The console wars escalate tomorrow with the release of Microsoft’s Xbox One, and South Park has continued its own take on the ongoing battle. In the latest episode, aired last night, things get a little dark after Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer fails to take Cartman’s plea for help seriously. Bill Gates arrives at Ballmer’s office and he’s not happy with the lack of assistance provided to battle PS4 fans. "When I stepped down and left you in charge of the company I knew there might be some challenges for you," says South Park’s version of Bill Gates. While Ballmer is busy explaining that Microsoft needs some marketing changes, Gates agrees and an assassin appears behind Ballmer to take him out.

"Weakness is believing that competition is healthy," says the Gates character. "I can’t have you idiots throwing away everything I worked so hard to achieve." Ballmer is left in a gruesome pool of blood following the stabbing, before Gates orders his aides to "clean that shit up." It’s all part of the ongoing Game of Thrones references in the run-up to the big shopping day of the year: Black Friday. South Park might have killed off Bill Gates previously, but this latest episode is a dark twist on its mission to poke fun at PlayStation 4 and Xbox One fanboys. The episode ends with room for the console wars and Black Friday to continue, with Cartman teaming up with Bill Gates in a mission to secure Xbox Ones.