Category: Video Games

Google and Nvidia have both reportedly joined Sony in raising concerns to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding Microsoft’s planned $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, according to a Bloomberg report.

The two companies reportedly contend that by acquiring Activision Blizzard, Microsoft would gain an unfair advantage in the cloud, subscription, and mobile gaming markets. That said, one source told Bloomberg that Nvidia at least is not expressly opposed to the acquisition, though it did stress the importance of equal access to game titles.

The report does not elaborate on either company’s other specific concerns. Microsoft currently is a strong contender in cloud gaming alongside Nvidia with GeForce Now, with Google’s Stadia program having folded last year. In mobile gaming, though, Microsoft has markedly little presence.

In fact, Xbox head Phil Spencer previously pointed to Activision Blizzard’s mobile King division as the keystone of the intended acquisition, and filings connected to the deal have revealed that Microsoft wants to use King to create a new “xbox Mobile Platform.”

Nvidia and Google join Sony as major companies bringing issues forward to governing bodies about the acquisition, though based on the tone, these latter two are coming in notably softer on the issue. Lat elast year, the FTC announced it would sue to block Microsoft’s attempted acquistion due to concerns that the deal would harm competition from rival console-makers through exclusivity. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has also raised similar concerns.

Over the last several months, Microsoft has been repeatedly attempting to counter such concerns, including by offering a deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for as long as ten years, and a similar promise to bring the series to Nintendo consoles.

While it’s unclear exactly how involved Nvidia or Google will continue to be, both companies could potentially be called to testify before the FTC when the lawsuit goes to trial, which Bloomberg notes is planned for August of this year.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

The Pokémon Company International said that there were will be a new patch for Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet coming in February.

“Update Ver. 1.2.0, which will include bug fixes and add functionality, is planned to be released in late February. Please look forward to more details soon,” says The Pokémon Company in a statement on its official website.

Shortly after launch back in November, Patch 1.1.0 was pushed out and added features such as Ranked Battles and fixed some “select bugs” such as the music not being played correctly during battles against the Elite Four. However, the patch didn’t seem to address many of the various technical and performance issues that have been plaguing the games.

Unfortunately, The Pokémon Company hasn’t provided any specific details on whether the upcoming patch will alleviate performance problems. So far, it seems like it’ll just continue to fix more bugs and include additional features.

Despite how the numerous glitches and performance issues found in the games, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet set a brand new all-time sales record with 10 million combined units sold within its first three days of launch.

In IGN’s Pokemon Scarlet review, we said, “The open-world gameplay of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a brilliant direction for the future of the franchise, but this promising shift is sabotaged by the numerous ways in which Scarlet and Violet feel deeply unfinished.”

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He’s been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.

When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey

Rick and Morty co-creator and High on Life creator Justin Roiland has been charged in a California court with domestic battery and false imprisonment, according to a report by NBC News.

NBC, which obtained the criminal complaint in question, says that Roiland was charged in May of 2020 in connection with an incident from January of that year.

Roiland is charged with one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury, and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud, and/or deceit — both against an anonymous Jane Doe who he was dating at the time.

He has pleaded “not guilty” to both charges.

Thus far, over a dozen hearings have taken place connected to these charges, including a pre-trial hearing today, but a trial date has not yet been set. Roiland was reportedly arrested in May of 2020 and released on a $50,000 bond the following August. In October, a protective order was filed stating that he was not permitted to harass, threaten, surveil, or go within 100 feet of the Jane Doe in question.

A number of other case details are reportedly being withheld under a protective order, though an attorney confirmed to NBC News that a plea offer is available. NBC reports that a hearing in the case is planned to reconvene on April 27, with Roiland ordered to attend.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Disclosure: The author of this piece’s partner previously worked at High on Life studio Squanch Games.

Image Credit: Greg Doherty, Getty Images