TESO: Blackwood is now also available for Playstation and Xbox

TESO

Update from June 8th: The new chapter Blackwood for The Elder Scrolls Online is now also available, one week after the release for PC / Mac and Stadia, for PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X / S. The Console Enhanced Version, which comes up with lots of improvements for the next-gen consoles, will not be released until June 15th. Aren't you sure whether Blackwood is worth it? We have already tested the chapter extensively.

Update from 4:06 p.m .:

The developers of The Elder Scrolls Online have released the Blackwood chapter with all its content. Go to Dark Forest to tackle the new challenges there. At the same time as the launch, a new cinematic trailer went online to get you in the mood for the new adventure.

03:41

The maintenance work has ended, the servers of The Elder Scrolls Online are online again! You just have to wait a little while until the launch of Blackwood. The developers want to make sure that everything is running smoothly before they release us into the dark forest. We will contact you as soon as Blackwood is officially released.

The official patch notes for Blackwood and Update 30 are now available.

Original message:

The next few weeks will be extremely exciting for all fans of The Elder Scrolls Online! Today, June 1st, it starts with the release of the new Blackwood chapter for PC, Mac and Stadia. On June 8th, owners of a Playstation or Xbox will also be able to travel to the dark forest. And from June 15th, console gamers will also have access to the new "Console Enhanced" version from TESO.

The most important innovations of Blackwood and Update 30 can be read as follows, the links will take you to the further articles in which we have presented the respective features to you in detail:

A new area : Dark Forest A conflicted main story as part of the adventure "Gates of Oblivion" The new companion system A new test for 12 players: Felshain New world events: Portals into the realm of oblivion New vaults, open dungeons, leaders of the open world and self-contained quests Introduction of the Efforts as a new reward system New tutorial with portal room Updates, improvements and ease of play

Maintenance work before Blackwood launch

The Zenimax managers have announced the usual maintenance work for the launch day. Here are the times for all platforms:

PC / Mac: EU and NA Megaserver for a new patch - June 1st, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm CEST PlayStation 4: EU and NA Megaserver for maintenance work - 2. June, 10:00 - 14:00 CEST Xbox One: EU and NA Megaserver for maintenance work - June 2nd, 10:00 - 18:00 CEST Even if the final patch notes for Blackwood and Update 30 are not yet live, you can You can still get a detailed picture of all the new features and changes in the German patch notes from the official test server. As soon as the servers go online this afternoon and Blackwood is available, we will update this message.

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Supermarket groups Carrefour and Tesco to end purchasing alliance

© Reuters/STEPHANE MAHE FILE PHOTO: Carrefour Hypermarket store in France

PARIS (Reuters) - French supermarket group Carrefour and its British peer Tesco said on Monday they would not extend a purchasing alliance heralded originally as a potential way to trim costs.

The companies said in a joint statement that 'they have decided not to extend their purchasing alliance beyond the three-year operational framework agreed in 2018', without giving further details.

Two sources familiar with the matter said Britain's exit from the European Union did not trigger the end of the deal, with one adding that the context had however made things 'more complex'. One of the sources added that alliances were regularly reviewed, and that the decision 'was part of that game'.

The alliance formally ends on Dec. 31, and the groups said that they would now focus on opportunities independently.

The purchasing agreement https://www.reuters.com/article/cbusiness-us-carrefour-tesco-suppliers-a-idCAKBN1JT2IU-OCABS aimed to allow Carrefour and Tesco to cut prices, by demanding better terms from food suppliers such Nestle, Procter & Gamble or Unilever, and expand ranges of their own-label products.

© Reuters/TOBY MELVILLE FILE PHOTO: A shopper passes christmas trees for sale at Tesco supermarket amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), London, Britain

Supermarket groups have been looking for ways to counter rising online competition, including from U.S. giant Amazon which has teamed up with some firms for delivery partnerships, and from cut-price rivals such as Aldi and Lidl.

Analysts at Shore Capital said in a note that the end of the alliance suggested there was no major benefit to the groups from the partnership.

'At the time of the announcement of the Carrefour-Tesco Alliance, we questioned whether or not we would ever be able to identify any benefit...in either groups' financial statements, and we think the answer is clear,' the analysts said.

In December 2020, France's antitrust authority also imposed stricter conditions on the purchasing alliance, saying it 'risked weakening' small suppliers of private labels.

Tesco and Carrefour had notably to exclude fruits and vegetables of French and European origin from the purchasing alliance on private label products.

One of the sources familiar with the alliance said the partnership was active, with joint buying on some fresh foods, packaged produce and non-food products.

The companies gave no financial details of the partnership in their latest financial reports.

Carrefour boss Alexandre Bompard said last week the company, which faces stiff competition on its home turf, was not looking for any further consolidation opportunities. Its potential takeover by Canadian rival Couche-Tard unravelled earlier this year following French government opposition.

Tesco was seen at the time as a potential fit for a fuller merger with Carrefour, according to bankers and analysts.

Carrefour has since agreed to buy Brazil's third-biggest food retailer Grupo BIG, and the company also posted strong first quarter results in April.

In contrast, Tesco reported in April a 20% drop in full-year pretax profit as the cost of adapting the business for the pandemic wiped out the benefit of 'exceptionally strong' grocery sales.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta, Sarah White, Dominique Vidalon, Keith Weir and Sarah Young; Editing by Edmund Blair, Kirsten Donovan and David Evans)