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Microsoft slashes 1,900 jobs across Xbox and Activision Blizzard
Microsoft is the latest company to announce a major round of layoffs in its gaming division. It's cutting around 1,900 workers from its Xbox, Activision Blizzard and ZeniMax (aka Bethesda) teams.
Microsoft agrees to union contract terms involving the use of AI
Microsoft and the Communications Workers of America union have reached an agreement regarding the use of AI with regard to employee rights. This is the first US instance of collective bargaining in Microsoft’s history.
Microsoft is hiring dozens of ZeniMax QA contractors as unionized employees
Microsoft says it will hire 77 ZeniMax QA contractors as unionized employees. One of the perks for the workers is a copy of Starfield, a game they worked on and wouldn't otherwise have gotten for free.
New Indiana Jones game became an Xbox exclusive after Microsoft bought ZeniMax
An Indiana Jones game was reportedly headed to PS5 — until Microsoft bought ZeniMax and made the title an Xbox exclusive.
Game designer Shinji Mikami is leaving the Bethesda studio he founded
Shinji Mikami, the game designer behind early Resident Evil games and 'Ghostwire: Tokyo,' is leaving the studio he founded.
Microsoft is now the home of the video game industry's largest union
Microsoft has formally recognized ZeniMax Workers United/CWA, instantly making this the largest union in the video game industry and the first union at Microsoft overall.
Quality assurance staff at Microsoft's ZeniMax Media are moving toward unionizing
Microsoft’s pledge to stay neutral in unionization efforts is about to be tested in a major way as QA workers at ZeniMax Media work to unionize.
Microsoft will reportedly reveal its plans for Bethesda this week
Microsoft is reportedly gearing up to reveal its Bethesda and Xbox Games Pass plans in a video presentation this week.
Microsoft's $7.5 billion ZeniMax acquisition approved by US and EU regulators
The European Commission has unconditionally cleared Microsoft's $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax, owner of games studios Bethesda, id and Arkane.
EU charges Valve and five publishers with geo-blocking games
Two years after the EU began investigating whether Valve uses regional pricing and geo-blocking practices in its Steam store, the European Commission has formally charged the distributor and five game publishers. The Commission released its "preliminary view" that Valve, Bandai Namco, Capcom, Focus Home, Koch Media and ZeniMax prevented consumers from purchasing videogames cross-border from some Member States. That's considered geo-blocking, and it violates EU competition rules.
Facebook and ZeniMax settle VR copyright lawsuit
John Carmack isn't the only one ending a legal fight with ZeniMax. Facebook and ZeniMax have agreed to settle a lawsuit that had accused Facebook and Oculus of violating copyright for the alleged "unlawful misappropriation" of ZeniMax VR code. The two haven't revealed terms of the deal, but ZeniMax claimed that it was "fully satisfied" with the result. We've asked Facebook if it can comment.
'Doom' co-creator John Carmack ends legal fight with ZeniMax
The messy legal battle between Id Software co-founder and Oculus CTO John Carmack and ZeniMax is over. Carmack tweeted that his "personal legal disputes" had ended, with ZeniMax having "fully satisfied their [sic] obligations" to him. Consequently, the pair have dropped their lawsuit and countersuit between each other, although the courtroom drama between Oculus and ZeniMax rages on.
Singer sues 'Fallout 4' publisher over use of a classic song
The Fallout game series is legendary for its use of music to set the post-apocalyptic mood, but it might have been a little too eager when creating the tone for Fallout 4. Singer Dion DiMucci has sued Fallout's publisher, ZeniMax, for allegedly using his 1961 hit "The Wanderer" for ads without verifying that he approved of the content. The artist contends that ZeniMax didn't bother honoring contract terms that let him refuse the use of his song in the promos, which he finds "morally indefensible." He's not objecting to the game itself -- rather, it's that the ads glorify the protagonist's violence "as sport" instead of focusing on the "struggle for survival." Clearly, he's not a fan of seeing his cherished, upbeat pop song playing as someone guns down mutants.
'Dishonored' studio co-founder steps down after 18 years
Today the founder of Arkane Studios, Raf Colantonio, announced that after 18 years with the company, he is now stepping down. In a statement Colantonio said, "It is time for me to step out to spend some time with my son and reflect on what is important to me and my future."
Zenimax turns on Samsung after victory in Oculus VR suit
Zenimax and Oculus aren't quite done duking it out in court, but the former has already taken on yet another adversary. The software company has filed a lawsuit against Samsung for infringing on its copyright, since it uses Oculus tech to power the Gear VR. It's accusing the Korean giant of continuing with the device's development despite knowing about the details of its lawsuit against the Facebook-owned firm. Samsung, it says, didn't even ask for permission knowing full well that it sued Oculus for stealing its technology and even released an updated version of the Gear VR after the court awarded it a partial victory.
John Carmack sues ZeniMax for unpaid acquisition money
Oculus CTO John Carmack has personally joined the litigation war between his company and ZeniMax. He has just filed a lawsuit against the media firm for refusing to pay the rest of what it owes him for id Software's $150 million acquisition in 2009. Carmack co-founded id Software in 1991, and it's best known for developing the Wolfenstein, Doom and Quake video game franchises. The CTO says ZeniMax still hasn't paid the last $22.5 million of the price they agreed upon. It also sounds like the company has no intention of paying up.
ZeniMax wants to stop Oculus from selling VR headsets
Despite being $500 million richer than it was a few months ago, ZeniMax still isn't happy about the outcome of its Oculus Rift lawsuit. Reuters is reporting that the video game company behind id Software and Bethesda has filed for an injunction blocking Oculus from using ZeniMax code in its products. Given that the contentious code is apparently at the heart of Oculus' devices, this could be even more contentious than the original lawsuit.
John Carmack airs grievances over ZeniMax lawsuit on Facebook
ZeniMax might have only won a small fraction of the $4 billion it wanted to get from its Oculus lawsuit, but John Carmack was still definitely unhappy with the court's decision. The Oculus CTO has posted on Facebook to publicly disagree "with [ZeniMax's] characterization, misdirection and selective omissions" during the proceedings.
EU probing Valve and five publishers for geo-blocking games
The legislative body of the European Union is launching an antitrust investigation into regional pricing and geo-blocking practices on Valve's Steam store. In a statement, the European Commission says it's investigating "bilateral agreements" between Valve and five publishers: Bandai Namco, Capcom, Focus Home, Koch Media and ZeniMax. The investigation is focused on activation keys, whose primary function is as an anti-piracy tool. After buying a physical copy of a game, users need to submit an activation key to prove they own it and add it to their Steam library. Once done, the game is then available on any device that the user is logged into.
Oculus to pay $500 million after ZeniMax lawsuit ends
ZeniMax is triumphant in its lawsuit against Oculus over alleged technology theft... well, sort of. A Texas jury has determined that Oculus must pay $500 million to ZeniMax over claims that Palmer Luckey didn't comply with a non-disclosure agreement he signed with the game publisher. However, what didn't happen is more telling. The jury found that Oculus didn't steal trade secrets from ZeniMax when it hired John Carmack. In other words, one of the cornerstones of the case didn't hold up.
