In The News
Nintendo sued Colopl “over a 2006 patent for using a touchscreen as a virtual joystick,” Game Informer’s Imran Khan reports.
Activision news:
Hasbro and Activision’s licensing agreement is over. As such, “Transformers games from all digital marketplaces” are gone. “Activision has had to pull its Transformers games from Steam, PlayStation Store and the Xbox Store,” GamesIndustry.biz’s James Batchelor writes.
GamesIndustry.biz’s Haydn Taylor reports that “Activision has closed its only North American distribution centre, contracting a third-party to handle operations in the region.”
International news:
South Korea is seeing a huge jump in its gaming market due to esports, VentureBeat’s Rivi Block reports. “The country’s online gaming sector has grown by almost 15 percent, reaching 83 billion won, or $76.2 million, as of 2016.”
IAB Spain “announced the creation of a dedicated committee to boost esports in the digital industry, increase its knowledge on the market, and win the trust of advertisers,” The Esports Observer’s Thiemo Bräutigam reports.
Paradox Interactive acquired 33% of “Hardsuit Labs for a total of $2 million, with an option to increase its ownership stake later on,” GamesIndustry.biz’s Brendan Sinclair reports.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds sold 3 million copies on the Xbox One “since Dec. 12,” VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb reports.
FACEIT co-founder Michele Attisani was interviewed by The Esports Observer’s Graham Ashton about what the company is doing and how it’s using its $15 million in funding.
What were the most overlooked games of 2017? Gamasutra’s Alan Bradley asked game developers to find out.
Destiny 2 will see changes, according to a new Bungie blog post. Those changes will impact things like content, Eververse and XP.
Hearthstone news:
Virtus.pro disbanded their Hearthstone team.
Choose your Champion is live. The first selection window ends Jan. 16.
Call of Duty news:
CompLexity Gaming signed 4 Ground Zero players to their new team.
Team Kaliber and Victrix agreed to a headset partnership.