Microsoft

Gamescom 2024 kicks off today, and with E3 thoroughly out of the picture we're all looking to Germany for the latest gaming news.

While there was a lot of discussion of what effect the Microsoft and Activision Blizzard merger might have on the games industry in the long term, there hadn't been a lot of visible effect outside of perhaps some effect on Diablo 4's launch.

In the two-and-a-half years since Microsoft announced their intention to acquire Activision Blizzard, we have heard quite a bit of speculation surrounding World of Warcraft and Xbox.

World of Warcraft developers have banded together to form Blizzard's first union: the WoW Gamemaker's Guild, which is organized under the CWA (Communication Workers of America).

Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft's game subscription service, providing a broad game library, cloud gaming, as well as discounts and some other perks depending on your subscription tier -- which will likely be getting pricier soon.

Hell is finally coming to the Xbox Game Pass when Diablo 4 becomes the first Activision Blizzard game to join the service beginning March 28.

Microsoft has shown us once again that the true Survival Game at the heart of corporate culture is literal as it lays off 1,900 people, employed mostly in their newly acquired Activision-Blizzard division, and in so doing also gave the axe to their Untitled Survival Game.