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☆ Gaming’s winter of discontent bolsters M&A logic
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 12 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The holiday quarter is traditionally a bumper one for gaming groups, as punters stay home to play. As consumers and companies focus on “mega-brands”, smaller firms will struggle to attract staff, and match investment. Sony, for example, will need to bulk up in response to Microsoft’s (MSFT.O) $69 billion swoop on Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O). However, in a tougher environment, Guillemot will need to find some way to keep his hand on the joystick. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Ubisoft cancels three games and slashes targets, citing 'worsening macroeconomic conditions'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Tencent has increased its stake in French games maker Ubisoft, the company behind popular franchises like Assassin's Creed. Ubisoft canceled three unannounced games and slashed its full-year financial targets Wednesday, blaming "worsening macroeconomic conditions" that have plagued the video game industry. The French game publisher said it expects 2022 net bookings to come in at 725 million euros ($779.4 million), lower than an earlier target of 830 million euros. For the full year, Ubisoft said it expects its 2022 net bookings to fall 10%. Tencent invested 300 million euros in Guillemot Brothers Limited, taking a 49.9% stake in the family investment firm that owns 15% of Ubisoft.

☆ French video game maker Ubisoft increases writedowns and lowers targets
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Mathieu Rosemain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Plans 200 million-euro cost cuts, staff reductionCuts quarterly, full-year sales targetsPARIS, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Ubisoft (UBIP.PA) is increasing its writedown estimate to 500 million euros ($538 million) and cutting its full-year revenue target after ending 2022 with weaker-than-expected sales, the French video game maker said on Wednesday. Ubisoft cited the deteriorating economy, marked by lower spending on non-essential goods, to explain the acceleration of the depreciation, previously targeted at 400 million euros. Duguet declined to elaborate on the size of the staff reduction, which will be made through attrition, the company said. Net bookings in the third quarter are now expected at 725 million euros, down from a previous estimate of 830 million euros. Ubisoft said it was targeting operating income of around 400 million euros for fiscal 2023-2024, after taking into account the less favourable economic environment.

☆ Bankers not expecting quick recovery as IPO volumes plunge to lowest level since 2008
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro | Echo Wang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

With questions swirling around monetary policy and the prospect of a looming recession, IPO advisers are not holding their breath on a near-term recovery in the equity capital markets. Global share sales plunged this year as the IPO market froze and hundreds of companies postponed stock market debuts, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and interest rate hikes from central banks weighed on the broader economy. “It’s all about rates - the price of money changed and it has affected everything," said James Palmer, head of EMEA equity capital markets (ECM) at Bank of America. A return by long-only investors to capital markets deals is seen as key for any recovery, after a year in which hedge funds have taken a lead role as buyers of new issuance. "When the stock market is going like this, people typically don't buy new issuance," said Joshua Bonnie, co-head of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett's global capital markets practice.

☆ Hit by game delays and cancellations, Ubisoft posts half-year net loss
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 27 (Reuters) - French video game maker Ubisoft (UBIP.PA) said on Thursday its net result turned into a loss in the half-year, citing lost research and development expenses and related game cancellations. The firm has been dogged by game delays, on top of project cancellations and heavy sector competition. The maker of the blockbuster "Assassin's Creed" franchise posted a net loss of 190.2 million euros ($190.6 million)in the half-year ended on September 30, compared to a slight profit of 1.6 million euros in the same period last year. Ubisoft nonetheless on Thursday confirmed its full-year guidance and projected third quarter net bookings of around 830 million euros, on the back of a still unspecified mobile licensing deal. The "Prince of Persia" franchise maker posted net bookings down 2.6% to 699.4 million euros for the six months ended in September.

☆ Microsoft powers up search for Chinese gaming hits in race against Sony
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Josh Ye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterGrowing Western interest in Chinese games reflects a maturing of China's game development industry, analysts said. Chinese games are now on a par with big-budget Western games, said Daniel Ahmad, senior analyst at researcher Niko Partners. "Chinese game developers are trying to standardise their development tools, create advanced production processes, invest in really large-scale teams," Ahmad said. Microsoft has been building a team to scout for Chinese games, two industry sources said. Gaming executives now point to "Genshin Impact" as a global industry milestone, lauding its production value and seamless cross-platform game play.

☆ Artists say AI image generators are copying their style to make thousands of new images — and it's completely out of their control
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

"My name is being used a lot to generate AI images, along with the names of other working artists." "So if an AI is copying an artist's style and a company can just get an image generated that's similar to a popular artist's style without actually going to artists to pay them for that work, that could become an issue." Representatives from Open AI said both publicly available sources and images licensed by the company make up DALL-E's training data. Copyright laws around AI images are murkyIt's unclear whether copyright laws will protect the new artwork that AI programs generate. "I have friends in the industry who will storm out of the room if I even bring up using AI," he said.

☆ The 5 best Nintendo Switch games for kids in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-02-16 | by ( Tobey Grumet | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

That’s why we tried enticing them back to the familial circle with the Nintendo Switch. Though our boys abandoned their Nintendo Wii long ago in lieu of an Xbox, they were psyched to be back in the fold with the versatility of the more portable, lower-cost Switch, which starts at $199 for the Nintendo Switch Lite and goes to $349 for the Nintendo Switch OLED. Here are the best Nintendo Switch games for kids of all ages. One of the best Nintendo Switch fitness games, Ring Fit Adventure comes packaged with a pliable Pilates ring dubbed the Ring-Con and a Leg Strap pouch that secures one of your Joy-Con controllers. And lucky we did, because Big Brain Academy: Brain vs.

☆ OPINION: Play-to-earn games like Axie Infinity are blowing up right now, but they look a lot like Ponzi schemes
▼ + stars: | 2022-01-11 | by ( Paul Butler | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

He suggests Axie Infinity only creates value by taking money from new players and distributing it to established players. One of the most apparently successful examples of web3 that people point to, aside from art NFTs, is so-called play-to-earn games. NFT EconomyAxies, the tradable characters at the center of Axie Infinity, are tradable as NFTs outside of the official Axie Infinity game. I've focused on Axie Infinity because it's the prominent, genre-defining play-to-earn game. I fully suspect that the pitfalls that it has encountered are ones that all play-to-earn games will eventually encounter.

☆ Activision Blizzard influencers are turning their backs on the video game giant after a lawsuit claimed that female employees dealt with harassment and discrimination
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-26 | by ( Steven Asarch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

After a bombshell lawsuit was filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing against video game company Activision Blizzard on Tuesday, influencer partners are reeling. Blizzard was founded in 1991 and has created some of the most popular franchises in video game lore, like "Warcraft," "Starcraft," and "Diablo." The company and its work have attained legendary status in the video game world. Twitch streamer Asmongold, who has 2.3 million followers, commented in a Twitter video that many Blizzard streamers specialize in a single video game. Sexism in the video game industry isn't unique to Activision BlizzardThough the Anaheim-based developer is receiving a lion's share of the current internet discourse and criticism, it isn't unique in the video game industry.

☆ Amplă operaţiune a poliţiei la Montreal, după un apel de luare de ostatici la sediul companiei Ubisoft
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-14 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

Poliţia din Montreal a anunţat vineri că a deschis o anchetă după un apel anonim care semnala o luare de ostatici la sediul gigantului francez de jocuri video Ubisoft din Montreal, care a mobilizat zeci de poliţişti timp de mai multe ore şi s-a dovedit a fi o alarmă falsă, scrie AFP. La începutul serii, atunci când mai mulţi angajaţi au fost evacuaţi din clădire după mai multe ore de incertitudine şi spaimă, Poliţia a confirmat că operaţiunea a fost încheiată. „Operaţiunea în legătură cu un apel de luare de ostatici a fost încheiată”, a scris pe Twitter Poliţia. „Nu a fost depistată nicio ameninţare şi nu a fost niciun rănit”. În jur de 4.000 de angajaţi lucrează la Ubisoft din Montreal, dar o mare parte lucrează de acasă din cauza pandemiei.

Persons: Ubisoft îşi Organizations: Ubisoft Locations: Poliţia, Montreal

Число выявленных случаев заражения коронавирусом в мире за сутки составило 628 136, это рекордный показатель с начала пандемии. Больше всего зараженных специалисты зафиксировали за день в Северной и Южной Америке (более 234 тысяч) и Европе (более 291 тысяч). Как пишет РИА Новости, политик заявил: он не знает, останется ли он на своем посту на второй срок, однако его администрация не будет вводить карантин ни при каких обстоятельствах. "Эта администрация не будет вводить карантин. Что бы ни случилось в будущем, кто знает, какая администрация будет, думаю, время покажет, я могу сказать, что эта администрация не будет вводить карантин… Ни при каких обстоятельствах мы не будем вводить карантин", - сказал Трамп, выступая перед журналистами.

Persons: обстоятельствахДействующий, Дональд Трамп, Трамп, Джо Байден Organizations: Всемирная организация здравоохранения (ВОЗ), РИА Новости Locations: Молдова, КИШИНЕВ, Северная, Южная Америка, Европа, Монреаль, Квебек, США, Соединенные Штаты

☆ Сообщение о захвате заложников в Монреале оказалось ложным
▼ + stars: | 2020-10-13 | by ( ) point.md time to read: 1 min

Полиция Монреаля разыскивает лиц, которые сообщили о захвате заложников в здании, где находится офис компании-разработчика компьютерных игр Ubisoft, сообщает телеканал TVA. "Следователи активно работают над поиском одного или нескольких авторов ложного сообщения, за которым последовала мобилизация служб правопорядка", - говорится в сообщении телеканала, передает ria.ruРанее полиция сообщила о спецоперации в районе, где расположен офис компании-разработчика компьютерных игр Ubisoft. В социальных сетях сообщалось, что произошел захват заложников, сотрудники компании были выведены на крышу.

Locations: Монреаль

☆ В Монреале проводят спецоперацию после сообщений о захвате заложников
▼ + stars: | 2020-10-13 | by ( ) point.md time to read: 1 min

В офисе компании Ubisoft в Монреале захватили заложников, полиция проводит спецоперацию, сообщило издание The Globe and Mail. В полиции подтвердили проведение спецоперации, передает ria.ru"Полицейская операция идет на углу Сен-Лоран и Сен-Вьятор. Полиция Монреаля сейчас проверяет информацию, детали будут позже", – написано в Twitter городской полиции. По данным TVA Nouvelles, неизвестные проникли в офис и взяли в заложники несколько десятков человек, о пострадавших не сообщается. Компания Ubisoft – один из крупнейших разработчиков компьютерных игр.

Organizations: Ubisoft, The Globe, Twitter, TVA Nouvelles, Ubisoft – Locations: Монреаль, МайлЭнд, СенЛоран, СенВьятор

☆ Amplă operațiune a poliției la Montreal, după ce s-a anunțat o luare de ostatici într-o clădire de birouri
▼ + stars: | 2020-08-22 | by ( Https | Www.Facebook.Com Radiochisinau | ) radiochisinau.md time to read: +1 min

O amplă operațiune a poliției a fost declanșată vineri după-amiază în centrul orașului Montreal, din Canada, într-o clădire unde se afla sediul unei mari companii care produce jocuri video, Ubisoft, dar și alte firme. Presa locală a scris că persoane înarmate țin ostatici zeci de persoane, după ce au apărut imagini cu polițiști desfășurați pe străzile din jurul clădirii. În plus, alte imagini, surprinse din elicopter, aratau zeci de oameni refugiați pe acoperișul clădirii aflate în centrul orașului Montreal. Cinci autobuze ale serviciului public de transport au fost aduse pentru a transporta persoanele evacuate din clădiri. În cele din urmă, ceea ce părea a fi o luare de ostatici s-a dovedit a fi fost o farsă din partea unei persoane care a alertat serviciile de urgență chiar din interiorul clădirii, scrie Journal de Montreal.

Organizations: Ubisoft Locations: Montreal, Canada

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