List of All Articles with Tag 'son'

A number of previously secret details about the relationship between Xbox and PlayStation have become public in the latest fight over the future of the consoles. Microsoft has been attempting to buy Call of Duty developer Activision Blizzard in a $69 billion merger that would become one of the most valuable corporate deals in history. But regulators across the world have voiced concerns that the merger would give the new company too much power. That includes the US Federal Trade Commission, which has asked a US judge to postpone the deal to allow it to investigate the deal. Court hearings between the US body, and a variety of gaming companies, began this week to decide that question. Already they have led to what appears to be the accidental publication of highly confidential information from Sony. Court documents supplied by PlayStation boss Jim Ryan were made available to the public with some of the information blacked out – but the way the document was scanned meant that information was visible behind the redactions, The Verge reported. Those documents reveal that the game Horizon Forbidden West cost $212 million to make, over the course of five years, and that the Last Of Us Part II cost a similar amount. The document also showed that a million PlayStation players only play Call of Duty, and that millions of them spend the majority of the time playing it. That information was shared in an attempt to convince the court that the purchase of Call of Duty could mean the game being removed from the PlayStation, and that such a move could cause major problems for PlayStation. But it also meant that new details about just how popular the game is. In the same hearings, however, Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella said it would make “no strategic sense” for Call of Duty to be available only on one console. “I grew up in a company that always believed that software should run on as many platforms as possible,” he said. Asked if Microsoft would have any incentive to refuse to allow the games on Sony’s PlayStation in order to sell more of its Xbox consoles, Nadella responded, “It makes no economic sense and no strategic sense.” To address the FTC concerns, Microsoft has agreed to license the blockbuster “Call of Duty” to rivals. It has also argued that it is better off financially by licensing the games to all comers. The FTC has asked Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in San Francisco to temporarily stop the deal from closing in order to allow the agency’s in-house judge to decide the case. In the past, the side that lost in federal court often conceded and the in-house process was scrapped. The FTC, which enforces antitrust law, has taken a harder line on mergers during the Biden administration to protect consumers from being disadvantaged by powerful corporations. Much of the testimony in the trial has focused on Activision’s “Call of Duty,” one of the best-selling videogames of all time. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick testified earlier on Wednesday that if Microsoft bought his company and blocked other gaming platforms from offering “Call of Duty,” it would alienate many of the 100 million monthly active users and hurt its popularity. “You would have a revolt if you were to remove the game from one platform,” said Kotick, who added that it was vital to offer the game across multiple platforms, including consoles, mobile phones and personal computers. Mr Kotick argued there was no incentive for Microsoft, if it closes the deal for Activision, to restrict who offers the company’s games. For example, he said that removing “Call of Duty” from Sony’s PlayStation would be “very detrimental” to Activision’s business. He also acknowledged that the deal, which he said earlier on Wednesday he wants “very much” to close, would result in his personal shares being valued at over $400 million. The deal has won approval from many jurisdictions but has been opposed by the FTC in the United States and Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority. Additional reporting by Reuters

Spanish Formula One great Fernando Alonso and his compatriot Carlos Sainz said on Thursday they remain close friends despite the former's Aston Martin car being more competitive...

Royal accounts show that a change in monarchs, double-digit inflation and ongoing costs of renovating Buckingham Palace contributed to a 5% increase in publicly funded spending by Britain’s royals

By Sharon Bernstein Here are reactions to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action on Thursday, on

AEW Fight Forever does not support cross platform play at launch, preventing players on different platforms from playing with one another.

Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. sent paying customers to the edge of space for the first time, a milestone

By Joseph Ax The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday struck down race-conscious policies in college admissions, ending decades

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed a package of bills that will create stricter punishments for sexual assault that takes place under the guise of medical treatment

Breaking down the June 29 Immaculate Grid baseball game with players and connections for Grid 87 that involve the Cubs, Mets, Angels, Marlins and more.If you haven't played the Immaculate Grid baseball game and are a massive MLB fan, then you are 100% missing out on one of the best things t...

For all the success garnered over the last two years, an asterisk has accompanied the Red Bull route to Formula 1 domination. In 2021, Max Verstappen’s dramatic title triumph was shrouded in controversy after the Abu Dhabi fiasco. Last year, their mightily impressive double title glory was overshadowed by breaching the inaugural F1 cost cap. This season, entering race nine back at base at the Red Bull Ring this weekend with Verstappen holding a 69-point lead in the championship – and even that is from his team-mate Sergio Perez – there does not look set to be such a dark cloud forming this time. The RB19 is perhaps Adrian Newey’s greatest achievement yet. Verstappen’s confidence is at an all-time high, to the extent he joked in real time about a slightly misjudged approach to the kerb in Canada where George Russell had earlier crashed. And when the Dutchman has a rare off-day, perhaps in qualifying, invariably Sergio Perez is there to pick up the first-place trophy instead. Christian Horner’s team are a pristine, well-oiled machine. They claimed their 100th win in F1 last time out in Montreal. Yet Lewis Hamilton, seven times a world champion scampering desperately with the other 17 drivers on the grid playing catch-up, is willing to discuss the elephant in the room. “The [cost cap] penalty didn’t cost them anything,” Hamilton said, ahead of this weekend’s sprint weekend in Austria. “It definitely, definitely didn’t. It was so small.” Red Bull were fined £6m and docked 10% of their car development time for their £1.8m overspend, impacting their wind-tunnel runs and simulations. As emphatic as Hamilton’s assessment is, and many will argue it has a certain degree of accuracy given the scale of Red Bull’s success, the Mercedes man went further as he looks to give himself a fighting chance of a record-breaking eighth title in the not-so-distant future. "I think the FIA should probably put a time when everyone is allowed to start developing on next year’s car,” he added, referring to Red Bull no longer focusing on their 2023 car such is their current advantage and instead shifting emphasis to 2024. “Say August 1, that’s where everybody can start so that no one can get an advantage on the next year, cause that sucks. "It would make more sense. They should. Say for example you start the season and you know you have a bad car, you can just say I’m not going to bother developing this car and put all this money into next year’s car and have an advantage." The notion that the FIA should change the regulations as a result of Red Bull’s domination has been regularly concocted in recent weeks, whether it be across the paddock or on social media. Short memories, it seems. For Red Bull’s current all-out supremacy, think Michael Schumacher’s five-in-a-row with Ferrari at the start of the noughties. Think Lewis Hamilton’s six victories in seven years with Mercedes. Think Sebastian Vettel’s four on the bounce back at Red Bull to kick off the 2010s. Periods of domination are commonplace in F1. A framework is set in place; regulations set in stone years in advance. These must remain. A sudden alteration of various rules, now, would be simply unfair and unsporting. Despite that, talk of a perfect 22/22 this season is being swiftly dismissed by Red Bull. The runaway leaders are not getting carried away yet. “At a sprint weekend, so many things can go wrong,” said a typically level-headed Verstappen on Thursday. His team-mate Perez was absent, due to illness, but is expected to be fit to drive on Friday. While the second of six sprint weekends this season takes place in Spielberg – with qualifying for the grand prix on Friday before “sprint day” on Saturday – could ruffle feathers, Red Bull are massive favourites to take their ninth-straight win of the year at their home track. Ferrari did win in Austria last year, but have not won since. Mercedes are on a slow road back to the top-tier, with a bigger upgrade due next week at Silverstone. If any team is to challenge Red Bull, therefore, it could well be Aston Martin – and their imperious 41-year-old double world champion Fernando Alonso. Read More Are Red Bull now the most successful F1 team ever – and how long can this dominance last? Toto Wolff optimistic as Mercedes target improvement at Austrian Grand Prix Sergio Perez misses media day at the Austrian Grand Prix Sergio Perez misses media day at the Austrian Grand Prix Toto Wolff optimistic as Mercedes target improvement at Austrian Grand Prix What is a sprint race in F1 and how does new qualifying shootout work?

West Ham are handed in a boost in their bid to sign Edson Alvarez from Ajax - Borussia Dortmund's move has stalled and they are now looking at alternative transfer targets.

Snap said Thursday that it has garnered more than 4 million paying customers for its subscription service Snapchat+.