EA’s ‘Battlefield 6’ breaks franchise record with 7 million sales in first three days

/in /tarafından

Electronic Arts (EA) announced that “Battlefield 6” has sold more than seven million copies within its first three days of release, marking the strongest launch in the franchise’s history and signaling a major comeback for the iconic shooter series.

Released on October 10, the title quickly became a global hit, logging over 172 million matches played and 15 million hours watched on streaming platforms during the opening weekend. EA also reported the highest-ever number of concurrent players in the series’ two-decade run.

The blockbuster launch comes shortly after EA agreed to a $55 billion acquisition deal with a Saudi-backed investor group, underscoring the franchise’s importance to the company’s long-term strategy.

Season 1 of “Battlefield 6” will debut on October 28, with new seasonal content arriving later this year. The game’s strong performance could help EA regain ground in the competitive first-person shooter market, long dominated by Activision Blizzard’s “Call of Duty.”

EA has been counting on “Battlefield” to revitalize its core gaming portfolio, as titles such as “Apex Legends,” “Titanfall,” and “Star Wars Battlefront” have seen slowing momentum. The early success of “Battlefield 6” suggests that players remain hungry for large-scale, immersive combat experiences — and that EA may have finally reignited its flagship franchise.

Salesforce shares jump as $60 billion forecast boosts investor confidence

/in /tarafından

Version 1 – Main Website

HEADER:
Salesforce shares jump as $60 billion forecast boosts investor confidence

CONTENT:
Salesforce shares rose more than 6% in premarket trading on Thursday after the company projected over $60 billion in revenue by 2030, easing investor concerns over slowing growth amid rising competition from AI-powered tools.

The optimistic forecast, announced at Salesforce’s Dreamforce event, signals a strong recovery for the Marc Benioff-led firm, which earlier this year reported its first revenue decline in nearly three years. The projection excludes the impact of Salesforce’s planned $8 billion acquisition of Informatica, expected to close in the first half of 2026.

The deal will strengthen Salesforce’s artificial intelligence capabilities, integrating Informatica’s data management and governance tools into its cloud ecosystem. Analysts said the improved outlook and a $7 billion share buyback plan reflect management’s “confidence in durable free cash flow and sustained bookings growth.”

J.P. Morgan analysts noted that the new forecast could “shift the narrative toward sustainable double-digit growth,” while Jefferies said Salesforce’s expanding margins could bring it in line with other large-cap peers by the end of the decade.

Salesforce has been rapidly embedding AI partnerships into its platform, expanding collaborations with OpenAI and Anthropic to enhance its Agentforce 360 system. The company has also pledged to invest $15 billion in San Francisco over the next five years to drive AI adoption across its services.

Meta to finalize nearly $30 billion financing deal for Louisiana AI data center

/in /tarafından

Meta Platforms is nearing completion of an almost $30 billion financing deal for its massive Hyperion data center project in Louisiana, in what would mark the largest private capital transaction in history, according to a Bloomberg News report on Thursday.

The financing package, led by Blue Owl Capital and Morgan Stanley, underscores the staggering scale of investment required to power next-generation artificial intelligence infrastructure. Meta and Blue Owl will split ownership of the site in Richland Parish, with Meta retaining a 20% stake, Bloomberg said, citing people familiar with the matter.

The structure involves more than $27 billion in debt and about $2.5 billion in equity through a special purpose vehicle (SPV). Meta itself will not take on the debt directly but will remain developer, operator, and tenant of the project, which is expected to be completed in 2029.

The deal builds on Meta’s recent $1.5 billion investment in a Texas data center and highlights the growing competition among so-called hyperscalers—including Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet—to expand capacity for AI computing workloads.

According to Bloomberg, the financing’s final stage was completed on October 16, when PIMCO anchored the bond issuance, structured under Rule 144A, with other investors taking smaller allocations of the debt, which matures in 2049.

Meta, Blue Owl, and Morgan Stanley have not yet commented on the report.