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A US court has denied the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) request to further halt Microsoft‘s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, paving the way for the deal to close. Earlier this week theXboxfirmwon a court battlewith the FTC, which is seeking to block the deal over antitrust concerns. An existing temporary restraining order on the deal ends just before midnight on Friday, but the FTCfiled an emergency motionto the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals asking for a “temporary pause” onMicrosoft’s closing of the transaction....

Microsoft president Brad Smith has seemingly walked back on comments criticising the UK over the handling of its Activision Blizzard deal. Before the deal’s completion late last year, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had initially moved to blockMicrosoft’s acquisition. Speaking at the time,Microsoft’s president said the decision was “bad for Britain”, and that if the UK wants to make it a place “where technology is not only going to flourish, but be created”, then “it needs to look hard at the role of the CMA and the regulatory structure”....

Mojang has told players that it has no plans to support NFTs in Minecraft. TheMicrosoft-owned studio outlined its stance on NFTs and blockchain technologies in anarticlepublished on Wednesday. While it is in the process of updatingMinecraft’s usage guidelines, it said it wanted to provide some information on the subject now in response to recent community feedback. NFTs are unique non-interchangeable units of data stored on a decentralised ledger called a blockchain, which allow users to buy and sell digital assets such as in-game items or artwork....

Capcom has announced that some of the extra endgame content planned for Monster Hunter Wilds is being brought forward. The game’s Title Update 3, which is planned for September, was supposed to include expanded endgame content designed to give players more to do after the credits have rolled. In a post on the official Monster Hunter account on X, however, it has been announced that this content will instead be added to the Version 1....

Marvels Rivals publisher NetEase has announced a last-minute console delay for its new hero shooter FragPunk. While the game will still be released forPCon March 6, thePS5andXbox Series X/Sversions have been indefinitely delayed. Announced at the Xbox Games Showcase last summer, FragPunk is a colorful 5v5 shooter with powerup cards that change the rules of each round. It’s in development atNetEaseowned Bad Guitar Studio. Announcing the delay on X, the FragPunk team said it had encountered “unexpected technical challenges in optimization and adaptation” during the console compliance testing process....

A new God of War Ragnarök gameplay video has offered the first look at the dwarven realm Svartalfheim. The Game Informer video below provides some insight into howSonySanta Monica’s level designers brought the realm to life for the upcoming sequel. While 2018’sGod of Warincluded six of the nine realms in Norse mythology, Ragnarök will let players visit them all. “God of War Ragnarökwill take you to the previously unreachable Vanaheim, Svartalfheim, and Asgard – as well as to new areas from locations featured in the last game,” Grace Orlady, lead community manager atSanta Monica Studio, previously told thePlayStation Blog....

Recent software classifications by international ratings bodies may offer further evidence that Microsoft is planning to announce a second next-gen Xbox console. As reported bymultiple media outletsincluding VGC, the console codenamed Lockhart—orXboxSeries S, as it looks set to be called—is a less powerful version ofXbox Series Xthat will likely target cost-conscious consumers. The unannounced console was seeminglyreferenced on official Microsoft merchandiseon two occasions in August, and recent software classifications may offer further evidence of an upcoming Xbox series S reveal....

Next week’s free Epic Games Store title has been announced. Ghostrunner will be free to claim on Epic’sPCmarketplace from April 11-18. According to publisher505 Games, “Ghostrunner offers a unique single-player experience: fast-paced, violent combat, and an original setting that blends science fiction with post-apocalyptic themes. “It tells the story of a world that has already ended and its inhabitants who fight to survive.” Ghostrunner willreplace The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition and Thief, which are nowfree to claimfrom theEpic Games Storeuntil April 11....

Nintendo of America has launched two lawsuits against resellers of Nintendo Switch hacking devices. The defendants, including Tom Dilts Jr., the alleged operator of the website UberChips, are said to be selling unathorised operating systems which enable users to play pirated games on all Switch models. Uberchips isallegedto sell products from an anonymous group of hackers called Team Xecuter, according to one of the lawsuits (viaPolygon). Nintendosays a June 2018 Switch update prevented Team Xecuter’s SX Pro hacking software circumventing the console’s security measures in order to play pirated software, and that the updated Switch model with improved battery life and the portable only Switch Lite, both of which launched in 2019, are not currently hackable by the SX Pro....

Four new games have been added to the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis library on Nintendo Switch Online. The latest additions to the subscription service, which are shown in the trailer below, are Golden Axe II, Virtua Fighter 2, Alien Storm and Columns. Switch Online December 2022 game updates: Further reading N64 games Mario Party and Mario Party 2 weremade available to Switch Online members in November. Sega launched the Mega Drive Mini 2 in October, but stock was limited to just one-tenth of its predecessor due to the global semiconductor shortage....

Nintendo’s network services are currently down across the globe, likely due to increased demand as people stay at home in a bid to counter the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. With many nations currently advising citizens to practice social distancing and work at home where possible in a bid to limit the spread of COVID-19, online entertainment networks including gaming services are experiencing a surge in usage. All ofNintendo’s network services, including eShop, appear to be down worldwide – at the time of publication they’re unavailable in Japan, the US and Europe....

Okami director Hideki Kamiya has told players he doesn’t recommend the Wii version of the game. Okami was originally developed by Clover Studio for thePS2, with Kamiya serving as director. The game was released in 2006, with a Wii version released two years later. The Wii port was handled by US studio Ready at Dawn, and had players using the Wii Remote’s pointer features for the game’s unique Celestial Brush features, instead of the PS2’s left analogue stick....

The director of Overwatch 2 has addressed the review bombing the game has been receiving on Steam since its release on the platform last week. The game launched onSteamlast Thursday and, at the time of writing, has just passed 150,000 user reviews, which Steam says are “overwhelmingly negative”. Steam’s stats say that only around 9% of the user-submitted reviews are positive, with many players taking the opportunity to criticise the game’s free-to-play structure and itsditching of the much-hyped Hero missions....