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Activision (finanlly) joins Xbox, PlayStation 5 gets smaller, and voice actors on the picket line
So I’m a news junkie. I listen to a daily news podcast. I watch CNN. And yes, I read fucking newspapers. News about video games goes right along with that. When gaming podcasts like EGM Live, Giant Bomb, and 1UP Yours were at their peak, I could not get enough stories about games and the people who make them. So I figured, what the hell, and I can add my own spin on things. So without further ado:
Xbox Completes the Purchase of Activision Blizzard King
After a laborious legal battle all over the globe, Microsoft/Xbox has finally sealed the $69 billion deal to purchase the developer and publisher of blockbuster franchises such as World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, and Call of Duty. Oh and Candy Crush. I always forget about that one.
In a statement published on Xbox Wire, Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, expressed his excitement about the acquisition and welcomed Activision Blizzard and their teams to Xbox. He also promised to bring beloved Activision, Blizzard, and King franchises to Game Pass in addition to keeping Call of Duty on PlayStation and other platforms.
This is yet another purchase that bolsters Microsoft’s gaming portfolio that took a massive beating during the Xbox One generation with their tired sequels: Halo 5: Guardians and Gears of War 4 and 5 making little impact, especially in comparison to Sony’s cinematic powerhouses God of War, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and The Last of Us.
Time will tell if this produces good results like Starfield and Forza Motorsport, or if this will just be a dud that produces games like Redfall. Shudder!
Gaming Union Actors Heading for a Strike:
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is set to resume negotiations with the video game industry to avoid a new strike. The union’s massive membership voted last month to authorize a strike against many of the major video game companies, including Activision. Hey Activision, you made it into two stories. Congrats! You bozos!
SAG-AFTRA has been nearly 100 days into their strike with the film and television industries, so fingers crossed that both are resolved quickly and in favor of the actors.
Union strong!
Sony Announces PlayStation 5 Slims
Sony recently announced a new design for the PlayStation 5 that claims to be 30% smaller than the current model and features a 1TB SSD and a detachable 4K Blu-Ray drive, so that users who buy the cheaper All-Digital Edition have the option to upgrade in the future.
While the PS5 with the drive included will stay at its current $499 price tag, the digital edition does get a $50 price bump to $449 and the drive on its own will cost $79.99. So if you think you’re going to buy physical disks or watch movies on your new PS5, just buy the base model. I have the digital edition of the current PS5 and hate that I can’t take advantage of physical game sales or have a secondary 4K Blu-Ray player in the house. My Xbox Series X does a fine job at playing movies, but it can be so much better.
Oh, and there’s a stupid stand available for $29.99, but who cares?
