#Microsoft Activision Court Hearing

[tumblerweeding69]

Microsoft Expects Next-Gen Xbox And PS6 To Launch In 2028, Claims It's Losing The Console War: Report

Microsoft He believes the next generation of gaming consoles should arrive in 2028, court document in ongoing FTC trial over attempted acquisition of Xbox parent activism blizzard revealed. Documents reviewed by IGN detailed what the next Xbox and playstation 6 Will likely be released in 2020, eight years after the current launch. The timeline from 2022 coincides with Sony’s statement that the…

[kp777]

By Jake Johnson

Common Dreams

Sept. 11, 2023

Financiers are reportedly lobbying the incumbent president to remove the Federal Trade Commission chair if he wins reelection in 2024.

Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan's efforts to challenge corporate consolidation across the U.S. economy—from gaming to pharmaceuticals to semiconductors—have drawn vocal outrage from industry-backed Republican lawmakers and other mouthpieces for big business.

And now, according to the Financial Times, some of the Democratic Party's Wall Street donors are privately calling on President Joe Biden to fire Khan if he wins reelection in 2024.

"Anybody talking to dealmakers over the past year or so will have noticed that barely anyone has been capable of hiding their loathing for Khan," wrote FT's James Fontanella-Khan. "In private, financiers accuse her of being anti-American and against business. Several Wall Street donors to the Democratic Party are using their position of influence to quietly lobby Biden to drop Khan if he gets reelected, according to people briefed on the matter. That's how badly they want her out of the FTC."

Wall Street spent over $74 million in support of Biden in 2020 and industry executives—at the urging of the president's team—have hosted fundraisers this year for his reelection campaign.

Under Khan's leadership, the FTC has taken legal action against several prominent merger proposals—including Microsoft's $69 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard, a case the agency paused after recent court defeats. The FTC has also helped rewrite pro-consolidation merger guidelines that were established during the Reagan era, launched a probe into Big Tech's cloud computing businesses, and proposed a ban on exploitative non-compete agreements.

Additionally, as soon as this month, the FTC is expected to file a major antitrust lawsuit against the online retail behemoth Amazon, which Khan has long argued is a monopoly.

The Khan-led FTC's proactive approach to taking on entrenched power that has worsened inequality and harmed workers has predictably angered corporate America and its GOP allies in Congress, who used a recent hearing to attack Khan as a "bully."

Some of the Republican Party's most outspoken critics of Khan are funded by Big Tech.

The Wall Street Journal's right-wing editorial board has also taken on a major role in fueling the outrage, running dozens of pieces this year attacking Khan's work.

FT's James Fontanella-Khan argued that the widespread "animus" toward Khan in corporate America "might indicate she is having an impact despite the setbacks."

"Khan has an egalitarian vision of competition law that seeks to improve the well-being of citizens beyond their roles as consumers," he added. "The Amazon case will be a big test."

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[nbmsports]

FTC loses appeals court bid to temporarily block Microsoft-Activision deal

Satya Nadella, CEO of MicrosoftCNBCIn a victory for Microsoft, the U.S. Appeals Court for the 9th Circuit late on Friday denied the Federal Trade Commission's motion to temporarily stop Microsoft from closing its $68.7 billion acquisition of video game publisher Activision Blizzard.Microsoft is still working to resolve concerns about the transaction from the United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority. The two companies have been looking to close the deal by July 18."We appreciate the Ninth Circuit's swift response denying the FTC's motion to further delay the deal. This brings us another step closer to the finish line in this marathon of global regulatory reviews," Brad Smith, Microsoft's president and vice chair, said in a statementA federal judge in San Francisco, after five days of court hearings, ruled against the FTC on Tuesday, and the federal agency filed its appeal on Wednesday.The FTC first sued to block the acquisition last December, then filed for an emergency injunction to block the completion of the deal before it could have an agency administrative law judge take it up. The FTC has argued that the transaction was anti-competitive because Microsoft might make some of its games exclusive to its own Xbox game consoles or diminish the experience of Activision games such as the popular Call of Duty titles on rival services should the deal close. Microsoft has said it would instead make the games more widely available.In an emergency motion filed with the 9th Circuit on Thursday, the FTC said the district judge "denied preliminary relief, applying the wrong legal standard: the court effectively required the FTC to prove its full case on the merits with the court as arbiter of the merger's legality." The agency requested a temporary injunction while the court considered an appeal of the district court's conclusion.Under the leadership of Lina Khan, the FTC has lost other battles with technology companies, including its effort to stop Meta Platforms from buying virtual reality fitness app startup Within.FTC representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the ruling. Source link Read the full article

[asobu-x]

ENGLISH After several weeks in hearings, the judge has said that due to the absence of evidence of involvement in the possible merger of Microsoft with Activision/Blizzard, neither she nor the court have sufficient elements to approve their request or motion for order or preliminary blocking injunction, or what is the same as a temporary restraining order that would harm the union of the companies in a negative and unpredictable, almost definitive way.

This conclusion has been expressed after the last 4 to 5 days of testing sessions.

This means the green light for Microsoft to enter the final phase of the long-awaited acquisition and incorporation with its allied studios. Free way starting this Friday, July 14.

The procedure sought by the FTC was precisely to prolong the acquisition process with this restriction with a view to wearing down the process by allowing unsustainable time lapses for both companies involved. ----------------------------------- LATINO Después de varias semanas en audiencias, la juez ha dicho que debido a la ausencia de evidencias de afectación ante la posible fusión de Microsoft con Activision/Blizzard no cuentan ni ella ni el tribunal con los elementos suficientes para aprobarles su solicitud o moción de orden o interdicto preliminar de bloqueo, o lo que es igual una orden de restricción temporal que perjudicaría la unión de las compañias de manera negativa e impredecible, casi definitiva.

Esta conclusión la ha expresado después de entre 4 y 5 últimos días de sesiones probatorias.

Esto significa luz verde para Microsoft para entrar en la fase final de la esperada adquisición e incorporación con sus estudios aliados. Vía libre a partir de este viernes 14 de julio.

El proceder buscado por la FTC era precisamente prolongar con esta restricción el proceso de adquisición con miras a desgastar el proceso dejando pasar lapsos de tiempo insostenibles para ambas compañías involucradas. ----------------------------------- 日本 数週間の審理を経て、判事は、MicrosoftとActivision/Blizzardの合併の可能性に関与した証拠が存在しないため、裁判官も裁判所も、命令や仮差し止めの請求や申し立てを承認するのに十分な要素を備えていない、と述べた。 、または、否定的かつ予測不可能な、ほぼ決定的な形で企業の組合に害を及ぼす一時的な禁止命令と同じものです。

この結論は、過去 4 ～ 5 日間のテストセッション後に表明されました。

これは、マイクロソフ

[first-impressions-gaming]

GAMING RECAP (JUNE 28-30)

Xbox Series X|S Consoles Have Reportedly Passed 21 Million Sales Worldwide

A snapshot from the presentation appears to reveal that over 21 million Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles have now been sold, which results in over 79 million combined sales of the Xbox One, Series X and Series S so far.

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1 Million PlayStation Owners Play Only Call Of Duty

The ongoing trial between Microsoft and the FTC follows after Xbox’s lawyers and execs spent more than a year trying to convince various governments to let the company buyCall of Duty and Warcraft publisher Activision Blizzard for $69 billion. The current court hearing isn’t about blocking the deal, but instead pausing it so the FTC has more time to “evaluate the antitrust merits” of the case. And as the hearing has gone on, more and more internal documents, emails, and depositions have been released, giving us juicy details about the companies involved.

For example, in a letter from PlayStation boss Jim Ryan to the FTC, we learn all sorts of interesting data on how many people are playing Call of Duty across PlayStation consoles. And yes, in this letter, Ryan says that in 2021 “about 1 million users spent 100% of their gaming time” playing just Call of Duty.

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Starfield is being optimized for AMD hardware

If you were hoping to get the most out of your Nvidia RTX 4000 graphics card when Starfield launches, you might be out of luck. It turns out developer Bethesda will optimize the anticipated sci-fi RPG for AMD’s hardware instead.

Todd Howard himself said that the team is excited to be partnering with AMD, getting the game to run as best as it can on that particular hardware. He adds that Starfield will use FSR 2.0 (AMD’s upscaling technology that offers an alternative to Team Green’s DLSS). Nvidia fans may feel they’re being shafted a little on this front, especially for those who were hoping to get their money’s worth from a 4000 series.

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Ubisoft reportedly remaking pirate adventure Assassin's Creed: Black Flag

News that Ubisoft has finally decided to give everyone what they more or less wanted in the first place comes via Kotaku, which claims, citing two sources familiar with the publisher's plans, that the remake is "still in its earliest stages".

Ubisoft Singapore - the same studio still trying to finish the embattled Skull and Bones - is "heavily involved" with the project, which isn't expected to complete "for at least a few years".

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The Lord of the Rings: Gollum studio Daedalic reportedly lays off 25 employees, exiting game development

Daedalic Entertainment, the company behind this year's critically lambasted The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, is reportedly set to exit game development and has laid off around 25 employees as part of the move. Additionally, a second Lord of the Rings game in development at the studio is said to have been cancelled.

In a statement provided to the website (as per Google translate, but the reporter reached out to Daedalic for confirmation of the news and an official translation), Daedalic said 25 employees out of a team of more than 90 would lose their jobs as a result of the company's shift in focus.

"We value each and every member of our team and it is important to us that the transition goes as smoothly as possible," a company spokesperson said. "Therefore, we will support our former employees in finding new opportunities within our network."

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PS Plus July includes Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Alan Wake Remastered

Sony has confirmed July's PlayStation Plus Essential games, and they include Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Alan Wake: Remastered, and Endling: Extinction is Forever.

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Stray to be released on Xbox

Amazon announces free Prime Gaming titles for July

Here's all the games members can claim in July and a little flavour text from Amazon for each.

On 6th July: Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! — Dish out hundreds of different foods across war-torn America as players cook, serve and manage a food truck in this massive sequel to the million-selling series!

On 13th July: Nairi: Tower of Shirin — Uncover a mysterious conspiracy in this gripping yet family-friendly adventure as players take on the role as Nairi in this oasis city where animals and humans live side by side!

On 20th July: Wytchwood — Explore a strange countryside, collect magic ingredients, brew sorcerous spells in this crafting adventure game set in a land of gothic fables and fairytales.

On 27th July: Lunar Axe — Trapped inside an abandoned house, players must find a way out and unravel the mystery of inexplicable tremors before the city is destroyed.

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Blade Runner 2033 and everything else from Annapurna's latest showcase

To take a look the whole list check out here or watch the show in full above

[dolllikelove]

New Emails Reveal Microsoft Wanted To Buy Sega, Bungie

Microsoft is currently in court trying to move forward with its massive deal to acquire Activision Blizzard. But new emails, which surfaced during the ongoing court hearing, reveal that Xbox was discussing plans to buy up other video game studios and publishers, including Sega, Bungie, Niantic, IO Interactive, and… Read more... http://dlvr.it/SrH5hy

[todaynowreport]

Microsoft Xbox chief at 'Call of Duty' hearing: We doing nothing different than what Apple and Google are

Microsoft executives were back at defending its deal with ‘Call of Duty’ maker Activision Blizzard. Xbox chief Phil Spencer was grilled at the court and mainly focussed on how the company is focussed on expanding its business across platforms and not just consoles. Microsoft tapping the mobile gaming market was one of the key points of discussion at the hearing.Call of Duty on PlayStationAt the…

[antonio-velardo]

Antonio Velardo shares: Microsoft Says It Could Abandon Activision Deal if Judge Delays It by Kellen Browning and David McCabe

By Kellen Browning and David McCabe A five-day hearing over Microsoft’s $70 billion acquisition, which the Federal Trade Commission hopes to block, began Thursday in federal court. Published: June 22, 2023 at 01:28PM from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/pZLCVfQ via IFTTT

[wiredhippie]

Microsoft can't buy Activision Blizzard for now, judge rules

Embedded YouTube Video A federal court has issued a temporary restraining order preventing Microsoft from closing its $68.7 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard. The Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint against the deal on Monday, seeking to get the restraining order and preliminary injunction. The court has agreed to hear the FTC’s complaint and grant the order while it considers…

[nsebullcom]

FTC files injunction to block Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard

Microsoft Corp. has another headwind in its proposed $69 billion acquisition of videogame publisher Activision Blizzard Inc., in the form of an injunction from the Federal Trade Commission. Late Monday, the FTC confirmed reports earlier in the day that it would block the acquisition, and filed a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Microsoft MSFT, +1.55% and Activision Blizzard ATVI, -0.76% in a San Francisco federal court. Antitrust complaints against the deal generally revolve around concerns that Microsoft, with its Xbox gaming console, could withhold hit Activision Blizzard videogame franchises such as “Call of Duty” and “Overwatch” from competing console platforms. “A preliminary injunction is necessary to maintain the status quo and prevent interim harm to competition,” the FTC said in its filing. “This loss of competition would likely result in significant harm to consumers in multiple markets at a pivotal time for the industry.” In a statement late Monday, Brad Smith, Microsoft’s vice chair and president, said “We welcome the opportunity to present our case in federal court. We believe accelerating the legal process in the U.S. will ultimately bring more choice and competition to the market.” In mid-May, EU regulators approved the deal, after U.K. regulators said in April they would prohibit the deal on anticompetitive concerns. In late May, Microsoft confirmed to MarketWatch earlier reports that the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority had tentatively scheduled appeal hearings during the weeks of July 24 and July 31. Microsoft shares closed Monday up 1.6% at $331.85, and Activision Blizzard’s finished down 0.8% at $79.77, compared with a 0.9% gain by the S&P 500 index SPX, +0.93%, a 1.5% rise by the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, +1.53%, and a 0.6% gain by the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.56%, of which Microsoft is a component. Source link Read the full article

[marc94e22394781-blog]

Robbie Fulks Raps Up 2015.

Antonio Vivaldi's best-known arrangement is actually a collection from violin concertos made up in 1723 qualified the Four Seasons (Le quattro stagioni). The June 30, launch from Apple Music along with its 3-month free of charge test, and also considerable group investing and test gives throughout various players, took improved emphasis to the broader on-demand group during the course of this time period. A lot more carefully related to its pre-cursor Rocksteady, Reggae had the particular noise from sluggish shouting while emphasis on syncopated designs all throughout the music. Inoffensive as well as suitable as song; while improving as well as superb if a keep track of is actually turned up to underscore a center of attention during the ceremony, or supply the music for the pleased few's first dancing. While, the band explains that Living Things, is the music obtained coming from the combo from all their 4 previous albums. Partially 1 of this collection, our team talked about effective ways to utilize audio documents current on your pc to participate in music in a Microsoft PowerPoint discussion. Without those variations, language would certainly not be actually incredibly exciting as well as not either will songs. Numerous doubters enjoy with that the band preferred to make songs a concern over politics. The method I examine popular music as a whole and also I am fairly involved along with rock music tracks are actually that when our company started the modification off Compact disc's to Mp3 songs the Genre has transformed also. Our team had organ music throughout the ceremony as well as reception - every thing coming from Bach's Toccata as well as Fugue and also the sublime St Saens Body organ Concerto to Symphonie Fantastique and also a lot more. The much larger the denominator is, at that point, the quicker the songs is very likely to become. The breve, worked with by the first, is actually the largest music unit of time and also whatever from there on splits through half. Music is very important, though; in most cases, that is actually the most effective background to maintain your conscious mind considering going through along with hearing each whole track (continuously). Guitar Hero World Tour (in the beginning described as Guitar Hero IV or Guitar Hero IV: Planet Trip) is a video game established through Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision. ILike allows you to create a profile as well as scan your music checklist straight coming from iTunes. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Stone is actually a music video game, the third primary installation in the Guitar Hero collection, as well as the fourth headline generally. Year-to-date 2015 nearby advertising income went to an enduring high of 26% of advertising and marketing incomes along with a 151 nearby salesmen right now in market, up off 109 a year ago. Make an effort these well-liked kid tunes as your background music for your piggyback tunes. Popular music is actually everywhere around our company. Could that be outdoors or indoors, this exists to lift us up when our experts experience down, and also it's there to accompany our team when our company believe that acquiring all psychological on a bad patch. With the absolutely cost-free songs download plans, unless you buy their beauty-Body-Excercises.info Pro model, which a few of them are actually much more costly in comparison to the pay courses mentioned over, you're virtually by yourself in addition to the adds and also pop ups as well as do not forget the spyware. The procedure from songs licensing assists the upcoming artists to safeguard their authentic developments. Williams, the manufacturer behind the song, recognized in court that he had been actually a follower from Gaye's songs since childhood years, but claimed under vow that Beclouded Lines" and also Came To Provide this Up" were identical in relations to In 2011, Spotify found an option in a grow older of hooked up gadgets and mobility to change the technique songs was paid attention to as well as paid for, developing a company design that steered customer adopting that was tool agnostic.