Activision

You Can Bark Orders to Call of Duty‘s Happy Scrappy Hero Pup

Though he practically upstaged the Xbox One at its own reveal event, don’t expect Call of Duty Dog to slink off into a corner during E3 week. He’s not going to be eye candy or a prop in Call of Duty: Ghosts‘ singleplayer campaign. If anything, developer Infinity Ward is doubling down on the Dog.…

The Mad Rush For Skylanders: Swap Force Begins October 13

Okay parents, we’ve been through this twice before; this time we get it right. The latest installment of the franchise your children go crazy for is officially launching on October 13 in North America and October 18 in Europe. You should probably be taking notes. Skylanders: Swap Force features 32 completely new characters — 16…

These Patents Video Game Publishers Own May Surprise You. Plus More…

After listening to this week’s episode of This American Life on software patents, I was curious to investigate patents within the gaming sphere. Although we routinely hear about console manufacturers’ patents, patents from publishers are a less frequent source for headlines. Electronic Arts hold patents for things like: a gaming console with a wireless controller,…

Call of Duty: Ghosts Gives You a Dog, Customizable Multiplayer Avatars

You’ll have a dog in the next Call of Duty. You’ll be able to lean. You’ll be able to slide. And in multiplayer, you’ll be able to customize your character’s avatar, switching bodies, heads and more. Call of Duty: Ghosts is making its public debut today as part of the reveal of the new Xbox,…

So, Call of Duty just teased this thing, which means we can look forward to a lot more about Ghosts at the next Xbox’s big shindig on Tuesday.

World of Warcraft Loses 1.3 Million Subscribers, Down To 8 Mil

Blizzard’s massively multiplayer online game is no longer quite so massive. World of Warcraft is down to eight million subscribers, publisher Activision-Blizzard said in a press release today. That’s a 1.3 million loss from February to May—mostly in the East, Blizzard says, but in the West as well. The popular game is still the world’s…

Why Is Everyone Being So Sketchy About The New Call of Duty On Wii U?

You might have heard today’s big news: the next Call of Duty is called Ghosts, and it’s coming to current- and next-generation platforms this fall. To be specific: according to publisher Activision, the game is coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and “next generation platforms.” It’s safe to say that means the next PlayStation…

Why Soldiers Wear Call of Duty-style Masks

Now that Call of Duty: Ghosts is an official thing—and since the only detail we’re being given is something to do with masks, I think—it’s an interesting time to look back on what the famous and one-time-infamous Call of Duty skull mask even is. You might not remember the event that tried to place infamy…

The New Call of Duty is Coming to Current and Next-Gen Consoles

Activision’s annual blockbuster military shooter returns in November with Call of Duty: Ghosts, and in addition to this debut teaser trailer, the game is getting an “exclusive first look” at Microsoft’s event for the next-generation Xbox on May 21. In a news release, Call of Duty: Ghosts was announced for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3…

Call of Duty: Ghosts Will Be Out This November

Call of Duty: Ghosts—the next game in Activision’s blockbuster FPS series—will be out November 5th, according to a promo poster seen on IGN. Rumors about the next CoD have been spinning for about a week after the console-branded box art (shown above) leaked onto the internet. Retail listings outed the upcoming installment, about which no…

The Next-Gen Xbox Is Getting a Hell of an Exclusive, Sources Say

The long-awaited first game from Respawn Entertainment—the studio helmed by the creators of Call of Duty—will be exclusive to the next-gen Xbox, according to two unrelated sources familiar with the game. One of our sources indicates that there will also be an Xbox 360 version, but no versions for rival PlayStation and Nintendo consoles. Oh,…

Activision’s Boss Got an 800% Raise, and a Watchdog Doesn’t Like It

Activision has a lot of money. Bobby Kotick has fat stacks, too. The publisher’s CEO saw his total cash-and-prizes compensation jump from $8.1 million in 2011 to $64.9 million in 2012, reports Bloomberg, a figure that would make him the second-highest paid CEO among publicly traded U.S. companies. Kotick is due for another $16 million…

Is Rare Working On A Launch Title For The Next Xbox? Plus: More Gaming Secrets.

Editor’s note: Superannuation is back this month for more not-so-hidden secrets dug up from the Internet. Amongst the handful of gaming whispers, it’s no surprise to see mentions of a possible Next Xbox launch title with the reveal of the new console looming… A number of recent job postings on Activision’s career portal seem to…

Released last week for the Xbox 360, Call of Duty: Black Ops II‘s Uprising pack brings four new maps and the “Mob of the Dead” Zombies experience to PlayStation 3 and PC players on May 16.

Rumor: The Next Call of Duty Is Called ‘Ghosts’

So, this is interesting. Rumors about a game called Call of Duty: Ghosts have been floating around for a month or so, but there hasn’t been much concrete info out there. Today, leaked retail listings and box art suggest that Ghosts could actually be a thing. Above you can see box art posted by the…

Watch A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Kick a Bad Guy in the Nuts

I was there from the beginning of the TMNT phenomenon, back when Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird were riffing off of Frank Miller’s Ronin and Dave Sim’s Cereberus comics. I don’t remember Mike, Don, Raph and Leo having junk punts as part of their martial arts repertoires. Granted, they very well could have. Like most…

Call of Duty Rep Stole from Activision to Pay for Engagement Party

An Activision PR manager who stole nearly $30,000 from the launch budget for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2‘s UK release and used it to finance her engagement party avoided active jail time in a sentencing hearing today, reports The Daily Mail. Kathryn Kirton, 35, stayed out of prison because a judge noted her prosecution…

Activision has announced that Deadpool, High Moon Studios’ third-person action game starring Marvel’s quirkiest fourth wall-breaking anti-hero, will be released for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 in North America on June 25.

The Bizarre Japanese of Call of Duty: Black Ops II‘s Newest Map

The Japanese language and Call of Duty have never gotten along. But in the past, that’s been simply due to translation mistakes. That might not be the case here. In the latest downloadable content for Black Ops II, the in-game Japanese is both strange and funny. The downloadable content features four new multiplayer maps, including…

Call of Duty Too Realistic For You? Well, They’re Now Pitting Hollywood Mobsters Vs. Zombies

If Far Cry 3 can have its insane Blood Dragon DLC, then Call of Duty: Black Ops II can get Mob of the Dead, one piece of the new Uprising downloadable expansion to Activision’s blockbuster first-person shooter. The mobsters here are controlled by you and three other friends in the game’s co-op zombies mode. They’re…