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Report: Activision buys eSports staple MLG for $46 million
Call of Duty and Hearthstone studio Activision Blizzard has acquired a majority of Major League Gaming's assets in a $46 million deal that essentially dissolves the professional gaming organization, eSports Observer reports. MLG Co-Founder and CEO Sundance DiGiovanni has left his role and is replaced by former CFO Greg Chisholm, the site says. Neither company has confirmed this report, though we've reached out to both and will update as we hear back.
Google Play holiday deals include three months of music for $1
Most big digital retailers do holiday deals, and Google Play is no exception. Google surely wants the recipients of new Android phones and tablets to get used to buying things through its storefront as quickly as possible. While that obviously benefits Google, that doesn't mean these deals aren't pretty solid this year. Perhaps the best deal is three months of Google Play Music for $1 -- a deal that'll also include commercial-free videos on YouTube Red and full access to the new YouTube Music app. That deal is comparable with promos Spotify has been running for some time (not to mention the free three months of Apple Music still up for grabs), but sadly you'll need to be a new subscriber to take advantage.
Yahoo reportedly gets serious about selling its core business
Yahoo appears to have more than just a casual interest in selling itself off. Both CNBC and the New York Times claim that the web giant has ruled out spinning out its remaining stake in Alibaba and is instead thinking seriously about a sale, whether it's the company's stake in Yahoo Japan or the entire core business. It will reportedly take "a year or more" to assess everything, but you may not have to wait that long to get some official news -- Yahoo could announce something as early as Wednesday.
Play 19 SNK games in a browser via the Neo Geo Humble Bundle
A bevy of classic SNK games make their debut on PC today in the latest Humble Bundle, in celebration of the Neo Geo console turning 25 this year. Plus, you can demo 19 of these games directly in your browser for two minutes each, including Art of Fighting 2, Fatal Fury Special, Metal Slug (1, 2, 3 and X), The King of Fighters 2000, Shock Troopers and Twinkle Star Sprites. Most of the games are DRM-free and available for PC, Mac and Linux. Get all 21 games plus the 25th anniversary soundtrack via Humble Bundle for a minimum of just $10 -- that's $167 worth of classic Neo Geo goodness.
WSJ: Yahoo may sell itself off
Yahoo's attempt at turning around its fortunes hasn't gone that well: on top of sagging profits and departing execs, it's still heavily dependent on both its Japanese business as well as its stake in Chinese internet giant Alibaba. And now, it sounds like the company might want to hand over the reins to someone else. Sources for the Wall Street Journal understand that Yahoo is holding a "marathon" number of board meetings where the possibility of selling the company's core business is on the table. It's not certain how serious the web pioneer might be, but private equity firms are reportedly taking a peek.
Wu-Tang Clan sells its one-of-a-kind 'Shaolin' album for millions
Remember Wu-Tang Clan's Once Upon a Time In Shaolin album? The group spent nine years recording 31 tracks for a special LP, then decided to sell just one copy of it -- for a very high price, of course. It was finally purchased by a private American collector for "millions," according to Forbes. The deal was completed in May, but the contract was finalized only recently. The buyer will get to listen to the album now, but won't have the right to release it publicly for another 88 years. "The Wu-Tang Clan has always been driven by innovation, and this marks another moment in musical history," said co-founder RZA. He added that "we hoped that this concept would inspire debate and new ways of seeing creativity."
'Hotline Miami' sale benefits the artists behind those wild soundtracks
Hotline Miami and Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number are both dense, addictive and brutal -- and a lot of those adjectives come courtesy of the games' soundtracks. In recognition of this musical magnificence, Dennaton Games is holding a sale this weekend that benefits the aural artists responsible for both Hotline Miami soundtracks. Hotline Miami 2 is 40 percent off ($9) and Hotline Miami is 75 percent off ($2.50), and 100 percent of the proceeds during this sale go directly to the games' musicians. The combo pack, offering both games, is just $11 during the sale, and both soundtracks are discounted as well: 75 percent off for Hotline Miami's ($2.50) and 40 percent off for the sequel's ($9). The sale is live now through Monday at 10AM PT. If you've never heard the Hotline Miami soundtracks (Seriously, what are you doing with your life?), listen to a few songs below.
Too good to survive: The rise and fall of Rdio
Spotify is probably how most Americans were introduced to streaming music over the last four years or so -- the service has grown by leaps and bounds since it launched in the US in July of 2011. But a relatively small group of music fans were enjoying pretty much all that Spotify had to offer months before it hit the US. That group was using Rdio, and we'll now have to find a new option: Rdio will be dead soon, sold off to Pandora in a bankruptcy deal. The service will remain a cautionary tale about the brutality of survival in the streaming music world. A great product is important, but it's clearly not enough.
As Rdio files for bankruptcy, Pandora picks it up for $75 million
Pandora, already one of the biggest players in the music streaming space, has just announced it is acquiring "key assets" from fellow streaming service Rdio for $75 million. However, this isn't just a standard case of one company buying another -- Pandora's press release says the deal is contingent upon Rdio "seeking protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California." It sounds as if Rdio has finally run out of cash while trying to compete with giants like Spotify and Apple Music, and Pandora will be stepping in to use its technology to enhance its platform. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2016.
Steam Halloween sale slashes prices on 'GTA V' and more
You know Steam loves to celebrate most holidays in a big way -- with notable discounts on ton of different games. And since Halloween is almost here, the service is now letting you save cash on spooky titles such as BioShock, Left 4 Dead 2, Alien: Isolation, Outlast, ARK: Survival Evolved, Dead Realm and SOMA, to mention a few. There's also Grand Theft Auto V, which is priced at about $40 right now, compared to the usual $60 -- while we wouldn't exactly call Rockstar's title "spooky," it's great to have it as part of the promotion. Speaking of, the Steam Halloween sale will be live until November 2nd at 1AM ET, so you have some time to look over the games list and determine whether you want to pull the trigger on any of them.
SanDisk is reportedly eager to sell itself off
SanDisk is a mainstay of the storage world thanks to its memory cards and solid-state drives, but you might not see its name for much longer: Bloomberg sources hear that SanDisk is exploring the possibility of selling itself off. The company is reportedly talking to both Micron and Western Digital about a potential deal, although there's no guarantee that anything will happen. You shouldn't expect an acquisition in the immediate future, at any rate. SanDisk runs memory factories alongside Toshiba, and it'd likely have to get approval before changing that partnership.
Adblock Chrome extension has been sold to an unknown buyer
Ad blockers have been all over the news lately, in large part because of Apple's decision to allow them in iOS 9. Now, the creator of one of the most well-known ad blockers has apparently decided to sell his creation to an undisclosed company. As reported by The Next Web, creator Michael Gundlach posted a note in an update to his Adblock Chrome Extension saying that he was selling the company, with his "long-time managing director" taking over the role of working with that new company. It seems that Gundlach is no longer working with Adblock at all
The German car industry is buying Nokia's Here maps
Nokia is selling its Here maps service to a group of German car makers for €2.8 billion (roughly $3.07 billion). The consortium is comprised of Mercedes' owner Daimler, BMW, and Audi. As the latter is a VW subsidiary, the buyers essentially represent the entire German car industry -- or at least all the big hitters. It was previously reported that Uber was interested in purchasing the service, but the car companies clearly brought the most attractive offer to Nokia's table.
Google's Nexus 9 tablet slashed to £200 in the UK
If you'd had your eye on a new Nexus device but missed out on the recent round of smartphone sales, today's new Google tablet deal might be of interest. Just days after the Nexus 6 price was slashed to £304 (normally £479), the WiFi Nexus 9 is enjoying similar treatment, with the 16GB model now setting you back £200 instead of the usual £319. Amazon and Argos are both hosting the deal, which also includes a £100 discount on the 32GB model, but Google has not reflected the price change on its own store.
Amazon's 'Prime Day' sale will have 'more deals than Black Friday'
Amazon's turning 20 on July 15th and will celebrate the occasion by giving you another reason to sign up for Prime. The company is launching Prime Day, a "global shopping event" that promises to have "more deals than Black Friday." Unfortunately, you'll only be allowed to participate if you give Jeff Bezos $99 a year, or you take this chance to sign up for the free trial. The event kicks off at midnight PST on July 15th, and is open to all members in nine countries including the US, Canada and the UK. Of course, since Amazon sells more than just big-box electronics, you'll also find lightning deals in every department from clothing and sports through to patio furniture. We don't know if this is intended to become an annual event, but we've asked the company, since it'll take a few years for the diary makers to catch on.
SoftBank's cutesy Pepper robot sells out in one minute
If you always wanted a robot butler to greet guests, amuse kids or be a live-action version of Cortana, you're way too late. The Pepper robot that does all that sold out exactly one minute after it went on sale in Japan on Saturday, according to manufacturer SoftBank Robotics. The company built a modest 1,000 units for its Japanese consumer launch, selling it for $1,600 with a monthly $200 fee. The 4-foot robot is not designed to fetch you drinks or do other manual work, but rather to listen, read your emotions, then respond appropriately. It can also sing, dance and tell (corny robot) jokes.
Steam summer sale arrives with deals on 'Grand Theft Auto' and 'XCOM'
It's time once again for Valve to kick off its annual Steam summer sale -- and as is the custom, there are some huge bargains to be had, even on day one. The sale (which runs from June 11th through June 21st) is starting by knocking 25 to 75 percent off the Grand Theft Auto games, 50 to 83 percent off the alien-hunting XCOM series, and a hefty 75 to 80 percent off the post-apocalyptic Metro franchise. Indie hits like The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth and Don't Starve are decidedly more affordable, too. Steam is rotating deals on a daily basis (faster than that for flash sales), and there's even a web-based game you can play that helps unlock discounts for the following day. There's no guarantee that you'll like all those impulse purchases, but that buyer's remorse is why Valve just introduced refunds, isn't it?
Amazon drops the price of the Fire Phone to £99, again
Remember Amazon's Fire Phone? It hasn't even celebrated its first birthday yet but you'd be forgiven for never giving the retailer's first smartphone a second thought. In a bid to rectify the device's original sky-high pricing, the company took a hit and dropped the cost of the Fire Phone to £99 back in January. Now it's back. For the next week, you'll be able to pick up the 32GB model for under a ton, with the 64GB version setting you back £179. For some reason, the 64GB model is actually £30 more than it was during Amazon's previous Fire sale, but you're still making a £200 saving on either O2-locked device.
Motorola's holding a two-day sale for its top devices in the UK
If the latest flagships from Samsung and HTC haven't impressed you, now might be a good time to reconsider a Motorola phone. Starting at midnight on May 18th, the company is holding a 48-hour sale in the UK with hefty discounts on the Moto X, Nexus 6 and Moto 360 smartwatch. The Moto X is being cut by £96, pushing the 16GB model down to £299 and the 32GB version to £339. The gargantuan Nexus 6, meanwhile, is being dropped to £449 (32GB) and £519 (64GB), which is just £30 less than the current asking price.
Verizon FiOS will be an East Coast exclusive as of 2016
If you're a customer of Verizon's TV, internet or phone services (fiber or otherwise) in California, Florida or Texas then sometime next year you won't be. That's because as part of a $10.54 billion deal, it's selling "wireline" businesses in those states to Frontier so it can focus on a group of Eastern states. It made a similar move dumping services across many states in 2009, and many of the customers we heard from afterward were not happy because while Frontier had different policies on how to run the service. In a separate deal, it's leasing or selling a majority of the cell towers it operates to American Tower Corporation for $5 billion. Why make all these moves? Other than kicking off a $5 billion share repurchasing program, word is this money will go to pay for some $10 billion in wireless spectrum Verizon won at auction last week.
