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Mass layoffs expected at EA as the now-private publisher reportedly tells its new debt masters that it's going to…
Following its $55 billion acquisition by a consortium including Saudi Arabia's Private Investment Fund, Electronic Arts is reportedly planning mass layoffs to manage significant debt. The publisher has informed debt investors of plans to cut $700 million in annual costs, including $170 million in organizational efficiencies, to service approximately $1.8 billion in annual interest payments.
Black Ops 1 And 2 Ports Sold 11 Million Copies Combined On PlayStation, Benefitting Both Xbox And Sony
Ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 for PlayStation have sold over 11 million copies combined, generating nearly half a billion dollars. Developed by Iron Galaxy, these straight 1080p ports were released on PS4 and PS5 and capitalized on significant pent-up demand. The success benefits Microsoft, Activision, and Sony, with the latter earning an estimated $130 million from its 30% cut.
Halo and Black Ops sales on PS5 are shocking for very different reasons
Ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 have achieved significant sales figures on PlayStation consoles, with estimates suggesting millions of units sold. In contrast, Halo: Campaign Evolved has had a notably slow start on PlayStation 5, selling significantly fewer copies than its contemporaries and other Xbox titles on the platform. This disparity highlights differing market reception for remade or ported games.
Origins TCG hands demo players a deckbuilder and 70+ fresh cards in weekend trial
Koin Games is conducting a weekend trial for the Origins TCG demo, introducing over 70 new cards, five new decks, and a deckbuilder. The Steam demo, released on July 15, has received a "Very Positive" rating. The full game is slated for release in Q4 2026, with a shift in its trading model to the Steam Marketplace.
A PC cooling company shows Sony and Nintendo how it's done, as it pledges to pass US tariff refunds onto customers
PC cooling company Arctic has pledged to pass US tariff refunds onto customers by lowering product prices, contrasting with Sony and Nintendo's approaches. Arctic will continue price cuts until all refunded money is returned to consumers, while also funding tech education initiatives. The US Supreme Court struck down tariffs, leading to refund requests, but many companies, including Sony and Nintendo, are reportedly keeping the refunds.
"CoD got it. Halo didn't" – Black Ops 1 and 2 ports battered Halo Campaign Evolved on PlayStation last month, analyst says, because $60 for a "graphical touch-up" is a rough sell
Analyst Rhys Elliott suggests that the successful sales of Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 ports on PlayStation, compared to the slower launch of Halo: Campaign Evolved, are primarily due to pricing. While the Call of Duty ports offered discounts, Halo: Campaign Evolved was criticized for its $60 price point for what was perceived as a graphical update.
12 years after being delisted, Wolfenstein 2009 could be getting a surprise remaster at QuakeCon 2026, fans speculate…
Fans are speculating that the 2009 Wolfenstein game could receive a remaster, with recent changes to its Steam page, including the removal of its release date and the addition of Steam Deck compatibility, fueling these theories. The game was delisted in 2014 due to licensing issues and has not been available digitally since, making a remaster a potential surprise reveal at QuakeCon. This speculation comes amidst reports of layoffs impacting id Software following Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media.
EA is now a private company, with stakeholders that include Saudi's PIF and Affinity Partners
Electronic Arts has officially become a private company following a $55 billion buyout, with stakeholders including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Affinity Partners. This deal, the second largest in gaming history, has raised concerns regarding human rights and LGBTQ+ issues due to the nature of some investors. The future of EA's franchises and potential company restructuring remain uncertain.
AI worms? In your Copilot PC? According to this AI researcher, it's more likely than you think
An AI researcher has detailed a cybersecurity vulnerability where an AI worm could spread through Microsoft Copilot for Word via prompt injection. Attackers can hide malicious instructions within documents, which Copilot may interpret and replicate into new documents, creating a chain reaction. While Microsoft has attempted mitigations, the vulnerability remains reproducible, prompting advice to disable Copilot in Word or avoid the AI agent altogether.
There are a few gooduns in August's Xbox Game Pass line-up, including a surprisingly sexy, and funny, furniture dating sim
Xbox has announced its Game Pass additions for early August, featuring new titles like the action RPG Beast of Reincarnation and the unique furniture dating sim Date Everything!. The lineup also includes the Gears of War: E-Day open beta and other games such as Grounded 2 and PowerWash Simulator 2. This comes amidst significant restructuring within Microsoft's Xbox division, with new Xbox boss Asha Sharma recently reducing Game Pass prices to boost subscriber numbers.
EA har nu sålts till bland annat saudiarabiska Public Investment Fund
Electronic Arts has been acquired by a consortium including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake Partners, and Affinity Partners, making it a privately held company. The Public Investment Fund is the largest stakeholder, acquiring 93.4% of the company for $55 billion. This acquisition follows Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard.
Games Inbox: Will single-player video games go extinct?
This article discusses the current sales trends of single-player games, with readers expressing concern over their perceived decline in popularity compared to multiplayer titles. The piece also touches on the future of VR gaming, the potential for reboots of classic games like Elite, and the rising costs of GPUs and consoles.
Wolfenstein (2009) Might Get Remaster Announcement at QuakeCon 2026 – Rumor
A rumor suggests that Microsoft and Bethesda Softworks may announce a remaster of the 2009 game Wolfenstein at QuakeCon 2026. Recent updates to the game's SteamDB page, including mentions of Steam Deck compatibility and controller glyphs, hint at a potential re-release. The original title, developed by Raven Software, was previously delisted from Steam.
AMD Helios AI rack system on track for initial shipments in Q3 2026
AMD's Helios rack-scale AI system is on track for initial shipments in Q3 2026, with significant demand expected in 2027, driven by customers like Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic. Despite these promising updates shared by CEO Dr. Lisa Su during the Q2 2026 earnings call, AMD stock saw a decline in after-hours trading.
AMD Q2 2026 earnings results beat on revenue expectations, but miss on EPS whisper number
AMD announced its Q2 2026 earnings results, exceeding Wall Street's revenue expectations with $11.53 billion but falling slightly short of the Earnings Whisper EPS estimate, reporting $1.66 per share against a $1.69 target. Despite challenges with component price increases, the company demonstrated a solid quarterly performance and remains a significant competitor in the AI technology sector, supplying products for AI model development.
EA Has Officially Been Sold, And What Comes Next Could Be Painful
Electronic Arts has been acquired by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund in a $55 billion leveraged buyout, making it the largest LBO in history. The deal has raised concerns about potential layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations due to the significant debt involved. EA CEO Andrew Wilson will remain in his position, but the company's future financial operations will be less transparent as it moves from public to private ownership.
Devs raise $130,000 in just five days to support laid-off peers
A charity bundle organized by Necrosoft Games has raised over $130,000 in five days to support game developers who have been laid off. The bundle, featuring over 100 games, surpassed its initial goal and is now aiming for $200,000. Funds are distributed by the United Videogame Workers union to provide financial assistance to affected workers.
Windows 11 Home Vs Pro: What's the difference, and is it worth the upgrade?
This article compares Windows 11 Home and Pro, suggesting that most users do not require the Pro version. It aims to clarify the differences and help users decide if an upgrade is necessary.
NVIDIA Is Quietly Giving Away Three Free Months of Xbox Game Pass
NVIDIA is offering a free three-month trial of Xbox Game Pass Starter, accessible through the NVIDIA App. This promotion is bundled with a Discord Nitro membership and is primarily aimed at new or returning Discord Nitro subscribers. The Xbox Game Pass Starter tier includes access to around 50 curated games and up to 10 hours of cloud gaming per month, but excludes online console multiplayer.
Xbox 360 games are coming to PC and Project Helix reveals leaked document
A leaked document suggests Microsoft is planning to bring Xbox 360 games to PC and other next-generation devices through emulation, with a gradual rollout expected by 2027. The company is also reportedly working on a disc-to-digital service to allow players to obtain digital licenses for their physical games, potentially supporting a move away from physical media.
