Rumor mill: This year was originally going to be the first in almost two decades without a full-fledged Call of Duty release. However, recent reports indicate plans have changed, and Activision will launch a direct sequel to last year's Modern Warfare II this fall. The reports also include details on gameplay modes and pre-release trial events.
In brief: It's no secret that Sony is vehemently against Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but how does the public feel about it? About three-quarters of people in the UK who commented on the merger are in favor of the Redmond firm buying the gaming giant.
"Sony is leading the dialogue around why the deal shouldn't go through"
What just happened? Microsoft isn't holding back in its war of wars with Sony over the former's attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer says its rival is the "one major opposer to the deal," and it all comes down to Sony wanting to protect its dominance in consoles by making Xbox "smaller."
"It's as excited about this deal as Blockbuster was about the rise of Netflix"
A hot potato: Microsoft's president and vice-chair Brad Smith says that the FTC suing the company to block its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard would hurt competition, consumers, and thousands of game developers. He also compared Sony's objections to the deal to Blockbuster complaining about the rise of Netflix.
Facepalm: In another example of why people in the public eye should be careful when posting to social media, a European Commission staff member is facing claims of bias following a tweet about Call of Duty staying on the PlayStation.