When 
you’re dealing with a multibillion dollar franchise, new releases tend to be well-telegraphed affairs.
Activision, though, surprised everyone Thursday by releasing an iOS version of Call of Duty without pomp or circumstance. And, in another surprise, it’s being made by a team led by a pair of Rockstar Games veterans.
Microsoft 
has finally spilled the Xbox One’s last big secret.
The company announced Wednesday that it would begin selling its next-generation console on Friday, November 22 in 13 territories, setting the stage for the holiday season’s biggest video game battle in seven years.
Three 
months ago, Sony made a big splash at E3 touting the PlayStation 4 to the world. At the same time, though, it was already laying the groundwork for another notable consumer technology venture.
As media and buyers got hands on time with the upcoming console and debated the WWE-like theatrics of the Sony and Microsoft press conferences, the company was holding top secret meetings with developers and publishers, showing off a virtual reality headset for the PS4 and drumming up support for it.
The 
revelation that a second porn star has contracted HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, will likely have little to no impact on the bottom line of major porn studios but could act as a rallying point for supporters of mandatory condom laws.
The performer, who calls himself Rod Daily, confirmed his diagnosis Tuesday via Twitter, saying “With the tests I have done the doctors have figured out that I was infected within the last month.”
Are 
you ready for some Xbox?
Microsoft has announced a new partnership with the NFL, as well as an expanded one with current partner ESPN, that it hopes will turn the upcoming Xbox One console into a one stop shop for football fans.
Just 
two years ago, 3D was being touted as the Next Big Thing in gaming
Sony released an affordable 3D monitor for the PlayStation 3 to showcase the system’s potential. Nintendo proudly trotted out the 3DS. First-party developers added in the necessary coding to make their games shine on the then-hot technology.
Remember 
the ugly launch of SimCity back in March? ‘Disastrous’ would be a kind way to describe it. You’d think EA would have learned a few lessons there.
Not so much, it turns out.
You 
wouldn’t expect a man who calls himself ‘Lord British’ to live somewhere mundane — and game design guru Richard Garriott’s homes certainly defy that description.
His Austin castle — yes, castle — is a thing of legend, complete with secret passages, a waterfall, a carousel and an observatory. But it turns out his New York pad is just as cool.
As 
music composition becomes a more critical part of the videogame industry, consolidation is on the way for the agents who rep those artists.
Four Bars Intertainment is merging with the newly formed COOL Music Interactive, a game-focused division of the COOL Music Group, whose clients have scored several films, including “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” and “The Counselor.”
Dennis 
Hof is on a buying spree.
The owner of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch had just two brothels a few years ago. Today, he owns seven and a strip club. The expansion of his empire comes as Nevada’s brothel industry struggles to recover from the recession. And though Hof said his business is increasing, most of his competitors are having a tough time.
Chris Morris: Journalist 