Sony has just reacted to Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which pretty much took the video games industry by surprise on Monday. In a statement shared with The Wall Street Journal, a Sony spokesperson said that the Japanese company expects Microsoft to not change Activision’s current strategy to release its blockbuster games on multiple platforms including PlayStation consoles.

“We expect that Microsoft will abide by contractual agreements and continue to ensure Activision games are multiplatform,” the Sony spokesperson said. Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming also shared a reassuring statement on Monday, saying that “Activision Blizzard games are enjoyed on a variety of platforms and we plan to continue to support those communities moving forward.”

Activision Blizzard will continue to operate independently until Microsoft completes the acquisition of the company in its fiscal year 2023, so the relationships between Sony and Activision should remain business as usual until June 2023. However, Microsoft likely didn’t spend $68.7 billion to keep releasing future Activision games on PlayStation consoles forever.

Sony has enjoyed good relationships with Activision for years, with the company benefiting from a marketing deal for Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles. In recent years, PlayStation pretty much became the best platform to play Call of Duty games thanks to exclusive content and in-game bonuses. These advantages for PlayStation gamers may eventually go away, but it’s still hard to know if future Call of Duty games could skip PlayStation entirely.

Activision also owns several IPs deeply associated with the PlayStation brand such as Crash Bandicoot and Spyro, and the future of these franchises on PlayStation consoles is also unclear. Following its acquisition of Bethesda last year, Microsoft said that future games will be released on PlayStation “on a case-by-case basis,” but we already know that Bethesda’s much-anticipated Starfield game will be exclusive to Microsoft platforms.

Microsoft just released Preview 12 of the .NET Multi-platform App UI otherwise known as .NET MAUI. For those living under a rock, this is a cross-platform framework for creating native mobile and desktop applications levering .NET and C#. This allows developers to build applications that work across pretty much any operating system under the sun with a single framework, programming language and shared codebase. In short, an evolution of .NET Xamarin.Forms.

With preview 12 come some exciting enhancements, let’s talk about a few of them.

Shell Navigation

Xamarin.Forms Shell simplifies mobile app development by offering the essential functionalities that most apps need. Developers can access Shell.Current to issue navigation commands from pretty much anywhere, listen to navigation events, and more. One of the biggest features brought forward is the ability to query parameters.

For example :

private Task NavigateToDetailCommandExecute()
{
    return Shell.Current.GoToAsync($"{nameof(ShowDetailPage)}?Id={Show.Id}");
}

Shell Dependency Injection

Another amazing enhancement is the ability to leverage dependency injection. Starting with Preview 12 developers can now define their dependencies in their main class and use it in their pages

public static class MauiProgram
    {
        public static MauiApp CreateMauiApp()
        {
            var builder = MauiApp.CreateBuilder();
            builder
                .UseMauiApp<App>();

            builder.Services
                .AddSingleton<MainViewModel>();

            return builder.Build();
        }
    }

public partial class MainPage
{
    readonly MainViewModel _viewModel;

    public MainPage(MainViewModel viewModel)
    {
        InitializeComponent();

        BindingContext = _viewModel = viewModel;
    }
}

Other improvements

Aside from improvements to Shell, there are quite a few important bug fixes being included with this release. To read more about these head over the the blog post from Microsoft’s David Ortinau.

Before getting started it might be a good idea to do the following…

Before installing Visual Studio 2022 Preview, we highly recommend starting from a clean slate by uninstalling all .NET 6 previews and Visual Studio 2022 previews.

Now, install Visual Studio 2022 Preview (17.1 Preview 3) and confirm .NET MAUI (preview) is checked under the “Mobile Development with .NET workload”.

– David Ortinau, .NET Multi-platform App UI

Overall .NET MAUI is shaping up to be a very exiting platform and an amazing follow up to Xamarin.Forms which was already a very formidable offering on its own. Have you been building your own .NET MAUI powered apps? What has been your experience?

Google today announced the launch of a beta testing period for Google Play Games on Windows PC.

The Google Play Games essentially allows PC owners to play video games designed for Android smartphones and tablets on their Windows laptop and PC. The system lets users use the same Google account to transfer progress between devices and earn Google Play Points for making purchases within the Windows Google Play Games app.

While Microsoft’s Windows 11 operating systems is continuing to add support for Android apps throughout 2022, that functionality basically creates a small box on a PC’s screen that functions like an Android smartphone or tablet. Android video games featured in the Google Play Games service take this idea further by adding full keyboard and mouse control support for Windows devices. It’s kind of the inverse of Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming which adds touch controls for console and PC games when they’re played on mobile devices.

Curiously, the Google Play Games website lists the minimum required operating system as being Windows 10 which means that users won’t need the Android app compatibility feature that’s being added to Windows 11 systems.

Starting today, interested parties in Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan can sign up to participate in the beta testing with more regions expected to be added in the following months.

Are you interested in playing Android games on your Windows device? Let us know in the comments below and then follow us on Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook for more gaming news.

It seems the knock-on effect of Microsoft indirectly challenging PlayStation gaming supremacy with its Activision/Blizzard acquisition is a direct hit to Sony’s stock value.

After news broke about Microsoft’s mega acquisition price tag of $68B for game publisher Activision, investors and stock analysts began shorting Sony’s stock the tune of almost $20B.

The single day loss represents a 13 percent drop to Sony shares that has only been matched in the company’s history when it had to recall 100,000 laptops because of fire hazard concerns back in 2008.

Presumably, the hit to Sony’s evaluation is a momentary knee-jerk reaction from investors who may be fearing a shortsighted future where Microsoft removes access to high profile titles such as CoD, Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Hearthstone and even Candy Crush from the PlayStation platform.

There is no doubt that this deal weakens Sony position in the market,” Piers Harding-Rolls, games research director at Ampere Analysis, said in a note published Wednesday.

Whether or not Activision Blizzard’s content is progressively made exclusive to Xbox platforms and services, inclusion of new releases into Xbox Game Pass for several major game’s franchises, including Call of Duty, will undermine Sony’s third-party business. Sony has benefitted from the ability to negotiate timed exclusive content for Call of Duty but this is now under threat.

A few hours removed from the mania, some analysts have already pointed to a potential overreaction to the, yet, still developing news of Microsoft’s acquisition.

Sony continues to invest in first party titles, as well having a war chest of its own to strategically acquire its own stable of developers to compete with.

However, Microsoft isn’t spending $68B to allow Sony to maintain its current dominant position in gaming.

As Harding-Rolls mentions, timed exclusives may be in danger for Sony going forward but losing $20B on the notion seems a tad excessive for the company right now.

It was revealed on Tuesday morning, January 18th that Microsoft will be purchasing Activision Blizzard in a staggering $67.8 billion (yes, you read that right) all-cash deal that is guaranteed to shake up the video game world. The deal is far and away the biggest yet for Microsoft; the largest for the tech giant up to this point had been its $26.7 billion purchase of LinkedIn a few years back.

With this monumental acquisition comes a slew of subsidiary companies and intellectual properties, some of them among the biggest in the industry. This in addition to last year’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media – owners of Bethesda and their popular IPs Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, etc. – may lead some to declare the ninth generation console war over. Whether or not that proves to be the case, it is clear that Microsoft is determined to strengthen its position in the gaming space as it continues its buying spree into the new year.

Arguably the most notable of Activision Blizzard’s IPs is of course Call of Duty. This prolific FPS series has long been one of the biggest and best-selling franchises out there, and with Microsoft’s acquisition comes, presumably, Xbox exclusivity for the series moving forward, which will be a huge feather in the Xbox cap. Whether that would be enough to sway longtime diehard PlayStation fans to the Series X/S is too early to tell.

However, what we may see is Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot (not to mention the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series), classic franchises traditionally associated with PlayStation, finding new homes on Xbox. These are interesting times we live in, indeed! And while no one can yet say whether underserved classic series such as these, which arguably have been somewhat neglected in recent years, will see more daylight once Microsoft takes ultimate ownership, the prospect has to be an intriguing one for any old school gamers out there who grew up on the sony’s original console, no matter which side of the console divide they place themselves on.

MMO phenomenon World of Warcraft will also be included in the purchase, which will be another big deal for Microsoft. Another popular roleplaying game series, Diablo, will come under the Microsoft banner. As will multiplayer first-person shooter and esports sensation Overwatch (on a side note Microsoft will now also own Major League Gaming).

Microsoft will also be poised to strengthen its position in the mobile games market considerably as it gains ownership of King, an Activision Blizzard subsidiary and maker of Candy Crush Saga. Bubble Witch Saga, Pet Rescue Saga, and Farm Heroes Saga are other popular games made by the Malta-based developer.

Geometry Wars will once again find its way back into the Microsoft fold as part of the deal. The Guitar Hero series, as well as DJ Hero, will also come under the company’s ever-widening umbrella, though no one can say what Microsoft might do with the defunct rhythm game franchise, if anything. The iconic adventure game King’s Quest will now belong to Microsoft, Activision having bought the rights to the franchise from Telltale Games back in 2013.

Starcraft is another legendary franchise of Activision Blizzard, and one that out of all the properties included in the deal – the Call of Duty juggernaut notwithstanding – would seem uniquely at home within the Microsoft family. (And wouldn’t it be crazy if Starcraft Ghost was to happen after all these years?). Other additions to the lengthy list of IPs that will come with the deal include Zork, Skylanders, Quest for Glory, Phantasmagoria, The Lost Vikings, Hearthstone and so many more.

While it is all but certain some of these IPs will never again see the light of day (looking your way, Zork) you can rest assured that many of them will. Who knows – there may even be a few surprises in store for gamers down the road, and no doubt with today’s news many are already dreaming of that Gun remake, or of renewed hopes that titles like Timeshift, Singularity, or Blur might finally get the second life they so truly deserve.

There is no question that this gargantuan acquisition of Activision Blizzard will change the gaming landscape, not only in the console realm but also in the PC and mobile gaming markets. But what impact this will have going forward for the ninth console generation and beyond, only time will tell. One thing is for sure though: Xbox fans are smiling wide this morning.

Microsoft today launched an official YouTube channel dedicated to promoting its Microsoft Teams communications service and educating users on how to, well, use it.

The official Microsoft Teams YouTube channel is off to a good start and already has a welcome video accompanied by 13 short how-to tutorials that run from one to around four minutes in length.

Microsoft manages an absolutely massive number of dedicated YouTube channels for all of its various departments and products so it was only a matter of time before they made one for Microsoft Teams. It’s also likely that a lot of the previous Microsoft Teams videos were being lost amongst the numerous other videos in the Microsoft 365 and Windows channels.

Need more YouTube in your life? Why not follow OnMSFT’s own YouTube channel for more Microsoft and Windows coverage and to watch our weekly news podcast.

Microsoft’s Skype is testing a cool new feature that could boost your video calls. Now rolling out to Skype Insiders is a feature known as Twincam which can add a second video camera feed to your Skype call in a few clicks.

Twincam works on group calls on Skype desktop and Skype web, with at least 2 people on the call. Once you have a call running there, you can use the Skype Insider app on mobile with the same account to join the ongoing group call. There will also be a TwinCam button on Desktop and Web which you can use to scan a QR code to redirect you to the Skype mobile app. Note that if you add a second video camera feed to your Skype call.

This is quite useful for people who might be doing remort learning and need to show off a different angle of an object or item. Once testing is complete with Skype Insiders, you can expect it to roll out to everyone else. In other news, this reminds us of Skype’s new ability to set your virtual background to Bing’s image of the day. That feature is now available for everyone to try out on the public version of Skype.

Microsoft’s OneNote team is getting a big boost. Former Mobile and X-Device Partner director Vishnu Nath just shared on Twitter that he now has a new role at OneNote as General Manager.

Announcing a bit of a career change for me as I’ll now be taking over as General Manager for @msonenote! Looking forward to the new challenge! Check out Microsoft OneNote New Features – Top 10 updates // Desktop, Web, iOS and… https://t.co/LLBKOFkUyO by @mtholfsen

— Vishnu Nath ???????????????????? ???? (@VishnuNath) January 18, 2022

Previously, Nath was on the Mobile and X-Device team at Microsoft as a Partner Director. He worked there for 3 years and 4 months, leading teams in charge of essential Microsoft mobile products like experiences for the Surface Duo, apps for IOS and Android devices like Microsoft Edge, To-Do, SwiftKey, and Microsoft Launcher and Your Phone. Per his LinkedIn, in the new position, Nath is now part of what’s known as the “Modern Notes Organization,” which OneNote falls under.

Nath has been one of the more vocal Microsoft employees on Twitter, and his enthusiasm for Microsoft products is extremely high. He’s also well active with the community. In reaction to the news, he told one concerned Twitter user not to worry about changes in plans for Microsoft Launcher or Your Phone. Pointing to the group PM at Microsoft Launcher and Your Phone, Marc Wautier, Nath said, “They are under amazing leadership. Great things to come for those products.” He also tells us that “its best days are yet to come!”

@MSYourPhone is in great hands under @MWautier product leadership & @atgerhas as GM. Its best days are yet to come!

— Vishnu Nath ???????????????????? ???? (@VishnuNath) January 18, 2022

Reaction to Nath’s new position has been very positive with many people being excited about what it means for new features for OneNote. We congratulate Nath on his new position!

Microsoft previously announced that Rainbow Six Extraction and the Hitman trilogy would join Xbox Game Pass in January, but the company has just followed up with six new games today. Rainbow Six Siege, which is already available on Xbox Game Pass for Console, is also coming to PC Game Pass later this month.

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Anniversary Edition and Nobody Saves the World are the two new Game Pass games available starting today on Xbox, PC, and Xbox Cloud Gaming, and they will be followed by Death’s Door, Windjammers 2, and more ID@Xbox games on January 20. Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master will be the last game coming to the catalog this month on January 27, except if Microsoft has more surprises in the pipeline.

Here’s the full list of new games coming to Xbox Game Pass in January:

• Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Anniversary Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC) – Available today
• Nobody Saves the World (Cloud, Console, and PC) – Available today, launching day one on Game Pass
• Death’s Door (Cloud, Console, and PC) – January 20
• Hitman Trilogy (Cloud, Console, and PC) – January 20
• Pupperazzi (Cloud, Console, and PC) – January 20, launching day one on Game Pass
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction (Cloud, Console, and PC) – January 20, launching day one on Game Pass
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege: Deluxe Edition (PC) – January 20
• Windjammers 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – January 20, launching day one on Game Pass
• Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master (Console and PC) – January 27, launching day one on Game Pass

In addition to these new Xbox Game Pass games, the Xbox team also announced today that nine new games in the catalog now support Xbox touch controls: The list includes Stardew Valley, Unpacking, Exo One, and One Piece Pirate Warriors 4.

Last but not least, Cyber Shadow, Nowhere Prophet, Prison Architect, and Xeno Crisis will also leave the Xbox Game Pass catalog on January 31. Subscribers who want to keep playing them after that date can currently take advantage of a 20% discount on the Microsoft Store.

In case you missed it, Microsoft also announced the acquisition of Activision Blizzard for almost $70 billion earlier today. This should impact Xbox Game Pass in a pretty big way, with Phil Spencer promising today to “offer as many Activision Blizzard games as we can within Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass.”

You probably heard the news. In an all-cash and blockbuster deal, Microsoft is acquiring Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. This is one of the biggest technology deals in recent history, but it’s not the first for Microsoft, nor is it the highest ever recorded in the technology industry.  So, follow along as we take you through a trip down memory lane looking at Microsoft’s biggest acquisitions in the past 10 years, and a look at some other notable acquisitions in the technology world.

Mojang for $2.5 billion

First, there’s Mojang, the makers of Minecraft, which was acquired by Microsoft in November of 2014. This deal is one of Microsoft’s most interesting, as it was not expected by many in the tech industry. Unlike Nokia, though (which we get into next,) the Mojang deal has benefited Microsoft hugely as Minecraft is now one of the most popular games. Some reports have Minecraft revenue at $3.12 billion over the last 10 years. In fact, Microsoft even sees Minecraft as a big part of the company’s future plans for the Metaverse.

Nokia mobile phones unit for $7.2 billion

Back in September 2013, Microsoft acquired Nokia mobile phones unit for a deal worth $7.3 billion. Of course, we all know how that ended up. The intent was to help boost Windows Phone and build new handsets like the Lumia 950 XL and Lumia 650, but it ended up a total bust. A short couple of years later, Microsoft sold Nokia to HMD for $350 million, taking a massive loss.

ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion

And now, for gaming. In more recent times in September 2020, Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion. Along with Mojang, ZeniMax plays an important part in Microsoft’s strategy for Xbox Game Pass. That’s because the deal included 8 studios, including Bethesda, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios. Many of these studio’s games have since come to Xbox Game Pass and it basically set the standard for the Activision deal.

GitHub for $7.5 billion

Fourth on the list is GitHub. This all-stock deal came back in June of 2018 and was worth $7.5 billion. The deal was all about open-source and helping developers, and bringing Microsoft’s tools to new audiences. This has since been a new direction for Microsoft and since then, reports have that GitHub is worth twice what Microsoft paid for it, making it a huge win for the company.

LinkedIn for $26 billion

Our list continues along with LinkedIn, which Microsoft purchased in June 2016 for $26 billion cash. The deal was all about the data behind LinkedIn users, and targetting rivals like Salesforce, and even Facebook. The company has since gone on to integrate LinkedIn features (like resume builder) in Word. Today, LinkedIn is all about the ad revenue for Microsoft, and at one point, it was said that it became a $10 billion a year business.

Other Microsoft deals

We just hit some of the most famous Microsoft deals that we’ve remembered, but there’s quite a list of others. You can account Nuance Communications into the list for $19 billion, Skype for $8.5 billion, Yammer for $1.2 billion, and even Hotmail for $500 million. Let us not also forget N-trig which was worth $200 million and Swiftkey which was worth $250 million. Curious minds can look into Wikipedia for the full list of Microsoft deals.

Not the biggest tech deal ever

$68.7 billion is definitely a lot of money for Microsoft to spend, but it’s not one of the biggest technology deals in history. Going back to 2013, Verizon purchased Vodafone for $130 billion, and, in 2016, AT&T purchased Time Warner for $85.4 billion. As far as we can tell from Wikipedia’s list of largest mergers and acquisitions, these two tech deals are the biggest in recent history, right up there with Disney’s purchase of 21st Century Fox for $71.3 billion. Oh, and let’s not forget the time that Activision purchased King Digital, the makers of Candy Crush for $5.9 billion, too, though it’s one small penny compared to everything we just discussed.