Activision will not release a mainline, premium Call of Duty game in 2023, the series' first interruption of its annual release cadence since 2005, Bloomberg reports.
Why it matters: A skip in the hit franchise wouldn't just cost Activision Blizzard some short-term revenue but would be felt deeply by video game retailers.
Revel, a New York-based company best known for its rentable, bright blue electric mopeds, has raised $126 million in Series B funding led by Blackrock.
Why it matters: Investors are betting that Revel can build a successful business where others haven't done so well, or have taken a drastically different approach — namely operating mopeds at scale, and a ride-hailing service that employs its drivers. Oh, and it's also running electric car charging stations.
Elden Ring, one of the year's biggest new video games, may also prove to be one of its hardest and one of its best.
Why it matters: It’s part of a multi-million selling series that has made an outsized mark on games over the past decade, spawning a subgenre of challenging, atmospheric experiences.
Cryptocurrency exchange FTX wants to take its marketing beyond headline-grabbing sports deals with the hiring of beauty entrepreneur Lauren Remington Platt as its new head of global luxury partnerships.
Why it matters: For crypto to continue to enter the mainstream, it'll need to get in front of more audiences.
Coinbase got a lot of attention — and new users — after running that Super Bowl ad of a QR code bouncing around the screen.
Yes, but: On Monday night, the cryptocurrency exchange's marketing win lost a little luster, after CEO Brian Armstrong fumbled a Twitter thread bragging about the origins of the ad spot.
Tech companies were among the first to send workers home, and they're likely to have vast numbers of jobs that can be done fully remotely — but they're still betting that offices will be the future.
Stunning stat: Tech companies held 36 of the 100 biggest office leases in 2021, up from 18 in 2020, per a new CBRE analysis.
Nextdoor, the neighborhood-based social network, wants to remind the world that it operates very differently from its giant competitors, as the Wednesday release of its first-ever transparency report underscores.
Why it matters: The report emphasizing Nextdoor's community moderation approach comes as the U.S. and other countries weigh efforts to tighten regulation of the industry.
A proposed class-action lawsuit against Sony over alleged discrimination of women lacks sufficient facts and would put some female PlayStation workers in conflict with themselves, a lawyer for the game maker argued in a legal filing Tuesday.
Driving the news: Sony is asking the court to dismiss the suit, filed by former PlayStation IT security analyst Emma Majo, and is denying any wrongdoing.
With the latest version of iOS, currently in testing, Apple is offering a Siri voice that is less explicitly male- or female-sounding, Axios can confirm.
Why it matters: It's part of an effort by Apple to offer a more diverse array of options for its virtual assistant. Last year it added two Siri options recorded by Black voice actors.
There are big potential payouts ahead for controversial Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, according to an extensive SEC filing about Microsoft’s planned $69 billion acquisition of the company.
Why it matters: Kotick has faced scrutiny and calls for his resignation over widespread sexual misconduct allegations at Activision Blizzard but appears set to profit.
Fintech investors didn't get the note about the growth stock pullback. Some $18.2 billion in funding flowed to fintech companies in the first month-and-half of 2022, putting in on track to beat last year's historical record, per a Friday report from Citi Global Insights.
Why it matters: Companies in the space attracted a record $136.8 billion last year and market observers wondered if those nosebleed levels of funding could hold. The numbers so far suggest investors are emphatically saying yes.
Veteran big-budget game writer Darby McDevitt is determined to make the endings of the games he writes matter. “I want the first scenes and the last scenes to stick with people,” he tells Axios.
Why it matters: Endings often get short shrift in game development.
Alloy Automation, an e-commerce app integration company, raised $20 million from Andreesen Horowitz, the company tells Axios.
Why it matters: Alloy struggled to raise its $1 million first round in early 2020, as investors stepped away from deals at the onset of the pandemic. Today's financing comes after Alloy's e-commerce tech took off over the past two years.
A new poll from Gallup and the Knight Foundation finds that younger Democrats are driving a huge decline in national news consumption in the U.S.
Why it matters: It marks the first time since the study began in early 2018 that Democrats report having less interest in national news than Republicans and independents.
Neil Cavuto revealed during his return to hosting his show on Fox Business Network Monday that his weekslong broadcasting absence was due to him being hospitalized with "COVID pneumonia."
What he's saying: "It landed me in intensive care for quite a while and it really was touch-and-go," said the host of "Cavuto Coast to Coast," who is fully vaccinated but immunocompromised. "Let me be clear: Doctors say had I not been vaccinated at all, I wouldn't be here."
AT&T's planned shutdown of its 3G network Tuesday has sparked fears that home security systems, medical alert monitors and a range of other devices will stop working.
Why it matters: Carriers have previously retired networks, but this transition is proving more complicated because the pandemic hindered companies that rely on 3G services from making upgrades. Plus, there are just more devices to manage.
An average of 10.7 million people watched the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games on NBC in primetime over the past few weeks, the network announced on Monday. Including NBC's streaming and digital platforms, that number ticked up to 11.4 million.
Why it matters: It's the smallest primetime audience for any Winter Olympic Games on record.
