Bernie Sanders and three other U.S. senators have raised concerns about Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

“We are deeply concerned about consolidation in the tech industry and its impact on workers," Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker and Sheldon Whitehouse wrote, per the Wall Street Journal.

According to a letter sent to the FTC (which you can see in the tweet below), the senators are worried that the acquisition could cause issues experienced by Activision Blizzard employees to be forgotten, or made harder to solve.

"Workers at Activision Blizzard, following years of rampant sexual misconduct and discrimination and unfair labor practices, have led calls for greater transparency and accountability in the gaming industry, and we are deeply concerned that this acquisition could further disenfranchise these workers and prevent their voices from being heard," the senators' letter reads.

"As this proposed deal moves forward in the review process, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should assess whether the ways in which these companies have failed to protect the rights and dignity of their workers are driven by monopsony power or amount to anticompetitive harms in our labor market, and if so, if the merger will exacerbate these problems."

Here's the letter pic.twitter.com/EaKtBTvUIg

— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) March 31, 2022

Activision Blizzard has been the subject of numerous accusations of sexual harassment and a ‘frat boy culture’.

The company recently settled one of the several ongoing lawsuits, creating an $18 million fund to compensate eligible claimants, as well as to continue enhancing policies, practices, and training to prevent harassment and discrimination in the workplace, not to mention engaging a third-party equal employment opportunity consultant approved by the EEOC.

A spokesperson for Activision Blizzard issued the following statement regarding the senators’ letter to Windows Central:

“The company is committed to a safe and equitable working environment for all employees and has invested significant resources to ensure we’re creating a model for the industry. The transaction between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard will not interrupt any of the actions the Activision Blizzard’s leadership team has implemented throughout 2021 and is continuing to implement in 2022 with regards to improving our workplace. Activision Blizzard’s leadership team has discussed the company’s goals at length with Microsoft, and Microsoft has reviewed the renewed culture commitment and actions Activision Blizzard have done so far, and the efforts they've undertaken. Microsoft is supportive of the goals and the work being done. This is a compelling transaction for all stakeholders, including employees.”

The senators are also reportedly concerned that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick could dodge accountability following the ongoing scandal, and could be eligible for a massive payout if he improves the company’s culture in the wake of these accusations.

"This lack of accountability, despite shareholders, employees, and the public calling for Kotick to be held responsible for the culture he created, would be an unacceptable result of the proposed Microsoft acquisition."

It’s been reported that Kotick will leave the company once the Microsoft acquisition is finalized.

"No additional special compensation arrangements for Mr. Kotick were entered into in connection with the transaction,” confirmed Activision Blizzard. “Mr. Kotick's base salary has been reduced to California's minimum annual salary (which is approximately $62,500 for 2022), and he will not be awarded any bonuses or equity grants until the Workplace Responsibility Committee of the Activision Blizzard Board of Directors has determined that Activision Blizzard has made appropriate progress toward achievement of the transformational gender-related goals and other commitments described in such announcement.”

Microsoft is planning to pay $68.7 billion to acquire Activision Blizzard, and while large mergers are subject to scrutiny from the FTC due to antitrust concerns, this additional scrutiny from US senators is a bit of a fly in the ointment.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella believes the acquisition will still be approved: “Even post-this acquisition, we will be number three with sort of low teens [market] share, where even the highest player is also [in the] teens [for market] share. It shows how fragmented content creation platforms are. And so, that’s the fundamental category. Yes, we will be a big player in what is a highly fragmented place.”

If you want to find out more about the Activision Blizzard lawsuit, check out our timeline of everything that’s happened so far.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Bernie Sanders and three other U.S. senators have raised concerns about Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

“We are deeply concerned about consolidation in the tech industry and its impact on workers," Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker and Sheldon Whitehouse wrote, per the Wall Street Journal.

According to a letter sent to the FTC (which you can see in the tweet below), the senators are worried that the acquisition could cause issues experienced by Activision Blizzard employees to be forgotten, or made harder to solve.

"Workers at Activision Blizzard, following years of rampant sexual misconduct and discrimination and unfair labor practices, have led calls for greater transparency and accountability in the gaming industry, and we are deeply concerned that this acquisition could further disenfranchise these workers and prevent their voices from being heard," the senators' letter reads.

"As this proposed deal moves forward in the review process, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should assess whether the ways in which these companies have failed to protect the rights and dignity of their workers are driven by monopsony power or amount to anticompetitive harms in our labor market, and if so, if the merger will exacerbate these problems."

Here's the letter pic.twitter.com/EaKtBTvUIg

— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) March 31, 2022

Activision Blizzard has been the subject of numerous accusations of sexual harassment and a ‘frat boy culture’.

The company recently settled one of the several ongoing lawsuits, creating an $18 million fund to compensate eligible claimants, as well as to continue enhancing policies, practices, and training to prevent harassment and discrimination in the workplace, not to mention engaging a third-party equal employment opportunity consultant approved by the EEOC.

A spokesperson for Activision Blizzard issued the following statement regarding the senators’ letter to Windows Central:

“The company is committed to a safe and equitable working environment for all employees and has invested significant resources to ensure we’re creating a model for the industry. The transaction between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard will not interrupt any of the actions the Activision Blizzard’s leadership team has implemented throughout 2021 and is continuing to implement in 2022 with regards to improving our workplace. Activision Blizzard’s leadership team has discussed the company’s goals at length with Microsoft, and Microsoft has reviewed the renewed culture commitment and actions Activision Blizzard have done so far, and the efforts they've undertaken. Microsoft is supportive of the goals and the work being done. This is a compelling transaction for all stakeholders, including employees.”

The senators are also reportedly concerned that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick could dodge accountability following the ongoing scandal, and could be eligible for a massive payout if he improves the company’s culture in the wake of these accusations.

"This lack of accountability, despite shareholders, employees, and the public calling for Kotick to be held responsible for the culture he created, would be an unacceptable result of the proposed Microsoft acquisition."

It’s been reported that Kotick will leave the company once the Microsoft acquisition is finalized.

"No additional special compensation arrangements for Mr. Kotick were entered into in connection with the transaction,” confirmed Activision Blizzard. “Mr. Kotick's base salary has been reduced to California's minimum annual salary (which is approximately $62,500 for 2022), and he will not be awarded any bonuses or equity grants until the Workplace Responsibility Committee of the Activision Blizzard Board of Directors has determined that Activision Blizzard has made appropriate progress toward achievement of the transformational gender-related goals and other commitments described in such announcement.”

Microsoft is planning to pay $68.7 billion to acquire Activision Blizzard, and while large mergers are subject to scrutiny from the FTC due to antitrust concerns, this additional scrutiny from US senators is a bit of a fly in the ointment.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella believes the acquisition will still be approved: “Even post-this acquisition, we will be number three with sort of low teens [market] share, where even the highest player is also [in the] teens [for market] share. It shows how fragmented content creation platforms are. And so, that’s the fundamental category. Yes, we will be a big player in what is a highly fragmented place.”

If you want to find out more about the Activision Blizzard lawsuit, check out our timeline of everything that’s happened so far.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Paramount+ has released the Halo series premiere on YouTube, making the first episode available for free to US viewers for a limited time.

The first episode of Halo, titled "Contact," premiered on Paramount Plus' YouTube channel on March 31 and has attracted 56,828 views to date (at the time of writing). GamesRadar notes the first episode will be available on the platform up until April 7, but will only be accessible to US viewers as it's region-locked to the territories where Paramount+ is available.

The Halo TV series launched on Paramount+ on March 24, with Pablo Schreiber starring as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, Jen Taylor as the voice of AI Cortana, and Natascha McElhone as Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, with threats looming from many of the Covenant enemies, including the Elites (Sangheili), Brutes (Jiralhanae), Jackals (Kig-Yar), and more.

Several deals are available that allow people to stream Halo (and all the other content) on Paramount+ either for free for an extended period of time, or at a discount such as 12 months for the price of 7. Xbox has also announced that Game Pass Ultimate members can get a free month of Paramount+ by accessing their Perks and redeeming the offer.

The second episode of season one of Halo, titled "Unbound," arrived on Paramount+ on March 31. The first season encompasses nine episodes, with each episode costing upwards of $10 million to make. Further episodes of Halo will arrive in weekly installments every Thursday, leading right the way up to the season finale on May 19.

Halo dramatizes an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant, weaving deeply-drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future. Paramount is clearly very pleased with that vision, as the series received a second season renewal before the first season premiered.

IGN scored the Halo series premiere a 7 out of 10, noting that the first episode struggled to "capture the dynamic action of the games," but "gets enough else right in its first outing to make up for that shortcoming." The review praises the show's "willingness to move its story in dramatically different directions" to build "a compelling narrative that forges its own path."

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Paramount+ has released the Halo series premiere on YouTube, making the first episode available for free to US viewers for a limited time.

The first episode of Halo, titled "Contact," premiered on Paramount Plus' YouTube channel on March 31 and has attracted 56,828 views to date (at the time of writing). GamesRadar notes the first episode will be available on the platform up until April 7, but will only be accessible to US viewers as it's region-locked to the territories where Paramount+ is available.

The Halo TV series launched on Paramount+ on March 24, with Pablo Schreiber starring as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, Jen Taylor as the voice of AI Cortana, and Natascha McElhone as Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, with threats looming from many of the Covenant enemies, including the Elites (Sangheili), Brutes (Jiralhanae), Jackals (Kig-Yar), and more.

Several deals are available that allow people to stream Halo (and all the other content) on Paramount+ either for free for an extended period of time, or at a discount such as 12 months for the price of 7. Xbox has also announced that Game Pass Ultimate members can get a free month of Paramount+ by accessing their Perks and redeeming the offer.

The second episode of season one of Halo, titled "Unbound," arrived on Paramount+ on March 31. The first season encompasses nine episodes, with each episode costing upwards of $10 million to make. Further episodes of Halo will arrive in weekly installments every Thursday, leading right the way up to the season finale on May 19.

Halo dramatizes an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant, weaving deeply-drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future. Paramount is clearly very pleased with that vision, as the series received a second season renewal before the first season premiered.

IGN scored the Halo series premiere a 7 out of 10, noting that the first episode struggled to "capture the dynamic action of the games," but "gets enough else right in its first outing to make up for that shortcoming." The review praises the show's "willingness to move its story in dramatically different directions" to build "a compelling narrative that forges its own path."

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Apple TV+ has experienced a surge in viewership and a slew of new customers on its platform following CODA's Best Picture win at the Oscars 2022.

Late front-runner CODA won Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards, marking the first time a film released by a streaming service has won in that highly coveted category. The historic win captured the attention of audiences who flocked to Apple TV+ to stream the Oscar-winning film, as the platform noted a significant increase in viewers and viewership.

According to Variety, CODA helped to boost the number of new viewers to the Apple TV Plus streaming service by 25% and also pushed viewing of the film up by more than 300% compared to the prior week. However, it's unclear what these percentages actually equate to in numbers as Apple hasn't previously disclosed data on subscribers and streaming time.

While Apple TV+ boasts a solid slate of movies and multiple award-winning series, it's unknown whether the streaming service's latest batch of customers will retain their subscription for a longer period of time or whether they will cancel shortly after watching CODA, as the outlet notes that Apple TV+ free trials are available before paying $4.99/month.

CODA stars Emilia Jones as Ruby, the titular child of deaf adults (CODA) and the only hearing member of a deaf family, who are struggling with their fishing business. Ruby discovers that she has a gift for singing and soon finds herself drawn to her duet partner, however, she is torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents.

CODA won all of the awards for which it was nominated at the Oscars as Troy Kotsur picked up the statuette for Best Supporting Actor and Sian Heder won for Best Adapted Screenplay alongside its Best Picture win. The film also won the SAG Award for Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture and picked up two awards at the BAFTAs, amongst many other accolades.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Apple TV+ has experienced a surge in viewership and a slew of new customers on its platform following CODA's Best Picture win at the Oscars 2022.

Late front-runner CODA won Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards, marking the first time a film released by a streaming service has won in that highly coveted category. The historic win captured the attention of audiences who flocked to Apple TV+ to stream the Oscar-winning film, as the platform noted a significant increase in viewers and viewership.

According to Variety, CODA helped to boost the number of new viewers to the Apple TV Plus streaming service by 25% and also pushed viewing of the film up by more than 300% compared to the prior week. However, it's unclear what these percentages actually equate to in numbers as Apple hasn't previously disclosed data on subscribers and streaming time.

While Apple TV+ boasts a solid slate of movies and multiple award-winning series, it's unknown whether the streaming service's latest batch of customers will retain their subscription for a longer period of time or whether they will cancel shortly after watching CODA, as the outlet notes that Apple TV+ free trials are available before paying $4.99/month.

CODA stars Emilia Jones as Ruby, the titular child of deaf adults (CODA) and the only hearing member of a deaf family, who are struggling with their fishing business. Ruby discovers that she has a gift for singing and soon finds herself drawn to her duet partner, however, she is torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents.

CODA won all of the awards for which it was nominated at the Oscars as Troy Kotsur picked up the statuette for Best Supporting Actor and Sian Heder won for Best Adapted Screenplay alongside its Best Picture win. The film also won the SAG Award for Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture and picked up two awards at the BAFTAs, amongst many other accolades.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Microsoft seemingly began testing raytracing in Minecraft earlier this week, but it was actually a mistake. The feature has now been pulled.

The feature appeared in a preview update on Xbox consoles, but it was quickly removed after news spread about its inclusion. The update included a raytracing preview for both Xbox Series X and Series S consoles but, according to Microsoft, it should never have appeared in the first place.

“The previous Minecraft Preview build available to Xbox Insiders inadvertently included prototype code for raytracing support on Xbox consoles,” the company confirmed. “This early prototype code has been removed from Preview and doesn't signal near future plans to bring raytracing support to consoles.”

The previous Minecraft Preview build available to Xbox Insiders inadvertently included prototype code for raytracing support on Xbox consoles. This early prototype code has been removed from Preview and doesn't signal near future plans to bring raytracing support to consoles.

— Minecraft (@Minecraft) March 31, 2022

That’s right – just because they’re testing it, doesn’t mean Minecraft will be getting raytracing on Xbox consoles anytime soon – even though Microsoft teased raytracing support two years ago.

Although Microsoft has now nixed the update and explained that it won’t be coming to your Xbox consoles anytime soon, it does mean that Microsoft is clearly working on the feature. Essentially, it could make its way to Xbox consoles… eventually.

Raytracing is currently only available in Minecraft when playing on Windows and is boosted by Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling process to improve frame rates. A comparison of Minecraft with raytracing switched on and off shows just how impressive this feature could be:

Elsewhere, a long-lost Minecraft update was recently found by Minecraft historians. The Secret Saturday update (Alpha 1.1.1) appeared for only 3 hours back in 2010.

Considering the now-elusive nature of the recent raytracing update, it begs the question of whether Xbox users will one day preserve this now-defunct Minecraft version. Or has auto-update relegated it to the mists of time?

Want to read more about Minecraft? Check out our beginner’s guide for all the basics as well as our hints and tips for survival.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Microsoft seemingly began testing raytracing in Minecraft earlier this week, but it was actually a mistake. The feature has now been pulled.

The feature appeared in a preview update on Xbox consoles, but it was quickly removed after news spread about its inclusion. The update included a raytracing preview for both Xbox Series X and Series S consoles but, according to Microsoft, it should never have appeared in the first place.

“The previous Minecraft Preview build available to Xbox Insiders inadvertently included prototype code for raytracing support on Xbox consoles,” the company confirmed. “This early prototype code has been removed from Preview and doesn't signal near future plans to bring raytracing support to consoles.”

The previous Minecraft Preview build available to Xbox Insiders inadvertently included prototype code for raytracing support on Xbox consoles. This early prototype code has been removed from Preview and doesn't signal near future plans to bring raytracing support to consoles.

— Minecraft (@Minecraft) March 31, 2022

That’s right – just because they’re testing it, doesn’t mean Minecraft will be getting raytracing on Xbox consoles anytime soon – even though Microsoft teased raytracing support two years ago.

Although Microsoft has now nixed the update and explained that it won’t be coming to your Xbox consoles anytime soon, it does mean that Microsoft is clearly working on the feature. Essentially, it could make its way to Xbox consoles… eventually.

Raytracing is currently only available in Minecraft when playing on Windows and is boosted by Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling process to improve frame rates. A comparison of Minecraft with raytracing switched on and off shows just how impressive this feature could be:

Elsewhere, a long-lost Minecraft update was recently found by Minecraft historians. The Secret Saturday update (Alpha 1.1.1) appeared for only 3 hours back in 2010.

Considering the now-elusive nature of the recent raytracing update, it begs the question of whether Xbox users will one day preserve this now-defunct Minecraft version. Or has auto-update relegated it to the mists of time?

Want to read more about Minecraft? Check out our beginner’s guide for all the basics as well as our hints and tips for survival.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Some of Hollywood's biggest celebrities walked away from the Academy Awards 2022 with an Oscar gift bag worth nearly $140,000.

A select number of nominees received an "Everyone Wins" gift bag at the 2022 Academy Awards, regardless of whether or not they picked up an Oscar statuette on the night. And according to CNBC Make It, the contents of the luxurious goodie bags are not to be sniffed at, with this year's decadent bundle from Distinctive Assets valued to be worth almost $140,000.

The most expensive item in this year's bag is a $50,000 three-night stay at Turin Castle in Scotland, complete with butler service and a bagpiper welcome. Though schedules might get busy as the bag is filled with 52 other items and experiences, including a cosmetic procedure, land ownership, and just about everything short of a partridge in a pear tree.

Here's a closer look at some of the contents, per CNBC and E! News:

• A $15,000 four-night stay at the Golden Door luxury resort and spa in California.
• A $12,000 "Celebrity Arms" liposuction procedure from cosmetic surgeon Dr. Thomas Su.
• A small plot of land in Scotland, along with the title of "Lord" or "Lady of Glencoe."
• $10,000 of "treatments and rejuvenation procedures" from Dr. Konstantin Vasyukevich.
• A life coaching session with wellness expert Kayote Joseph, worth $1,200.
• $25,000 worth of home renovations from Maison Construction.
• A pair of TurboFlex glasses featuring a 360-degree rotating hinge.
• An assortment of "Flavor wrapped" popcorn packages from Opopop.
• A bottle of Ariti extra virgin olive oil infused with edible gold flakes.

Distinctive Assets, the LA-based marketing company behind the "Everyone Wins" gift bag, selected 28 people to receive their assortment of highly buzzed-about swag this year, including all nominees in the Best Director, Best Actor/Actress, and Best Supporting Actor/Actress categories, as well as show hosts Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer, and Regina Hall.

Jane Campion, Will Smith, Jessica Chastain, Troy Kotsur, and Ariana DeBose were the Oscar winners in those categories this year, meaning that they took home a heap of other goodies in addition to their statuette. Check out IGN's Full List of Winners From the Oscars 2022 to find out who else scored big at last month's star-studded affair.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Some of Hollywood's biggest celebrities walked away from the Academy Awards 2022 with an Oscar gift bag worth nearly $140,000.

A select number of nominees received an "Everyone Wins" gift bag at the 2022 Academy Awards, regardless of whether or not they picked up an Oscar statuette on the night. And according to CNBC Make It, the contents of the luxurious goodie bags are not to be sniffed at, with this year's decadent bundle from Distinctive Assets valued to be worth almost $140,000.

The most expensive item in this year's bag is a $50,000 three-night stay at Turin Castle in Scotland, complete with butler service and a bagpiper welcome. Though schedules might get busy as the bag is filled with 52 other items and experiences, including a cosmetic procedure, land ownership, and just about everything short of a partridge in a pear tree.

Here's a closer look at some of the contents, per CNBC and E! News:

• A $15,000 four-night stay at the Golden Door luxury resort and spa in California.
• A $12,000 "Celebrity Arms" liposuction procedure from cosmetic surgeon Dr. Thomas Su.
• A small plot of land in Scotland, along with the title of "Lord" or "Lady of Glencoe."
• $10,000 of "treatments and rejuvenation procedures" from Dr. Konstantin Vasyukevich.
• A life coaching session with wellness expert Kayote Joseph, worth $1,200.
• $25,000 worth of home renovations from Maison Construction.
• A pair of TurboFlex glasses featuring a 360-degree rotating hinge.
• An assortment of "Flavor wrapped" popcorn packages from Opopop.
• A bottle of Ariti extra virgin olive oil infused with edible gold flakes.

Distinctive Assets, the LA-based marketing company behind the "Everyone Wins" gift bag, selected 28 people to receive their assortment of highly buzzed-about swag this year, including all nominees in the Best Director, Best Actor/Actress, and Best Supporting Actor/Actress categories, as well as show hosts Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer, and Regina Hall.

Jane Campion, Will Smith, Jessica Chastain, Troy Kotsur, and Ariana DeBose were the Oscar winners in those categories this year, meaning that they took home a heap of other goodies in addition to their statuette. Check out IGN's Full List of Winners From the Oscars 2022 to find out who else scored big at last month's star-studded affair.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.