Crash Bandicoot 4 developer Toys for Bob is going independent

[ Activision Blizzard Activision studio Toys for Bob — best known for its work on franchises like Crash Bandicoot, Skylanders, and Spyro — is separating from Microsoft and going independent. It isn’t completely leaving Xbox and Activision behind, though, as the studio is looking to form a partnership with those companies. The developer, which was … Read more

Xbox lays off 1,900 developers, cancels Blizzard’s survival game

[ The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) delivered a shocker this week when it blocked Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard on Wednesday. While a lot of focus on Microsoft’s fight was centered around whether or not the acquisition would give Xbox consoles an unfair advantage over PlayStation consoles, what ultimately decided it was … Read more

The best games on PS Plus, Extra, and Premium

[ PlayStation Plus has gone through several iterations and changes since it was first introduced. Originally, the service wasn’t required for online play at all and rewarded subscribers with extra discounts and free monthly games. Once the PlayStation 4 generation began, it was required for online play, but still offered those same benefits. Now, PS … Read more

The video game industry flew too close to the sun in 2023

[ Deep Silver For several years, some relevant mergers, acquisitions, or studio formations were happening in the video game industry every month. Companies like Microsoft, Sony, and Embracer Group went on shopping sprees, and studios many of us never expected to be acquired, like ZeniMax Media, Bungie, and Gearbox Entertainment, were respectively bought up. These … Read more

Bobby Kotick leaves Activation Blizzard next week amid Xbox shake ups

[ An internal memo from Microsoft confirmed that Bobby Kotick, the controversial CEO of Activision Blizzard, will leave the company on December 29. Bobby Kotick has been CEO of Activision Blizzard — the company behind popular game franchises like Call of Duty, Candy Crush, Crash Bandicoot, and Diablo — since 1991 and is one of … Read more