Microsoft today announced that it will purchase the game studio Activision Blizzard, the maker of hit games such as Call of Duty, Candy Crush, World of Warcraft, and more, for almost $70 billion. Microsoft says this purchase will help it "bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone, across every device."
The seismic purchase for Microsoft will see several of Activision's games move to Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft's gaming subscription service.
The acquisition also bolsters Microsoft's Game Pass portfolio with plans to launch Activision Blizzard games into Game Pass, which has reached a new milestone of over 25 million subscribers. With Activision Blizzard's nearly 400 million monthly active players in 190 countries and three billion-dollar franchises, this acquisition will make Game Pass one of the most compelling and diverse lineups of gaming content in the industry. Upon close, Microsoft will have 30 internal game development studios, along with additional publishing and esports production capabilities.
Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass is available on the iPhone and iPadthrough Safari, but not the App Store. While Apple does allow all-in-one gaming subscription services to be on the platform, every game offered on the service must be submitted individually for approval through the App Store review process.
Apple's equivalent games subscription service to Xbox Game Pass is Apple Arcade. Launched in 2019, Apple Arcade has continued to add new games to its catalog for users to play across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. The purchase of Activision and the addition of more hit games to Xbox Game Pass may put more pressure on Apple to bolster Apple Arcade's offerings.
Apple keeps missing the boat. There will be no game dev houses left to buy and M1 Max Macbook Pro gamers will be playing nothing but phone games forever. Can anyone seriously compare Apple Arcade to Game Pass and not laugh their ass off?
Big win for Microsoft. Shows they are dedicated to gaming and are solidifying its tight grip on the market. It also represents a set back to Apple's pretensions in gaming -- if there were any to begin with.
Microsoft keeps acquiring studios. They really know gamings and streamers are next generation of big things. What is Apple doing? Apple TV? not doing anything at all in gaming? start acquiring AAA studios and come up with a console.
Microsoft knows the gaming industry. They are dominating it. Look at the world-class games that are included in this deal. Apple really needs to catch up and get serious.
Wednesday June 30, 2021 1:16 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Microsoft earlier this week made its Xbox Cloud Gaming service available on iOS devices, which means iPhone and iPad users can play Xbox games using the Safari browser.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We decided to test out Xbox Cloud Gaming to see how it works at launch, and whether it's worth the $14.99 subscription price for the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate...
Monday December 6, 2021 12:46 pm PST by Juli Clover
The United States Justice Department is investigating Apple for antitrust issues, and Roblox is an area of interest for prosecutors attempting to put together a case, reports The Information.
Investigators are looking for situations where Apple is unevenly enforcing rules for app developers, and Roblox is an area of interest because of the way the app works. Roblox is an online gaming...
Friday November 12, 2021 7:55 am PST by Joe Rossignol
It has been just over two years since the launch of Apple Arcade, and the subscription-based gaming service's catalog continues to grow. Two new games were released on Apple Arcade today, with an additional two coming soon.
The latest additions to Apple Arcade include the classic arcade shooting game Galaga Wars from Bandai Namco and the popular tower defense game Kingdom Rush Frontiers from ...
Tuesday November 2, 2021 10:58 am PDT by Juli Clover
Netflix today announced the full official rollout of its Netflix Games feature, which will allow Netflix users to play a handful of games on their mobile devices.
At the current time, Netflix is making games available for Android users, but support for iOS is "on the way." Netflix says that it's early days, but its goal is to build a library of games offering "something for everyone."...
Apple has discussed launching a cloud-based gaming service to rival the likes of Xbox Cloud Gaming and Google Stadia, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that Apple has considered launching a cloud-based game streaming service like its competitors (emphasis our own):Apple's gaming service is somewhat unique, relying on games that run on ...
Apple Arcade recently surpassed over 200 games available on the subscription-based gaming service, and Apple today previewed two additional titles coming soon. Apple did not provide a specific release date for either game.
Zookeeper World "Zookeeper World" from Kiterestu is a new installment in the "Zookeeper" action puzzle game series that will be available exclusively on Apple Arcade....
Endless snowboarding game "Alto's Adventure" is set to expand to Apple Arcade this month, with Apple launching "Alto's Adventure: The Spirit of the Mountain." The Apple Arcade exclusive title is a remastered version of the original "Alto's Adventure," but with an all-new exclusive character that features unique attributes and special abilities, plus more than 15 new goals to complete.
The...
Thursday December 9, 2021 2:06 pm PST by Juli Clover
When Microsoft was in discussions with Apple about bringing its xCloud platform to the iPhone, Microsoft attempted to sweet talk Apple into allowing the cloud gaming service.
According to emails between Microsoft and Apple executives that were unearthed by The Verge, Microsoft was willing to agree to many of Apple's demands about how the system would work, even agreeing to bring Xbox titles...
Sunday September 25, 2022 2:27 pm PDT by Sami Fathi
A YouTuber has put Apple's claims for the durability of the Apple Watch Ultra to the test by putting it up against a drop test, a jar of nails, and repeated hits with a hammer to test the sapphire crystal protecting the display.
TechRax, a channel popular for testing the durability of products, first tested the Apple Watch Ultra by dropping it from around four feet high. The Apple Watch...
Sunday September 25, 2022 10:57 am PDT by Sami Fathi
As we approach the end of a busy product release season for Apple with only new iPads and Macs left to be announced over the next month or so, we're also setting our sights on 2023. Apple is rumored to have several major products in the pipeline for next year, including new Macs, a new HomePod, a VR/AR headset, and so much more.
Other than new iPhones and Apple Watches, which are expected...
Sunday September 25, 2022 6:50 am PDT by Sami Fathi
Apple may decide to release its remaining products for 2022, which include updated iPad Pro, Mac mini, and 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, through press releases on its website rather than a digital event, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said that Apple is currently "likely to release its remaining 2022 products via press releases,...
Upon the release of the second-generation AirPods Pro, the AirPods Max became the oldest current-generation AirPods product still in Apple's lineup. Introducing several new features like Adaptive Transparency and the H2 chip, the second-generation AirPods Pro may provide some of the best indications yet of what to expect from the second-generation AirPods Max.
Almost two years later, rumors...
Monday September 26, 2022 7:52 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Earlier this month, Apple announced that iOS 16.1 will enable a new Live Activities feature that allows iPhone users to stay on top of things that are happening in real time, such as a sports game or a food delivery order, right from the Lock Screen. On the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, Live Activities also integrate with the Dynamic Island.
Premier League match in Dynamic Island via Paul Bradford ...
Monday September 26, 2022 7:34 am PDT by Sami Fathi
Today marks exactly two weeks since Apple released iOS 16 to the public. Besides the personalized Lock Screen, major changes in Messages, and new features in Maps, the update has also seen its fair share of bugs, performance problems, battery drain, and more.
After major iOS updates, it's normal for some users to report having issues with the new update, but such reports usually subside in...
Monday September 26, 2022 6:23 am PDT by Sami Fathi
iPhone 14 Pro customers on the Verizon network in the U.S. are reporting issues with slow and unreliable 5G cellular connections and calls randomly dropping.
Several threads on Reddit (1,2,3) and the MacRumors forums chronicle issues faced by Verizon customers and Apple's latest iPhone. According to user reports, signal strength on the iPhone 14 Pro is unreliable and weak, while other...
Sunday September 25, 2022 7:02 am PDT by Sami Fathi
Apple is gearing up to possibly replace its "Pro Max" iPhone with an all-new "Ultra" iPhone 15 model next year, reliable Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman said today.
Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said that for the iPhone 15, Apple is planning a revamped design alongside USB-C and a potential name change. Apple could replace its "Pro Max" branding, which it started to use...
An Apple Watch Ultra user has modified their new device's casing to add a brushed finish and remove the orange color of the Action Button in an effort to make it more visually appealing.
The Apple Watch Ultra offers the first complete redesign of the Apple Watch since the product line's announcement in 2014, and while the design has been met with praise from many users, some have criticized...
Apple on September 12 released iOS 15.7 and iPadOS 15.7, delivering important fixes for multiple security vulnerabilities, including at least one that has been actively exploited.
Apple's latest mainstream iPhone models come in two sizes with A15 chip, car crash detection, satellite connectivity, and more. iPhone 14 is available now, while iPhone 14 Plus launches on October 7.
Top Rated Comments
Remember when $1 billion for Instagram was considered ridiculous?
?
They spent a boat load on Bethesda, though I'm not sure this could pass antitrust muster