Episode 649: Activision-Blizzard Sued Again

[This episode has been re-uploaded due to technical issues]

Another week, another time that Activision-Blizzard suffers legal issues — in fact, there are lots of legal shenanigans going on. No Gaming Podcast this week in this short episode, while Microsoft Movie Maker has a comeback.

This week’s news includes:

  • New York City sues Activision Blizzard, says Bobby Kotick is ‘unfit’ to negotiate the Microsoft buyout
  • Reggie Fils-Aimé warned Nintendo about GameBoy Micro
  • Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase announced for June 12
  • Xbox has helped Fortnite sneak its way back onto iPhones

Let us know what you think.

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Paul is back for this episode, as this week actually has a Gaming Flashback and a Game History, the former being Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, and the latter being Black Isle Studios.

The news this week includes:

  • Followup: PS Vita Slim to launch in UK
  • Reports: Microsoft plans cheaper, disc-free, white Xbox Ones in 2014
  • Nintendo cuts overheard on executive salaries
  • Square Enix responds to Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III launch rumor
  • Razer to give Xbox One gamers more peripheral options

The Question of the Week, “What was the best game you played that you felt was unfinished?”

E3 Brings Back The Booth Babes, oh, and DevelopersE3 Brings Back The Booth Babes, oh, and Developers

e3As not to be shown up by other conferences, E3 is bringing back the booth babes, the glitz, the glamor and the publishers and developers. All but NCSoft is reported to be making it to E3 this year and they’re opening up registration again, without having an invite only exclusive club.

Is it really that easy to breath life back into E3? It makes me question why they changed it to begin with as developers and publlishers were the ones reported to not want to spend the millions of dollars in cost to obtain a few extra eyeballs on their products. We all contemplated mini-conferences with each major developer to take the place of the big E3 where each confierence would focus on just a few small brands.

Now, we’re heading back to the way it always was… isn’t this what the big boys were trying to avoid? Apparently not, because they’re all signed up and ready to return and hype their product. Perhaps these same developers saw some falling trends and realized E3 is needed to push their new games?

Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft and all their friends are back again to battle, this is like a long awaited Street Fighter sequel. The new Super Smash Bros Brawl of press events with the hot chicks in tow hoping to flash the lights upon their awesome next greatest game development.

Will this really reinvigorate the conference? Will it cause other conferences like TGS and GDC to lose attendance this year? We know many mainstream press folks are sighing as they realize they’re going to all have to show up and really work the show, for them this is business and ratings. While a few of us are impressed by the anime clad chicks, most of the folks there are actually working for a living.

July NPD Unit Sales: Wii On Top… AgainJuly NPD Unit Sales: Wii On Top… Again

Believe this, Nintendo and their Wii console takes another month as top seller. The only product that moves more hardware than the Wii is the DS. As a gamer, it’s hard to understand how the Wii product continues to sell like this with the least supported game library on the planet.

The DS is completely understandable as it has a huge library of games, is more cost effective, comes in pretty colors and can save you tons of arguments and fighting from your kids on a long trip. In many ways the DS is synonymous with peace and quiet. What does the Wii offer us? Wii Sports and a new control scheme along with a few hit titles from Nintendo but little else for now.

I’ll be the first to admit, I thought this would be Nintendo’s chance to turn it all around and get the third parties involved. They have everything going for them in terms of sales, third party developers should be pushing out games each month considering the craze factor of the hardware. This just isn’t true.

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