All posts tagged: call of duty

Who was Vince Zampella? ‘Call of Duty’ developer killed in Angeles Crest Highway crash

Who was Vince Zampella? ‘Call of Duty’ developer killed in Angeles Crest Highway crash

Published by Parlour News

Published on: Dec 23, 2025 01:46 am IST Vince Zampella, co-founder of Respawn Entertainment, died in a car crash in Southern California at age 55. Vince Zampella, a prominent video game developer and co-founder of Respawn Entertainment, died Sunday in a single-car crash on Southern California’s Angeles Crest Highway, according to NBC4 Investigates and the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Zampella, 55, was a leading figure in the gaming world..(@DiscussingFilm/ X) The crash occurred around 12:45 pm on the road north of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Mountains. The southbound car reportedly veered off the road, struck a concrete barrier, and caught fire. The driver was trapped inside, and a passenger was ejected from the vehicle. Authorities confirmed the driver died at the scene, while the passenger later died at a hospital. The cause of the crash has not been released. Who was Vince Zampella? Zampella, 55, was a leading figure in the gaming world. He was the former CEO of Infinity Ward, the studio behind the blockbuster Call of Duty franchise. In 2010, he …

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Was ‘Biggest Call of Duty Release Ever’, Set Day One Game Pass Record

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Was ‘Biggest Call of Duty Release Ever’, Set Day One Game Pass Record

Published by Webster

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has become the biggest Call of Duty release ever, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said Tuesday at the company’s first-quarter earnings call for FY 2025. The latest instalment in the popular first-person military shooter franchise set a record for day one players as unit sales on both PlayStation and Steam were up over 60 percent year-over-year compared to last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Nadella said. Black Ops 6 launched October 25 across PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X. Biggest Call of Duty Launch Ever Nadella, who reported upbeat first-quarter results for Microsoft — with a 14 percent YoY jump in operating income on the back of cloud growth — to investors at the earnings call, also confirmed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launching on Xbox Game Pass had set a record for subscriber additions on launch day for a title on the service. “This speaks to our strategy of meeting gamers where they are by enabling them to play more games across the screens …

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Campaign Won’t be Available in Early Access Before Launch

Published by Webster

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is set for launch on October 25. The game recently concluded its multiplayer open beta on Monday. While the open beta period began on September 6, those who pre-ordered the game received early access to the multiplayer open beta from August 30 to September 4. Players, however, will not be getting early access to Black Ops 6 campaign before the game is released, Activision has confirmed. Black Ops 6 campaign early access In a statement sent to popular Call of Duty news portal Charlie Intel, the publisher has supposedly confirmed that there would be no early access for Black Ops 6 across Campaign, Multiplayer and Zombies modes. “The team is fully focused on October 25th. We are excited about all the game has to offer across Campaign, Multiplayer and Zombies,” Activision was quoted as saying in the statement. “This year, we made the decision to ensure the community gets to dig in to any and all modes that they want at the same time, so we are back to …

Microsoft Announces Xbox Games Showcase for June 9, Will Reportedly Reveal Next Call of Duty, Gears of War

Published by Webster

Microsoft has announced an Xbox Games Showcase for its first-party titles for June, alongside a dedicated Direct event for an unnamed title. The showcase will be livestreamed on June 9, starting at 10am PT (10:30am IST) on Xbox’s YouTube, Twitch and Facebook accounts. The event will feature an upcoming lineup of games from Activision, Blizzard, Bethesda and Xbox Game Studios, along with third-party titles on Xbox. The Xbox Games Showcase will be followed by a Direct event that promises a “deep-dive into the next installment of a beloved franchise.” While Microsoft did not disclose details about the event, a report from The Verge, citing sources familiar with the company’s plans, claimed that the Direct stream would focus on the next installment of Call of Duty. The best-selling first-person shooter franchise is now part of Microsoft’s portfolio of first-party games after the Xbox parent acquired Call of Duty maker Activision-Blizzard last year. Additionally, the report also provided details on some of the titles that might be revealed or receive new updates at the Xbox Showcase. Microsoft …

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile Goes Live Ahead of Scheduled Launch; Day Zero Event Details Out

Published by Webster

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile was not scheduled to go live for a couple more hours at the time of writing this. However, many users reported that the battle royale game was available to download almost 12 hours ahead of its schedule. The information was also officially confirmed by the developers. As the game is now available, users can play regular battle royale matches. However, they will still have to wait till March 22 for the first campaign of the game called Operation Day Zero. After several users posted about the game being available in the early hours of March 21, the official account of Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), confirming that the game was made available ahead of its scheduled launch time. Notably, the game was slated to be available at 9:00am PT (9:30pm IST). However, due to a heavy inflow of players joining, the game servers went down temporarily. A separate post addressed the issue and said, “For players where Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is …

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile Trailer Released Ahead of Global Launch on March 21: All You Need to Know

Published by Webster

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile will be launched globally next week. Ahead of the launch, Activision has shared a new trailer of the game that shows off the gameplay, visuals, and some of the locations in the game. After spending months in limited release, Activision will finally make the game available on March 21. The game is touted to bring enhanced graphics and a similar gameplay as its PC and console counterparts. Further, it will become the first Call of Duty game to support cross-progression across all platforms. The launch trailer was posted on YouTube on Thursday. The video teases the Verdansk and Rebirth maps, weapons, missile system, vehicles, as well the drop mechanism. While the majority of the trailer was filled with cinematic shots, it also mentioned the much-talked-about cross-progression system that will allow players to level up themselves, their weapons, carry-over battle pass progression and in-game purchases across PC, console, and mobile on Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and Call of Duty: Warzone. The game will be …

Microsoft to Lay Off 1,900 Staff at Gaming Division, Including Recently Acquired Call of Duty Maker Activision

Published by Webster

Microsoft will let go of 1,900 employees at Activision Blizzard and Xbox this week, it said on Thursday, the latest cuts in the technology sector that has extended massive layoffs over the past years into 2024. The cuts represent about 8 percent of the overall Microsoft Gaming division and will mostly happen at Activision Blizzard. Blizzard President Mike Ybarra and Chief Design Officer Allen Adham are also leaving the company, while a previously announced survival game by Blizzard has been canceled, Microsoft said. I want to thank everyone who is impacted today for their meaningful contributions to their teams, to Blizzard, and to players’ lives. It’s an incredibly hard day and my energy and support will be focused on all those amazing individuals impacted – this is in no way a reflection… — Mike Ybarra 🎄 (@Qwik) January 25, 2024 The news comes months after Microsoft closed its $69 billion (roughly Rs. 5,73,621 crore) deal for Activision Blizzard, boosting its heft in the videogaming market with best-selling titles, including Call of Duty, to better compete …

Microsoft Activision Takeover: No ‘Substantive’ Settlement Talks With US FTC, Lawyer Says

Published by Webster

There are no “substantive” settlement discussions under way between US President Joe Biden’s administration and Microsoft to resolve a legal dispute over the Xbox maker’s $69 billion (roughly Rs. 5,71,900 crore) bid for games maker Activision Blizzard, a Federal Trade Commission attorney said on Tuesday. The FTC, which enforces antitrust law, asked a judge to block the transaction in early December, arguing it would give Microsoft’s Xbox exclusive access to Activision games, leaving Nintendo consoles and Sony’s PlayStation out in the cold. FTC attorney James Weingarten, speaking in a brief telephonic pretrial hearing, said there were no “substantive” settlement discussions between the two sides under way. Microsoft argues that the deal would benefit gamers and gaming companies alike, offering to sign a legally binding consent decree with the FTC to provide Call of Duty games to rivals including Sony for a decade. The case reflects the muscular approach to antitrust enforcement being taken by the administration of US President Joe Biden. But antitrust experts say the FTC faces an uphill battle to convince a judge to block the deal, because …

Gaming in 2022 Recap: From BGMI Ban to Microsoft’s $69-Billion Headache, a Look Back

Published by Webster

Gamers have enjoyed an eventful 2022, with the award-winning Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarök grabbing the headlines for all the right reasons. It hasn’t been all smooth sailing though, with the murky situation surrounding Microsoft’s $69-billion attempt at acquiring Activision Blizzard. It’s still far from resolved. The gaming scene in India was also hit by the ban of Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) in July earlier this year — which has left a deep impact on the local fledgling esports industry. 2022 was also the year when we heard a lot of (mostly useless) chatter about Web3 and blockchain gaming efforts. On this week’s episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, host Akhil Arora has a chat with industry insider and Orbital veteran Rishi Alwani and Screen Rant game guides editor Akshay Bhalla to discuss the year of 2022 in gaming. 2022 in gaming: the biggest news Arora kicks off the discussion by asking the guests what they thought was the biggest development in gaming this year. For Bhalla, the reveal of Starfield was a …

Microsoft Sued by Video Gamers Claiming Its Activision Takeover Deal Will Stifle Competition

Published by Webster

Microsoft was hit on Tuesday in US court with a private consumer lawsuit claiming the technology company’s $69 billion (roughly Rs. 5,71,200 crore) bid to purchase Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard will unlawfully squelch competition in the video game industry. The complaint filed in federal court in California comes about two weeks after the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a case with an administrative law judge seeking to stop Microsoft, owner of the Xbox console, from completing the largest-ever acquisition in the video-gaming market. The private lawsuit also seeks an order blocking Microsoft from acquiring Activision. It was filed on behalf of 10 video game players in California, New Mexico and New Jersey. The proposed acquisition would give Microsoft “far-outsized market power in the video game industry,” the complaint alleged, “with the ability to foreclose rivals, limit output, reduce consumer choice, raise prices, and further inhibit competition.” A representative for Microsoft did not immediately comment on Tuesday. After the FTC sued, Microsoft President Brad Smith said, “We have complete confidence in our case …