California Attorney General Orders xAI to Halt Illegal Grok Deepfake Imagery 
ByteDance Finalizes Majority U.S.-Owned TikTok Joint Venture to Avert American Ban 
Baidu Shares Surge After Official Launch of Advanced Ernie 5.0 AI Model 
Apple China Holiday Sale Offers Discounts Up to 1,000 Yuan on Popular Devices 
South Korea Sees Limited Impact From New U.S. Tariffs on Advanced AI Chips 
Microsoft Restores Microsoft 365 Services After Widespread Outage 
TSMC Shares Hit Record High as AI Chip Demand Fuels Strong Q4 Earnings 
Ericsson Plans SEK 25 Billion Shareholder Returns as Margins Improve Despite Flat Network Market 
OpenAI Launches Stargate Community Plan to Offset Energy Costs and Support Local Power Infrastructure 
Intel Stock Slides Despite Earnings Beat as Weak Q1 Outlook Raises Concerns 
Morgan Stanley Flags High Volatility Ahead for Tesla Stock on Robotaxi and AI Updates 
Memory Chip Shortage Drives Higher Gadget Prices and Weakens Global Tech Demand 
Google Seeks Delay on Data-Sharing Order as It Appeals Landmark Antitrust Ruling 
SoftBank Shares Surge as AI Optimism Lifts Asian Tech Stocks 
Micron to Buy Powerchip Fab for $1.8 Billion, Shares Surge Nearly 10% 
U.S. Lawmakers Demand Scrutiny of TikTok-ByteDance Deal Amid National Security Concerns 
Activision reportedly has three “Call of Duty” games that will be released through 2023. While Microsoft is in the process of acquiring Activision Blizzard, these titles are still expected to launch on the PlayStation system.
Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard is expected to be completed sometime in 2023. But that timeline is reportedly not related to the release of the upcoming “Call of Duty” games on PlayStation.
The report comes from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, suggesting that deals between Activision and Sony for the 2022 “Call of Duty,” 2023 “Call of Duty,” and the second installment of “Call of Duty: Warzone” were made before the acquisition was announced. And the publisher, as well as Microsoft, is expected to recognize those agreements just as Xbox head Phil Spencer said recently.
Shortly after Microsoft announced it is buying Activision Blizzard, Sony issued a statement that it expects Microsoft to honor previous agreements it struck with the video game publisher. Spencer later echoed that, saying, “I confirmed our intent to honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep ‘Call of Duty’ on PlayStation.”
Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony. I confirmed our intent to honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Sony is an important part of our industry, and we value our relationship.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 20, 2022
On Twitter, Schreier noted that Microsoft previously honored earlier agreements made by the studios and publishers it already acquired. For example, Bethesda’s “Deathloop” and “Ghostwire: Tokyo” remained timed-exclusives on PS5 even though Microsoft already owned Zenimax Media last March.
Without any contractual agreements to fulfill, subsequent games like “Starfield” went on as Xbox-only titles. So while PlayStation gamers are still expected to get the new “Call of Duty” games through next year, there is no guarantee that the situation remains the same from 2024 and beyond.
Meanwhile, video games insider Tom Henderson, in response to Schreier’s report, reiterated that the 2022 “Call of Duty” will be “Modern Warfare 2.” Its successor does not seem to have a title yet, but the leaker noted it will be developed by Treyarch.
As for the “Call of Duty: Warzone 2,” Henderson suggests there is nothing exciting yet about the next version of the online multiplayer. Henderson adds that it will be released on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, but it might not feature the integration of weapons from older titles.
Photo by Marco Verch from Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons
