Overwatch 2 Free To Play Release Dates

Overwatch 2 will be launching “in early access” on October 4th, Activision Blizzard announced Sunday. At least the PVP parts of it will be. And in a major change, it will be free to play the original Overwatch was a paid title. It will be releasing on PC, Xbox Series X / S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. “We can’t wait to roll out the beginning of the Overwatch 2 experience on October 4 and introduce an exciting new competitive vision, featuring amazing new content and a reimagining of the iconic heroes, maps, and gameplay that made the original game so compelling,” Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard, said in a press release. “This is the beginning of an always-on and always-evolving era for the franchise, and a recommitment to serving players with frequent and substantial updates planned well into the future to keep Overwatch 2 fresh and fun for many years to come.”

Blizzard also introduced the second new hero for Overwatch 2, Junker Queen, which the company describes as “a high-mobility and railgun-wielding former Overwatch captain with cybernetic capabilities.” The company plans to share more about Overwatch 2 in a “reveal event” livestream that takes place in just a few days you can watch it on June 16th at 1PM ET. Blizzard first announced Overwatch 2 in 2019, but it really only began showing the game in earnest over the past few months, including with a closed beta. The company has split the development of the PVP and PVE parts of the game. While the PVP element will be available October 4, we still don’t know when the PVE portion will be available. Microsoft is set to acquire Activision Blizzard in a deal worth nearly $70 billion, though the acquisition isn’t expected to close until Microsoft’s fiscal year 2023, which begins in July.

Call of Duty: Vanguard Is Two Week Free-to-Play

For those who have yet to try out Call of Duty: Vanguard, you’re now in luck: Activision Blizzard will be making the popular title free-to-play for a limited time. Announcing the event in its blog post, the developer will now be making Vanguard free to download and play for two weeks starting on March 30 and ending on April 13. Unfortunately, neither the game’s campaign nor Zombies mode will be available for free, but while only its online multiplayer aspect will be accessible, Activision reassures that you’ll still get to experience all of the first-person shooter’s latest game modes and maps, including the two Season Two additions Casablanca and Gondola. Of course, you can also expect all the other playlists and maps originally released with the game as well, such as Shipment, Das Haus, Hotel Royale, Dome, Rader, and Domination, Control, and Hardpoint. For those interested in checking out the free-to-play event, Call of Duty: Vanguard is now available on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. 

During the Free Access period, players can jump right into the latest Multiplayer maps launched in Season Two: Casablanca and Gondola.

Casablanca: A shining jewel of Morocco, Casablanca is a medium-sized, three-lane-style map within a bustling marketplace. With several buildings to explore and climb upon, expect a variety of vertical engagements that invite both close- and long-range tactics.

Gondola: Don’t look down on this medium-sized, three-lane-style map. Take a trip on the Gondola to travel above a large gulch and fire watchtower, but hop off before it goes off the cliff! Operators can also take advantage of the long sightline this gondola route provides, or head through the power plant and caves for more close-quarters battle.

Drop in and compete in a new large-map objective mode set in the Alps featuring new vehicles and one major objective: capture all the bases to win.

Once a base is captured, Operators can choose to respawn at that base or at any other captured points on the map, in addition to spawning in on their fellow squad member. Bases automatically set up gates for the defending team within, allowing safe passage for allies and shutting itself when enemies are nearby.

Every friendly base contains several Buy Stations for additional armaments and abilities, including vehicles to help you traverse the map more quickly. Here, you can use Cash earned by capturing objectives or picking it up from enemy players to purchase weapons, equipment, Killstreaks, and Field Upgrades, or you can even use your Custom Loadouts.

In addition to the latest maps and modes, Free Access players will also be able to jump into a diverse Multiplayer Playlist featuring Vanguard’s most popular maps, such as Shipment, a Call of Duty® classic, and Das Haus, another small map that favors plenty of action. For Free Access players who want to be in the heat of the action every second of the match, this is the Playlist for you. Vanguard also includes other maps popular with the community like Hotel Royale, Dome, and Radar, which can be played on modes like Domination, Control, Hardpoint.

Vanguard Multiplayer Free Access begins on March 30 and ends on April 13.

 

 

Warcraft is Arriving on Mobile Phones

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick revealed that multiple mobile free-to-play Warcraft games were in advanced development, one of which is rumored to be an AR-powered experience similar to Pokémon Go.

In a new earnings result announcement, the game developer has confirmed that the new Warcraft game will be arriving later this year. “Blizzard is planning substantial new content for the Warcraft franchise in 2022, including new experiences in World of Warcraft and Hearthstone, and getting all-new mobile Warcraft content into players’ hands for the first time,” reads Activision’s 2021 Q4 earnings press release. The new Warcraft mobile game will join Diablo: Immortal which is set to release in the first half of 2022. Activision has been rather tight-lipped regarding the details of the upcoming releases, but stay tuned for more details and trailers to be announced soon.

Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard

Microsoft is acquiring Activision, the troubled publisher of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Diablo. The deal will value Activision at $68.7 billion, far in excess of the $26 billion Microsoft paid to acquire LinkedIn in 2016. It’s Microsoft’s biggest push into gaming, and the company says it will be the “third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony” once the deal closes. Microsoft plans to add many of Activision’s games to Xbox Game Pass once the deal closes. With the acquisition of Activision, Microsoft will soon publish franchises like Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Call of Duty, and Candy Crush. “Upon close, we will offer as many Activision Blizzard games as we can within Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, both new titles and games from Activision Blizzard’s incredible catalog,” says Microsoft’s CEO of gaming Phil Spencer. Xbox Game Pass now has 25 million subscribers, as Microsoft continues to acquire studios to boost the subscription service. “We’re investing deeply in world-class content, community and the cloud to usher in a new era of gaming that puts players and creators first and makes gaming safe, inclusive and accessible to all,” says Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Microsoft’s deal comes after months of sexual harassment claims against Activision Blizzard. Last July, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) sued Activision Blizzard for promoting a culture of “constant sexual harassment.”

More employees have come forward with more allegations of sexual misconduct ever since, and the company reached an $18 million settlement with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September. That settlement is being appealed, and reports indicate that nearly 40 Activision Blizzard employees have reportedly “exited” the company since last July. Microsoft doesn’t detail exactly how it will approach solving these issues, and the company says Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard for now. It looks like Kotick won’t remain once the deal is fully closed and after the transition period to Microsoft, though. Spencer, formerly head of gaming at Microsoft, is now CEO of Microsoft Gaming, and the company says the Activision Blizzard business will report directly to Spencer. “As a company, Microsoft is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming, among both employees and players,” says Spencer. “We deeply value individual studio cultures. We also believe that creative success and autonomy go hand-in-hand with treating every person with dignity and respect. We hold all teams, and all leaders, to this commitment. We’re looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams across Activision Blizzard.” Microsoft’s huge Activision Blizzard deal comes nearly a year after the company acquired Bethesda (ZeniMax Media) for $7.5 billion. At the time, that acquisition bolstered the company’s first-party Xbox game studios to a total of 23 and was seen as a huge boost for Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft now expects the Activision Blizzard deal “to close in fiscal year 2023,” which means we might not see this deal approved for up to 18 months. That’s a long period of time for a deal to close, but Activision Blizzard operates in a number of markets which could make regulatory approval more complicated for Microsoft.

Call of Duty: Warzone Might Come to Mobile, Activision Job Listing Suggests

 Call of Duty: Warzone may be coming to mobile phones, a job listing on Activision's website has suggested. The position listed on the website had the title ‘Executive Producer, Features (WZM)' where WZM might stand for Warzone Mobile. The job description also states “a new AAA mobile FPS” which is another hint at Warzone coming to mobile platform. Call of Duty: Warzone is currently free to play on PC and consoles. It is a battle royale game that has become highly popular since it launched back in March this year.

The position at Activision, which has already been filled, was for someone to work on “a new AAA mobile FPS” game in the Call of Duty franchise. The job title stated ‘Executive Producer, Features (WZM)', where the WZM could perhaps stand for Warzone Mobile. Further, the job description also stated, “Harvest, adapt, and deliver the essential features from Warzone console and PC into their best mobile instantiation”. Adding more fuel to the fire is the part that mentions “Serve as a primary point of contact on Warzone Mobile leadership team…”

All these signs point towards a mobile version of Call of Duty: Warzone currently in development. As of now, we cannot expect a release timeline for the game, the name for which has also not been confirmed. The game might not even launch this year, or towards late December.

The job listing is not visible on the Activision website anymore and was first spotted by Charlie Intel.

Call of Duty: Warzone released in March as a free to play battle royale experience that took the gaming scene by storm. The developers have kept the game updated and interesting for players to stick to it. The team has also used Warzone as a platform to promote their upcoming Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War game with Easter eggs and teasers.

With PUBG Mobile facing scrutiny in India and its fate uncertain, people have started looking for alternatives and while there is already a Call of Duty: Mobile game with a battle royale mode, Activision seems to be wanting to add another option in the mix.

‘World of Warcraft: Shadowlands’ release date: Q4 2020 launch confirmed

The Activision Blizzard bosses have great news for gamers eagerly waiting for “World of Warcraft: Shadowlands.” They recently confirmed that the expansion is slated to launch later this year.

‘World of Warcraft: Shadowlands’ release date

Blizzard is not a stranger to missing important deadlines, and what happened to “Warcraft 3: Reforged” is a good case in point. Additionally, it is understandable for some fans to worry about the “World of Warcraft: Shadowlands” release date, especially as video game companies adjust to work-from-home arrangements due to coronavirus over the previous months.

The good news is the company assured fans that its employees had adjusted well to the new work setup. This could mean that the development timeline of upcoming IPs, including “World of Warcraft: Shadowlands,” are virtually unaffected by the pandemic.

Activision Blizzard President Daniel Alegre admitted, during their Q1 2020 earnings call, that the changes still pose other challenges in terms of creating the expansion. “Although the shift to remote working does add complexity and challenges in some areas of the game development process, including creative collaboration, motion capture, voiceover work, localization, and quality assurance,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Blizzard Entertainment President J. Allen Brack offered more good news and confirmed, “Shadowlands is on track to launch in Q4 of this year.” He also revealed that closed alpha testing has already started in April, where “select players” were chosen to participate.

Blizzard is likely to open the closed beta to more players once the expansion reaches a more stable state and nearing its full release. There is no guarantee for any players to be selected, but they can take a chance by registering for the beta program using their Battle.net accounts. Only those who will receive email invites can join the closed beta.

‘World of Warcraft: Shadowlands’ pre-purchase sales are up

The gaming industry is the one business that still saw positive scenarios amid the coronavirus pandemic. The health crisis has forced governments to impose stay-at-home guidelines from community quarantines to total lockdowns. This meant that people had more time to play video games.

Brack confirmed that traffic generated by western players for the modern “World of Warcraft” increased in March as well as the “Classic” title. Overall, the company confirmed that this contributed to “strong pre-sales” for “Shadowlands.”