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☆ Microsoft will let people buy games through Xbox app on Android in November after Google antitrust ruling
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-10 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, speaks at the Gamescom conference in Cologne, Germany, on Aug. 23, 2023. Microsoft will allow people to buy and play video games through its Xbox app for Android starting in November, the company said on Thursday. The move is an immediate consequence of a U.S. judge ruling on Monday that Google will have to present alternatives to its Google Play app store on Android devices. Currently, people can download games to Xbox consoles through the Xbox app for Android, and those who pay for the Netflix-like Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions can stream games from the cloud in a different app. In March, the U.S. Justice Department filed an antitrust case against Apple that said limiting distribution to the App Store gives the company monopoly power.

Persons: Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond, Bond Organizations: Microsoft Gaming, Microsoft, Google, Epic Games, Xbox, Electronic Arts, Netflix, U.S . Justice Department, Facebook, Meta, Activision, Apple Locations: Cologne, Germany, U.S

☆ Saudi Arabia is building the world's first Dragon Ball Z theme park
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Visitors try out the latest version of Dragon Ball Z Kakarot at the 2019 Gamescom gaming trade fair in Cologne, Germany. Saudi Arabia is set to become home to the first-ever Dragon Ball Z theme park — a 5.3 million square foot entertainment venue announced as part of the kingdom's huge Qiddiya project. Five of the rides at the Dragon Ball Z theme park will be "world firsts," according to the release, one of which will be a 230-foot-high roller coaster called Shenron, named after the series' magical dragon. Vision 2030, the name of this project, a brainchild of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has also set a target of 150 million tourists visiting the kingdom annually by 2030. Tourism reached a record for the country in 2023 at 106 million, according to its tourism ministry — an increase of 56% from 2019.

Persons: Prince Mohammed bin Salman, It's Organizations: Toei Animation, Saudi, Public Investment Fund, Nintendo, Tourism Locations: Cologne, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Riyadh —, Riyadh, City

At Meta, in CEO Mark Zuckerberg's words, 2023 was the "year of efficiency," and the stock jumped almost 200% alongside 20,000 job cuts. AI demand is so great that some tech companies are cutting headcount in parts of the business to invest more heavily in developing AI products. Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, appears at the Political Opening of the Gamescom conference in Cologne, Germany, on Aug. 23, 2023. Within tech, a wide variety of companies, big and small and spanning the consumer and enterprise markets, are eliminating jobs. But, he added, there's an "enormous base" of small and mid-sized tech companies across the U.S., and that in some cases contractors, freelancers and overseas workers are being hit particularly hard.

Persons: Peter Kramer, They've, Mark Zuckerberg's, Zeile, Phil Spencer, Franziska Krug, Sundar Pichai, Bob Carrigan, Nigel Vaz, Publicis Sapient, Salesforce, Meta's, " Vaz, Levi Strauss, Bob Bakish, Tim Herbert, Herbert, there's, Vaz, Michael Bloom, Annie Palmer, Jennifer Elias Organizations: Nasdaq, CNBC, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Investors, Activision Blizzard, SAP, Microsoft Gaming, Facebook, Citigroup, Paramount, Commerce Department, Gross Locations: Cologne, Germany, U.S

☆ Neopets is under new management and planning a comeback in a vastly different era of gaming
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Since buying Neopets, Law said his team is in the process of restoring those minigames and modernizing them to enhance the experience. Competing in the current metaWhile Law is optimistic, he is aware that Neopets was born in a different era of video gaming. For Neopets, Law said the merch business would include both physical, like plushies and clothing, and digital, such as in-game purchases. In 2024, Law's team is planning to launch World of Neopets, a 3D simulator game that will utilize the existing Neopets world, but in a modern gaming environment. Does this mean that new Neopets games will replace the 24-year old Neopets.com?

Persons: Dominic Law, Neopets, Neopets …, Jakub Porzycki, NetDragon Websoft, Law, we've, John Legend, Kass Basher, Mickey Mouse Organizations: Neopets, Koelnmesse, CNBC, Gamescom, Law, Getty, Nurphoto, Adobe, Activision, Monopoly Locations: Asia, Singapore, asia, Canada, Hong Kong, Gamescom Asia, that's, Krakow, Poland, Neopets, U.S

☆ Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer says Starfield is seeing 'huge demand'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, appears at the Political Opening of the Gamescom conference in Cologne, Germany, on Aug. 23, 2023. Microsoft is seeing "huge demand" for its new Starfield video game, Phil Spencer, the software company's CEO of gaming, said Wednesday. Microsoft picked up the game through its $8.1 billion acquisition of game publisher ZeniMax, the parent of Bethesda. Spencer said Starfield is the most wish-listed game the company has had on the Steam game store. Spencer said tens of millions of Game Pass subscribers were getting a chance to play Starfield on Wednesday.

Persons: Phil Spencer, Spencer, CNBC's Steve Kovach, ZeniMax, Jim Ryan, Ryan, We've, we've, Starfield Organizations: Microsoft Gaming, Microsoft, Microsoft's Bethesda Game Studios, PlayStation, Gaming, Activision Blizzard, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Activision, Sony, Nintendo, Markets Authority, Ubisoft Locations: Cologne, Germany, Microsoft's, Bethesda, San Francisco

Microsoft President Brad Smith told a news conference on Tuesday he was now more optimistic of getting the Activision acquisition done after the Nvidia deal and a similar arrangement with Nintendo Co Ltd (7974.T). Instead, Nvidia's 25 million customers will need to pay Nvidia for access to its cloud gaming platform and pay Microsoft for its games. Shares of Microsoft fell 2%, Nvidia dropped 3.4% and Activision fell 0.7% in a broadly lower market on Tuesday afternoon. Nvidia said it now supports the Xbox maker's bid to purchase Activision, but the deal could still be a hard sell with regulators. Smith said he hoped that rival Sony Group Corp (6758.T) will consider doing the same type of deal with Nvidia.

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