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Overwatch League action. Screenshot: Activision Blizzard
Microsoft and Activision executives said plenty about the so-called metaverse as they promoted yesterday’s planned video game mega-deal, but little about another recent gaming buzzword: esports.
Why it matters: Esports may be big, but Activision’s portion of it hasn't dominated the way its Call of Duty games have in the traditional gaming marketplace.
What they’re saying: “I think that their esports idea was half-baked and has always been directionally wrong,” Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter told Axios.
Between the lines: Part of what has kept esports a going concern at Activision is Kotick’s relationships with rich team owners, said journalist Jacob Wolf, who broke scores of top stories about the company’s leagues and now runs production company Overcome.
What’s next: Neither Wolf nor Pachter believe the Microsoft acquisition will end Activision’s leagues, but they expect new thinking at the top.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to include Stan Kroenke, not Jerry Jones, as a billionaire sports team owner to pay $20 million franchise fees to start league teams.
President Biden speaking from Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Jan. 21. Photo: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A federal judge in Texas blocked the Biden administration from enforcing its coronavirus vaccine mandate for federal workers on Friday, citing the outcome of last week's Supreme Court ruling that nullified the administration's vaccine-or-test requirement for large employers.
Why it matters: It's a blow to President Biden's efforts to increase the U.S.' vaccination rates, though much of the federal workforce has already been vaccinated against the virus.
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen at a speech this week. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
The U.S. needs to focus on increasing its productive potential, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told world leaders Friday, calling for what she terms "modern supply side economics."
Why it matters: She co-opted a phrase traditionally used by political conservatives to describe low-tax and deregulatory policies — and framed the Biden administration's initiatives as the best path forward to achieve greater national prosperity.
