Microsoft is looking to develop an Xbox-branded mobile game store

Microsoft is hoping to carve its own space in the mobile gaming space. The company's filing with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) reveals its plans to build a "next generation" Xbox store focusing on mobile devices. And its proposed Activision Blizzard merger is a big part of this plan, with Call of Duty Mobile and King's more casual games serving as a draw for gamers to flock to this new platform.

According to the company, the acquisition would boost its mobile gaming and ad revenue and offer "much needed expertise" in developing and marketing these titles. But it acknowledges it'll need a "major shift" in consumer habits to pull consumers away from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It plans to apply an open app store philosophy to this mobile shop with equal treatment for third-party apps and choices for in-app payments.

The CMA is investigating Microsoft's acquisition due to concerns that it might hurt competition. The strategy behind the filing isn't subtle. The company wants to convince UK regulators that its Activision Blizzard deal would preserve or improve competition, and the prospect of an Xbox mobile store could theoretically help. But we don't know yet if regulators will see it that way. Microsoft might also have a difficult time getting a third-party app store on iOS, so if this ever gets released, it might be an Android version.

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You can kick off Netflix moochers to their own account

Source: Netflix

Broke up with an ex and don't want to share Netflix accounts anymore? While you can probably just kick them out and change the password, Netflix is introducing a new Profile Transfer feature that lets them keep their recommendations, watch history, saved titles, and more. This feature is rolling out to all users and will be enabled automatically, except for in South Korea and the US where you'll need to activate it from your settings yourself.

You'll get an email when the feature is available to your account. You can then access it through the drop-down menu on the right side of the profile icons. You can't transfer a profile to an existing account, though. This account needs to be attached to a new one. While Netflix is framing this as a solution for exes or when you move away from home, it does give the company the means to charge password sharers an extra fee, which we just wrote an update about.

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Netflix to charge for password sharing in 'early 2023'

Source: Netflix

Netflix has long been lamenting its users sharing accounts with people outside their households. The company's solution was to test out "monetize account sharing." In a letter with shareholders, it says it's going to charge for password sharing in early 2023. The test has been running in Costa Rica, Chile, and Peru, with Netflix allowing users to add two members for an additional fee of $2.99, 2,380 Chilean pesos, and 7.9 Peruvian sol, respectively, each per month. It hasn't said how much it plans to charge for other countries, but we're sure to hear more when the change approaches. You can now also transfer profiles of users to a new account if you don't want to pay extra.

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Netflix debuts the official trailer for THE CROWN Season 5

The highly anticipated fifth season of THE CROWN (Netflix) will premiere globally on November 9 and the streaming service has just released the official trailer! 

The new season features a new cast – Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Dominic West as Prince Charles, Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne, Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles, Jonny Lee Miller as John Major, Salim Daw as Mohamed Al Fayed, and Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed – in their interpretation of the Royal Family characters that Peter Morgan first created in 2016.

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