- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
- Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers
- Honduras arrests environmentalist's alleged murderer
- Padres pitcher Musgrove needs elbow surgery
- Supreme Court lets stand rules to curb mercury, methane emissions
- Boston beat Denver in NBA exhibition season opener, but Jokic says omens are good
- Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands' fate
- Biden says 'not confident' of peaceful US election
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- Lukaku stars as Napoli beat Como to hold Serie A top spot
- Ohtani set for MLB playoff debut as Dodgers face Padres
- Pogba's drug ban cut to 18 months from four years
- Devine leads New Zealand to big win over India in Women's T20 World Cup
- Bosnia floods kill 16 people
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Prosecutors seek dismissal of rape charges against French rugby players
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- Bolivia's Morales says claims he raped a minor are a 'lie'
- MLB Reds hire two-time champion Francona as manager
- Daniel Maldini receives first Italy call-up for Nations League
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
- Ancelotti points finger at Madrid's 'lack of intensity'
- Haiti reeling after 70 killed in gang attack
- Five Czech kids in hospital over TikTok 'piercing challenge'
- What happens next in Iran-Israel conflict?
- Country star Garth Brooks denies rape accusations
- Stubbs hits maiden century as South Africa make 343-4 against Ireland
- DR Congo to begin mpox vaccination campaign Saturday in east
- Odegaard injury has forced Arsenal to be 'different', says Arteta
- Ratcliffe refuses to guarantee Ten Hag's Man Utd future
- Meta must limit data use for targeted ads: EU court
- Mauritius to hold legislative election on November 10
- Britain qualify for America's Cup final after 60-year wait
- IMF asks Sri Lanka to protect hard-won gains
- Morata returns to Spain Nations League squad after injury
- Irish regulator to probe Ryanair use of facial recognition
- Public allowed to see video evidence in France mass rape trial
- US hiring soars past expectations in sign of resilient market
- Under-fire Ten Hag 'together' with Man Utd hierarchy
- Guardiola talks of Man City love affair as financial hearing rumbles on
- De Bruyne out of Belgium Nations League squad
- Japanese trainer Yahagi hopes Shin Emperor achieves 50-year-old Arc dream
- UK's Starmer hails 'landmark' carbon capture funding
- As EU targets Chinese cars, European rivals sputter
- Bosnia floods kill 14 people
- Tennis world number one Swiatek splits with coach Wiktorowski
- Liverpool share responsibility for Nunez goal drought, says Slot
Four giants: The major players in video game industry
The global video game industry has undergone a series of blockbuster takeovers, most recently Sony's acquisition of Bungie and Microsoft's move for Activision.
The consolidation has left four major players still standing in an industry estimated to be worth $300 billion.
- Tencent: Global number one -
China-based Tencent is the biggest player left in the market in terms of revenue.
It is a huge player in the Asia market and has been investing in game studios outside its home country.
The firm owns Riot Games, maker of battle royale hit "League of Legends", and has stakes in French game star Ubisoft and Activision.
It also acquired the Finnish studio Supercell ("Clash of Clans", "Clash Royale", "Brawl Stars") in 2016 for $8.6 billion -- a record at the time.
- Sony: PlayStation supremo -
Japanese consumer electronics colossus Sony has sold more than 500 million copies of its PlayStation since 1994.
Through a subsidiary it controls a host of studios -- including Insomniac and Housemarque -- that have developed exclusive titles for its machines such as the "Spider-Man" saga.
The acquisition announced on Monday of Bungie for $3.6 billion will strengthen its games portfolio, adding "Halo" and Destiny" to the list.
Sony also has invested in Epic Games, the company behind "Fortnite".
- Microsoft: New big spender -
The American behemoth was behind the biggest acquisition in the history of the sector last month with the purchase of Activision Blizzard for $69 billion.
The deal puts into its hands on major titles such as "Call of Duty", "World of Warcraft" and "Diablo".
The group behind the Xbox consoles already has control of major games titles like "Minecraft", "Elder Scrolls" and "Fallout" thanks to earlier acquisitions.
And it is now setting its sights on becoming the "Netflix of video games" with its Game Pass online platform that allows users to download games or play them via the cloud.
- Nintendo: In-house games -
With its reliance on self-made sagas such as "Mario", "Zelda" or "Pokemon", Nintendo stands out from its competitors by staying away from the frenzy of acquisitions in the sector.
The March 2020 release of its game "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" became a social phenomenon, as the Covid-19 pandemic sparked a worldwide shift to indoor lifestyles.
It sold a record 28.8 million Switch gaming units in its last financial year.
- The independents -
Several leading publishers have so far stayed out of the hands of the giants, but could become targets in the near future.
American maker Take-Two is a heavyweight in its own right, its stable filled with popular games including "Grand Theft Auto", "NBA 2K" and "Red Dead Redemption".
And it has itself played the acquisition game, spending $12.7 billion to acquire mobile game developer Zynga, creator of the farming simulation "FarmVille".
North Carolina-based Epic Games saw its valuation rise to nearly $29 billion last year after a round of funding from investors including Sony.
Electronic Arts had a turnover of $5.6 billion last year and also has a portfolio of very popular licences such as "FIFA", "Battlefield" and "The Sims".
French firm Ubisoft ("Assassin's Creed", "Far Cry") is valued at roughly six billion euros and is also a major player in the sector.
F.Ferraz--PC