Activision

Stomachs Churned and Gamers Sickened to Their Cores Because of an Ad

Posted on by Spieler Dad

Xbox users have voiced their strong criticism against Activision and Microsoft for a “controversial” full-screen ad featuring Modern Warfare 3. The ad, which has been described as “vomit-inducing” by some gamers, has sparked a heated debate within the gaming community.

My goodness, “vomit-inducing” is quite the response. This ad surely must be in poor taste. I reckon it must be incredibly violent, perhaps touching a taboo subject?

Holy cow! Look at this! Where’s my Klonopin, Xanax, Valium, and cannabis? I need to make a happy cocktail of potent pharmaceuticals and THC to get this vision out of my head. Where are my dogs? I NEED TO BE COMFORTED RIGHT NOW!

No seriously, the controversy centers around a splash screen that appears on your Xbox upon startup.

Xbox users took to social media and online forums to express their “frustration” and “disappointment” with this “intrusive” ad. Many gamers criticized Activision and Microsoft for allowing such a “disruptive” ad to be integrated momentarily into their experience, forcing them into the unimaginable conundrum of deciding to purchase the game or opting out to the dashboard. The term “vomit-inducing” quickly gained traction as players conveyed their disdain for the ad.

Maybe I’m old and jaded, but the reaction to this is a bit much. No one likes ads, but seriously, chill out, it’s not the end of the world. We’ve all seen ads before, some delivery methods are better than others, but “vomit-inducing”? Please…

Activision Hides Their Logo from Call Of Duty: Vanguard Trailer & Alpha Start Up Screens

Posted on by Spieler Dad

Activision Blizzard has found itself in a bit of legal trouble lately for being a shitty company, but it still has games to launch.

So with Call of Duty: Vanguard nearing release, Activision released a new trailer to hype up the upcoming playable alpha. However, the Activision logo is suspiciously absent from the both the trailer and the alpha’s start up screen.

Hey, who can blame them right? Activision’s name is toxic right now, am I right?

Not so, according to Activision Blizzard. In a statement to reporter Stephen Totilo:

“Call of Duty has continued to expand into an incredible universe of experiences. This was a creative choice that reflects how Vanguard represents the next major installment in the franchise…”

Activision Blizzard Corporate Flack

What does that statement even mean? How is that even a valid answer to the question? Matter of fact, the Activision logo only appears in small legal mouse type. Meanwhile every previous Call of Duty game boots up by proudly displaying Activision’s logo, loud and proud.

Listen, I understand, you don’t want your name to tarnish what could possibly be the biggest launch of the year. Just don’t give me chicken shit and tell me its chicken salad.

[Source: Gamespot]

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Trailer Revealed

Posted on by Spieler Dad

I don’t usually get pumped for trailers, let alone trailers of Call of Duty games, but the latest entry in the franchise looks mighty impressive.

First off, the last Call of Duty game that I really enjoyed was Black Ops, so for the next entry to be a direct sequel of my personal favorite is pretty cool.

Add in that I’m a child of the 80’s, now your pushing my nostalgia button. There was just something exhilarating about coming of age during a time when civilization as we knew it could be vaporized at any moment.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War launches November 13.

[Source: Activision]

Divorce Developer Style: Bungie and Activision to Split

Posted on by Spieler Dad

Bungie contemplating life without Activsion.

Bungie and Activision are no longer an item. Bungie will extricate themselves from their Activision overlords, and they are taking Destiny with them. No news if Activsion will get to visit Destiny during weekends.

The news was first announced on the official Bungie blog.

“When we first launched our partnership with Activision in 2010, the gaming industry was in a pretty different place. As an independent studio setting out to build a brand new experience, we wanted a partner willing to take a big leap of faith with us. We had a vision for Destiny that we believed in, but to launch a game of that magnitude, we needed the support of an established publishing partner.


With Activision, we created something special. To date, Destiny has delivered a combination of over 50 million games and expansions to players all around the world. More importantly, we’ve also witnessed a remarkable community – tens of millions of Guardians strong – rise up and embrace Destiny, to play together, to make and share memories, and even to do truly great things that reach far beyond the game we share, to deliver a positive impact on people’s everyday lives.


We have enjoyed a successful eight-year run and would like to thank Activision for their partnership on Destiny. Looking ahead, we’re excited to announce plans for Activision to transfer publishing rights for Destiny to Bungie. With our remarkable Destiny community, we are ready to publish on our own, while Activision will increase their focus on owned IP projects.


The planned transition process is already underway in its early stages, with Bungie and Activision both committed to making sure the handoff is as seamless as possible.


With Forsaken, we’ve learned, and listened, and leaned in to what we believe our players want from a great Destiny experience. Rest assured there is more of that on the way. We’ll continue to deliver on the existing Destiny roadmap, and we’re looking forward to releasing more seasonal experiences in the coming months, as well as surprising our community with some exciting announcements about what lies beyond.


Thank you so much for your continued support. Our success is owed in no small part to the incredible community of players who have graced our worlds with light and life. We know self-publishing won’t be easy; there’s still much for us to learn as we grow as an independent, global studio, but we see unbounded opportunities and potential in Destiny. We know that new adventures await us all on new worlds filled with mystery, adventure, and hope. We hope you’ll join us there.


See you starside. “

Official Bungie Blog

Activision also chimed in via Twitter:

Well, it least they’re making it appear like it’s an amicable split.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 to Forgo Traditional Single Player

Posted on by Spieler Dad

According to a report from Polygon,  anonymous sources with knowledge of the title’s development status claim that Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will not include a traditional single-player story mode. This will mark a first for the franchise, as all previous titles shipped with a single-player campaign.

According to the sources, the project was behind schedule and the only way that developer Treyarch could hit the October 12 launch date was to forgo the single-player story mode. This may lead to some speculation that perhaps a story mode could be “patched” in later.

Running parallel to this story is a rumor from Call of Duty fan site CharlieIntel stating that is has information from sources close to Activision that Raven Software has been onboarded to develope a battle royale mode for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.

Activision has responded, of course with an obligatory “We don’t comment on rumor and speculation. We look forward to revealing Black Ops 4 on May 17.”

[Source: Polygon]

[Source: CharlieIntel]

 

 

One of the World’s Oldest Video Game Records Wiped from the Books

Posted on by Spieler Dad

Todd Rogers, holder of a 35 year old record in the Atari 2600 racing game Dragster has been stripped of his world record, after months long debate concerning his completion time.

According to Twin Galaxies,

“Based on the complete body of evidence presented in this official dispute thread, Twin Galaxies administrative staff has unanimously decided to remove all of Todd Rogers’ scores as well as ban him from participating in our competitive leaderboards… We have notified Guinness World Records of our decision.”

The Twin Galaxies post goes into a good amount of detail regarding the reasons why the record was removed, and Rogers ultimate banning, and it is certainly worth a read.

Remember kids, winners never cheat and cheaters never win.

[Source: Twin Galaxies]

EA Caps Off a Week Bizarre and Cringe Inducing Marketing

Posted on by Spieler Dad

EA’s marketing team has not had a great couple of weeks.

I guess you can say it all started with the Peter Moore Battlefield Onsie tweet (see above), which was neither funny or original. EA followed up with that now deleted tweet last week with a series of bizarre Battlefield 1 memes like the ones below.

Again, these #justWWIthings tweets are very uninspired. The issue here is that EA positioned Battlefield 1 initially as being respectful to the horrors of World War 1. These series of tweets are a big departure from that initial messaging, to say the least.

Now, EA’s marketing team decided to throw some shade at the competition, by taking a jab at Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.

The folks at Respawn, were not too pleased with that tweet apparently, and followed up with a not too subtle tweet of their own.

Ouch.

Okay everyone. Let’s just take a breath and give it a rest with the memes and nastygrams.