Latest Reviews of Blizzard Games
Review Diablo 4 - Blizzard's Biggest Diablo Game Ever, But Is It The Best?
The Mother of Sanctuary makes her return
Blizzard Entertainment has an amazing legacy in the games industry, but in recent years the California developer’s public reputation has suffered following a series of controversies, a change of guard across many of its key franchises and certain projects simply not meeting the expectations and high...
Latest Blizzard Articles
News Xbox Settles Lawsuit With 'Gamers' Who Tried To Sue Over Activision Blizzard Deal
It had been ongoing for nearly two years
Right, where to begin with this one?! If you cast your mind all the way back to December of 2022, you may remember a story here at Pure Xbox about a group of random "gamers" who were suing Microsoft over the company's attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard. Basically, the lawsuit claimed that the...
Talking Point How Do You Feel About Xbox's ActiBlizz Deal One Year On?
Yes, the deal closed a year ago!
It feels like forever since Xbox first announced its plans to buy out Activision Blizzard, but it's actually only been one year since the deal finally closed in October 2023. Yep, after a long old fight with multiple regulatory bodies around the globe, Microso
Roundup Diablo 4: Vessel Of Hatred Gets Great Reviews Ahead Of Xbox Launch
Base game on Xbox Game Pass
Diablo 4's huge Vessel of Hatred DLC expansion arrives next week, and the team's review embargo is now up, which means a selection of early impressions are becoming available online. We'll run through a bunch of these early reviews and round them up down below, but the general gist here is that folks are liking this...
News StarCraft Remastered & StarCraft 2 Coming To PC Game Pass This November
Surprise!
Xbox has opened its Tokyo Game Show livestream with a bombshell today - StarCraft Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection are coming to PC Game Pass later this year. Yep, announced by Phil Spencer himself as the broadcast kicked off, these two Blizzard classics are finally being made available on the Game Pass service...
News Blizzard's Diablo 4 Gets Extensive Free Trial On Xbox This Weekend (September 19-23)
Completely free up to level 20!
Despite an absolutely massive Free Play Days week that contains 10 games to try out in total, Xbox and ActiBlizz are unleashing yet another free trial this weekend - Diablo 4 is completely free-to-play across all platforms until Monday, September 23rd. Now, there is a level 20 cap on the team's free trial (meaning...
News Xbox's Tokyo Game Show 2024 Broadcast Airs Later This Month
Updates from Xbox, Activision, Blizzard & Bethesda
Microsoft has announced its Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2024 Broadcast will take place later this month on Thursday, September 26th. Content from Xbox Game Studios, Activision, Blizzard Entertainment and Bethesda will be shared. Xbox will also be showcasing an "exciting lineup of games from third-party...
News Blizzard's New Diablo 4 Expansion Trailer Welcomes Back Mercenaries
The requested feature returns
Diablo 4's new expansion 'Vessel of Hatred' will introduce mercenaries to help you out on your quest, and at Gamescom Opening Night Live, Blizzard shared a new trailer featuring these helpers. Here's a bit more about these recruits via Blizzard's official website: "Discover and recruit new Mercenaries to join you on...
News Blizzard's Overwatch 2 Is Integrating With Xbox Game Pass Next Month
Get a bunch of rewards at no extra cost!
Blizzard has unveiled Overwatch 2 Season 12 today, and it brings a brilliant bonus for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. Starting September 17, Game Pass members will be able to claim a bunch of extra content for Overwatch 2, including six "awesome" hero skins and more! To claim this content, players will have to...
News Diablo 4's 'Season Of The Infernal Hordes' Now Live On Xbox, Here's What's Included
It's available to Game Pass subscribers, too
Ahead of the launch of Vessel of Hatred in October, Blizzard has launched a new season for the Xbox, PC and Game Pass title Diablo 4. In case you missed it, it's officially titled 'Season of the Infernal Hordes', and comes with new features, new powers, a new questline and new micro-dungeons. Here's the...
Report Xbox Has Formed A New Team To Build 'Games Based On Existing IP' At Blizzard
They'll apparently be "AA" experiences
A fresh report from Windows Central has landed today that sheds light on a brand-new team that's supposedly been formed at Blizzard Entertainment. According to Jez Corden's reporting, a new team has been built at the Diablo developer "to work on smaller 'AA' games based on existing IP". What that IP will turn...
News Diablo 4 Shares First Gameplay Footage Of New Expansion Class
The Spiritborn arrives this October
Ahead of the launch of the Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred expansion on Xbox this October, Blizzard has officially revealed the first gameplay footage of the new expansion class known as the Spiritborn. This class calls upon the unique strengths of "Jaguar, Gorilla, Eagle, and Centipede Spirit Guardians", as you can...
News Diablo 4 Season 5 Is Bringing A Wave-Based Horde Mode To Xbox Game Pass
"Slay the infernal hordes"
Diablo 4 has been out on Xbox Game Pass for a few months now, but as Blizzard's dungeon crawler is very much an ongoing game, you can expect it to change and evolve lots over time. One of those changes is a major new addition coming to the game in Season 5, with the team confirming that a wave-based horde mode will make...
News Xbox: 'You Are Going To See More Of Our Games On More Platforms'
"We just see that as a benefit to the franchises we're building"
In case you missed it, during a chat about DOOM: The Dark Ages with IGN, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer snuck in a brief comment about more of Xbox's games going to "more platforms" in the future. Unsurprisingly, it's raised some eyebrows on social media and other corners of the...
News Diablo 4's Xbox Game Pass Release An 'Incredible' Boost Ahead Of Expansion
The 'Vessel of Hatred' expansion will arrive this October
We've already heard a little bit about Diablo 4's growth since its debut on Xbox Game Pass at the end of March, and today during an IGN Live segment, the game's production director Tiffany Wat spoke about how Microsoft's subscription service boosted player numbers. She described it as...
News Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 Listing Further Hints At Huge ActiBlizz Xbox Game Pass Drop
We are READY
Okay, so, at this point we're all pretty much expecting a massive Activision Blizzard Xbox Game Pass drop to happen in and around the Xbox Games Showcase this weekend, and another few hints at such an event have cropped up online today. First off, as part of Microsoft's new 'Next Week On X
News Overwatch 2 Meets Porsche In Bizarre Xbox Custom Console Collaboration
"Is that an Xbox, a mech, or a Porsche?!"
We've seen some weird and wonderful custom consoles over the years, and while this latest design is quite modest in comparison to some, it's certainly not a collaboration we expected to see on a random Tuesday afternoon in May. But, here it is. Microsoft has detailed its latest Xbox Series X sweepstakes...
News Ex-Blizzard President On Xbox's Future: 'Xbox Can Find A Path To Great Success'
"For their teams and players around the world"
It's been a wild week for Xbox following the announcement of four studio closures, and while the video game giant is currently facing a lot of criticism, many ex-Microsoft and Xbox employees still believe the brand can overcome this difficult period. Following
News Xbox Reiterates Every First Party Title Is Coming To Game Pass 'Day One'
A recent report suggested Call of Duty could be excluded
Following a recent report claiming Xbox was considering not including new Call of Duty releases on Game Pass, it seems Microsoft's gaming division remains committed to "day one" releases. Xbox president Sarah Bond has mentioned at the Bloomberg Technology Summit this week how "day one"...
News Former Microsoft Exec Gives 'Two Reasons' Why Xbox Closed Bethesda Teams
"Neither of them have anything to do with Bethesda"
It's been a tumultuous time in Xbox land as of late, with news breaking throughout the week about job cuts - including four studio closures within Xbox's Bethesda division. At the time of writing Microsoft hasn't released a statement about all of these reports, but one former executive thinks he...
Reaction Xbox's Push Towards 'Microsoft Gaming' Looks More Drastic Than We First Thought
The price of ever-expanding growth
It's been a wild few years over at Team Xbox, with the brand being marked by vast change since the launch of Xbox Series X and S back in late 2020 - which is starting to feel like a lifetime ago now. Huge acquisitions like that of both Bethesda and Activision Blizzard have massively changed how the team now...
News Diablo 4's New Season 'Loot Reborn' Launches On Xbox This Month
"Season 4 is going to be the biggest update"
Following its debut on Xbox Game Pass in March, Diablo IV will soon be getting its "biggest update" since launch in the form of the Season 4: Loot Reborn update. This update will roll out on May 14th, 2024 and promises to overhaul many "core game systems" to refresh how items are earned, how they...
News Xbox's Gaming Revenue Is Up 51% YoY Following Activision Blizzard Acquisition
The FY24 Q3 results are in
Microsoft has today released its financial results for Q3 2024 and its Xbox gaming revenue growth is up by more than 51% year-over-year. Once again, this is mostly credited to Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which was closed on October 13, 2023. This latest figure factors in 55 points of net impact from...
News Blizzard Has Decided To Skip BlizzCon In 2024
"This is a Blizzard decision" not a Microsoft one
Blizzard's annual event 'BlizzCon' won't be taking place this year, and while there's been some speculation it could have been a decision made by a "higher up" at Microsoft, it's now been confirmed this is not the case. A Blizzard spokesperson informed Windows Central "this is a Blizzard decision"...
News World Of Warcraft For Xbox Is Still Discussed Internally At Blizzard
"Of course we still talk about it"
Can you believe that World of Warcraft is 20 years-old this year? Nah, us neither, and as it turns out - new versions of the title are still a hot topic over at developer Blizzard. Yep, two decades later the team still ponders a console release, and whether it's something worth pursuing. Talking to VGC, the...
News Blizzard Says It's Already 'Benefitting' From From Being A Part Of Xbox
"If anything, it’s just been helpful"
It's no doubt a pretty huge task to incorporate a team like Blizzard into your organisation - we've already seen evidence of this back in January when a studio shakeup resulted in a cancelled Blizzard project. However, things seem to have settled down since, and a new comment from one Blizzard dev suggests...
News Xbox Settles Lawsuit With 'Gamers' Who Tried To Sue Over Activision Blizzard Deal
It had been ongoing for nearly two years
Right, where to begin with this one?! If you cast your mind all the way back to December of 2022, you may remember a story here at Pure Xbox about a group of random "gamers" who were suing Microsoft over the company's attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard. Basically, the lawsuit claimed that the...
Talking Point How Do You Feel About Xbox's ActiBlizz Deal One Year On?
Yes, the deal closed a year ago!
It feels like forever since Xbox first announced its plans to buy out Activision Blizzard, but it's actually only been one year since the deal finally closed in October 2023. Yep, after a long old fight with multiple regulatory bodies around the globe, Microso
Roundup Diablo 4: Vessel Of Hatred Gets Great Reviews Ahead Of Xbox Launch
Base game on Xbox Game Pass
Diablo 4's huge Vessel of Hatred DLC expansion arrives next week, and the team's review embargo is now up, which means a selection of early impressions are becoming available online. We'll run through a bunch of these early reviews and round them up down below, but the general gist here is that folks are liking this...
News StarCraft Remastered & StarCraft 2 Coming To PC Game Pass This November
Surprise!
Xbox has opened its Tokyo Game Show livestream with a bombshell today - StarCraft Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection are coming to PC Game Pass later this year. Yep, announced by Phil Spencer himself as the broadcast kicked off, these two Blizzard classics are finally being made available on the Game Pass service...
News Blizzard's Diablo 4 Gets Extensive Free Trial On Xbox This Weekend (September 19-23)
Completely free up to level 20!
Despite an absolutely massive Free Play Days week that contains 10 games to try out in total, Xbox and ActiBlizz are unleashing yet another free trial this weekend - Diablo 4 is completely free-to-play across all platforms until Monday, September 23rd. Now, there is a level 20 cap on the team's free trial (meaning...
News Xbox's Tokyo Game Show 2024 Broadcast Airs Later This Month
Updates from Xbox, Activision, Blizzard & Bethesda
Microsoft has announced its Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2024 Broadcast will take place later this month on Thursday, September 26th. Content from Xbox Game Studios, Activision, Blizzard Entertainment and Bethesda will be shared. Xbox will also be showcasing an "exciting lineup of games from third-party...
News Blizzard's New Diablo 4 Expansion Trailer Welcomes Back Mercenaries
The requested feature returns
Diablo 4's new expansion 'Vessel of Hatred' will introduce mercenaries to help you out on your quest, and at Gamescom Opening Night Live, Blizzard shared a new trailer featuring these helpers. Here's a bit more about these recruits via Blizzard's official website: "Discover and recruit new Mercenaries to join you on...
News Blizzard's Overwatch 2 Is Integrating With Xbox Game Pass Next Month
Get a bunch of rewards at no extra cost!
Blizzard has unveiled Overwatch 2 Season 12 today, and it brings a brilliant bonus for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. Starting September 17, Game Pass members will be able to claim a bunch of extra content for Overwatch 2, including six "awesome" hero skins and more! To claim this content, players will have to...
News Diablo 4's 'Season Of The Infernal Hordes' Now Live On Xbox, Here's What's Included
It's available to Game Pass subscribers, too
Ahead of the launch of Vessel of Hatred in October, Blizzard has launched a new season for the Xbox, PC and Game Pass title Diablo 4. In case you missed it, it's officially titled 'Season of the Infernal Hordes', and comes with new features, new powers, a new questline and new micro-dungeons. Here's the...
Report Xbox Has Formed A New Team To Build 'Games Based On Existing IP' At Blizzard
They'll apparently be "AA" experiences
A fresh report from Windows Central has landed today that sheds light on a brand-new team that's supposedly been formed at Blizzard Entertainment. According to Jez Corden's reporting, a new team has been built at the Diablo developer "to work on smaller 'AA' games based on existing IP". What that IP will turn...
News Diablo 4 Shares First Gameplay Footage Of New Expansion Class
The Spiritborn arrives this October
Ahead of the launch of the Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred expansion on Xbox this October, Blizzard has officially revealed the first gameplay footage of the new expansion class known as the Spiritborn. This class calls upon the unique strengths of "Jaguar, Gorilla, Eagle, and Centipede Spirit Guardians", as you can...
News Diablo 4 Season 5 Is Bringing A Wave-Based Horde Mode To Xbox Game Pass
"Slay the infernal hordes"
Diablo 4 has been out on Xbox Game Pass for a few months now, but as Blizzard's dungeon crawler is very much an ongoing game, you can expect it to change and evolve lots over time. One of those changes is a major new addition coming to the game in Season 5, with the team confirming that a wave-based horde mode will make...
News Xbox: 'You Are Going To See More Of Our Games On More Platforms'
"We just see that as a benefit to the franchises we're building"
In case you missed it, during a chat about DOOM: The Dark Ages with IGN, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer snuck in a brief comment about more of Xbox's games going to "more platforms" in the future. Unsurprisingly, it's raised some eyebrows on social media and other corners of the...
News Diablo 4's Xbox Game Pass Release An 'Incredible' Boost Ahead Of Expansion
The 'Vessel of Hatred' expansion will arrive this October
We've already heard a little bit about Diablo 4's growth since its debut on Xbox Game Pass at the end of March, and today during an IGN Live segment, the game's production director Tiffany Wat spoke about how Microsoft's subscription service boosted player numbers. She described it as...
News Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 Listing Further Hints At Huge ActiBlizz Xbox Game Pass Drop
We are READY
Okay, so, at this point we're all pretty much expecting a massive Activision Blizzard Xbox Game Pass drop to happen in and around the Xbox Games Showcase this weekend, and another few hints at such an event have cropped up online today. First off, as part of Microsoft's new 'Next Week On X
News Overwatch 2 Meets Porsche In Bizarre Xbox Custom Console Collaboration
"Is that an Xbox, a mech, or a Porsche?!"
We've seen some weird and wonderful custom consoles over the years, and while this latest design is quite modest in comparison to some, it's certainly not a collaboration we expected to see on a random Tuesday afternoon in May. But, here it is. Microsoft has detailed its latest Xbox Series X sweepstakes...
News Ex-Blizzard President On Xbox's Future: 'Xbox Can Find A Path To Great Success'
"For their teams and players around the world"
It's been a wild week for Xbox following the announcement of four studio closures, and while the video game giant is currently facing a lot of criticism, many ex-Microsoft and Xbox employees still believe the brand can overcome this difficult period. Following
News Xbox Reiterates Every First Party Title Is Coming To Game Pass 'Day One'
A recent report suggested Call of Duty could be excluded
Following a recent report claiming Xbox was considering not including new Call of Duty releases on Game Pass, it seems Microsoft's gaming division remains committed to "day one" releases. Xbox president Sarah Bond has mentioned at the Bloomberg Technology Summit this week how "day one"...
News Former Microsoft Exec Gives 'Two Reasons' Why Xbox Closed Bethesda Teams
"Neither of them have anything to do with Bethesda"
It's been a tumultuous time in Xbox land as of late, with news breaking throughout the week about job cuts - including four studio closures within Xbox's Bethesda division. At the time of writing Microsoft hasn't released a statement about all of these reports, but one former executive thinks he...
Reaction Xbox's Push Towards 'Microsoft Gaming' Looks More Drastic Than We First Thought
The price of ever-expanding growth
It's been a wild few years over at Team Xbox, with the brand being marked by vast change since the launch of Xbox Series X and S back in late 2020 - which is starting to feel like a lifetime ago now. Huge acquisitions like that of both Bethesda and Activision Blizzard have massively changed how the team now...
News Diablo 4's New Season 'Loot Reborn' Launches On Xbox This Month
"Season 4 is going to be the biggest update"
Following its debut on Xbox Game Pass in March, Diablo IV will soon be getting its "biggest update" since launch in the form of the Season 4: Loot Reborn update. This update will roll out on May 14th, 2024 and promises to overhaul many "core game systems" to refresh how items are earned, how they...
News Xbox's Gaming Revenue Is Up 51% YoY Following Activision Blizzard Acquisition
The FY24 Q3 results are in
Microsoft has today released its financial results for Q3 2024 and its Xbox gaming revenue growth is up by more than 51% year-over-year. Once again, this is mostly credited to Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which was closed on October 13, 2023. This latest figure factors in 55 points of net impact from...
News Blizzard Has Decided To Skip BlizzCon In 2024
"This is a Blizzard decision" not a Microsoft one
Blizzard's annual event 'BlizzCon' won't be taking place this year, and while there's been some speculation it could have been a decision made by a "higher up" at Microsoft, it's now been confirmed this is not the case. A Blizzard spokesperson informed Windows Central "this is a Blizzard decision"...
News World Of Warcraft For Xbox Is Still Discussed Internally At Blizzard
"Of course we still talk about it"
Can you believe that World of Warcraft is 20 years-old this year? Nah, us neither, and as it turns out - new versions of the title are still a hot topic over at developer Blizzard. Yep, two decades later the team still ponders a console release, and whether it's something worth pursuing. Talking to VGC, the...
News Blizzard Says It's Already 'Benefitting' From From Being A Part Of Xbox
"If anything, it’s just been helpful"
It's no doubt a pretty huge task to incorporate a team like Blizzard into your organisation - we've already seen evidence of this back in January when a studio shakeup resulted in a cancelled Blizzard project. However, things seem to have settled down since, and a new comment from one Blizzard dev suggests...