Talking Point It's Been Two Years Since A Defining Moment In The History Of Xbox
The day the ActiBlizz takeover was essentially secured
- Xbox
- Activision
- Blizzard
- Talking Point
- Features
News Xbox Summer Sale 2025 'Teaser' Now Live, 300+ Games Discounted
Game Pass members get the deals one week early!
- Xbox
- Deals
- Summer Sale
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
News Former Exec Says He's 'Not Sure Xbox Would Be Around' If Microsoft Didn't Fix 360 RROD Issue
"This was, for us, a defining moment"
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Xbox 360
- Red Ring Of Death
- RROD
Primed and ready
- Guides
- Xbox
- Amazon Prime Day
- Deals
Talking Point What's Your Favourite Backwards Compatible Xbox Game?
We want some recommendations!
- Xbox
- Backwards Compatibility
- Original Xbox
- Xbox 360
- Talking Point
News Here's An Extended Look At Mafia: The Old Country Ahead Of Next Month's Xbox Release
Coming to Xbox in less than a months' time!
- Xbox
- Mafia: The Old Country
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- 2K Games
Latest News
TodayWed, 9th Jul 2025
News Here's An Extended Look At Mafia: The Old Country Ahead Of Next Month's Xbox Release
Coming to Xbox in less than a months' time!
A few months ago, 2K and developer Hangar 13 finally unveiled Mafia: The Old Country footage in what's turning out to be a pretty short preview cycle for the game - and now courtesy of IGN, we have a deeper, almost 10-minute look at gameplay from the team's upcoming Mafia prequel. So, we've thrown that...
- Xbox
- Mafia: The Old Country
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- 2K Games
News NBA 2K26 Releases For Xbox This September, Cover Stars Revealed
Pre-orders begin today, including for early access
A new NBA 2K is on the way! It's been announced that NBA 2K26 will release for Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on September 5th, 2025 - with a week's early access for some versions of the game too. Details on the game are pretty limited at the moment, but 2K is highlighting new ProPLAY...
- Xbox
- NBA 2K26
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Xbox One
News Former Exec Says He's 'Not Sure Xbox Would Be Around' If Microsoft Didn't Fix 360 RROD Issue
"This was, for us, a defining moment"
Former Microsoft exec Peter Moore has been getting all nostalgic again recently in his new chat with outlet The Game Business; touching on the Xbox 360 era when Moore helped lead the team. While we've heard some of this chatter before, he did make
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Xbox 360
- Red Ring Of Death
- RROD
News All 10+ Backwards Compatible Games In This Week's Xbox Sales (July 8-15)
Kicking off the Summer Sale selection
There was a time when we used to highlight the backwards compatible games in every Xbox sale, but we've since limited it to just the major ones. However, even though the Xbox Summer Sale is technically still a week away, the "teaser" version of the Summer Sale actually began for Xbox Game Pass members on...
- Xbox
- Backwards Compatibility
- Xbox Ultimate Game Sale
- Xbox Summer Sale
- Deals
Talking Point It's Been Two Years Since A Defining Moment In The History Of Xbox
The day the ActiBlizz takeover was essentially secured
Two years ago, we were spending so much time covering the Activision Blizzard acquisition here at Pure Xbox. It felt like something new was happening every day with it, especially when it started to be opposed from various angles. The FTC was the big one. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission...
- Xbox
- Activision
- Blizzard
- Talking Point
- Features
News Here's What The Reviews Say About Today's New Xbox Game Pass Title (July 9)
Now live in the library
Our second Xbox Game Pass addition of the week is now live in the library, with cosy management sim Minami Lane now playable for subscribers. This one has been out on other platforms for a while now, and we have a small selection of reviews from the game's initial 2024 launch to take a look at. We're going to gather up those...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Minami Lane
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News The Alters Passes 280K Sales Following Xbox Game Pass Launch
"It’s hard to put into words what that means to us"
It's been a few weeks now since sci-survival game The Alters launched on Xbox (as part of Game Pass) along with a couple of other platforms, and the team has now revealed its first milestone in terms of sales and wishlists for the title. As of July 8th, they say The Alters has sold 280,000...
- Xbox
- The Alters
- Xbox Game Pass
YesterdayTue, 8th Jul 2025
Primed and ready
Amazon Prime Day is back once again, with its latest sale now live. The event is running from 8th - 11th July 2025, bringing us lots of tempting Xbox deals and discounts. To save you the hassle of scrolling through page after page of products, we'll be updating this page with all the best Xbox deals throughout both days – make...
- Guides
- Xbox
- Amazon Prime Day
- Deals
Rumour Xbox Has Multiple Fallout Projects In Development, Including 'One You're All Wanting'
Who knows when we'll see them though
We've heard basically nothing about new Fallout projects over the past few years aside from the successful TV series, but it sounds like Xbox and Bethesda are quietly working away on a few things - at least according to a new rumour. In a new episode of the Skill Up podcast, VGC's Jordan Middler subtly mentions...
- Xbox
- Rumours
- Fallout
- Bethesda
News Sci-Fi Horror Game 'Routine' Returns After Three Years, Coming To Xbox Game Pass
It was originally announced back in 2012!
Back in the summer of 2022, we highlighted an upcoming Xbox Game Pass title called Routine here at Pure Xbox - and for the first time in three years, the game's developers have provided a meaningful update on its progress. Taking to Steam, they acknowledged it's been a long time since the previous update,...
- Xbox
- Routine
- Xbox Game Pass
News Xbox Summer Sale 2025 'Teaser' Now Live, 300+ Games Discounted
Game Pass members get the deals one week early!
It's time to kick-off the Xbox Summer Sale 2025! This year's promotion has begun with one week of exclusivity for Game Pass members, before the sale is blown open to all Xbox players in the near future - seemingly around July 17th. Otherwise known as the Xbox "Ultimate Game Sale" 2025, this teaser...
- Xbox
- Deals
- Summer Sale
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
News Xbox Reporter Addresses Game Pass Confusion, Says It's Still A Profitable Service In 2025
"I need to correct/clarify something"
Over the past few days, we've noticed a lot of people debating whether Xbox Game Pass is both sustainable and profitable for Microsoft, with some suggesting that it can't continue operating like it does today in 2025. Then, earlier this week, The Game Business reporter Chris Dring appeared to claim that Xbox...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
News Xbox Design Lab Has Now Been 'Temporarily On Hold' For Six Months
A strange situation
We've seen an increasing number of people asking about the status of Xbox Design Lab over the past few weeks, and that's no surprise considering the service has been mostly unavailable for the past six months. For those who aren't aware, Xbox Design Lab allows you to create your very own custom Xbox controller, but this part of...
- Xbox
- Xbox Design Lab
- Controllers
Deals Get 10% Off Xbox Game Pass, Gift Cards And More In Our July 2025 Sale
Update: One week to go!
As we enter a new month, we're offering a 10% discount for everything on our Pure Xbox Store until the middle of July 2025, allowing you to get a reduction on Xbox Game Pass subscriptions, Xbox Gift Cards, games and more! All you need to do is use the code PUREXBOX10 when you get to the checkout on the Pure Xbox Store to...
- Deals
- Xbox
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Xbox Game Pass
Random Xbox Is Giving Away A Highly Valuable Beavis & Butt-Head Controller
"The Great Cornholio has entered the lobby"
Beavis & Butt-Head fans, this one's for you! As shared yesterday on the official Call of Duty Twitter account, Xbox has teamed up with Activision to give away this special custom controller - and it's actually very valuable as well! As detailed in the official rules for this giveaway, the Beavis &...
- Xbox
- Controllers
- Random
- Call Of Duty
Roundup Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4
Xbox's latest first-party release
Yesterday, we highlighted all the release dates and release times for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4, mentioning that early access officially begins today (July 8th) - and therefore the reviews have started to land as well! We haven't been able to get our hands on THPS 3+4 yet despite our best efforts, and it seems a...
- Xbox
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
- THPS
- Review Roundup
- Xbox Series X
Talking Point What's Your Favourite Backwards Compatible Xbox Game?
We want some recommendations!
We've obviously talked a lot about backwards compatibility here at Pure Xbox over the years, but we're often asking you which games you'd want to be backwards compatible - rather than the games that already are. And of course, there's already an amazing library of back compat titles for Xbox that are 100% worth playing...
- Xbox
- Backwards Compatibility
- Original Xbox
- Xbox 360
- Talking Point
Monday7th Jul 2025
News Holdfast: Nations At War Brings Its 150-Player Shooter To Xbox This Week
With "Very Positive" reviews on Steam
Over the weekend, we highlighted the 10+ games coming to Xbox next week (which is now this week!), and the main game in the thumbnail was Holdfast: Nations at War - so we thought we'd tell you a bit more about it! Holdfast: Nations at War first debuted on PC a few years ago, and currently has a "Very Positive"...
- Xbox
- Holdfast: Nations at War
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Microsoft Said To Have 'Unrealistic' Expectations For Xbox, But Not Everyone Agrees
"An utterly unrealistic financial requirement"
With last week's Xbox layoffs still fresh in everyone's minds, there's been plenty of debate over the past few days about why they happened and what needs to be done to ensure they're not repeated on such a large scale again. In Windows Central's report about this a few days ago, it was mentioned that...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Industry
News How To Download The Free 'College Football 26' Trial With EA Play & Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Today's the day!
Alongside this week's batch of new Xbox Game Pass releases, we've also got a 10-hour free trial for College Football 26 as part of EA Play - which itself is included as part of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass tiers. The official release date for the College Football 26 free trial is Monday, July 7th. Early access for...
- Xbox
- EA Sports College Football 26
- Early Access
- Date
- Time
News Three Games Are Available This Week With Xbox Game Pass (July 8-11)
Including another big first-party release
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, we're highlighting all three of this week's new XGP additions (because they fall on separate days, so they're easily missed), with these including the return of The Ascent, a brand-new Xbox release in Minami Lane, and a new first-party release in Tony...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
Guide Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4: Release Date, Release Times, Early Access Details For Xbox & PC
It's almost time for Xbox Game Pass members!
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is officially an Xbox first-party game these days, and the latest entry in the series is arriving on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC and other platforms this week - it's day one on Xbox Game Pass as well! As we're finding with basically all Xbox first-party titles in...
- Xbox
- Guides
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
- THPS
- Release Dates
News Is Xbox Game Pass Unsustainable? Arkane Founder Sparks Huge Debate On Social Media
"I don't think GP can co-exist with other models"
Over the weekend, the founder of Arkane Studios (Raphaël Colantonio) attracted a lot of attention on social media for sharing his view of Xbox Game Pass, suggesting that it's "unsustainable" and increasingly damaging the industry. In a series of posts, Colantonio explained that although he...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Arkane
- Industry
News Xbox Series S Is More Powerful Than Switch 2, But 60FPS Games Should 'Easily' Port Across
Good news for Xbox's first-party portfolio
Although Microsoft hasn't yet announced any major first-party releases for Nintendo Switch 2, such as the upcoming Gears of War: Reloaded and The Outer Worlds 2, it's surely bound to happen sooner rather than later. There are a lot of back-catalogue games that would be a great fit on the system as well, so...
- Xbox
- Xbox Series S
- Nintendo Switch 2
News Romero Games 'Trying To Fund' Project After Sudden Loss Of Xbox Support, Says Developer
Update: Studio says it's been contacted by several publishers
Last week, we reported that Romero Games had been caught up in the Xbox layoffs - their new AAA title, helmed by John Romero who created the DOOM franchise, apparently had its funding pulled by Microsoft. Since then, an interview with an anonymous Romero Games staff member has been...
- Xbox
- Romero Games
- Industry
News New Xbox Game Pass Perk Includes 3 Months Of Paramount Plus (US)
As part of the Walmart+ 90-day trial
We've already highlighted the list of Xbox Game Pass Perks for July 2025 here at Pure Xbox, but one that you might not be aware of is Paramount Plus - and that's because it's actually part of a separate perk for Walmart Plus. If you're located in the US, you should see a 90-day free trial option for Walmart+ in...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Perks
- Walmart
- Paramount Plus
Talking Point To Celebrate Bungie Day, What's Your Favourite Halo Memory Of All Time?
The tradition turns 18 today
Happy Bungie Day everyone! Since July 7th of 2007, Halo and Destiny's original creators have been celebrating Bungie Day on this date - a nod to the company's inexplicable obsession with the number 7. It doesn't mean all that much anymore - although the studio is celebrating Bungie Day again this year - but at one point...
- Xbox
- Talking Point
- Halo
- Bungie
Saturday5th Jul 2025
Guide All Xbox Games With Mouse & Keyboard Support
The latest keyboard & mouse list for Xbox One, Series X, Series S
Update: Our latest update to this list has added the likes of Diablo IV, Mecha BREAK, Helldivers 2, Black Myth: Wukong, FBC: Firebreak, Crime Scene Cleaner, Zenless Zone Zero, Mullet MadJack, Planet Coaster 2, Smite 2, The Alters, Stalker: Legends of the Zone Trilogy - Enhanced...
- Xbox
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- PC
Feature These 10+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (July 7-11)
Including three more Xbox Game Pass titles!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for July 7 - July 11! We've got a few big releases heading our way over the next few days including EA Sports College Football 26 and System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster, while Xbox Game Pass is treating us to three games - highlighted by the Xbox first-party launch...
- Xbox
- Features
- Weekly Roundup
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
News Here's What Might Leave Xbox Game Pass In August 2025
Some early predictions!
What's leaving Xbox Game Pass in August 2025? Well, Microsoft hasn't confirmed anything just yet, but based on some games that were added to the service this time last year, we can at least make a few predictions ahead of time. We know that a lot of Xbox users want more advance notice of games leaving Xbox Game Pass, but...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Leaving Soon
- August 2025
Poll Helldivers 2 Isn't On Xbox Game Pass, So Will You Be Buying It?
The first PlayStation published game on Xbox
It's safe to say that things have been a bit frantic in the world of Xbox, but rather strangely, the bright spot amongst a tough week-or-so has come from PlayStation owner Sony. Yep, the Japanese firm recently announced that its popular live service shooter Helldivers 2 is landing on Xbox Series X|S this...
- Xbox
- Features
- Polls
- Helldivers 2
- Xbox Game Pass
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 5-6)
Storming the beaches on Xbox Game Pass?
Welcome to another weekend! With July now in full swing, another six months of gaming has passed us by here in 2025 - with Microsoft having a killer lineup so far this year. The Xbox Game Pass drops haven't slowed down either, with lots of fresh titles to be tackling via the service on Xbox & PC.
- Xbox
- Features
- Talking Point
- What Are You Playing
Friday4th Jul 2025
News Three Xbox Games Are Shutting Down Their Servers In July & August 2025
The closures we know about so far
Every month, we like to bring you an update on the Xbox games shutting down their servers, but there's not a whole lot going on in both July and August 2025 so far - with just three Xbox games getting the treatment as things stand. That's obviously a good thing though! These are all pretty small titles as well,...
- Xbox
- Servers
- Delisting
- Microsoft
- July 2025
News Xbox Series S Compared To Switch 2 In Hogwarts Legacy Analysis, And The Results Are Surprising
Series S provides a much better experience!
Nintendo Switch 2 is now out in the wild, and after a month or so on the market, the system has seen mixed results with it when it comes to third-party experiences. While developers like Koei Tecmo recently came out and said that the hybrid console is pretty close to Xbox Series S, the results so far haven
- Xbox
- Xbox Series S
- Nintendo Switch 2
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Microsoft
News Former Xbox Dev Claims Turn 10's Forza Motorsport Team 'Is No More'
"A very sad day"
As part of Microsoft's sweeping job cuts this week, it's been reported that Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 Studios has lost almost 50% of its staff - and according to a former worker, the losses are even more significant than that. Fred Russell — former content coordinator at Turn 10 — has posted out to
- Xbox
- Forza Motorsport
- Turn 10 Studios
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
News Perfect Dark Actor Calls On Fans To 'Speak Up' And Help The Game Survive
"Agent Dark doesn’t give up & neither should any of you"
Around this time last year, the actor for Joanna Dark in the Perfect Dark reboot was revealed as Alix Wilton Regan, and she mentioned at the time how she was "crazy excited" to play the role in The Initiative's debut title. Of course, it's now been cancelled this week, and she's returned to...
- Xbox
- Perfect Dark
- The Initiative
News Helldivers 2 Developer Shuts Down Xbox Game Pass Rumour
It's "definitely not" happening at launch
With Helldivers 2 getting a surprise announcement for Xbox the other day, there's inevitibly been some speculation about whether it might be coming to Xbox Game Pass as well - but this is "definitely not" happening at launch. The game's community manager shut this down on Discord, responding to someone who...
- Xbox
- Helldivers 2
- Xbox Game Pass
News SEGA President Excited For Future Of Consoles Despite 'Huge Trend' Of PC & Mobile
"I have a big attachment to the console business"
Earlier this week, before all of the madness surrounding the Xbox layoffs, SEGA president Shuji Utsumi was interviewed as part of an extensive feature over at The Game Business, giving his thoughts on a whole variety of topics. One of the areas he touched on was the future of consoles and how the...
- Xbox
- SEGA
- Industry
News Just Got Laid Off By AI-Loving Microsoft? Why Not Speak To AI About It, Suggests Xbox Producer
"I know these types of tools engender strong feelings in people"
In a week where Microsoft has gutted 9,000 jobs, closed game studios and cancelled games – all while investing heavily in AI – you woul
- Xbox
Rumour Multiple Studios Interested In Making New Banjo-Kazooie Game
"I heard more recently the pitches are being listened to"
There's been a lot of talk about Banjo-Kazooie without anything actually materialising over the past few years, but a new rumour suggests Xbox and Rare are at least "listening" to pitches about a new title. This comes from Video Games Chronicle's Andy Robinson, who mentioned on a VGC podcast...
- Xbox
- Banjo-Kazooie
- Rumours
Random Over 1M People Have Signed A Petition To 'Stop Killing Games'
A major milestone for the campaign
For a long time now, and particularly in the past few years, we've seen a lot of games shutting their Xbox servers and then becoming unplayable in the process - a scenario that the "Stop Killing Games" campaign is trying to prevent. The campaign is specifically about addressing games that are "completely...
- Xbox
- Random
- Industry
News Kojima's Xbox Game 'OD' Hasn't Been Affected By Microsoft Layoffs, Says Report
Hopefully we see it in action soon
Alongside multiple project cancellations from inside Xbox HQ, certain external efforts have also been affected by this week's Microsoft layoffs - including Romero Games and its now-canned AAA FPS. However, t
- Xbox
- OD
- Hideo Kojima
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
News Helldivers 2 Coming To Xbox Is A 'Sign Of Unity', Says Creative Director
Xbox and PlayStation working together
We've seen a bunch of surprising news coming out of Xbox this week, including that Helldivers 2 will be coming to Series X and Series S in late August - published by none other than PlayStation Publishing LLC. Yes, this is the first "PlayStation Publishing" title to arrive on Xbox (MLB The Show and Death...
- Xbox
- Helldivers 2
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- PlayStation
Thursday3rd Jul 2025
News Perfect Dark Developer Responds To 'Big Controversy' Over 2024 Gameplay Trailer
"It's annoying me, so I wanted to say something."
Earlier today, we highlighted a claim that the 2024 Perfect Dark gameplay trailer wasn't "indicative" of its overall progress, with a suggestion that it was "basically fake". Now, one of the trailer's developers has responded to this. Taking to social media earlier today, former Perfect Dark level...
- Xbox
- Perfect Dark
- The Initiative
News Helldivers 2 On Xbox: Crossplay Confirmed, But What About Cross-Progression?
It seems less likely
If you haven't caught the news yet, Helldivers 2 is officially releasing on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S this August, and we know a lot of people are wondering whether it'll support crossplay and cross-progression when it arrives. Let's start with the good news! Helldivers 2 is officially getting crossplay on Xbox, meaning...
- Xbox
- Helldivers 2
- Cross-Play
- Cross Progression
News Helldivers 2 Is Officially Releasing For Xbox This August
"A new dawn is upon us"
Woah. In an announcement we never thought we'd see, it's been officially confirmed that Helldivers 2 will be coming to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S this August. Pre-orders are beginning today on the Xbox Store as well. Helldivers 2 has an Xbox release date of August 26th, 2025. The game's Xbox Store page confirms
- Xbox
- Helldivers 2
- Release Dates
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News State Of Decay 3 Has Gone Quiet, But Apparently It's Safe At Xbox
At least for now
Following yesterday's news about Xbox layoffs and cancellations for the likes of Everwild and Perfect Dark, there's been concern over State of Decay 3 - a game that's gone quiet since appearing at the Xbox Games Showcase 2024. Nevertheless, it sounds like the game is safe at Xbox Game Studios, at least for no
- Xbox
- State of Decay 3
- Rumours
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News PlayStation Is Publishing Helldivers 2 On Xbox, Signalling A Shift In Strategy From Sony
Will more PlayStation games move over?
We got some big news today in the form of Helldivers 2 making its way over to Xbox; a super well-regarded multiplayer shooter from the folks over at Arrowhead Game Studios. In isolation this is big news, but with extra context this is massive news - as it's the first-ever PlayStation Publishing release to...
- Xbox
- Helldivers 2
- Arrowhead
- PlayStation
- Microsoft
News Perfect Dark Gameplay Trailer Wasn't 'Indicative' Of Its Progress, Claims Reporter
Update: PD developer responds
The most surprising news to come out of yesterday's Xbox layoffs was that Perfect Dark was being cancelled and The Initiative (the studio developing it) was being shut down. After all, we finally got a proper look at the title during last year's Xbox Games Showcase, and as mentioned at the time, we thought it looked...
- Xbox
- Perfect Dark
- The Initiative
News EA Is Shutting Down Anthem, And It Won't Be Playable Offline Either
"Anthem was designed to be an online-only title"
EA and BioWare's Anthem has suffered a lot over the past few years, with development officially ending on the title back in 2021, and now it's been announced that the game will be going offline forever on January 12th, 2026. An "Anthem Game Update" on the official EA website confirms this, with the...
- Xbox
- Anthem
- EA
- BioWare
