Oct 3
Microsoft announced a wide reorganization of its Xbox game studios on September 22. The next Halo game will be led by a new dedicated team at Activision, separate from the Call of Duty team, with a small group staying at Halo Studios to support existing titles and the community. Rare and World's Edge also move under Activision. Bethesda takes oversight of Obsidian Entertainment, which continues Grounded and a new Fallout project with Bethesda Game Studios. Turn 10 Studios and Playground Games merge into one studio handling Forza and Fable. King absorbs Microsoft Casual Games. Microsoft will cut 268 positions across Halo Studios, other first-party studios, and Xbox Game Studios management and shared services. Matt Booty said about three-quarters of the reorganization plan is complete. Two sale agreements for Ninja Theory fell through, and the company begins employee consultations on a closure proposal. Consultations for Arkane continue through the end of the year.
Oct 3
Activision's anti-cheat unit Team RICOCHET published a blog report on September 18 describing the structure of the game cheating market and the results of its enforcement. Citing research from the threat intelligence platform Intorqa, the team put annual revenue from cheat tool subscriptions across 15 surveyed game titles at about 3.5 billion dollars, or roughly 551.7 billion yen. When peripheral services such as account trading, boosting and hardware ban evasion tools are included, the total cheating economy is estimated at about 8.5 billion dollars, or roughly 1.34 trillion yen per year. Team RICOCHET said the market has a pyramid shape: a small number of developers at the top, major vendors distributing products below them, and a wide layer of resellers who sell the same tools under different names. Against that structure, the team reported disrupting more than 375 resale operations, issuing more than 80 cease-and-desist orders, and supporting the shutdown of 31 major cheat vendors.
Aug 29
Activision released a video on August 29 showing lawyers delivering a cease-and-desist order to cheat-creating team Elocarry, reportedly in Ohio. The company also reported blocking over 375 cheat-selling agents, filing more than 80 injunction requests, and forcing over 30 sellers to shut down. It announced anti-cheat results for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's early beta.
Aug 28
GAME Watch tested the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 early access beta, which runs until August 26 at 2:00 a.m. The campaign places players as Private Park, a South Korean soldier defending a nuclear power plant from North Korean sabotage. The report notes realistic controls with equipment weight, distinct from the Black Ops line's mobility.
Jul 21
Activision announced the beta schedule for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, the latest entry in the FPS series developed by Infinity Ward. The game is set for release on October 23, 2026, on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. The beta runs over two weekends. Early access for players who pre-ordered on PC, PS5, or Xbox Series X|S runs from August 21 to August 25. An open beta for all players on all platforms, including Switch 2, runs from August 28 to September 1. The open beta includes the new multiplayer mode Kill Block and 19 unlockable weapons. Pre-orders for the Switch 2 version begin on August 26. A livestream event called Call of Duty: NEXT is scheduled for August 30. Pre-order bonuses include limited serial-number weapon camos Moonlit Pearl and Gilded Ruin, earned through challenges in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. A hands-on demo of Kill Block is also planned at Fanatics Fest in New York starting July 16.
Jun 7
Activision announced a new entry in the Spyro series, titled 'Spyro A Realm Beyond,' during the Xbox Games Showcase 2026 livestream on June 8. The game is a completely new adventure featuring the small purple dragon protagonist, Spyro, performing agile flight and fire-breathing actions. The trailer also teased 'the rise of a new evil.' The title is scheduled for release in spring 2027. It will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC (Steam and Microsoft Store), and Nintendo Switch 2. The game will be playable from day one on Xbox Game Pass. The series began with its first installment on PlayStation in 1998 and has continued through various developers. The announcement was part of a larger showcase that included other titles such as 'Gears of War: E-Day' and 'Persona 6.'