CD PROJEKT settled the conflict with investors due to the problematic release of Cyberpunk 2077, Microsoft stopped calling the FTC lawsuit due to the purchase of Activision Blizzard unconstitutional, NetEase acquired the studio involved in the development of Halo Infinite and Minecraft – we tell you what happened in the gaming industry this weekend.
A court in California approved a settlement agreement between CD PROJEKT and investors who were unhappy with the poor condition of Cyberpunk 2077 during the release of the game in December 2020. Under the terms of the agreement, Polish developers must pay compensation to investors in the amount of $ 1.85 million.
The UK Competition and Markets Authority has extended its investigation into the deal between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. The agency said it would publish the findings by April 26, 2023. Previously, the deadline was March 1, 2023. According to the antimonopoly regulator, it was necessary to update the schedule due to the scale and complexity of the transaction, but the department hopes to complete the investigation as soon as possible.
Lawyer James Weingarten, who works with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), said that the agency and Microsoft are not conducting “substantial” negotiations on the settlement of the lawsuit due to the purchase of Activision Blizzard. Nevertheless, the situation around the claim does not stand still. In early January, it became known that Microsoft had abandoned one of the claims against the FTC. The corporation removed from the official response to the regulator the words that its actions violate the US Constitution.
Almost 300 testers from ZeniMax Media voted to create their own trade union, which became the largest in the gaming industry. Microsoft has already officially recognized the merger.
According to Bloomberg sources, Wizards of the Coast has “reduced its ambitions” in the video game market. It is reported that she canceled at least five games. Wizards of the Coast representatives confirmed in a comment to Bloomberg that the company had “made changes to the long-term portfolio,” but dispensed with details.
NetEase has announced the purchase of the Canadian studio SkyBox Labs for an undisclosed amount. Under the terms of the deal, the studio will continue to operate independently, and its managers will retain their positions. The money received as part of the deal, SkyBox Labs will spend, among other things, on expansion in Canada. Recall that SkyBox Labs was founded in 2011. She helped with the development of games such as Halo Infinite, Minecraft and Fallout 76.
The purchase was also announced by Gearbox Entertainment. It includes the American Captured Dimensions, specializing in 3D modeling. The amount of the transaction was not disclosed.
▪️PS5 sales exceeded 30 million. Jim Ryan told about this at CES 2023. The head of Sony‘s gaming division added that last December was the most successful month for the console in terms of the number of devices sold. He did not specify exactly how many copies of the PS5 were sold in a month.
▪️Dwarf Fortress has sold almost 500 thousand copies on Steam in a month since its release. In their blog, the developers thanked the fans of the game and noted that these are still preliminary figures. More accurate sales data will be available by mid-February.