Major video game publishers in the US, including Electronic Arts and Activision Blizzard, are experiencing growth in sales, driven by popular titles like EA's "FIFA" and Activision Blizzard's "Call of Duty" franchises. Take-Two Interactive Software cited "NBA 2K23", "Grand Theft Auto V", and "Grand Theft Auto Online" as major contributors to its net bookings growth in the first quarter of 2023, while EA forecasts bookings in line with estimates and plans to launch a rebranded version of its soccer franchise this year. Analysts predict that the popularity of long-standing franchises, as well as the rise of multiplayer gameplay, will likely continue to drive growth.
NBA 2K fans are unhappy with the state of the game, which is giving them little to do, and they are questioning whether it is still listening to its community. Some mega-fans are concerned the upcoming myTeam Season 7 updates indicate the game places more emphasis on the purchase of digital packs than gameplay modes. The CEO of the game's creator Take-Two, Strauss Zelnick, said NBA 2K23 had sold more than 11 million units and had about 2.3 million daily active users.
UK chief executive of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Sarah Cardell, is proving an irritant to Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. The CMA has been trying to block the video gaming company's acquisition by Microsoft in a similar fashion to US Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan. Both the UK and US are taking an approach to antitrust enforcement that is less willing to accept the traditional behavioural recoveries and more interested in preventing companies from extending their existing monopolies. Regulators are believed to be worried that large pharma and tech firms are locking out smaller competitors.
The chairman of the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) Marcus Bokkerink has dismissed claims that his organisation is blocking acquisitions that could benefit the country. Earlier this month, the CMA drew criticism from Microsoft and Activision over its decision to block a $69bn acquisition of the latter by the former. Bokkerink said it was "surprised" by the reaction to the decision and argued that entrenched market power was bad for businesses that sought to compete and innovate. However, critics have claimed that regulators in the UK have been inhibiting the country's growth in the tech sector.
Lauren Chan, former fashion editor at Glamour and now head of brand partnerships at Universal Standard, has discussed her views on vulnerability, feedback on coming out as a lesbian, and the importance of self-care in an interview with The Globe and Mail. Chan said that her recent experiences have made her "more vulnerable and candid", and said that being an LGBTQ individual made her expect hate and unfollowing on Instagram, although she didn't think it would be as high a number as 1,200 followers lost. Chan has also started therapy once a week and tries to make time for mediation and bodywork.
Microsoft has said that China has approved its $69bn purchase of Activision Blizzard. This is significant as Activision Blizzard had stopped offering many of its games in mainland China earlier this year following a dispute with its local publishing partner, NetEase. Both the China and the European Union are set to give their consents to the deal, in contrast to the United Kingdom and US where authorities are attempting to block it. The EU conditionally cleared the purchase earlier this week, while British regulators rejected Microsoft's promises to try to prevent the destruction of competition.
New South Wales (NSW) government is set to scrap its short-lived optional land tax for first home buyers. The government will seek to convince the expanded crossbench to support its promised stamp duty exemptions while repealing one of former Coalition premier Dominic Perrottet's key legislative achievements. The new scheme will mean stamp duty exemptions for first home buyers will be lifted from AUD 650,000 ($469,000) to AUD 800,000 and stamp duty concessions from AUD 800,000 to AUD 1,000,000. The policy introduced an optional annual land tax on homes valued up to AUD 1.5m, which has proven more popular with voters compared to first envisioned by the former government.
Experts argue that the UK's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) should investigate every work-related suicide following the death of a head teacher after an Ofsted inspection. The family of Ruth Perry, who took her own life earlier this year, say the inspection put her under severe pressure. Professors Martin McKee and Sarah Waters argue that too little is known about other similar deaths. The experts want the HSE to investigate suicides, thus placing them at the same level as other work-related deaths or accidents, and say Ofsted has a duty of care to teachers.
