DICE has outlined several key updates and changes coming to Battlefield 2042, which was just recently announced as one of 2021’s best-selling games overall.

Update 3.2 is coming January 20, and it will include “a handful of small fixes and improvements” focused on improving overall stability. The full patch notes will be released later today.

Update 3.3 is coming in “mid to late” February, DICE said. This is seemingly a bigger update that includes a “refreshed” scoreboard–something that fans have been asking for. It will also include “further changes” that have been in the pipeline since the team returned from the holiday break.

The Scoreboard change is a big one. It changes the UI to include a new panel that shows how players are ranking mid-match against everyone on the server. Here is an early, non-final look at the new Scoreboard:

The new Battlefield 2042 Scoreboard UI

DICE said it will continue to update the Scoreboard in the future. “This isn’t a one and done deal for us Expect to see us iterate on this further once it’s live in game, and we look forward to your feedback once this new Scoreboard goes live in February,” DICE said.

Additionally, DICE said it continues to be aware that players are looking for expanded matchmaking preference options in All-Out Warfare and All Platform VOIP. “No updates on these two today but we wanted to reassure you all that these are still front of mind and we’ll have more to show and share on these topics further down the line,” DICE said.

And overall, DICE said it is looking to continue to improve Battlefield 2042’s game performance. Its teams are looking over data and making additional optimizations to help make Battlefield 2042 run more smoothly.

“Happy New Year! We’re hard at work now that we’re back. We hope you’re all well, safe, and healthy,” DICE said.

Battlefield 2042 was 2021’s fifth best-selling game in the US, though EA has not announced a specific sales number for the futuristic military shooter.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Rainbow Six Extraction reimagines the tight, team-focused world of Rainbow Six Siege as an unforgiving PvE experience where teams of three take on an alien threat known as the Archaeans. In Extraction, it’s team up or die, but the finer details go far beyond that: Simply surviving is only the beginning. In time, you’ll want to thrive, because the best Operators will walk away bathed in XP, rather than crawling for the exit. In this beginner’s guide, we walk you through 15 tips for not only making it out alive, but doing it efficiently too.

Get on the mic

The first and arguably most important tip we can provide is to get on the mic. In Rainbow Six Extraction, team communication is critical. This is a game that demands a close-knit group and isn’t really going to turn out well for lone wolves who don’t communicate with their squad. Get your headset on and work together. The Archaeans are absolutely fatal, even in small numbers, so talking with your allies is the foremost way to stay on your feet and completing objectives.

Choose your Operator wisely

Every round of Extraction is called an Incursion, and every Incursion is broken into three sub-zones, each with randomly-generated objectives. You’ll always be able to see those objectives in each area before you embark on an Incursion, so use that intel when choosing your Operator. If you need to quickly locate tech objects, IQ is your best bet. Meanwhile, sneaking up and stealth-killing particular Archaeans can be done easily with Vigil thanks to his cloaking ability. Rounding out your three-Operator team is key, so choose wisely and make sure your teammates do too.

Complete Studies to level-up fast

While the game’s difficulty ramp will reward improved XP rewards at every new milestone, your best bet to level up your overall career and individual Operators will be Studies. These are Extraction’s map-specific in-game challenges. Each map has several pages of challenges, and each page features three Studies. You’ll need to complete an active page before unlocking a map’s subsequent page until eventually you’ve completed them all. When trying to level quickly, it’s sometimes a better idea to complete Studies at more manageable difficulties than playing a harder map where you may not have any challenges available.

Eliminate nests quickly and quietly

Another key to a successful Extraction is good nest management. Nests are the glowing spores from which virtually all of a sub-zone’s Archaeans spring, and each sub-zone begins with these nests lying dormant. The trick is to keep them that way. By taking out nests quietly, you’ll avoid stirring them into spawning many more Archaeans. Remember that when an Archaean spots you, it’ll perform a shrieking scream that alerts nearby nests, so not only should you take out nests, but you’ll want to stealth-kill roaming Archaeans too.

Some objectives can be completed without ever alerting Archaeans.

Use silencers whenever possible

Going hand in hand with the last tip is this one: Be quiet! It’s almost never necessary to use guns without silencers attached, and if you can perform a melee takedown stealthily, then you’re even better off. Some Operators start with guns that don’t have silencers, but most guns offer the option. Like in Siege, all attachments for a particular gun are unlocked with the gun itself, so customize those loadouts to stay quiet. The minor damage dropoff from a muzzle brake to a silencer is not worth stirring the alien horde.

Use your environment

Though Extraction rewrites many of the rules of Siege, it also retains a lot of the core DNA of that hardcore shooter. Among those commonalities is the ability to creatively use your environment. This is best exemplified by things like shooting through walls or barricading doors when you need to hunker down and defend an area. Note that all guns in Extraction include a special flashlight affixed to the front that can identify alien threats on the other side of breakable walls. Use this tactic to take out Arcahaeans easily and without ever putting yourself in their sight lines.

Know when to cut and run

As we mentioned earlier, each Incursion is broken into three parts–except for the endgame Maelstrom Protocol, which takes a whopping nine sub-zones to fully complete. Ideally, you’d always complete all objectives on all sub-zones. Realistically, however, that just won’t be the case. Sometimes you’ll find yourself limping to the end of an earlier sub-zone, and in those moments, it’s worth considering an early exit. When you survive an Incursion (even if you leave early), you’ll take all banked XP with you, as opposed to when you’re captured and that XP will be left in limbo until you return to the area for a rescue attempt that isn’t guaranteed to work. It’s humbling, but sometimes it’s the best-case scenario to make it out alive with a lesser bundle of XP.

Share supplies

Resources are scattered and in short supply in each Incursion, so it’s important not to hoard them all for yourself. When you bring up the map menu, you’ll see a live tracker of how many resource caches are left in your active sub-zone. These can be things like health kits, ammo boxes, React Tech refills, and ability recharges. The upper limit for carrying most of these things is higher than you’ll probably ever need if you took them all yourself, so share the wealth! Don’t grab ammo if you’re looking good in that department. Likewise, if you an ally needs health and you don’t, let them know you’ve found it rather than take it for yourself. A greedy player won’t make it to the end without two well-equipped allies by their side anyway.

It’s team-up or die in Rainbow Six Extraction.

Ping everything

Extraction, like most modern shooters, features a handy ping system, and you should use it liberally. Pinging threats puts them on the UI for your whole team, and if you hold the ping button (up on the D-pad by default), you’ll bring up a communication wheel that is a bit more robust. Though this deeper level of on-screen chatter is a great supplementary tool for teams, it’s also no replacement for voice comms, so don’t take this tip to mean you can skip that first one. Still, it’s always nice when teammates are calling out aliens, nests, supplies, and more around every corner.

Speed things up in the safe rooms and extraction zones

While most of these tips focus on things like staying alive and prepared for what’s ahead, this one is more along the lines of a quality-of-life consideration. Whenever you need to vote on something as a group, be it calling for Extraction or opening the next sub-zone, a full team vote speeds up the process. You’ll always need a majority vote to initiate any such actions, but that merely starts a 25-second timer. If things are getting dicey, or you just want to move things along more quickly, make sure everyone on your team is voting for an action, because doing so makes it happen almost instantly.

Destroy the Archaean Tree’s roots to stop the spread of Cells

Some Incursions are bound to get ugly, and the worst of them will result in your Operators being claimed by the Archaean Tree if they’re defeated in a zone. You’ll have a few chances to rescue them by returning to their last location and freeing them from the tree. While one person works on pulling them out of the tree, the other two players will need to destroy nodes moving from the tree’s roots, or else the rescue will fail. The best way to one-up the Archaean Tree is not to simply shoot these nodes as they come down the veiny roots, but to destroy those roots themselves. When the bioluminescent roots light up, they’ll be vulnerable for a few seconds. Shoot them to slow the spread of these nodes entirely.

Scout, then execute

Extraction is as much about preparation as it is execution. Even the best shooters will be close to helpless without planning ahead, so treat every sub-zone like a renewed opportunity to get a lay of the land. Seek out any especially hazardous areas, destroy nests whenever you can, and find certain objectives, like on a Triangulation mission, before you kick things off. A lot of missions start in this static space where you can give yourself a better chance of surviving if you know what’s around every corner and which route you’ll take to get out when your objective is completed.

Some Archaeans only spawn on higher difficulties

Sometimes your Studies will call for killing particular types of Archaens, like Tormentors, Spikers, and Breakers. You may have a hard time finding them if you’re on the wrong difficulty. The game’s four difficulty modes include different pools of enemies, with the harder difficulties opening up more and more enemy types to players. Be sure that you’re raising that difficulty if you need to locate specific types of enemies. A good cheat sheet to consider is that when an area, such as Alaska, includes a challenge to take out a specific kind of alien, such as Tormentors, it’s best to play that Incursion on its recommended difficulty level, which you can see on the level select screen.

Sometimes simply surviving is the best-case scenario.

Archaeans don’t leave Sprawl when killed with weak spots

The Sprawl is soon to be your worst enemy in Rainbow Six Extraction. Every type of enemy can be dealt with, but the Sprawl–the movement-slowing black sludge found all over the world–can turn any effective Operator into a punching bag. There are two great ways to deal with the Sprawl. The first is to kill enemies in their weak spots. When killed that way, the Archaeans don’t leave Sprawl behind, meaning you can clear the area of aliens and prevent the appearance of their restrictive goo in sometimes just a single shot. Archaean weak spots will glow a pinkish hue when you’re aiming at them, so target those spots to more cleanly dispatch the invaders.

Destroy Sprawl to move faster

Inevitably, you’ll have to deal with some Sprawl though, either because it was there before you arrived or because your spraying and praying resulted in quite a clean-up job. To reverse the creeping Sprawl, you can melee it or shoot it, giving you back your mobility. Oftentimes, you’ll even want to remove Sprawl along an objective’s planned route before you begin that objective–remember: Scout, then execute! If you take out the Sprawl when things aren’t so chaotic, you’ll give yourself a much better chance of escaping with your life and all of your XP.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

EA has now announced the EA Play member freebies for January 2022, which include rewards for FIFA 22, NHL 22, Madden NFL 22, Battlefield 2042, and Apex Legends. To redeem their bonus items, EA Play subscribers simply have to log into the game in question before the end of the reward period.

The bonus for Apex Legends is the Apex RIG Helmet Weapon Charm, which can be claimed from now until February 1. The item features the helmet from the Dead Space series’ RIG armor, in the form of a charm that can be attached to a weapon. Battlefield 2042 players will also be able to redeem a weapon charm this month, called the Cap’em Weapon Charm. This item will be available to members until January 30.

New #Madden22 gear awaits you with the Hephaestus Vanity Set 🔥! Unlock Joggers, a Visor, and a Helmet for The Yard! Available now through February 3. pic.twitter.com/dDAiqlqfSU

— EA Play (@EAPlay) January 15, 2022

A number of EA’s biggest sporting titles also have freebies this month. Madden NFL 22 players can redeem the Hephaestus Vanity Set, as pictured above. The set features joggers, a visor, and a helmet, and can be redeemed until February 16. EA Play members will also be able to earn a Ultimate Team Pack including new players.

In FIFA 22, members will get a new FUT Hero Tim Cahill Tifo Set, which can be redeemed until January 31. Members will also have until February 3 to claim their WWWesh Studio Apparel, 4500 Volta Coins, and an XP boost for FUT Season 3.

NHL 22 players also get free cosmetic items this month, with the Chel Heritage Set, including gloves, skates, a brand new stick, and more.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

With the announcement of its intention to buy Activision Blizzard for almost $70 billion, Microsoft has rearranged its gaming arm, creating a Microsoft Gaming division with Phil Spencer at its head. In emails to staff reproduced by The Verge, both Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and newly-minted Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer have further detailed what this acquisition will mean for Microsoft employees.

Nadella’s message can be read in full below, addressing the role Activision Blizzard will play in furthering Microsoft’s gaming ambitions–specifically singling out metaverse platforms, cloud gaming, and game subscriptions as initiatives that may benefit from the acquisition.

“Team,

I’m thrilled to share that this morning we announced an agreement to acquire Activision Blizzard in an all-cash transaction valued at $68.7 billion. Activision Blizzard is one of the largest game publishers worldwide across console, PC and mobile, and it’s home to nearly 400 million monthly active players, along with iconic games including Call of Duty, Candy Crush, World of Warcraft and Diablo.

Gaming has been key to Microsoft since our earliest days as a company. Today, it’s the largest and fastest-growing form of entertainment, and as the digital and physical worlds come together, it will play a critical role in the development of metaverse platforms.

Together with Activision Blizzard, we believe we have an incredible opportunity to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet, and we will invest and innovate to create the best content, community and cloud for gamers. We want to make it easier for people to connect and play great games wherever, whenever and however they want.

This agreement is a testament to the impact our gaming team has delivered, and I am deeply grateful for their hard work and commitment. Over the past few years, we’ve expanded our content pipeline and have become leaders in game subscriptions, as well as cloud gaming. And this holiday it was especially gratifying to see the response from fans and read the great reviews of our new first-party titles.

Effective today, Phil Spencer will become CEO, Microsoft Gaming. When the acquisition closes, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil. We look forward to extending our journey to create a more diverse and inclusive culture to our new colleagues at Activision Blizzard, and ensuring all our employees can do what they love, while thriving in a safe and welcoming environment — one where everyone feels empowered to do their best work.

I will be hosting a webcast with investors at 6 a.m. PT with Phil and Amy, as well as Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard, to share more details on our big ambitions for gaming. Please join if you can.

Satya”

In the investor webcast mentioned by Nadella, he elaborated on the decision to purchase Activision Blizzard, including more details on Microsoft’s metaverse ambitions, and extending the company’s reach in the mobile gaming space. Nadella also addressed ongoing controversy about Activision Blizzard’s toxic company culture more directly, saying “we also recognize that after close, we will have significant work to do in order to continue to build a culture where everyone can do their best work.”

Phil Spencer also sent out an email to employees, addressing his new role as CEO of Microsoft Gaming and elaborating on the extended timeline of the acquisition. Spencer’s email also invites Microsoft employees to submit anonymous questions about the deal, while also including a timely reminder for staff to be mindful of the company’s social media guidelines.

“Welcome back from the holidays. To start, I’d like to thank everyone for all of the hard work and dedication that have built this business and this community. Obviously, today’s agreement to acquire Activision Blizzard is incredibly exciting. In fact it’s a milestone for our company, our business and our industry. I and the entire Gaming Leadership Team are deeply enthusiastic about this opportunity. We also announced this morning that we have surpassed 25 million Game Pass subscribers across console, cloud and PC, a great achievement for all of Team Xbox.

As players and partners, we all know how talented and dedicated the teams and studios are across Activision Blizzard. The legendary games and franchises across that company have delighted millions of people for decades. Coming together, we can accelerate our mission to extend the joy and community of gaming to everyone. We have the capability and opportunity to build simply the best, most engaging, most fun entertainment ecosystem anywhere.

Microsoft is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming, among both employees and players. We deeply value individual studio cultures. We also believe that creative success and autonomy go hand-in-hand with treating every person with dignity and respect. We hold all teams, and all leaders, to this commitment. We’re looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams across Activision Blizzard.

We expect this acquisition to close in FY23, pending regulatory approvals. Once the acquisition is completed, the Activision Blizzard business will report to me. In the meantime, we know you will have a lot of questions. The Gaming Leadership Team and I look forward to answering as many as we can at our next Monthly Gaming Update on Jan. 26. You can submit your questions now anonymously, or post them on our Team Xbox Yammer. Please also refresh on our corporate social media guidelines.

As Satya mentioned, I am now CEO, Microsoft Gaming. This change is a reflection of the incredible work each of you are doing to create the best entertainment ecosystem anywhere. As a leadership team, we know how much exciting but difficult work we have ahead of us, so it’s crucial that we operate as a single, unified team. To that end, I’m excited to announce effective today that Jerret West, CMO of Gaming, and his marketing team will move from Chris Capossela’s organization to report directly to me. Jerret will continue to be a member of Chris’ leadership team and leverage critical parts of Microsoft’s marketing muscle including Communications, Media, and Consumer Sales.

We will have a webcast for investors and media at 6 a.m. PT to discuss the Activision Blizzard transaction and our plans as Microsoft Gaming. Please join if you can.

Phil”

While both executives alluded to Activision Blizzard’s culture of abuse, which has led to an investigation and lawsuit from the state of California, neither openly addressed the controversy that has seen employees at the company organizing to push for change.

In November last year, Phil Spencer stated that Xbox was “evaluating all aspects of our relationship with Activision Blizzard and making ongoing proactive adjustments.” As recently as January 11, Spencer stated that Xbox had “changed how we do certain things with [Activision Blizzard], and they’re aware of that.”

The Microsoft executives aren’t the only ones who are hopeful that the acquisition will lead to positive change for employees at Activision Blizzard, even if it comes with a hefty payout for CEO Bobby Kotick, who has been accused of helping to cover up instances of abuse and harassment.

Read more on Microsoft’s intended acquisition of Activision Blizzard here:

So, Is Call Of Duty Going Xbox-Exclusive?The Internet Reacts To Microsoft Buying Activision BlizzardActivision Blizzard Is Microsoft’s Biggest Acquisition Of All Time, Here’s How It Stacks UpWill Microsoft Now Own Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice?Xbox Creator “Sickened” By The Activision Buyout News, But Hopeful For Positive ChangeWhat Kind Of Culture Is Microsoft Buying In Activision Blizzard Acquisition Deal?Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Earlier today, Microsoft announced its intended acquisition of Activision Blizzard for a total of almost $70 billion, making it the biggest acquisition in gaming history if the sale goes through. The surprise announcement comes after months of controversy for Activision Blizzard, which began with a lawsuit from the state of California over the company’s alleged culture of harassment.

The official announcement of the acquisition said that “Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard,” though insider reports have suggested Kotick will leave the company once the deal goes through.

For now, Kotick is still the head of Activision Blizzard, and has sent out a message to all staff about the upcoming acquisition, as reported by The Verge:

“Team,

Today is an incredibly exciting day. As we continue our journey to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment, we will eventually do so as part of Microsoft. I am certain that our incredible talent and extraordinary games combined with our shared commitment to the very best workplace will enable us to grow in an increasingly more competitive race for leadership as gaming through the metaverse evolves.

How we got here and where we’re going

When you reflect on what we’ve built together, we have so much to be proud of. For the last 31 years, we’ve continuously shaped gaming through our commitment to deliver joy, fun, and the thrill of accomplishment.

We’ve transformed games into social experiences and enabled players to find purpose and meaning through the most engaging form of entertainment – our games. By doing so, we’ve created and entertained communities of hundreds of millions of players.

Connecting these communities together is the next step. Facebook, Google, Tencent, NetEase, Amazon, Apple, Sony, Disney – and many more – have ambitions for their own gaming and metaverse initiatives. Established and emerging competitors see opportunity for virtual worlds filled with professionally produced content, user generated content and rich social connections.

Our talent and our games are important components of the construction of a rich metaverse. We have always attracted the very best game makers and built the very best games, seizing opportunity with passion, inspiration, focus, and determination.

A partnership to define the future

As investments in cloud computing, AI and machine learning, data analytics, and user interface and experience capabilities are becoming more competitive, we believe this partnership will better enable our ambitions.

In considering possible partners, all roads ultimately lead to Microsoft. Like us, they have been making games for a long time. Microsoft has already distributed games to hundreds of millions of the world’s computers and computing devices and has technologies and innovation that will support the next generation of games.

Microsoft also will support our journey to further strengthen our culture. Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, has been a passionate advocate for caring as the currency of leadership. Inspiring people through empathy is a powerful motivator, and one we embrace as we renew our resolve – and in the work we are now doing – to set a new standard for a welcoming and inclusive workplace culture.

Importantly, Microsoft wants you – your talent, your creativity, and your dedication to each other. Activision Blizzard’s success throughout the years can be directly attributed to each of you. Microsoft recognizes the commitment to excellence and creative independence that sets us apart, and we anticipate minimal changes for our workforce following the close of the transaction. Microsoft’s diverse operations will give us access to valuable expertise, technology, and tools and provide even greater opportunities for learning and development.

No organization’s culture, including ours, is without need for improvement, and thanks to your input, we are making strides in improving ours. My commitment is to continue evolving our culture so that come closing, Microsoft is acquiring an exemplary workplace.

What’s next

Transactions like these can take a long time to complete. Until we receive all the necessary regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions are satisfied, which we expect to be sometime in Microsoft’s fiscal 2023 year ending June 30, 2023, we will continue to operate completely autonomously. I will continue as our CEO with the same passion and enthusiasm I had when I began this amazing journey in 1991.

Of course, this announcement will give rise to so many questions. We will host numerous forums and events to make certain we address your concerns.

I am incredibly proud of this company, you, and the work we have done together. Now it’s on to our next chapter and the endless possibilities this transaction represents for us. I couldn’t be more appreciative of your efforts, focus, and the dedication to connecting the world through joy and fun.

With gratitude,

Bobby”

In November last year, hundreds of Activision Blizzard staff signed a petition calling for Kotick to be removed as CEO, following reports that he helped cover up instances of harassment and misconduct at the company.

The Microsoft acquisition isn’t set in stone, with regulatory hurdles still to pass, including approval from Activision Blizzard shareholders. The deal isn’t expected to be finalised until fiscal year 2023, a period that spans from July 2022 to June 2023.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

The Sims 4 developer Maxis has announced that customizable genders are on the way. The announcement was shared during its official Sims 4 livestream, in which key members of The Sims team sat down with various gender researchers to discuss the update–as well as show off how it might look once implemented.

The Sims 4’s pronoun customization menu.

While the team made it clear the shared footage is still in development and is therefore subject to change, as of right now it appears the feature will make its way into The Sims 4 in the shape of an additional drop box players fill out during the Create A Sim phase of the game. Upon selecting the drop box, players will be given the option to write in three pronouns for their sims. Once inserted, the pronouns will then be populated into a series of sentences in an effort to ensure everything is grammatically sound. SimGuruDuck, a producer on The Sims 4, says the update is part of the team’s efforts to create a more inclusive experience for players and work towards “a fully inclusive society.”

“In our world today, we believe that gender neutrality plays a critical part in working towards a fully inclusive society.” SimGuruDuck said. “This Sims continues to evolve and we as a team continue to learn and work on making our game more inclusive, step by step, and day by day.”

SimGuruDuck went on to emphasize the new feature is a work in progress, with the team taking careful measures to consult with gender neutral language advisors and doing its research prior to any changes being rolled out.

The update comes nearly six years after The Sims 4 opened up all its various Create A Sim options to all genders, allowing players to adjust their sims clothing, hair, and physical features without any gender-imposed restrictions. While this addition was certainly a leap forward at the time, granting players unprecedented control over their sims physiology and gender expression, users were still ultimately resigned to select from two genders: male and female.

As of right now, the team has yet to announce a release date for the free upgrade, though it seems safe to assume we’ll be hearing more about it later this year. However, the team did confirm that the custom pronouns update will be coming to the English version of The Sims 4 first, followed shortly by the game’s 17 other language versions.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Since July 2021, Activision Blizzard has reportedly fired or pushed out more than three dozen employees and disciplined nearly 40 others as part of its efforts to address the company’s allegations of sexual harassment and unethical working conditions, according to the Wall Street Journal. The terminations follow nearly 700 reports of employee concern over misconduct within the company, as well as “regulatory probes” into Activision Blizzard’s workplace culture from the Securities and Exchange Commission and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing.

Activision spokesperson Helaine Klasky confirmed the departures Monday, January 17, starting that, so far, “37 people have ‘exited’ and 44 have been disciplined as part of the company’s investigation.” Klasky also contested the figure that there have been 700 reports, claiming that “employee comments included statements on social media, and the issues raised ranged from what she described as benign workplace concerns to ‘a small number’ of potentially serious assertions, which the company has investigated.” According to the report, this was something Kotick intended to address prior to the holidays, however the CEO ultimately chose to withhold the information after determining it could “make the company’s workplace problems seem bigger than is already known.”

This news comes in the midst of Microsoft announcing its intentions to purchase Activision Blizzard for a staggering $68.7 billion. While questions of what this acquisition means for consumers and Microsoft’s competition have been circulating ever since, several larger questions still remain with perhaps even less clear answers–questions like what this will mean for Activision Blizzard’s ongoing workplace turmoil and CEO Bobby Kotick, and why Microsoft felt comfortable enough to buy the company in the midst of such unprecedented tension. According to Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, the answer to that last question largely came down to the changes Activision has made thus far.

“We see the progress that they’re making that was pretty fundamental to us deciding to go forward here,” Spencer said.

In addition to the terminations, Activision Blizzard has also seen a shift in management and a dramatic pay cut for Kotick. However, one large point of contention remains: Kotick himself. Despite Microsoft formerly condemning Kotick’s handling of Activision Blizzard’s allegations, several claims that he actively covered up workplace harassment and threatened a female coworker, and roughly 10,000 Activision Blizzard employees signing a petition demanding his resignation, Microsoft has stated Kotick will remain in power throughout the acquisition. According to Activision:

“Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard, and he and his team will maintain their focus on driving efforts to further strengthen the company’s culture and accelerate business growth.”

Ultimately, this decision doesn’t come as too much of a surprise. Considering the purchase involves regulatory approval, Microsoft can’t make any decisions about Kotick’s future yet. However, following the sale, it is anticipated that Kotick will step down from the company. Whether this actually comes to fruition is yet to be determined.

Regardless, Kotick’s departure from the company would reportedly come at great profit to the CEO and only scratch the surface of the demands made by several Activision Blizzard employees, many of whom are currently on strike following the sudden termination of 12 contracted Raven Software QA testers. Since the strike first began on December 7, 2021, Activision has remained silent regarding the worker’s demands for a more transparent workplace, all while taking taking actions characterized as union-busting by critics. Ultimately, what Microsoft’s purchase of the company means for current Activision Blizzard employees remains largely unclear.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

The next in-game event for Pokemon Go will be a shocking one, as the Electric-type themed Power Plant event comes to the game this week.

Power Plant begins on January 19 at 10 AM local time, running until February 1 at 10 AM local time. The event will focus on Electric-type Pokemon, with a focus on those from the Kanto and Kalos regions. The Kalos-born Helioptile will make its debut in Pokemon Go during the event, as will its evolved form Heliolisk–obtained by using 50 Helioptile Candy and a Sun Stone on a captured Helioptile.

The Power Plant event will also include a side event focused around Team Rocket Go. This side task–called “A Bad Feeling…” in the official blog post–will see more frequent appearances by Team Rocket Go both in balloons on-screen and at PokeStops. “A Bad Feeling…” begins January 24 at midnight local time.

Helioptile makes its Pokemon Go debut during this new event.

The full list of perks for the Power Plant event is below:

Pokemon DebutHelioptile and Heliolisk make their debuts in Pokémon GO! Helioptile can evolve into Heliolisk with 50 Helioptile Candy and a Sun Stone.RaidsThe following Pokémon will be appearing in raids and Mega Raids: One Star: Beldum, Blitzle, Klink, Pikachu, ShinxThree Stars January 15-24: Druddigon, Mawile, Scyther, TypholsionJanuary 25-Feb 1: Dewgong, Druddigon, Monferno, PiloswineFive Stars January 15-24: Genesect (will know Techno Blast)January 25-Feb 1: Regice (will know Thunder)Research EncountersComplete Field Research tasks for a chance to encounter Alolan Grimer, Electrike, Emolga, Helioptile, Joltik, Magnemite, Trubbish, VoltorbWild EncountersThe following Pokémon will be appearing more frequently in the wild: Electabuzz, Electrode, Grimer, Helioptile, Jolteon, Magnemite, Porygon, Trubbish, Voltorb

The Pokemon Go Power Plant event marks the final event of the Season of Heritage story arc. It began in early December with the Winter Holiday event, and then continued with Mountains of Power, the game’s first 2022 event, a few weeks later.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who founded the company 30+ years ago, has been its chief executive for decades, and recently has come under fire over workplace culture issues, is preparing to leave the company if and when Microsoft’s deal to acquire Activision Blizzard goes through. This is according to sources speaking to The Wall Street Journal.

The official word is that Kotick will stay on at Activision Blizzard as its CEO for the time being, but behind the scenes, management at Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have reportedly agreed that Kotick will leave when the deal is done.

Kotick is accused of, among other things, knowing about and covering up reports of sexual harassment. Kotick is also said to have threatened to kill an assistant.

Microsoft’s proposed buyout of Activision Blizzard needs to clear regulatory hurdles. Should that happen, the deal could close in FY2023 (July 2022-June 2023). The board of directors at Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have already approved the deal, but Activision Blizzard’s shareholders still need to give the go-ahead.

Kotick’s contract with Activision Blizzard seems to show that he would be paid more than $200 million upon exiting Activision Blizzard as part of a clause pertaining to “termination or change of control.” Workers at Activision Blizzard and across the gaming industry have called for Kotick to resign from his post in the wake of the sexual harassment and discrimination allegations against the company.

Xbox creator Seamus Blackley recently reacted to the Microsoft/Activision Blizzard news, saying he is “sickened” but also hopeful for the future.

If Microsoft’s bid for Activision Blizzard is approved, it would become far and away Microsoft’s biggest-ever acquisition, the next closest being LinkedIn ($26.2 billion). The news comes amid a busy time for big deals, as Take-Two just recently announced plans to buy Zynga for $12.7 billion.

Should the deal go through, Microsoft will take ownership of several massive franchises from Activision Blizzard, including Call of Duty, Warcraft, and Candy Crush, just to name a few.

For more on today’s big news, check out the stories below.

So, Is Call Of Duty Going Xbox-Exclusive?The Internet Reacts To Microsoft Buying Activision BlizzardActivision Blizzard Is Microsoft’s Biggest Acquisition Of All Time, Here’s How It Stacks UpWill Microsoft Now Own Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice?Xbox Creator “Sickened” By The Activision Buyout News, But Hopeful For Positive ChangeRead MoreGameSpot – Game News

One of the biggest advantages that players had in the original Dying Light was a talent for acrobatic traversal across a zombie-infected city, and for the sequel, parkour gameplay has been expanded to be more natural and intuitive to learn.

“We have an adaptation of skills and moves that people who practice this real-life sport do. We have worked with David Belle–the father of Parkour–and we have used his experience, his insights, and his feedback to create something that I hope looks very good on the screen, very realistic,” lead game designer Tymon Smektala explained in a new Dying Light 2 video. “But please keep in mind that this is a video game, so we had to change some things for the sake of the experience so that everyone can get fun out of it.”

Some of those changes include a slow-motion effect and enhanced time in the air during jumps, to compensate for how a player can’t rely on their natural agility and expanded vision to make acrobatic decisions on the fly. Dying Light 2’s protagonist Aiden Caldwell has athletic conditioning and can maintain a brisk pace of 14 miles-per-hour while he performs various parkour moves.

According to Smektala, parkour is designed to be both easy to learn and hard to master, and is largely unaffected by Dying Light 2’s various difficulty modes, save for fall-damage modifiers on more-challenging settings.

After a long period of development, Dying Light 2 arrives on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on February 4. If 500 hours of Dying Light 2 content sounds disappointing to you, the good news is that Techland has at least five years of content planned for the game. For more on the game, you can check out a brief tease of its cross-gen console performance and the other violent skills you’ll need to master in the post-apocalypse.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News