Gamesindustry.biz reports: “Activision Blizzard has pushed back plans for upcoming in-game events in three Call of Duty titles out of respect for the protests currently being held across America.”
Variety reports: “TikTok said a “technical glitch” last week made it temporarily appear as if videos using #BlackLivesMatter and #GeorgeFloyd hashtags had zero views — and the short-form video company vowed to do better in representing and supporting black creators.”
The Hollywood Reporter reports: “The niche service aimed at the Queer community joins Samsung’s free smart TV platform and the Roku Channel in time for the Pride season.”
TechCrunch reports: “Sony’s planned June 4 PS5 event has been postponed indefinitely, as the U.S. grapples with widespread protests over the death of George Floyd. It’s understandably a difficult time to focus on video game launches, amid national and global unrest.”
Gamesindustry.biz reports: “Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has reiterated that Xbox Series X is still on course for a global launch this Christmas, despite the disruption caused by COVID-19.”
Hypebot reports: “In this piece, Sergey Bludov explores how the challenges presented to the music industry as a result of the current crisis have allowed some artists and other industry players to find innovative ways to adapt and thrive.”
The Hollywood Reporter reports: “Universal and Warner have “greater financial incentives … given their vertical integration with pay TV distributors, while Disney is “highly dependent on healthy theatrical distribution,” says Credit Suisse.”
Forbes reports: “Much has already been written about the battle between Netflix and theater owners. In short, Netflix would like to premiere a movie in theaters and on its streaming platform simultaneously, known as a “day-and-date” release.”
VentureBeat reports: “Zynga will purchase Istanbul-based game developer Peak for $1.8 billion, marking the largest acquisition in Zynga’s history.In a press release, Zynga officials said the deal would be financed by $900 million in cash and $900 million in stock.”
Hypebot reports: “As part of their ongoing effort to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on the entertainment industry, Chartmetric here provides some data driven insights into live streaming and what’s working for artists.”
