Microsoft is set to acquire Activision Blizzard at $68.7 billion and become the world’s third-largest gaming company

Microsoft is set to acquire Activision Blizzard at $68.7 billion and become the world’s third-largest gaming company

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.

Activision Blizzard Microsoft

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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You can now play Microsoft Flight Simulator on an Xbox console

You can now play Microsoft Flight Simulator on an Xbox console

Microsoft Flight Simulator Xbox

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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Xbox Bethesda Games Showcase: here is how to watch

Xbox Bethesda Games Showcase: here is how to watch

Xbox Bethesda Games Showcase

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.

Psychonauts 2 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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What’s next for Xbox? Here is what is new and coming in the future to Gaming at Microsoft

What’s next for Xbox? Here is what is new and coming in the future to Gaming at Microsoft

What’s next for Xbox Bethesda Games showcase Microsoft

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.

Read the full interview here.

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Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal Wireless Headphones for Xbox, price and specs

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal Wireless Headphones for Xbox, price and specs

Beoplay Portal xbox headset bang

The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal Wireless Headphones for Xbox is the first device of a new Xbox program dubbed the Designed for Xbox Limited Series program.

The program seeks to bring premium product quality and design as well as bespoke experiences to Xbox fans. It will also boast custom-made feature sets designed for Xbox, Microsoft says.

Devices produced for the program will be marked by a Designed for Xbox Limited Series badge on the lower right-hand corner of the packaging box.

Beoplay Portal headset specifications & price

The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal wireless headphones for Xbox will be available in black anthracite, grey mist and navy brass colours. It will retail for USD$499 with the black anthracite available immediately in select markets. You can pre-order the other colours and they will be available in May. For those in the UK, it will be available on the 29th of April at £449.

The headphone is designed by Jakob Wagner in partnership with Bang & Olufsen’s design team. It is said to be extremely light in weight at 282 grams. It sports lambskin ear cushions with built-in jaw support, calfskin leather on the exterior and aluminium earcups.

The earcups have capacitive touch controls for easy access to volume and game/chat balance. Swipe up or down on the back of the earcup to adjust volume on the right and game/chat balance on the left. A quick double-tap mutes your microphone, and another brings you back to chat. When using Bluetooth, a quick adjustment in the app allows the left ear cup to control ANC and own-voice balance.

The Beoplay Portal supports up to 12 hours of playtime with Xbox wireless, Bluetooth and active noise cancelling. However, it supports up to 24 hours of playtime with Bluetooth and active noise cancelling. It comes with a pre-activated Dolby Atmos for Headphones service. It is compatible with Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, PC, and mobile devices.

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