On January 18, 2022, Microsoft announced its plan to buy Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. The purchase was completed on October 13, 2023, with the total cost reaching $75.4 billion. According to the agreement, Microsoft placed Activision Blizzard under its Microsoft Gaming division, which operates alongside Xbox Game Studios and ZeniMax Media.
A Minecraft mod is a change to the sandbox game Minecraft. These mods can add new items, change game features, and make the game run better. Thousands of mods have been created for the game, and some authors earn money from their work.
World of Warcraft (WoW) is a 2004 massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) created by Blizzard Entertainment for Windows and macOS. The game is set in the Warcraft fantasy universe on the fictional planet Azeroth, about four years after the events of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. It was first announced in 2001 and released on November 23, 2004, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Warcraft series.
A console war is a competition between two or more companies that make video game consoles. These companies usually try to sell more products than their competitors, but during console wars, they use more direct methods to compare their products with those of others or to criticize the competition. This often leads to stronger and more frequent marketing efforts between the companies.
In the video game industry, crunch (or crunch culture) refers to required extra hours worked during the development of a game. Crunch is common in the industry and can result in work weeks lasting 65–80 hours for long periods, often without additional pay beyond regular hours. This practice helps companies save money because game development requires a lot of effort.
In video games, a loot box (also called a loot crate or prize crate) is a virtual item that players can use to get a random choice of other virtual items, such as decorations for a character or powerful equipment like weapons and armor. Loot boxes are usually a way for game companies to earn money. Players may buy them directly or earn them during gameplay and later purchase keys to open them.
Hou Yifan (Chinese: 侯逸凡; pinyin: Hóu Yìfán; born February 27, 1994) is a Chinese chess grandmaster, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion, and a professor at Peking University. She is the second-highest-rated female chess player in history. A young talent in chess, she became the youngest female player to earn the grandmaster title (at age 14 years, 6 months, and 16 days) and the youngest to win the Women’s World Chess Championship (at age 16).
George Francis Hotz, born on October 2, 1989, is also known as geohot. He is an American computer security expert, business owner, and software engineer. He is recognized for creating tools to modify iOS devices, analyzing the PlayStation 3’s software, and facing a legal case from Sony.
Nikola Kovač, also known as NiKo, is a professional Counter-Strike 2 player from Bosnia who plays for Team Falcons. Many experts and players say he is one of the greatest Counter-Strike players ever and the best rifler in the history of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. He has been listed as a Top 20 Player Of The Year by HLTV ten times, which is the most Top 20 appearances in Counter-Strike history.
Mathieu Herbaut, born on November 9, 2000, is also known as ZywOo. He is a French professional Counter-Strike player who plays for Team Vitality. He is considered one of the best players in Counter-Strike history.