Meta and Google just lost a landmark social media addiction case. A tech law expert explains the fallout 
AWS Bahrain Region Disrupted by Drone Activity Amid Middle East Conflict 
Cybersecurity Stocks Tumble After Anthropic's Claude Mythos AI Leak Sparks Market Fears 
SMIC Allegedly Supplies Chipmaking Tools to Iran's Military, U.S. Officials Warn 
Annie Altman Amends Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman 
NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey 
Trump Administration Plans 100% Tariffs on Pharmaceutical Imports 
OpenAI Pulls the Plug on Sora, Ending $1 Billion Disney Partnership 
Makemation: a Nollywood movie that shows AI in action in Africa 
Microsoft Eyes $7B Texas Energy Deal to Power AI Data Centers 
Apple Turns 50: From Garage Startup to AI Crossroads 
Chinese Universities with PLA Ties Found Purchasing Restricted U.S. AI Chips Through Super Micro Servers 
Elon Musk Ties SpaceX IPO Access to Mandatory Grok AI Subscriptions 
Australia's Social Media Ban for Under-16s Sparks Global Movement 
NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo 
McDonald's and Restaurant Brands International Face Headwinds Amid Iran Conflict and Rising Costs 
Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently said the discussions about the Activision Blizzard acquisition are fair, considering the size of the deal and its potential impact on the gaming industry. But he noted that, for Microsoft, the transaction is more about helping it expand its mobile gaming reach.
The majority of, or at least the most shared, discussions and criticisms of the $68.7 billion transaction had been focused on the concern that Microsoft will eventually remove "Call of Duty" from PlayStation. Many fans are fearing that the deal would give Microsoft the chance to make the first-person shooter franchise exclusive to Xbox consoles and services.
Spencer, once again, addressed those concerns in his appearance at the Wall Street Journal Tech Live last week. Aside from reiterating that "'Call of Duty' specifically" will be available on PlayStation, the Xbox chief added that he would also love to see the game be playable on Nintendo Switch and "many different screens."
Spencer seemingly wanted to expand the conversation, though, noting that debates about the Activision Blizzard acquisition stem from Xbox and PlayStation's rivalry. "But when we think about three billion people playing video games, there’s only about 200 million households that play on console," Spencer said (via VGC). "The vast majority of people who play, do so on the device that’s already in their pocket, which is their phone."
This statement lined up with what Microsoft told UK's Competition and Markets Authority in documents filed earlier this month. The Xbox parent company implied that Activision Blizzard, especially its King subsidiary, would be crucial in establishing the Xbox mobile gaming store. In the same filing, Microsoft also pointed out that the game publisher has had fiscal reports indicating that its mobile revenue and monthly average users have significantly outnumbered the turnouts from PC and console games.
At the same event, Spencer said the concerns over Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal are "fair" and "warranted." He also revealed that he has been spending plenty of time in "major jurisdictions," where Microsoft hopes to get the transaction approved, including Brussels (where the Europan Commission is headquartered), London, and the US Federal Trade Commission.
Concerned agencies in the mentioned territories have yet to decide on the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard merger. UK's CMA has started its prolonged Phase 2 investigation and recently asked for opinions from the public. The European Commission previously will announce the results of its preliminary inquiry on Nov. 8 and decide whether or not a longer investigation will commence. Meanwhile, it was reported that the FTC could release its decision in November.
Photo by Alexander Cifuentes (@aleexcif) from Unsplash
