Items tagged with NASDAQ:ATVI
Publisher Activision and developer Infinity Ward have figured out a surefire way to rile up gamers—push out a game update that checks in at a whopping 84 gigabytes. Actually, it is closer to 85GB, but even rounding down does little quell the rising tide of criticism over massive game updates, a category this one punches into like the Kool-Aid character smashing through a wall. To the credit of Infinity Ward, the developer offered a heads up that the update for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone would be "large." That may have been underselling it a bit, but at least the sizeable download did not come completely out of left field. "The Season 4 download is going to be large. In order...
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Call of Duty: Warzone players will be thrilled to hear that the highly anticipated Battle Royale Duos has arrived to the game. Players can now match up with a partner and drop into Verdansk using Battle Royale rules. Players can pair up with a friend or can be matched up with a random player. The goal of Duos is for the pair of operatives to outlast all of the other teams in the match. During the action, if one of a duo goes down, their partner can revive them before they bleed out and lose their loadout. Reviving them will prevent the downed player from being taken to the Gulag where they have to fight one on one to earn the right to return to the game. A downed Call of Duty Warzone...
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It looks like the next Call of Duty game will take a step back in history. As is now tradition, the next game’s name has already leaked. It was recently revealed that the upcoming game will be called Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Leaker “Okami” posted what appears to be the cover art of the next Call of Duty game on Twitter. Activision has yet to confirm the title, but other sources have contended that the leak is true. The game will likely be released this autumn and will hopefully be formally announced within the next month or so. The Cold War theme has also been teased in Call of Duty: Warzone. Locked bunkers have appeared in the game and players can now access them...
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Activision has begun rolling out a new patch for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Warzone, and with it comes a bunch of new features and bug fixes. Normally those sort of things would be embraced. But on the other side of the coin, the sheer size of Activision's patches are the cause of consternation among some gamers. Modern Warfare already takes up a sizeable chunk of storage space—over 100GB on PCs and consoles. A patch delivered last month checked at 15GB, which drew some eyebrows, while the latest version 1.21 update is up to twice as big, depending on the platform. It is around 20GB on the PlayStation 4, and around 30GB on the Xbox One and PC. After applying the patch,...
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Activision-Blizzard is keeping itself busy developing a bunch of games, one of which might be a remake of Diablo II, the classic hack-and-slash RPG that came out nearly two decades ago. It is said Blizzard is calling it Diablo II Resurrected. According to the report, Blizzard is aiming to launch Diablo II Ressurected sometime in the fourth quarter of this year. While nothing has been announced, French news site Actugaming seems to think it is happening for sure, saying "sources close" to Blizzard mentioned the project several times. The sources told the site that Vicarious Visions is making the game (Activision acquired the studio four years ago, which went on to create Destiny 2 in 2017). Not...
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Players who cheat are the scourge of online gaming, and it is an ongoing problem in popular titles. Suspensions and permanent bans are the tools of the trade for developers and publishers who seek to keep the issue at bay, though Infinity Ward and Activision have another idea—players suspected of cheating in Call of Duty: Warzone and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will be matched up together. This is in line with Activision's "zero tolerance" policy towards cheating. At the beginning of the month, the publisher announced it had dropped the ban hammer on 50,000 cheaters in Warzone alone, and promised to provide updated stats as time went on. The most recent update came on April 13, in which...
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The 2020 Summer Olympic Games have been postponed, but a new Destiny 2 event is just getting started. Bungie recently introduced the Guardian Games, a class competition between players. Here is what you need to know for your class to dominate in the Destiny 2 Guardian Games. First and foremost, the Guardian Games are free and open to all Destiny 2 players. You do not need a Season Pass to participate in the games. The Guardian Games will open on April 21st during the weekly reset and will end on May 21st at the weekly reset. Bungie recommends that players log in a little early on April 21st to make sure that they have successfully installed Update 2.8.1. This update is required to participate...
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Let us all take a moment of silence for the tens of thousands of cheaters in Call of Duty: Warzone, who publisher Activision has permanently banned since the battle royale mode launched earlier this month. Just kidding, go ahead and celebrate—pump your fist in the air, high five your cat, or do whatever makes you feel happy. But don't cheat, because cheaters suck. Activision agrees, and is coming down hard with a "zero tolerance" policy. Since launching Warzone, Activision says it has dropped the ban hammer on more than 50,000 players worldwide, and we are sure that number will grow as time goes on. "We take all forms of cheating very seriously, maintaining a level and fair playing field...
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Call of Duty: Warzone is officially here and six million players have already jumped into the fray. The game is similar to other battle royale games, but there are distinct differences that set it apart. Here is the information you need to know to survive, thrive, and dominate in Call of Duty: Warzone. First and foremost, Call of Duty: Warzone is a free-to-play battle royale video game. It is a free update for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare players, but it can also be accessed for free by anyone with a Playstation 4, Xbox One, or PC. The game features two modes- Plunder and Battle Royale. Battle Royale players will need to survive until the end of their match, while Plunder players are expected...
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Call of Duty: Warzone Lands March 10 As Free-To-Play Battle Royale Juggernaut With Up To 150 Players
Updated March 9th @ 1:27pm Activision has gone official with Call of Duty: Warzone, and confirms that it is a cross-platform battle royale game that is free-to-play and will support up to 150 players. The game will launch tomorrow at 11am EST, and will be available on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. You can read more about the game via this blog in the source link below, and check out the trailer for Call of Duty: Warzone here: Our original, unedited story continues below: Call of Duty fans who have been itching for some more battle royale gameplay will get their wish when Warzone drops, whenever that might be. It has to be coming soon—there are too many leaks and rumors for Warzone...
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Perhaps in a parallel universe, StarCraft: Ghost (not to be confused with StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty) released as originally planned, and spawned a series of sequels over the past decade and a half. In this universe, however, StarCraft: Ghost became vaporware, and then outright cancelled. Gone but not forgotten, screenshots and gameplay footage of StarCraft Ghost have emerged. Originally, StarCraft: Ghost was to be developed by Nihilistic Software and published by Blizzard for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. After two years in development, Nihilistic Software handed the reins over to Singin' Ape Studios. Not long after, Blizzard acquired the development studio and cancelled the release...
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This will come as little consolation to early GeForce NOW adopters, but that whole messy situation with Activision-Blizzard abruptly pulling its titles from the game streaming service right after its public launch? Well aw shucks, folks, it was just a simple "misunderstanding." In short, NVIDIA thought the agreement it had with Activision during the GeForce NOW beta period extended into the public launch. NVIDIA was wrong. So, what does this mean for gamers? Nothing has really changed—GeForce NOW is still devoid of Activision games, and there is absolutely no clarity on when or even if they will return to the service at a later date. "Activision Blizzard has been a fantastic partner during...
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There is little doubt that developer Infinity Ward is adding a battle royale to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. This has been rumored for several months, and an in-game Season 2 trailer certainly seems to tease its eventual addition. On top of it all, a menu glitch and gameplay footage provide the strongest evidence yet that battle royale gameplay is headed to Modern Warfare, and soon. Nothing is real until it actually is, so we'll leave the door slightly ajar for the various leaks to all be wrong in some fashion. However, that's highly unlikely at this point. Leaked images point to a new mode called "Warzone," and there are even images of a new lobby screen that strongly hint at a battle royale...
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Activision Blizzard and Google have announced a multi-year strategic relationship that will see Google Cloud services as the preferred provider for Activision Blizzard's game hosting infrastructure. YouTube will act as the exclusive streaming partner globally, excluding China, for live broadcasts of Activision Blizzard's popular eSports leagues and events. Activision Blizzard says that it sought a partner to help enhance its gaming infrastructure while delivering superior, low-latency player experiences. It says it turned to Google Cloud because of its highly reliable global footprint, advanced data analytics, and AI capabilities. Benefits for players under the new arrangement include low...
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The office can be a dangerous place. Forget about office politics, have you ever stubbed a toe on a file cabinet, threw out your back restocking the water cooler, or been attacked by a spinning chair? Our condolences if you answered "yes" to all three. Before you dismiss the latter as an actual workplace hazard, however, a clip of a murderous chair in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, should serve as a cautionary tale. Okay, maybe office chairs have never spun so hard that they actually killed someone (I don't have any stats on this). However, a user on Reddit discovered a hilarious glitch in which two spinning chairs inside the hotel of the St. Petrograd map can mortally wound players. Just colliding...
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The release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s battle royale mode may be just around the corner. The mode has not officially been confirmed, but its map has reportedly been found. A redditor used a glitch to explore Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s upcoming battle royale map. u/KingBeezoR discovered a glitch during a private match on the map “Vacant”. Once the game had started, u/KingBeezoR was able to use the spectate feature to wander around the map. They were able to explore far beyond Vacant’s typically boundaries. The map is not fully rendered, but u/KingBeezoR was still able to explore a variety of areas. Their explorations included “Gulag”, a 1v1...
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare players have complained about a variety of issues with the game since its launch in August. One thing that players have been upset about is the absence of kill-death ratios during most matches. The good news is, Modern Warfare is now selling a cosmetic pack that includes a watch which shows a player’s stats. Unfortunately, the cosmetic pack rings in at a steep $20 USD and it feels like an obvious money grab. Players have typically been able to view their assists, deaths, and kills during matches in previous Call of Duty games. This feature helped players monitor their stats and adjust their gameplay style accordingly. In most standard modes, Modern Warfare’s...
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At long last, Blizzard finally announced a "supercharged sequel" to Overwatch during BlizzCon 2019 (along with Diablo IV, in case you missed the news). Overwatch 2, the next installment of the developer's hugely popular first person hero shooter, will build upon the original's game foundation of player versus player (PvP) competition, but will also include a new 6v6 PvP mode, along with "a tone of PvE content." "With Overwatch 2, we’re building the cooperative, narrative-driven game experience that players have been asking for since the original—and that we’ve wanted to make for a long time," said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment. "We’re looking forward...
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The highly anticipated Call of Duty: Modern Warfare reboot is off to a fast start. According to an announcement sent out by Activision, Modern Warfare has sold more units in its first three days than any other Call of Duty game sold in the same time frame within "this console generation." It is also the top-selling premium game release of 2019, with over $600 million in sales in just three days. "Call of Duty is once again the top selling new premium game of the year, proving the enduring nature of the franchise across console, PC, mobile, and esports," said Bobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard’s Chief Executive Officer. "In its first three days of release, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare more...
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It has been an interesting week for Blizzard Activision, to say the least. The developer-slash-publisher found itself in the midst of a viral hellstorm after deciding to issue a one-year suspension to professional Hearthstone player Chung "Blitzchung" Ng Wai, in apparent reaction to him voicing support for Hong Kong protestors during an official tournament livestream. According to Blizzard, however, its relationship with China had nothing to do with the penalty. In addition to the one-year suspension, Blizzard also initially decided Blitzchung was not eligible for the $10,000 tournament prize he had won. What sparked all this was Blitzchung saying, "LIberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,"...
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Activision Blizzard (just Blizzard from here on out) finds itself mired in controversy after suspending Chung "Blitzchung" Ng Wai, a professional esports player, for one year and forcing him to forfeit a $10,000 prize he had one in the Hearthstone Asia-Pacific Grandmasters Tournament. His suspendable offense was voicing support for pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, during a livestream. "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times," Blitzchung said while donning a gas mask and goggles. Playing remotely from Hong Kong, the 21-year old esports player had just won $10,000 and was being interviewed after the match when he made the comment. Blizzard stripped him of his Grandmaster prize earnings,...
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Developer Infinity Ward is planning to reveal details about cross-platform play in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, during a livestream event today. It will also be sharing information about what is to come in the second weekend of the beta. Incidentally, that is also when the beta will extend beyond the PlayStation 4 to include Early Access on the Xbox One and PC. Cross-play support in Modern Warfare is a highly anticipated feature, and one that is long overdue—no previous Call of Duty game allows players on one platform to play against competitors on another platform. The livestream is also set to be the first official look at cross-play in Modern Warfare, assuming we get to see it in action....
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