Sunday Scoops 04/30/23

Sunday ScoopsNews

Apr 30

It’s Sunday, which means it's time to talk about all the gaming news this week

By: Evan1Sonic. This week has been a big one for news, with the UK CMA blocking Xbox’s Activision Blizzard deal, Nintendo returning to Gamescom, and much more.

The UK CMA blocks Xbox's Activision Blizzard deal. The Competition and Markets Authority of the United Kingdom has taken action to block Xbox's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Announced here this decision to block the deal was due to the implications for cloud gaming. As said by the CMA "The deal would alter the future of the fast-growing cloud gaming market, leading to reduced innovation and less choice for UK gamers over the years to come.” Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft, said in response: "We remain fully committed to this acquisition and will appeal. The CMA’s decision rejects a pragmatic path to address competition concerns and discourages technology innovation and investment in the United Kingdom. We have already signed contracts to make Activision Blizzard’s popular games available on 150 million more devices, and we remain committed to reinforcing these agreements through regulatory remedies. We’re especially disappointed that after lengthy deliberations, this decision appears to reflect a flawed understanding of this market and the way the relevant cloud technology actually works." This decision could be a deal-breaker for the acquisition. Former FTC Chair William Kovacic says, “If this were a smaller jurisdiction with a tiny population, the companies could shrug and say, ‘We just won’t do business there.’ They can’t do that very effectively with the United Kingdom. So a U.K. decision to block is basically a global decision to block the transaction.” It’s also worth noting that while this block is big, the deal has been approved by many including Japan, Brazil, South Africa, Ukraine, and other smaller markets. The next steps for the deal are waiting for an important May decision from antitrust regulators representing the 27-nation European Union as well as an August trial in the U.S. before an administrative judge at the Federal Trade Commission. It’s been over a year since Microsoft first revealed its plans to acquire Activision Blizzard, and a lot needs to happen now before any action can be taken. Do you think this acquisition is legal? Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Horizon 3 has been confirmed by Guerrilla Games. Earlier this week, Guerrilla Games confirmed a sequel to Horizon Forbidden West is in the works. This confirmation came from a management update that you can find here. More than just a third Horizon game was announced in this update. Angie Smets, studio director and executive producer, was appointed as the head of development strategy at PlayStation Studios. The former responsibilities of Smets will now be shared by Joel Eschler, Hella Schmidt, and Jan-Bart van Beek. Also, as part of the management reshuffle, Michiel Van Der Leeuw and Beek will both be stepping away from their roles to focus on leading technology and strategy for Guerrilla’s Decima engine. “We have full confidence in our new leadership as they steer Guerrilla towards a bright future, expanding the world of Horizon with Aloy’s next adventure and our exciting online project,” Guerrilla said. This currently unnamed game will feature Aloy once again as she ventures out on a new adventure. No other information on future Horizon projects was revealed, but it’s exciting to know that Aloy’s adventures will be a trilogy. If you’d like to read my thoughts on Horizon Forbidden West, give my first impressions story a read here.

Speedy Scoops is this section of Sunday Scoops where we share some quick news headlines from various stories.

Alan Wake 2 is in the “last major of full production” ahead of the game’s 2023 release window.

Nintendo will be exhibiting at this year’s Gamescom following a four-year absence.

A Totally Spies video game has been announced and will be released on console and PC next year.

Quantum Break is back on Game Pass and digital storefronts after being briefly removed due to licensing issues.

Development for both Control 2 and Max Payne 1 & 2 Remake has "progressed well" and moved into the proof-of-concept stage.

Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon locks in an August 25th, 2023 release date for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Vampire Survivors is being adapted into a “premium animated television series” from Story Kitchen.

The first episode of Peacock's Twisted Metal series is coming on July 27th, 2023, and you can watch the first trailer for the show here.

Release Roundup is this section of Sunday Scoops where we share most of the games that will be launching over the next week.

Age of Wonders 4 - PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on Tuesday.

Redfall - Xbox Series X/S and PC on Tuesday.