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☆ Microsoft is laying off 1,900 workers at Activision, Xbox, and ZeniMax
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Microsoft is laying off 1,900 workers at Activision, Xbox, and ZeniMaxAngle down icon An icon in the shape of an angle pointing down. The cuts will mostly impact Activision Blizzard employees, reports say. SOPA/Getty Images

Organizations: Microsoft, Activision, Xbox, Activision Blizzard

☆ Tencent's Riot Games division cuts 11% of staff to 'create focus'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Tencent's Riot Games unit said Monday it's eliminating 11% of its workforce, or about 530 jobs, and scaling back on its division that publishes games from small developers. Eric Shen will become Legends of Runeterra's executive producer, replacing Dave Guskin, accroding to a blog post from Guskin, who said he'll work on other Riot games. Tencent, based in China, invested in Riot Games in 2011 and became its outright owner four years later. In September, Tencent-backed Epic Games announced it was cutting 16% of its staff. Shares slid 12% in late December after China announced new rules designed to limit excessive gaming.

Persons: Ma, we've, Dylan Jadeja, that's, Nicolo Laurent, Eric Shen, Dave Guskin, Jadeja, Tencent's, Tencent Organizations: Tencent Holdings Ltd, Tencent's, Google, League of, Riot Games, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Sony, Epic Games, China Locations: Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao, Bay, China, Guskin, Forge, Los Angeles, Tencent

☆ DocuSign, Zoom, and Twilio thrived in the pandemic-era stock market. In 2024, they're some of cloud software's most likely M&A targets.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

With the promise of generative AI fueling investment in technology, industry experts expect 2024 to be an active year for cloud software M&A. The market is right for buyers and sellers, as companies like Salesforce and Nvidia enter 2024 with cash on hand and mature startups face a slowed venture market. "There's so much demand for amazing talent in AI," Somasegar said. Deals in 2024 will likely be at smaller valuations, Jaluria noted. Jaluria expects that several companies that flourished during the pandemic — only to lose momentum with the rise in return-to-office mandates — are likely candidates for M&A in 2024.

Persons: Somasegar, Rishi Jaluria, Jaluria, Jaluria's Organizations: Business, Nvidia, Madrona Venture Group, RBC Capital Markets, Activision Locations: Seattle, Figma

Thursday's analyst calls featured an upgrade to a car rental stock and a big downgrade to an airline. The bank also hiked his price target on the tech giant to $225 per share, implying upside of 23%. — Pia Singh 5:36 a.m.: Citi downgrades Spirit Airlines to sell Citi is throwing in the towel on Spirit Airlines . Week to date, Spirit shares are down nearly 60%. Spirit shares were down more than 4% in the premarket.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Hertz, Andrew Percoco, Percoco, — Pia Singh, Wamsi Mohan, Fred Imbert, Kirk Materne, Materne, Dan Dolev, Dolev, he's, CFRA, Kenneth Leon, Berkshire Hathaway, Leon, Ranjan Sharma, Sharma, bode, Adam Jonas, Jonas, Morgan, Stephen Trent, Trent Organizations: CNBC, flipside, Citi, Spirit Airlines, JetBlue, Bank of America, Apple Bank of America, Apple, Microsoft, ISI, Activision, Activision Blizzard, Mizuho, Fidelity National Information Services, Paramount Global, RedBird Capital, Warner Bros ., Comcast, Paramount's, Showtime, Paramount, JPMorgan, Grab Holdings, Hertz Global Holdings, Jan, Citi downgrades Spirit Airlines, Spirit, Airlines Locations: Berkshire, 1H24, Wednesday's

☆ Synopsys to acquire graphics software maker Ansys in $35 billion tech deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Semiconductor design and software firm Synopsys on Tuesday announced it would acquire Ansys , an engineering and product design software firm, in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $35 billion. Synopsys will pay consideration of roughly $390 per share: $197 per share in cash and roughly one-third of a Synopsys share for each Ansys share. Synopsys shares were up 3% on Tuesday morning, after a 12% slump since The Wall Street Journal reported in December that the two companies were in advanced talks. Ansys shares slipped 5% but were up more than 14% in that same period since December. The remaining $3 billion nonequity consideration will come from Synopsys' cash.

Persons: Synopsys, Ansys, Sassine Ghazi, Shelagh Glaser, Ghazi, Ajei Gopal, Evercore, Cleary Gottlieb Steen, Hamilton, Goodwin Procter, Raimondo, Chips Organizations: Street, Activision Blizzard, VMware, Cisco, Splunk, Qatalyst Partners Locations: China

☆ Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick to step down at the end of the year
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-20 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick will step down from his role as head of the video game company on Dec. 29, according to an internal memo from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer on Wednesday. The leadership change was expected after Microsoft closed its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard in October. He first joined the company as Director and CEO of Activision Inc., in February 1991 before serving as CEO of Activision Blizzard beginning in July 2008. In a memo to employees Wednesday, Kotick expressed "gratitude and appreciation" for his time at Activision Blizzard. Thomas Tippl, the vice chairman of Activision Blizzard; Rob Kostich, president of Activision Publishing; Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Entertainment; and others will report to Matt Booty, the president of Microsoft's Game Content and Studios.

Persons: Bobby Kotick, Phil Spencer, Kotick, Bobby —, Spencer, Tony Hawk, Thomas Tippl, Rob Kostich, Mike Ybarra, Matt Booty, Brian Bulatao, Dave McCarthy, — CNBC's Jordan Novet Organizations: Activision, Microsoft Gaming, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Activision Inc, CNBC, Activision Blizzard's, Activision Publishing, Blizzard Entertainment, Blizzard, Gaming, CNBC PRO Locations: U.S, Europe

☆ Here’s a rapid-fire update on all 33 stocks in our portfolio, including those Cramer would buy on dips
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-19 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

Here's a rapid-fire update on all the stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust, the portfolio we use for the CNBC Investing Club. If we get a sell-off in January, Eaton is a logical place to look to buy, Jim said. Procter & Gamble : It's possible that 2024 is a better year for P & G the company than P & G the stock, Jim said. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.

Persons: Jim Cramer's, Jim, they'll, we've, there's, he'd, Dupont De, Ed Breen, Danaher, Walt Disney, Bob Iger, Trian's Nelson Peltz, Estee Lauder, Bausch, we're, Eaton, Mary, Eli Lilly's, he's, Vimal Kapur, Kapur, We've, Eli Lilly, Mark Zuckerberg, Morgan Stanley, Morgan, Elliott, Stanley Black, Decker, TJ Maxx, Charlie Scharf, it's, Jim Cramer, Virginia Sherwood Organizations: Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust, CNBC, Club, Broadcom, VMWare, Bausch, Bausch Health, Charitable Trust, Caterpillar, Federal, Costco Wholesale, Coterra Energy, Dupont De Nemours, Fed, Walt, Eaton Corporation, Ford, GE Healthcare, Google, Honeywell, New, Facebook, Meta, Reality Labs, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Nvidia, AMD, Apple, Palo Alto Networks, Procter & Gamble, Constellation Brands, Elliott Management, Constellation, Modelo, Corona, Street, TJX, TJ, Wynn Resorts, Jim Cramer's Charitable, NYSE Locations: hospitalizations, China, U.S, Palestine, Wells Fargo

☆ Activision Blizzard agrees to settle California case alleging discrimination against women
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-16 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Microsoft -owned Activision Blizzard has agreed to settle a case from a California state agency that alleged the video game publisher discriminated against women, including denying them promotion opportunities and paying them less. The news comes almost two years after Activision Blizzard settled a case from the U.S. Shares fell, and Microsoft subsequently began talks to acquire Activision Blizzard, the maker of Call of Duty. The agency will file a new complaint that excludes prior harassment allegations, according to the proposed settlement agreement, which CNBC viewed. WATCH: Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick: We always believed the deal would get through

Persons: Bobby Kotick Organizations: Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Civil Rights Department, U.S, Opportunity Commission, of Fair, Housing, Wall Street Journal, Activision, Federal Trade Commission, CNBC Locations: California, U.S, Europe, San Francisco, Los Angeles

Read previewThe firing and rehiring of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has undone months of effort by Microsoft to avoid antitrust regulators probing its massive investment in the startup. It's tough to keep a huge business partnership like this out of what can be intense scrutiny from antitrust regulators. Nadella agreed to give Altman and Brockman their own research arm at Microsoft, if he couldn't negotiate their return to OpenAI. Another interpretation is that Microsoft is keen to show antitrust regulators that OpenAI is an independent company, and not controlled by the software giant. AdvertisementDo you work for OpenAI or Microsoft, or are you someone with a tip or insight to share?

Persons: —, Sam Altman, Lina Khan, OpenAI, Altman, Satya Nadella, Kevin Scott didn't, Kevin, Satya, Microsoft's, Brad Smith, Frank Shaw, Sam, Nadella, Altman's, Greg Brockman, Brockman, Amy Hood, ChatGPT, doesn't, Kali Hays, Ashley Stewart, Darius Rafieyan Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Business, FTC, OpenAI, Activision, Blizzard, Markets, Bloomberg, Chief Locations: OpenAI, khays@insider.com, astewart@insider.com

☆ Microsoft's $3.2 bln UK investment to drive AI growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Microsoft President Brad Smith attend the AI Safety Summit in Bletchley Park, near Milton Keynes, Britain, November 2, 2023. Britain, where the economy is forecast to be sluggish in the coming years, is pushing for private investment to help fund new infrastructure, particularly in growth industries like AI. "Today's announcement is a turning point for the future of AI infrastructure and development in the UK," Sunak said in a statement on Thursday. Since then, the UK regulator waved through a restructured version of Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard , putting Britain back in Microsoft's favour. The investment includes a training plan to help ensure Britons have the skills they need to build and work with AI, it added.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Brad Smith, Toby Melville, Sunak, Microsoft's, Smith, Jeremy Hunt, Sarah Young, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Britain's, Microsoft, REUTERS, U.S ., Activision Blizzard, Thomson Locations: Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes, Britain, Microsoft's, London

☆ FTC Chair Lina Khan defends her track record when it comes to blocking mergers and doesn't subscribe to Amazon Prime
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan speaks during The New York Times annual DealBook Summit in New York City on Nov. 29, 2023. Under her leadership, Khan said the FTC has brought 11 cases against mergers, and in five instances, the companies abandoned their plans after the agency filed suit. The lawsuit was long anticipated, as Khan rose to prominence for her 2017 Yale Law Journal article, "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox." Amazon has disputed both of the FTC's lawsuits, calling them "wrong on the facts and the law." Asked why she hasn't subscribed to Prime, Khan replied, "I just haven't."

Persons: Lina Khan, Khan, would've, hasn't Organizations: Federal Trade, New York Times, The New York Times, Summit, FTC, Facebook, Microsoft, Activision, Amazon, Yale, Amazon's, CNBC PRO Locations: New York City

☆ The Chicken Tycoons vs. the Antitrust Hawks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( H. Claire Brown | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Khan came to prominence in 2017 after she published a Yale Law Review article called “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox.” Her article pointed out that while Amazon’s business was extraordinarily customer-friendly, the company’s dominance enabled it to control increasingly large swaths of the ecosystem in which it operated. Shouldn’t the government be able to limit the impacts of Amazon’s market power on vendors and workers even if its consumers aren’t unhappy? Like the Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission also has the power to police antitrust violations. Among these marquee names and splashy allegations, chicken companies stand out for the sheer volume and variety of antitrust lawsuits filed against them. Plaintiffs included pretty much everyone the poultry processors did business with — their customers, their farmers, their workers and their shareholders.

Persons: Wu, Khan, ” Wu, Biden, Simon, Simon & Schuster Organizations: Yale, Justice Department’s, Google, Justice Department, JetBlue, Spirit Airlines, Antitrust Division, Penguin Random, Simon &, Federal Trade Commission, Meta, Microsoft, Activision, Pilgrim’s Locations: Maine

☆ The Secrets to Charlie Munger’s Success
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Jason Zweig | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Charlie Munger in 2019 at his home in Los Angeles. Photo: Michael Lewis for The Wall Street JournalBusiness and financial leaders made frequent pilgrimages to Los Angeles to hear Charlie Munger ’s thoughts as he held court while peering through thick eyeglasses over high, rosy cheekbones. Among the attendees at his weekly “Friday lunch club” and periodic dinners were John and Patrick Collison , founders of the online payment firm Stripe; Bobby Kotick , chief executive of videogame company Activision Blizzard ; Pradeep Khosla , chancellor of the University of California, San Diego; Maria Pope , chief executive of Portland General Electric , Oregon’s largest utility; and Howard Marks , co-founder of investment firm Oaktree Capital Management.

Persons: Charlie Munger, Michael Lewis, Charlie Munger ’, John, Patrick Collison, Bobby Kotick, Pradeep Khosla, Maria Pope, Howard Marks Organizations: The Wall Street Journal, Activision Blizzard, University of California, Portland General Electric, Oaktree Capital Management Locations: Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland

☆ Here are the biggest tech stock buys by major investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Technology stocks have been powering this year's stock market rally despite the threat of elevated interest rates staying higher for longer. For a better illustration of position changes over the course of the quarter, Dick estimated the notional value of the tech buying using "volume-weighted average prices" (VWAP), a common Wall Street yardstick, last quarter. Meta was the stock that saw the strongest buying from professional investors last quarter, Bank of America said. Meanwhile, Activision Blizzard also saw elevated buying from big investors betting that the merger with Microsoft would get regulatory approval and close. Other well-loved tech names that saw increased buying included Uber, Qualcomm , DataDog and Intel .

Persons: Michael Dick, Dick, Meta, Airbnb Organizations: Securities and Exchange Commission, Bank of America, Technology, Media, Telecommunications, Nasdaq, Meta, Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, Uber, Qualcomm, DataDog, Intel Locations: Airbnb

SAN JOSE, California (AP) — Computer chip and software maker Broadcom has announced it has cleared all regulatory hurdles and plans to complete its $69 billion acquisition of cloud technology company VMware on Wednesday. The company, based in San Jose, California, announced it planned to move ahead with the deal after China joined the list of countries that had given a go-ahead for the acquisition. Broadcom is paying $61 billion in cash and stock for VMware and taking on $8 billion of its debt, making this one of the biggest technology deals ever. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm and top antitrust enforcer, cleared the deal after Broadcom made concessions to address its concerns about competition. VMware, which is based in Palo Alto, California, has close relations with every major cloud company and provider, including Amazon, Google and Microsoft.

Persons: Hock Tan, Tan Organizations: JOSE, Broadcom, VMware, Microsoft, Activision, Administration of, European Commission, Amazon, Google, European Union, Symantec, CA Technologies, VMWare Locations: California, San Jose , California, China, Europe, Palo Alto , California, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, United Kingdom

☆ Broadcom closes $69 billion VMware deal after China approval
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Harshita Mary Varghese | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Broadcom Limited company logo is pictured on an office building in Rancho Bernardo, California May 12, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 22 (Reuters) - Broadcom (AVGO.O) on Wednesday closed its $69 billion acquisition of cloud-computing firm VMware (VMW.N) after receiving regulatory approval in last major market China and ending a months-long saga. The deal, one of the biggest globally when announced in May 2022, was the latest in CEO Hock Tan's efforts to boost the chipmaker's software business. However, the transaction faced tough regulatory scrutiny across the world and the companies had delayed the closing date three times. Big Tech mergers such as Microsoft's (MSFT.O) now-closed $69 billion purchase of the "Call of Duty" publisher Activision have faced heightened regulatory pressure from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission under its Chair Lina Khan.

Persons: Mike Blake, Hock, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Danni Hewson, AJ Bell, Cabot Henderson, Lina Khan, Harshita Mary Varghese, Sriraj Organizations: Broadcom, REUTERS, VMware, U.S, European Commission, Marvell Technology, Markets Authority, CMA, Activision, Big Tech, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Thomson Locations: Rancho Bernardo, California, China

His portrayal came in testimony in an antitrust trial focused on Epic Games' attempt to upend Google's store for Android phone apps. It's similar to a payment system that Epic unsuccessfully challenged in a parallel lawsuit filed against Apple's iPhone app store. Sweeney said Google tried to entice him with a wide range of financial incentives, which he rejected. After rejecting Google's overtures, Epic tried to distribute Fortnite for Android through its own website. “It's an issue I see as existential to all games, including Epic,” Sweeney said.

Persons: Tim Sweeney, Sundar Pichai, Sweeney, Jonathan Kravis, Kravis, ” Sweeney, Fortnite, Sweeney didn't Organizations: FRANCISCO, Google, Games, Washington , D.C, U.S, Supreme, Activision, Android, Apple, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, PlayStation Locations: San Francisco, Washington ,, View , California

☆ UK proposes changes to antitrust assessment after Microsoft-Activision case
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CMA panel chair Martin Coleman said under the proposals, the merging parties would have an opportunity to make representations after seeing the full version of the case against in an interim report. "Throughout the process it will be open to merger parties to discuss remedies with the group at an early stage if they so wish." By introducing a number of prompts for merging parties to consider without prejudice," she said. She said that the agency's strong preference for structural remedies remained and added that changes would only succeed if merging parties engaged in good faith. Reporting by Paul Sandle and Muvija M, writing by Sarah Young, editing by William JamesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Martin Coleman, Sarah Cardell, We've, Paul Sandle, Sarah Young, William James Our Organizations: Microsoft, Activision, Markets Authority, European Union, CMA, Thomson Locations: Britain

☆ Berkshire sheds General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble as it builds cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Berkshire Hathaway logo is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., May 10, 2023. Berkshire also appeared to have shed what had been a $621 million stake in Celanese (CE.N) , a specialty materials company. The Braves had been split off from Liberty Media , another Berkshire investment, in July. The net sales contributed to Berkshire's record cash stake, which is about the same size as its $156.8 billion stake in iPhone maker Apple (AAPL.O). Neither appears to be a current Berkshire investment.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Berkshire Hathaway, Johnson, Warren Buffett, Todd Combs, Ted Weschler, Buffett, Benjamin Moore, Jonathan Stempel, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: Berkshire Hathaway, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Berkshire, General Motors, Procter, Gamble, GM, Atlanta Braves Holdings, Major League Baseball, The Battery, Braves, Liberty Media, Chevron, Apple, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, IBM, Exxon Mobil, Activision, Microsoft, Globe, Markel, BNSF, Thomson Locations: Berkshire, New York City, U.S, Celanese, Omaha , Nebraska, New York, Lincoln

☆ Berkshire sheds General Motors, Procter & Gamble as it builds cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett, Todd Combs, Ted Weschler, Buffett, Benjamin Moore, Jonathan Stempel, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: Berkshire Hathaway, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Berkshire, General Motors, Procter, Gamble, GM, Amazon, Atlanta Braves Holdings, Major League Baseball, The Battery, Braves, Liberty Media, Chevron, Apple, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, IBM, Exxon Mobil, Activision, Microsoft, Globe, Markel, BNSF, Thomson Locations: Berkshire, New York City, U.S, Celanese, Omaha , Nebraska, New York, Lincoln

☆ Microsoft’s Next Act: Bending the Videogame Business Without Breaking It
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Dan Gallagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Activision Blizzard’s ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III’ went on sale Friday. Photo: bertrand guay/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesMicrosoft now owns some of the biggest videogames in the world. The biggest of those games is in the spotlight this week, as Activision Blizzard’s latest “Call of Duty” sequel went on sale Friday. Called “Modern Warfare III,” the new game is notable for a couple reasons. The first is that much of its development took place during a period in which Activision’s future structure was uncertain, as the $75 billion acquisition by Microsoft took nearly two years to close.

Persons: III ’, bertrand guay Organizations: Activision, Agence France, Getty, Microsoft, Warfare

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on "Oversight of the Federal Trade Commission," on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 13, 2023. Surrounded by tech workers and VC investors in San Francisco, Khan reiterated her focus on artificial intelligence, an area her agency has been tasked with looking into by President Joe Biden's executive order this week. "We’re very much focused on using our laws to protect everybody: Consumers, but also workers," she said in a standing-room-only nightcap appearance in San Francisco on Thursday. Big Tech companies, particularly Amazon (AMZN.O) and Meta, view Khan, who rose to prominence after publishing a 2017 academic article pointing to Amazon’s practices as anticompetitive, as an impediment. Reporting by Krystal Hu and Greg Bensinger in San Francisco; Editing by Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lina Khan, Kevin Wurm, Khan, Kahn, Joe Biden's, he'd, “, Krystal Hu, Greg Bensinger, Jamie Freed Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Federal Trade, Big Tech, D.C, Mission, Stanford University, Meta, Republican, Activision, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Silicon, New York, San Francisco

☆ 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

☆ Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson on EA Sports FC 24: All metrics are very strong
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailElectronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson on EA Sports FC 24: All metrics are very strongElectronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss the revenue growth opportunity for EA after discontinuing their partnership with FIFA, where Wilson sees the M&A landscape in gaming post-Activision and Microsoft merger, and more.

Persons: Andrew Wilson, Wilson Organizations: Electronic, EA Sports FC, Electronic Arts, EA, FIFA, Activision, Microsoft

☆ The winning trading method pros use — where the Fed and the economy don't matter
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Merger Arbitrage hedge funds gained 4.4% in the third quarter, standing out as the best-performing strategy for the period, beating every category in event-driven, equity, macro and value funds, according to Hedge Fund Research . "The merger arbitrage strategy has historically thrived in a rising interest rate environment when an investor's fixed income portfolio may have suffered losses," said Michael Peck, co-chief investment officer at First Trust. As the proposed deal nears completion, the target's stock typically rises and the acquirer's shares fall. This short-term trading strategy often utilized by fast-money hedge funds typically involves multiple long and short positions, and might be too sophisticated for the average individual investor. The First Trust Merger Arbitrage ETF (MARB) and the IQ Merger Arbitrage ETF (MNA) are two popular ones that capitalize on the technique.

Persons: Bill Gross, Pimco, Michael Peck, Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, there's, Gross, Broadcom's, Warren Buffett Organizations: Fund Research, First Trust, Gross, Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, Capri Holdings, Capri, VMware, Broadcom, Activision

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