Fans made sarcastic remarks about Mike Perry's previous controversies as he announced his presence on Joe Rogan's MMA podcast

DC Studios chief James Gunn has been "blown away" by auditions for 'Superman: Legacy' as the team look to cast the next Clark Kent.

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Corbin Carroll singled with the bases loaded in the 10th inning and the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks rallied to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2

After nearly two years and $69 billion, Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard is finally complete. The Xbox maker and the game developer are joining together in the biggest purchase in gaming history. It is a vast business undertaking that will define the future of the two companies and the gaming industry more broadly. But what will it actually mean for the gamers who use Microsoft’s platforms and play Activision’s games – as well as those that don’t? What happened in the deal? Microsoft first announced that it wanted to buy Activision Blizzard in January last year. Microsoft makes the Xbox and Activision Blizzard makes many of the worlds biggest games – it is often associated with Call of Duty, but also makes World Of Warcraft, Overwatch and mobile giant Candy Crush, and more. In the time since, the deal has been hit by opposition from rivals, primarily PlayStation maker Sony, and has been undergoing scrutiny from regulators, who worried that it would give Microsoft too much power in the gaming market, and harm players as a result. Regulators across the world expressed those reservations, and in some cases required Microsoft to make changes to the deal. Chief among those changes were Microsoft’s decision to give French gaming company Ubisoft the rights to distribute Activision games in the cloud. This was a response to concerns from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, which expressed concern specifically that the deal would give Microsoft too much power over cloud gaming. But there were a host of less dramatic and expensive commitments. That included signing deals with other companies such as Sony and Nintendo to commit to keep Call of Duty games on their platforms. What will it mean for Xbox players? At least initially, the biggest consequences of the deal are likely to be for Xbox’s Game Pass, the subscription platform that allows players to download and play games in return for a monthly fee. More Activision games are expected to come to that platform as a result of the acquisition. But even that won’t happen straight away, at least with all games. Activision said in a statement this week – before the deal closed – that its big titles won’t be coming to Game Pass this year, and has not made any commitments about which games will do so or when. “While we do not have plans to put Modern Warfare III or Diablo IV into Game Pass this year, once the deal closes, we expect to start working with Xbox to bring our titles to more players around the world,” Activision wrote in a tweet. “And we anticipate that we would begin adding games into Game Pass sometime in the course of next year.” What will it mean for gamers on other platforms? Much of the discussion with regulators has been about this question. And many of the concessions that Microsoft gave over the deal were done with the aim of ensuring that the answer is: not that much, at least at first. Xbox has committed to keep making its games available on other platforms such as PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, as well as on cloud platforms. And Xbox chief Phil Spencer echoed that commitment in the announcement that the deal was completed. “Whether you play on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, PC or mobile, you are welcome here - and will remain welcome, even if Xbox isn’t where you play your favourite franchise. Because when everyone plays, we all win,” he wrote. But the bigger question might be about new games, especially those that come out after the initial commitments are over. Microsoft has committed to keep Call of Duty on rival platforms for 10 years, for instance – but things could change in the years after that, and with other, new games. When Microsoft bought another game developer Bethesda in 2020, for instance, there were questions over what it would mean for players on other platforms, and whether its games would be exclusive to Microsoft. Its most recent game Starcraft was available only on the Xbox and PC, and the upcoming Elder Scrolls VI is likely to be the same. Read More Nasa launches Psyche mission to study an ancient metal asteroid Microsoft buys Call of Duty developer in biggest deal in gaming history Microsoft gets go-ahead to buy Call of Duty maker Activision Nasa launches Psyche mission to study an ancient metal asteroid Microsoft buys Call of Duty developer in biggest deal in gaming history Microsoft gets go-ahead to buy Call of Duty maker Activision

Israel’s natural gas flows to Egypt have increased as much as 60% this month, according to a person

The 2023/24 Premier League season is under way and you can follow every game and every goal right here with The Independent. This year sees Manchester City try to defend their crown and claim a historic fourth title in succession. Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City, who also won the Champions League and FA Cup last season, will have to see off Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and the rest to claim an unprecedented sixth league title in seven years. Meanwhile Luton Town are making their first appearance in the Premier League, having risen from non-league in an incredible decade of progress. They followed Championship winners Burnley and second-placed Sheffield United in earning promotion to the top flight. Follow the latest action from the Premier League below. Get all the latest live football odds here.

Civilians in parts of north and south Gaza have been told to evacuate as Israel's renewed bombardment continues.

Thousands of Belgium and Sweden fans were locked inside the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels after a fatal shooting in the city on Monday evening. The Uefa Euro 2024 qualifier was suspended at half-time with the sides drawing 1-1 and later abandoned, with the incident three miles away. The Swedish players told Uefa they did not want to play the second half of the match, with more than 35,000 fans attending, and the Belgium players were in agreement, according to Swedish broadcaster TV6. Brussels shooting - live: Two Swedes shot dead as Belgium police probe possible terror attack Police say two people were killed after a gunman opened fire in the Belgian city, with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo confirming the victims were Swedish. Footage shared online showed a man dressed in an orange jacket unloading several shots, using a large weapon. The man was reportedly seen leaving the crime scene on a scooter Local media outlets said the two victims were Swedish nationals, with the country’s football association urging fans to remain inside the stadium and stay calm. A statement from the SvFF read: “For security reasons, the Belgian police want Swedish supporters to stay in the arena. Take part in information from officials, responsible authorities and SvFF's staff on site. “We will return when the Belgian authorities provide us with new information. Keep calm and take care of each other.” Fredrik Reinfeldt, president of the Swedish Football Association (SvFF), called the news “devastating”. While Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo “offered my sincere condolences to the Swedish PM following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels. Our thoughts are with the families and friends who lost their loved ones. As close partners the fight against terrorism is a joint one.” An hour after the match was suspended, reports suggested the atmosphere inside the stadium was “calm”, though many fans were unable to access the internet. The Belgian FA also confirmed: “Due to the incidents in Brussels earlier tonight, play is suspended. Our thoughts are with all those affected.” While Uefa added: "Following a suspected terrorist attack in Brussels this evening, it has been decided after consultation with the two teams and the local police authorities, that the Uefa Euro 2024 qualifying match between Belgium and Sweden is abandoned.” Viktor Gyokeres had given Sweden the lead, though Romelu Lukaku equalised for the hosts, who sit top of Group F and already secure of a place at next summer’s tournament in Germany. Read More Northern Ireland U21s lose late on against Serbia Ireland brush aside Gibraltar to spare Stephen Kenny further torment England Under-21s fall to late defeat against Ukraine Northern Ireland U21s lose late on against Serbia Ireland brush aside Gibraltar to spare Stephen Kenny further torment England Under-21s fall to late defeat against Ukraine

HARARE, Zimbabwe--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 11, 2023--

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