In January, we reported that Blizzard’s arena shooter Overwatch might be due a name change as a result of a legal entanglement. That suit is now settled, and Blizzard should be in the clear to proceed without problem.

The problem resulted from a trademark filed by Innovis Labs for a mobile phone mount and app to be used in paintball games. Blizzard and Innovis signed a co-existence agreement that required the latter to alter the trademark filing to delete mention of video games.

Despite the seemingly peaceful resolution, Innovis did not adjust its filing and instead filed suit against Blizzard in May 2015. The litigants are now in the process of terminating the suit, with Innovis reportedly giving up its rights to the Overwatch name.

Activision provided more detail this morning on its plans to acquire Candy Crush maker King. The deal, worth $5.9 billion, gives Activision entrance to an enormous established mobile user base.

"We think now is the right time to enter mobile gaming in a meaningful way," said Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. "Widespread mobile access around the world has opened up significant demand for engaging, fun content that players can enjoy anytime, anywhere." According to chief operating officer Thomas Tippl, the move gives Activision a monthly active user base of 500 million players, inclusive of 196 countries where King operates. As a result of the announcement, credit rating firm Moody's upgraded Activision's status.

The company also intends to cross-promote across franchises. While no details were offered, Activision might look to Puzzle & Dragons for ways to integrate seemingly disparate franchises for time-limited promotions. GungHo has teamed up with DC Comics, Square Enix (Final Fantasy), Rovio (Angry Birds), and SuperCell (Clash of Clans) for time-limited cross-promotions. 

In addition to yesterday’s announcement that Activision has agreed to acquire Candy Crush maker King, the publisher also had some good news about its current business. Destiny continues to grow, even though we don’t have specific sales figures.

Activision reports that there are currently 25 million registered Destiny players. Those Guardians are playing an average of three hours per day.

The game broke PlayStation download records when it launched on September 15. It has since become the most-watched game on Twitch.

Activision has announced that it has acquired King Digital for $5.9 billion. The announcement comes in conjunction with the publisher's earnings call, which is scheduled for tomorrow morning.

King Digital is best known for its work developing the Candy Crush series, which has become a cultural phenomenon following its explosion onto iOS and Android in 2012. In 2014, King followed up its most successful property with Candy Crush Soda Saga. In addition to the Candy Crush series, King, which was founded in 2003, has also released games such as Bubble Witch Saga, Farm Heroes Saga, and Papa Pear Saga. 

Despite the high purchase price, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is optimistic about the acquisition. "Mobile gaming is the largest and fastest-growing opportunity for interactive entertainment and we will have one of the world's most successful mobile game companies and its talented teams providing great content to new customers, in new geographies throughout the world," he said in a press release. "King has a truly fantastic management team and over 1,600 incredibly talented employees and we are excited to welcome them into the Activision Blizzard family."

Fall is upon us in Minnesota, and the leaves are changing colors and the wind is beginning to bite once again. At least, that's what people tell us about autumn as we shutter ourselves inside to catch up on all the year's amazing games. The annual 24-hour Extra Life charity marathon is always a terrific opportunity to hole up and ignore the real world while streaming all the fun for a good cause. You can join us by enlisting to raise money in Team Game Informer, or by tuning into our livestream to join in the fun, win prizes, and contribute to a great cause.

Game Informer is back at it again when Extra Life 2015 officially kicks off on November 7 at 8 a.m. Central. We'll be broadcasting on Twitch and YouTube for a full 24 hours. Our goal this year is to raise $25,000 for Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare here in St. Paul, Minn. If we reach the $15,000 mark, we promise to finish the livestream with a live script reading of the supposedly awful rejected movie written by George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead).

We had a blast during our 2014 Extra Life livestream, and hope you'll join us again. Check out all the crazy fun we have planned in the schedule below, but also be sure to look further down the page at some prizes viewers can win, some by contributing generous donations.

Just one question: What did the French do to get so lucky? A number of Air France passengers may get to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens days before its worldwide theatrical premiere next month.

Lucky travelers on four separate Air France flights will get to watch the film on December 15, thanks to a partnership between the airline and EuropaCorp CINEMAS. Prepare to feel the jealousy coursing through you, as ticketholders will get to watch the film in a proper theater, not a miniscule airplane TV screen, and receive a free ride to the venue in a special Star Wars shuttle.

To snag their theater seat, buyers must purchase a ticket for one of the following flights before December 10:

Following the unveiling a pair of promotional posters at the San Diego Comic Con earlier this year, Legendary Pictures has revealed the theatrical poster for the Warcraft movie. This sets the table for the film's first trailer, which premiers this Friday.

Orcs and humans generally don't play well together, a schism this poster does a solid job of expressing. Gracing the poster are, from left to right, leading men Toby Kebbel (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) as the Horde chieftain Durotan, and Travis Fimmel (Vikings) as Anduin Lothar, leader of the Alliance. See the poster in its full glory below.

Warcraft is scheduled to invade theaters June 10, 2016. For more on the film, check out our articles detailing the film's cast and 3D interactive trailer. 

As long as there are video game fan films like this, there’s hope for a proper adaptation. Metroid: The Sky Calls is the latest in impressive fan productions that capture the spirit of their respective origins.

The 11-minute film stars the Nerdist’s Jessica Chobot as Samus Aran and Halo 5 motion capture actor America Young pulling stunt work, as the legendary bounty hunter explores a barren planet emitting a mysterious distress signal. The film is equal parts an eerily nostalgic riff on Ridley Scott’s Alien cinematography and modern CGI-fueled action epic. Rainfall Studios, the team behind the film and previously a popular Wonder Woman short, incorporated techniques like VHS transfers and custom scanned 16mm film stock to give the short a retro vibe.

“Composer Dodson’s original score pays homage to composers Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner, while the sound design was specifically tailored to evoke both sci-fi classics and the video game’s iconic universe,” the studio said in the short’s official post.

We've pulled together everything we know about 2016's video game releases in one handy location. This rundown of gaming goodness is a living, breathing list, and should help you plan out your gaming calendar for the next few months and beyond.

We promise you won't be sorry for bookmarking this and coming back to find out when your most anticipated games are scheduled to land on your PC, console, handheld, or mobile device. If you see anything we’ve missed, please let us know in the comments. Please note that games will not get assigned to a month until they have confirmed release dates. Prior to that, they will appear in the bottom grouping (confirmed, but undated).

JanuaryDarkest Dungeon (PC) – January 19Lego Marvel’s Avengers (Xbox One, 360, PS4, PS3, Wii U, 3DS, Vita, PC) – January 26
The Witness (PS4, PC) – January 26
This War of Mine (PS4, Xbox One) – January 29

Update: You can order your special edition Mass Effect crate from Loot Crate right now. The bundle includes $150 worth of items for $75.

To order, head over to Loot Crate's website.

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