Page 14 - aruba-today-20220120

A14 technology
Thursday 20 January 2022
Microsoft's Activision buy could shake up gaming

By MATT O'BRIEN and TALI scribe the concept as a
ARBEL new and more immersive
AP Technology Writers version of the internet, but
Microsoft stunned the gam- to work it will require a lot of
ing industry when it an- people to actually want to
nounced this week it would spend more time in virtual
buy game publisher Activi- worlds. Microsoft's meta-
sion Blizzard for $68.7 billion, verse ambitions have so
a deal that would immedi- far been focused on work
ately make it a larger vid- tools such as its Teams vid-
eo-game company than eo chat service, but online
Nintendo. multiplayer games such as
Microsoft, maker of the Call of Duty and World of
Xbox gaming system, said Warcraft have huge follow-
the deal would be good ings devoted to interacting
for gamers and advance with each other virtually for
its ambitions for the meta- fun. "That's where Activi-
verse — a vision for creat- sion really helps," said RBC's
ing immersive virtual worlds Jaluria. "Millions of people
for both work and play. play Call of Duty online. The
But what does the deal re- community element helps
ally mean for the millions drive adoption."
of people who play video WILL IT ACTUALLY HAPPEN?
games, either on consoles ing favorite game franchis- for two decades." presents a model for Micro- That's a big unknown. Reg-
or their phones? And will it es while focusing on a few On the other hand, the soft for how to evolve its ulators and rivals could turn
actually happen at a time choice properties. prospect of a console- classic console franchises. up the pressure to block
of increased government "Microsoft wants to in- maker like Microsoft con- It has adapted Call of Duty the deal.
scrutiny over giant mergers crease the variety of intel- trolling so much game into successful mobile and Other tech giants such as
in the U.S. and elsewhere? lectual property," said For- content raised concerns free games, and he ex- Meta, Google, Amazon
SO, IS IT GOOD FOR GAM- rester analyst Will McKeon- about whether the compa- pects the company to help and Apple have all at-
ERS? White. "Their target is any- ny could restrict Activision Microsoft do the same with tracted increasing atten-
"For the average person one and everybody who games from competitors. Xbox-owned Halo and oth- tion from antitrust regula-
who is playing Candy Crush plays video games and Microsoft expects to bring er games. tors in the U.S. and Europe.
or anything else, there will they want to bring that to a as many Activision games IS THIS REALLY ABOUT THE But the Activision deal is so
probably be no changes wider audience." as it can to its subscription METAVERSE? big — potentially the prici-
at all," said RBC analyst Ri- He said the "most egre- service Game Pass, "with Microsoft says so. And there est-ever tech acquisition —
shi Jaluria. gious" example of a popu- some presumably becom- are some ways Activision that Microsoft will also be
But Jaluria and industry lar franchise that Activi- ing Microsoft exclusives," could help the tech giant putting itself into the regu-
watchers think it could be sion, founded in 1979, left wrote Wedbush analyst Mi- compete with rivals like latory spotlight. Microsoft
good news for game de- by the wayside is Starcraft, chael Pachter. However, Meta, which renamed itself is already facing delays in
velopment more broadly, last updated in 2015. Oth- he noted antitrust regula- from Facebook last year its planned $16 billion ac-
especially if Microsoft's ers include Guitar Hero, the tors may not allow Micro- to signal its new focus on quisition of Massachusetts
games-for-everybody mis- Tony Hawk skateboarding soft to keep games off So- leading its billions of social speech recognition com-
sion and mountain of cash games and MechWarrior, ny's competing game con- media users into the meta- pany Nuance because of
can rescue Activision from which McKeon-White said sole, the PlayStation. verse. an investigation by British
its reputation for abandon- "basically wasn't touched Pachter said that Activision Metaverse enthusiasts de- antitrust regulators.q

Construction to begin soon on new US offshore wind farm

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT the coasts of New York and offshore wind auction next full opportunities of the in- wind supply chain in the
Associated Press Rhode Island. They now month, show there's a lot dustry." United States will create
Construction will soon be- expect the work onshore of excitement, energy and The offshore wind industry jobs, revitalize dormant
gin on the second com- to begin by early February progress in the U.S. offshore is far more advanced in ports and displace fossil
mercial-scale, offshore and offshore next year for wind industry, said David Europe, where the first off- fuels by providing a clean,
wind energy project to as many as 12 turbines. Hardy, CEO of Orsted Off- shore wind farm opened in carbon-free energy source.
gain approval in the United President Joe Biden has set shore North America. 1991, Hardy added. The first U.S. offshore wind
States, the developers said. a goal to install 30 gigawatts The auction is for nearly "We're jumping in and le- farm opened off Rhode Is-
The U.S. Department of the of offshore wind power by 500,000 acres off the coast veraging what they've land's Block Island in late
Interior approved it in No- 2030, generating enough of New York and New Jer- started," he said. "And I like 2016. But at five turbines,
vember, and the Bureau electricity to power more sey for wind energy proj- to say that we don't plan to it's not commercial scale.
of Ocean Energy Manage- than 10 million homes. In ects that could produce play catch up for long. We Orsted acquired the devel-
ment issued its approval November, work began on enough electricity to pow- may be behind for awhile oper, Rhode Island-based
letter for the constructions the first commercial-scale er nearly 2 million homes. on the volume, but we can Deepwater Wind, and now
and operations plan Tues- offshore wind farm in the "There's a lot of activity, at bring U.S. innovation and operates that wind farm.
day, a major step in the United States, the Vineyard the same time it's still a na- U.S. technology to this in- Some commercial fishing
federal process before Wind 1 project off the coast scent industry," Hardy said dustry, and hopefully be groups have complained
construction can start. of Massachusetts. Tuesday. "So there are still able to export that in the that wind projects off the
Orsted, a Danish energy Those developments, along a lot of unknowns and a lot relatively near term." East Coast could interfere
company, is developing with last week's announce- of risk, quite frankly, to get- Eversource President and with efforts to catch sea-
the South Fork Wind project ment that the Biden ad- ting this started and getting CEO Joe Nolan said the in- food species such as scal-
with utility Eversource off ministration will hold its first it right and in achieving the troduction of the offshore lops, clams and sea bass.q