Multiplayer Network Innovations, LLC has added Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Tecmo Koei Games Co., Ltd., Iron Galaxy Studios, LLC, Tencent Holdings Limited, and Tencent America to its growing list of court room combatants in multiple lawsuits claiming that these companies violate an abstract patent for "Interactive Multiple Player Game System and Method of Playing a Game Between at Least Two Players," or "MNI."

Microsoft claims that over a million people have signed up for the Windows Insider program. The Windows Insider program gives those who sign up for access to the Windows 10 Technical Preview.

Microsoft VP Joe Belfiore made the announcement in a blog post today, saying, "That equates to a lot of people using the Windows 10 Technical Preview and sending us feedback. How much feedback? Over 200,000 pieces of user-initiated feedback have been submitted to us via the Windows Feedback app from Windows Insiders like you."

You might be under the impression that the video game company that make the most money in the world would be Electronic Arts, Sony, Microsoft, Activision, or even Google and Apple. But according to a new report from New Zoo that distinction belongs to Tencent.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that four people have been indicted for allegedly breaching the computer systems of several video game companies and the US military, and stealing software worth over $100 million.

In July of this year Microsoft announced that it would cut approximately 18,000 jobs from its global workforce by July 2015. At the time it made the announcement, it also laid off around 13,000 employees worldwide.

This week Microsoft cut an additional 2,100 from its global workforce, making the total number of cuts made this year reach 15,100. Between now and July of next year Microsoft will have to cut an additional 2,900 jobs. In July, prior to the layoffs, Microsoft had a global workforce of around 125,000 employees.

Microsoft announced on Monday that it has acquired Minecraft developer Mojang for $2.5 billion.

That's a lot of money.

Do you think Microsoft overpaid or does two and a half billion dollars sound about right to you for the developer of one released but insanely popular game?

Vote in the poll and let us know!  Or don't and leave us wondering...

Microsoft announced this morning that it has acquired Minecraft and Scrolls maker Mojang for $2.5 billion. The deal was rumored to be in the works last week. While Microsoft will acquire the Swedish company and all of its IP including Minecraft on multiple mobile, PC, and console platforms, it will not get access to one important commodity: Notch.

The U.S. District Court in Seattle Washington has tossed out Mendoza v. Microsoft, a case filed in 2013 over alleged violations of privacy by Microsoft on its Xbox Live service for Xbox 360. U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman threw the case out on Thursday on the grounds that plaintiffs lacked legal standing and largely based their allegations on what the court categorized as "conjecture" about Microsoft's privacy policies.

A Bloomberg report citing three individuals with knowledge of the deal, claims that Microsoft is in talks with Marcus Persson to buy Minecraft maker Mojang AB for an estimated $2 billion.

Earlier this year Microsoft decided to create a SKU that separated its Kinect motion sensing camera device from the Xbox One that sells for $399.99. At that time it said that it would release a stand-alone retail version of the device in the "fall," and did not provide a price point. Today Microsoft has revealed the pricing for the standalone Kinect, and a special Kinect bundle that will launch at the end of this year.

Who needs a demo when you can allow consumers to play a game for an extended amount of time and turn that experience into an actual purchase? According to this Reddit screen grab after the latest Xbox One system update, Microsoft is trying out 24-hour trials with a select few game titles.

Max The Curse of Brotherhood was one of the titles available to download under the label entitled Free Play Day with Gold.

The future looks bright for Kinect if you believe Phil Harrison, corporate VP at Microsoft. Despite the separation of the motion sensing camera device from the Xbox One at retail earlier this year and a real lack of news about third-party developers supporting it, Harrison tells IGN that there's no need to worry about the Kinect's future despite the lack of big screen time at the Gamescom Xbox media briefing earlier this week.

Despite what was said at Microsoft's Gamescom Xbox briefing yesterday, and by Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix executives following the event, Rise of the Tomb Raider isn't an exclusive in the sense that it will never ever appear on any other platforms. According to what Microsoft's Phil Spencer tells Eurogamer, the game's exclusivity has an expiration date.

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has officially purchased the Los Angeles Clippers for $2 billion. Rochelle "Shelly" Sterling - a principle owner of the team - and the National Basketball Association announced completion of the deal today. The deal had to get by a few hurdles - namely a probate court fight between Shelley and her husband Donald Sterling. The agreement to sell the Clippers to Ballmer was actually reached on May 29 but faced a challenge in June from Donald Sterling.

Microsoft held its Gamescom Xbox press conference in Cologne, Germany today, laying out a roadmap for the games, entertainment and services that are in the pipeline. We have the cliff notes below:

Microsoft will be the first console maker to launch a console in China since the government lifted its 14-year ban on home console systems in January of this year. Today Microsoft revealed that it plans to launch the console system on Sept. 23 for approximately $600, or ¥3,699 RMB.

Microsoft has partnered with China-based BesTV to manufacture and sell the system in the region. One of the conditions the government put on console makers is that the systems had to be manufactured in the country.

Reuters and the South China Morning Post (by way of GIGA OM) are reporting that at least four of Microsoft's offices in China have been raided by the Chinese government.

Microsoft revealed its fourth quarter 2014 and full-year 2014 results for the period ending June 30th, 2014. The company said that it saw revenues of $86.8 billion for 2014, up from $77.8 billion law year.

Update: Microsoft has confirmed that - as part of a major staff reduction - it will shut down Xbox Entertainment Studios. Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed the news to Xbox Entertainment Studios staff on Thursday in an email:

According to this Bloomberg report, Microsoft is planning to cut a number of jobs in its Xbox division as part of an overall restructuring plan. Two anonymous sources familiar with the situation have told Bloomberg that overall cuts could end up being the biggest number of layoffs since 2009 when the company laid off 5,800 employees.

Microsoft has denied a report coming from Digital Spy claiming that the company planned on canning the Xbox One's ability to double as a development kit for developers who want to create games for Xbox One. The report is based on comments made by the Xbox Advanced Technology Group's Martin Fuller, who said the company has no plans to implement the previously announced feature.

Sony Computer Entertainment president Andrew House said during a presentation at the Develop conference today that the company changed its 2013 E3 script at the last minute because of fan reaction to various missteps by Microsoft on a number of issues - particularly its stance on used games. House emphasized that it never changed its policies in response to Microsoft but it did tweak its E3 press conference presentation to highlight the PS4's strengths.

UK-based Dovetail Games announced that it has signed a global licensing deal with Microsoft to develop and publish all-new games based on Microsoft’s popular flight simulation technology. The company said in a press release today that it is currently investigating new concepts in this area and is expecting to bring a release to market in 2015.

Dovetail Games also announced that it acquired the rights to distribute Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Gold Edition via Steam. The new release on Steam will be sold under the name, Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition.

On this week's show hosts Andrew Eisen and E. Zachary Knight talk about Nintendo president Satoru Iwata's health and being reelected by the company's board, a bunch of topics related to Electronic Arts, and whether Microsoft should bother selling the Kinect separately from the Xbox One. All this and more awaits in the latest episode of the Super PAC. Download Episode 104 now: SuperPAC Episode 104 (1 hour, 13 minutes) 84.1 MB.

Stephen Toulouse, the former policy and enforcement director at Xbox Live, is once again representing the Microsoft brand with his new job as director of Community Engagement on the upcoming Gears of War game for Xbox One. Toulouse actually joined Black Tusk Studios awhile ago, according to what he wrote on his personal blog.

Earlier this month, Microsoft gave consumers the option to buy the Xbox One without the Kinect for $399, a C-note of savings.  Since then, GameStop reported a significant uptick in Xbox One sales.

Phil Spencer, head of Xbox at Microsoft says that separating the Kinect from Xbox One at retail will not drive game developers away from utilizing the device. Speaking to GII, Spencer said that Microsoft expects that the stand-alone Kinect will sell well and the success of the device and the software that uses it is heavily reliant on having a strong Xbox One install base.

Microsoft continues to refute that it is shutting Games For Windows Live down in July. In August of last year a support update on Xbox.com stated, "Games for Windows Live will be discontinued on July 1, 2014". That message was later removed and Microsoft has denied that it is shutting down the multiplayer service for PC games ever since.

Xbox head Phil Spencer says Microsoft will continue to create and release more games for the last-generation Xbox 360 because it is "obligated to support Xbox 360" for the remainder of its life cycle.

In an E3 interview with UK publication Metro, Spencer attempted to explain why the company isn't dropping all of its efforts to focus exclusively on boosting Xbox One's first-party lineup of games.

Microsoft is officially a founding member of R2 Leaders, a group dedicated to responsibly recycling used electronics. The company joins other technology companies including Sony America, Xerox and Goodwill Industries in this endeavor.