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Activision Threatens 600 UK Jobs Over Loss of Tax Breaks
Activision’s so incensed over the United Kingdom’s rollback of promised tax breaks for video games development that the publisher is considering the withdrawal of its 600-employee office from the country, according to The Telegraph. Though tax relief proposals had support from both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat leadership in Parliament, the plans were scrapped in…
By Owen Good -
Activision Rips Lawmakers’ Fixation On Postal
When the mainstream debate turns to violent video games, it’s inevitable that someone will dredge up Postal. It’s like the triple dog dare, or comparing someone to Hitler, a completely bogus trump card with no real argumentative value. George Rose, the chief public policy officer for Activision Blizzard, finally called bullshit today in a guest…
By Owen Good -
Call of Duty Players Log More Than 600 Million Hours In 45 Days
Lending weight to CEO Bobby Kotick’s claim that Call of Duty is as much a social networking phenomenon as it is a video gaming one, Activision released numbers boasting of online time that, per user, surpasses the Facebook average. More than 20 million users on Call of Duty: Black Ops logged more than 600 million…
By Owen Good -
Activision CEO Sees Call of Duty as a Form of Social Media
Speaking to CNN earlier this week, Activision’s CEO noted that more people play Black Ops, daily, than watch the late night hosts Leno, Letterman and Fallon, combined. No offense, but that would seem to be an easy goal to beat. No, network television isn’t the yardstick Bobby Kotick uses to measure Call of Duty as…
By Owen Good -
You’ve Purchased $1 Billion Worth Of Call Of Duty: Black Ops
Activision makes with the corporate gloating today with news that Call of Duty: Black Ops has surpassed $1 billion in worldwide sales since its release in November. That’s faster than Modern Warfare 2, but James Cameron still has it beat. Selling $650 million in the first five days after its November 9 worldwide release, Call…
By Mike Fahey -
Games Makers At The Fore Of Science Education Push
If you’re asking industry heavyweights to make a video to fire up kids about math and science, it’s probably no surprise that the video game maker is the one getting the most views. There’s nothing on the line in this informal competition – maybe bragging rights. But Activision Blizzard’s three minute spot for Change the…
By Owen Good -
Ending Leaked For StarCraft II’s Next Chapter?
A clip, purportedly of the ending for “Heart of the Swarm,” the under-development second chapter of StarCraft II, leaked out earlier today. The video’s since been taken down. We’re not sure if it’s legitimate, but spoiler alert, just in case. The clip merges in storyboards and has no lip-synching to the dialogue, indicating it’s something…
By Owen Good
