.
The Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase will stream live on the official and regional Xbox Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook pages. Also on Bilibili in China, Jeuxvideo in France, and VK in Russia. OTT platforms including Samsung TV+, Xumo, PlutoTV and Vizio. We are embedding the YouTube live stream below and you can follow it right here.
Watch Xbox Bethesda Games Showcase live stream
https://youtu.be/1YnVzOA2wNs
What are your expectations? What will you like to see announced?
New game announcements
Starfield arrives exclusively on Xbox Series X|S and PC on November 11, 2022. Play it on day one with Xbox Game Pass.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, Heart of Chernobyl launches April 28, 2022
Back 4 Blood is coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one with Xbox Game Pass on October 12 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, and cloud gaming (beta). Early access starts from August 5 to 9. You can get more details on the Back 4 Blood Open Beta here.
Avalanche Studios is working on Contraband, more details coming in the future.
Sea of Thieves Season Three launches June 22 and is available free for all players with Xbox Game Pass and across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows 10 and Steam.
Psychonauts2 launches on August 25. It will be available with Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, Xbox Cloud Gaming, PlayStation 4 and 5 (with backwards compatibility). It will also release on Mac and Linux in the future.
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Microsoft is hosting the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase on Sunday, June 13 at 5 pm GMT. Where the company will talk about the gaming lineup coming out of the partnership with Bethesda. Games coming to Xbox this holiday, upcoming releases on Xbox Game Pass, and more. Interestingly the company has revealed what’s next for Xbox in a conversation on the future of Gaming at Microsoft today.
Amongst what’s next for Xbox; you can play Xbox directly from a TV without a console. Microsoft is opening cloud gaming on browsers to all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members. The release of at least one new first-party game into Game Pass every quarter. New subscription offerings for Xbox Game Pass and new low monthly price purchasing models for console and Game Pass. The series of conversations took place between Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, members of Microsoft’s Gaming Leadership team and hosted by Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer.
Gaming is fundamentally aligned with our mission as a company. Gaming is the most dynamic category in the entertainment industry. We believe that Microsoft can play a leading role in democratizing gaming and defining the future of interactive entertainment.
Satya Nadella, MICROSOFT CEO
Here are the details on What’s next for Xbox and Xbox Game Pass
Xbox is working with global TV manufacturers to embed the Xbox experience directly into internet-connected televisions with no extra hardware required except a controller.
In the next few weeks, cloud gaming on the browser will open to all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members. With Edge, Chrome, and Safari support, players will be a click away from gaming on almost any device.
Xbox is exploring new subscription offerings for Xbox Game Pass. So more players around the world can experience the most immersive and fun games across devices, geographies, and financial realities.
Later this year, we’ll add cloud gaming directly into the Xbox app on PC and integrate it into our console experience to light up scenarios like try before you download.
Xbox is working with telecommunications providers on new purchasing models like Xbox All Access, which allows consumers to buy both a console and Game Pass for a low monthly price, rather than spending money upfront.
Cloud gaming through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will launch in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and Japan later this year.
Xbox is building its own streaming devices for cloud gaming to reach gamers on any TV or monitor without the need for a console at all.
We’re in the final stages of updating our Microsoft datacenters around the world with our latest generation of hardware, the Xbox Series X. This means gamers will see faster load times, improved frame rates, and experience Xbox Series X|S optimized games.
Games, Developers
With more than 23 studios worldwide creating games for Xbox, our goal is to release at least one new, first-party game into Game Pass every quarter. Role-playing games, shooters, strategy titles, adventure games, and more are all being built by our first party teams. To ensure that there is a steady stream of compelling exclusive content to explore.
Our independent developer program ID@Xbox has earned developers over $2B dollars since the program’s inception, with over 2000 titles launched and many more on the way. This model is now being used for ID@Azure, allowing independent devs to build cloud-based experiences. These programs bring new voices from diverse backgrounds into the world of game development.
What Satya Nadella and Phil Spencer’s conversation on why Microsoft is all-in on gaming below.
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