Tag: Microsoft - Page 8
Deals All 10+ Backwards Compatible Games In This Week's Xbox Sales (October 3-10)
Here's what's on offer this week
Xbox's latest set of digital deals is now live, and as usual, we have a selection of classics from the Xbox 360 era on offer that are included in the backwards compatibility program for Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. <related ids="156316"> We'll drop all of the current Xbox backwards compatible...
News FTC Continues To Challenge Xbox's Takeover Of Activision Blizzard
"How the FTC uses limited taxpayer resources is their decision"
Anyone for a bit of FTC news? Just what you wanted on a Thursday afternoon, eh? Yes, just a few months after the FTC lost its request for a preliminary injunction against Microsoft's takeover of Activision Blizzard, the regulator has now resumed its challenge - with plans to move...
News Xbox Game Pass Listing For Octopath Traveler 2 Was An 'Error'
"We’ve removed the mention"
Update: And that's the end of that! Microsoft has removed the mention of Octopath Traveler 2 coming to Xbox Game Pass in 2024, explaining that it was added in error. Here's the statement: "Editor’s Note: We’ve removed the mention of Octopath Traveler II coming to Xbox Game Pass which was included in error...
Deals All Backwards Compatible Games In This Week's Xbox Sales (September 26 - October 3)
Battle through an apocalyptic landscape
The latest batch of Xbox weekly deals are now live, and as always we've got a few backwards compatible titles from the Xbox 360 era in the mix! There aren't too many this week, but there are still some fantastic games such as Call of Juarez Gunslinger, F.E.A.R 2 and The Witcher 2 that are worth picking up for...
News Ubisoft CEO Explains Decision To Buy ActiBlizz Cloud Rights From Xbox
"That’s what pushed us to go forward..."
Back in August, it was revealed that Microsoft had struck a deal for Ubisoft to buy the cloud gaming rights to Activision Blizzard titles, and now Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has revealed what "pushed us to go forward with the deal". Speaking to the Financial Times this week, Guillemot enthused about the...
News Kojima Shares Snaps Of Phil Spencer & Co. Visiting During Tokyo Game Show Week
A friendly ol' visit
We've known for a good while now that Xbox and Kojima Productions are finally working together on a new project, and it seems that the two parties have become quite friendly in recent times as well. Various members of team Xbox have visited the Japanese studio since, and it looks like a friendly stop was in order during Tokyo...
News Smash Bros. Director Masahiro Sakurai Shows Off His 'Rare' Xbox 360
"It has my name engraved on it!"
Microsoft has been gifting rare limited edition Xbox consoles for a very long time now, and even to this day there are probably many out there that we don't actually know about. With this in mind, back during the Xbox 360 generation, Microsoft sent certain people within the games industry special launch systems...
News 'Crash Vs. Spyro Racing' Prototype Discovered On Original Xbox Devkit
This would have been amazing!
These old Xbox finds just keep on coming! Earlier this month, YouTuber Modern Vintage Gamer discovered an unreleased original Xbox classic lying around on an old devkit hard drive, and now he's at it again with another retro find. This time out, MVG has unearthed some sort of prototype for a 'Crash vs. Spyro' kart...
News Phil Spencer Reveals Which IP He'd Like To See Revived On Xbox
"That franchise was ahead of its time"
Xbox boss Phil Spencer is often spotted playing Xbox in his spare time (you only have to follow his gamertag to see what he's up to), so it's fair to say there are some old franchises he'd love to play again on modern systems. Well, at a recent Tokyo Game Show panel, the boss talked about one Xbox franchise...
News Capcom Would 'Gracefully Decline' Any Acquisition Attempt From Xbox
"It would be better if we were equal partners"
There's always speculation about who Microsoft might be interested in acquiring, and Capcom is an obvious target! The company has been going from strength-to-strength lately with the likes of Street Fighter 6 and Resident Evil 4 Remake. However, as you might expect, Capcom has no interest in being...
News CMA Approval A 'Significant Milestone' Towards Xbox Merging With Activision Blizzard
"This approval is critical to completing our merger"
Today has brought welcome news in regards to Xbox's ActiBlizz deal, with the UK CMA now approving the acquisition - pending input from various third party companies that took part in the investigation. While the purchase hasn't been completed just yet, both Microsoft and Activision Blizzard feel...
News UK CMA Grants 'Preliminary Approval' Of Microsoft's Activision Blizzard Purchase
"Microsoft has now substantially restructured the deal"
We're almost there, folks! The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has today announced that it has granted preliminary approval for Microsoft to purchase Activision Blizzard. The CMA's decision still needs to be consulted with any third parties involved in the process, but for all intents...
News As Of Last April, Xbox Series S Accounted For 75% Of Microsoft's Current-Gen Console Sales
Massively outweighing Series X!
In yet more FTC document leaks, information about Xbox Series X and S sales data has started to proliferate, and the results might be surprising to some. As spotted by IGN, in April 2022 Microsoft said that the Xbox Series S accounted for 75% of total Xbox Series sales since launch. That's a hefty amount for a...
News Microsoft Adds New Player Profile Badge To Make Sure We All Remember Xbox Live Gold
RIP sweet prince
Xbox Live Gold is officially no more as Game Pass Core now carries Xbox's online networking torch, but Microsoft is making sure we all remember the company's seminal multiplayer service. A new update has been rolled out that applies an 'Xbox Live Gold' badge to player profiles on Xbox. The neat logo contains some classic XBL Gold...
Deals All 40+ Backwards Compatible Games In This Week's Xbox Sales (September 19-26)
Including some ongoing publisher sales
Xbox's new weekly deals have now gone live, and as usual, they include a batch of Xbox 360 (and a couple of original Xbox) backwards compatible classics on offer. Now, we have some carryover from the previous set this week, including an ongoing Call of Duty sale, but still - plenty of new titles have been added...
News FTC Denies Involvement In Huge Xbox Leak, Blames Microsoft Instead
"Microsoft was responsible for the error"
Update: Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley also appears to have suggested Microsoft was at fault, explaining that Microsoft provided a secure cloud link a few days ago containing files that were subsequently uploaded by the Court. Original story: As we've been covering all day here at Pure Xbox, the "biggest...
"We need to learn from this and build a plan forward"
It's no secret at this stage that Xbox wasn't particularly pleased with its exclusive games lineup in 2022. Delays to major projects like Starfield meant that Xbox first-party suffered from a particularly barren year, and a new leaked email from Phil Spencer shows just how disappointed the team...
News Microsoft Is Targeting 2028 For A 'Hybrid' Next Generation Xbox Console
More leaked goodies
Ready to start talking next next-gen yet? We've already heard that a 2028 launch is the rough timeline for Microsoft's next generation plans, however, fresh FTC documents have now dropped a hint at what exactly the Xbox owner is planning for its next console - including a new 'hybrid' approach to next-gen gaming. Perhaps...
News Xbox Series X All-Digital Console Refresh Planned For Late 2024
Codename 'Brooklin' has leaked
In yet more leaked documents from Microsoft's ongoing FTC court case over its ActiBlizz acquisition, a brand-new console refresh has been outed. Apparently planned for an October 2024 release, Xbox Series X will soon go all-digital, according to the docs. Codenamed 'Brooklin', a discless Xbox Series X console is...
News Well, It Looks Like The Elder Scrolls 6 Will Be Xbox Exclusive After All
New FTC docs point towards Xbox & PC exclusivity
Publicly, Microsoft has been quite coy on the future of The Elder Scrolls and what platforms any future releases will land on. Part of that is because the sixth entry is so far away at this stage, but also, the team is still saying it will look at upcoming Xbox exclusivity on a "c
News Xbox Game Pass Hit 30 Million Subscribers Prior To 'Core' Tier Launch
Update: 30M figure quietly removed
(Update - 15:00): The Xbox exec has now removed the Xbox Game Pass figure from their LinkedIn profile (that was quick!), so it's worth taking this "30 million members" quote with a pinch of salt for now. (Original Story - 14:50): Xbox Game Pass has been growing each year since its first introduction in 2017, and...
News Phil Spencer On Tokyo Game Show 2023: 'The Future For Xbox In Japan Is Bright'
Tune into the TGS Xbox showcase next week!
Ahead of next week's Tokyo Game Show 2023 livestream, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has shared a welcoming message to fans in the region, and those watching around the world at home. Phil reminds us all that "the future for Xbox in Japan is bright", hinting that fans of Japanese titles have lots to look forward...
Deals All 70+ Backwards Compatible Games In This Week's Xbox Sales (September 12-19)
Including a massive Call of Duty sale!
There are loads of Xbox backwards compatible games from the OG Xbox and Xbox 360 eras on sale this week, folks! Not only do we have the biggest Call of Duty sale in franchise history that contains plenty of Xbox 360 titles, but there's lots to pick from elsewhere across various other publisher sales and...
News Starfield Has Given Xbox Series X|S Sales A Huge Boost In The UK
The best performing week of 2023 so far
Some fresh data is coming out of the UK at the moment that suggests Starfield has had a huge impact on Xbox Series X|S sales already. According to gamesindustry.biz, UK sales of Xbox Series X and S jumped up 73% in the week ending September 2nd - when Starfield was becoming available via early access. This...
News Xbox's Latest Controller Design Goes All Spiritual With An 'Astral Purple' Theme
Another one for the collection?
Microsoft has announced the latest Xbox controller being added to the lineup - this one taking shape as an 'Astral Purple' design. It'll cost you £59.99 / $64.99 to add to your collection, and the team's latest accessory hits the market on September 19th. This is a more basic design overall, with the colour choice...
News 'Xbox Mastercard' Launches This Month, A New Credit Card From Microsoft & Barclays
Rolling out to everyone in 2024 (US)
Microsoft has announced today that it has teamed with Barclays to create the "Xbox Mastercard", which is an all-new credit card that launches for Xbox Insiders on September 21st and everyone else (in the US) in 2024. This card, which is exclusive to the 50 United States, will allow users to earn points for Xbox...
News Stalker 2 Developer Suffers From Fire In New Prague Offices
"No anomaly, not even a "Burner", will make us stop in our pursuit of our final goal"
Ukrainian developer GSC Game World has had a tough couple of years to say the absolute least, and since fleeing its home nation the team has been working out of new offices in Prague, Czech Republic. Unfortunately, these offices suffered fire damage late last week...
News Xbox Apparently 'Wants' To Overhaul Achievements, Someday
But it's "a matter of priorities and time"
For a number of years now Xbox fans have been curious about potential upgrades to the achievement system - most notably adding an equivalent to PlayStation's 'Platinum' trophies to further incentivize game completion. Well, we have a new update from gamescom 2023 thanks to Windows Central's Jez Corden, and...
News Starfield Hits New Peak Player Count On Steam During Opening Weekend
Almost 100k more than our last check-in!
During early access, Starfield hit an impressive peak player count on Steam, especially considering that users had to shell out around $100 to play early on the platform. Since then, the game has of course arrived in its standard edition form, and it's now smashed that early access player count number...
News Starfield Players Are Loving Xbox Quick Resume, But Some Users Are Reporting Issues
"Fixed this by turning off quick resume I think"
Quick Resume was heavily touted as one of the top Xbox Series X|S features as we headed into this generation, and on the whole it's worked pretty well so far. The option — which allows users to suspend games and resume them right where they left off — seems a great fit for single-player adventures...
News Create An Entire Replica Xbox 360 Console With This New MEGA Building Set
Building like it's '07
Fancy winding the clock back to 2007? MEGA has you covered with this new 3:4 scale Xbox 360 Building Set - complete with a boxed copy of Halo 3! Okay, that 'boxed copy' ain't exactly going to beam the full game to your screen, but it does actually work in tandem with the console as it does in real life! This new...
News Xbox Is Returning To Tokyo Game Show With A 'Digital Broadcast' Later This Month
"Expect to hear progress updates from Xbox and Bethesda"
We have another Xbox showcase to look forward to later this month, folks! Yep, Microsoft returns to the Tokyo Game Show this year with a 'Digital Showcase' featuring updates from Xbox, Bethesda, and other partners from the region. The livestream kicks off at 2am PT / 5am ET / 10am BST on...
News It Looks Like Hideo Kojima Is Spending His Spare Time On Starfield
Can you blame him?
Now that Starfield is available to all it's safe to assume lots of Xbox fans are playing it, and well, it turns out that famous game designer Hideo Kojima is no different! The Metal Gear Solid creator has taken to Twitter to let us all know that his adventure amongst the stars has begun. Kojima is playing on Xbox Series X, as you...
News ESA Reportedly Planning 'Complete Reinvention' Of E3, But Not Next Year
E3 2024 plans seemingly up in the air
Another footnote in the ongoing E3 saga has arrived! Following cancellations in both 2022 and 2023, the ESA has announced that it and organiser ReedPop are mutually parting ways - and future event plans are seemingly up in the air at this stage. First off, the official stuff - the ESA has revealed that the LA...
News Microsoft Says Minecraft Isn't Getting A Native Xbox Series X|S Version, For Now
Don't expect next-gen Minecraft "in the near future"
Right, so, yesterday we reported on a brand new ESRB rating for Minecraft on Xbox Series X|S - we thought a 'next-gen' version of the title could have been imminent following such a rating. Well, apparently not! Microsoft has today come out and shut down any speculation on a new version of...
News Phil Spencer Congratulates Bethesda On The 'Incredible Achievement' Of Launching Starfield
"They poured themselves into Starfield"
Starfield has finally arrived on Xbox Game Pass after what's felt like an eternity of waiting, and the Xbox boss is well aware of what Bethesda has had to go through to get this game out the door. In a post on Twitter, Phil Spencer congratulated Bethesda Game Studios on the launch of Starfield. The Xbox Boss...
News Original Xbox 'Plug-And-Play' Adapter Delivers HD Gaming This October
At a cost, mind you
We love a good throwback here at Pure Xbox, especially when aimed at the underrated original Xbox console that still surprises us with its impressive visuals to this day. But, what if you could instantly make those visuals pop on a HDTV? Well, third-party manufacturer EON thinks it has the answer to that. Introducing the XBHD, a...
Reaction Spyro's New Sales Milestone Gives Us Hope For An Xbox Revival
Come on Phil, make it so!
Activision's Spyro Reignited Trilogy has officially hit 10 million copies sold - a big old achievement for the little old dragon that made its remastered return back in 2018. We're not satisfied with just the remastered trilogy though - we want more Spyro and we hope Xbox has plans for the series' future. Okay, we sound...
News The 'Carbon Black' Xbox Series S Is Out Today, Here's Your First Real-Life Look
Xbox Series Sleek
Believe it or not, a new Xbox Series S model is out today! Yep, Microsoft's 1TB Carbon Black Series S console hits store shelves today, and we're starting to see some real-life images of the system as it becomes available to the public. We thought this thing looked pretty darn sleek just judging by Microsoft's initial announcement...
News Xbox Is Giving Away Free Gift Cards To Rainbow Six Siege Players
It's random, but it's true!
Every now and again, Microsoft likes to give away free Gift Cards to select Xbox owners — usually to celebrate a major sale of some kind — but this time they're being given away for playing a very specific Ubisoft game. That game is Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, with the Gift Cards seemingly being given out at...
News Starfield Is Hitting Impressive Concurrent Player Numbers On Steam Already
It costs $100 to play in early access!
Starfield is only out in early access at the moment, but that isn't stopping folks from turning up in their hundreds of thousands to play Bethesda's brand new RPG as soon as possible. Even if we only take the Steam player numbers into account, Starfield's early launch is looking like a mighty successful one for...
News The Elder Scrolls 6 Has Entered The Early Stages Of Development
Don't expect significant updates for at least "a few years"
Although the focus is on Starfield right now, Bethesda is also busy with one other massive-scale game. We're talking about The Elder Scrolls 6 and it seems there's been another minor update about the status of this highly anticipated fantasy project. During an interview with
News Starfield Director Todd Howard Praises Xbox In Internal Memo
"I cannot imagine a better place to create games"
Ahead of the early access launch of Starfield on Xbox, PC and Game Pass, the game's director Todd Howard has issued an internal memo - thanking the teams at Bethesda, ZeniMax, Xbox and Microsoft for their contributions. While it is mostly just Todd thanking a bunch of people and reflecting on the...
News Starfield 'Children Of The Sky' Music Video Is Here, And It's Giving Us The Chills
We're imagining dragons
We didn't see this collaboration coming! As part of Xbox's big marketing push for Starfield, the team at Bethesda has partnered with music outfit Imagine Dragons to launch 'Children of the Sky' - a brand-new song to coincide with Starfield's launch. We're not hugely familiar with Imagine Dragons' catalogue of tunes...
News Microsoft Pulls Xbox Game Pass Trial Ahead Of Starfield Release
You can no longer try out the service for $1
About three weeks ago Microsoft reintroduced its new, shorter Xbox Game Pass trial after pulling the $1 for a month offer back in March, but it seems that all of a sudden the company isn't feeling so generous. As we speedily approach Starfield's launch on the service, Xbox has decided to remove any sort...
News Bethesda Wants The Elder Scrolls 6 To Be 'The Ultimate Fantasy-World Simulator'
"And there are different ways to accomplish that"
All eyes are on Starfield right now when it comes to Bethesda Game Studios projects, but thanks to an early tease from years ago, we do know that The Elder Scrolls 6 is also in the works over there. We know hardly anything else about the team's Skyrim sequel, but, Todd Howard has spoken a lit
News Starfield Xbox Series X Console Wrap Spotted In-Person, And It Looks Even More Beautiful
Is your console going to be Starfield wrapped?
Okay, so, there's lots going on at Gamescom this week, but some of those in attendance have their priorities well and truly sorted out here. Those priorities are to do with locking eyes on the new Xbox Series X console wraps - specifically the gorgeous Starfield edition which we're very keen to see in...
News Microsoft Has No Plans To Drop Support For Xbox Series S
In the wake of Baldur's Gate 3
Update: There's been a development in the Baldur's Gate 3 story, with Larian Studios announcing plans to drop split-screen support on Xbox Series S (but not Xbox Series X) in order to get the game out in 2023. You can read more about that elsewhere on Pure Xbox: <related ids="154529"> Original story: There's...
News Xbox: Starfield Is The 'Starting Gun For The Next Couple Of Years'
"This is really the start of something"
Xbox's chief marketing officer Jerret West has spoken to outlet GamesIndustry.biz about the future of the company's games lineup, and it sounds like they're expecting things to get pretty serious after Starfield. It's been no secret that Xbox's first-party teams have taken a while to get going this...
News Xbox Reveals Full Gamescom 2023 Livestream Schedule
Here's the lineup and what to expect
Gamescom Opening Night Live may have just concluded for 2023, but when it comes to Xbox, the show is just getting started. The team is delivering multiple three-hour livestreams this week - starting today right from the Xbox Gamescom booth! We're going to be treated to fresh looks at Stalker 2, Forza Motorsport,...