Latest Reviews of Xbox Game Studios Games
Review Gears Of War: E-Day (Campaign) - A Monumental Triumph For Xbox, And My Game Of The Year
E-Day exceeded expectations and made me fall in love with the series even more
Note: We were given restricted access prior to release, hence why this review is focused on the campaign alone. However, after playing a significant amount of multiplayer, we still stand by the 10/10 score. Gears of War: E-Day is the consequence of a studio that...
Maw of this
Halo: Campaign Evolved, much like the newly minted Halo Studios behind it, represents a fresh start for Xbox’s flagship shooter. It’s a remake that doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, instead drawing on lessons from the past. Stripping Master Chief back to his original MJOLNIR Mark V armour, it reminds us why the series’ 2001...
Review Forza Horizon 6 (Xbox) - Playground Delivers Another Exceptional Open-World Racer
Toygoata
After 14 long and thrill-filled years, Forza Horizon has finally landed in Japan; where fans have wanted the series to go for some time now. Heading to Tokyo and its surrounding areas was the no-brainer, the banker, the one that couldn't fail - and Xbox & Playground Games have indeed delivered a Japanese car culture extravaganza with Forza...
Review Kiln (Xbox) - A Fun Addition To Xbox Game Pass, But Can Its Flame Stay Lit?
Glazed and confused
How do you define a "good" or "successful" game? That's what I've been thinking about while playing the new Xbox first-party title Kiln over the past few days, as although I've had lots of fun with it, I also worry about how many people it'll appeal to in the long-term. But does that matter? Can we not just enjoy this for what it...
Review Ninja Gaiden 4 (Xbox) - Platinum Propels The Series Forward On Xbox Game Pass
There's a new kid on the block
When it was revealed that PlatinumGames was helping with the fourth major entry in the Ninja Gaiden series, I had two immediate thoughts. How would the Bayonetta studio handle this kind of responsibility, and could another character really lead the next big entry in the modern series, in place of the 'main face' and...
Review Keeper (Xbox) - A Memorable Puzzle Adventure From Xbox Studio Double Fine
Reviewed across both Xbox Series X and ROG Xbox Ally!
I totally understand why Xbox hasn't been marketing Keeper very well ahead of launch. Microsoft has suffered some criticism for not putting the spotlight on Double Fine's new Xbox first-party game, but after playing it, I think there are a couple of key reasons behind the decision - the first...
Popular Xbox Game Studios Games
Age Of Empires 2: Definitive Edition Xbox Series X|S
Xbox Game Studios / Forgotten Empires
- 31st Jan 2023 (NA)
Latest Xbox Game Studios News
News Xbox Has Two More First-Party Releases In 2026, And They Could Be The Most Lucrative
One of them is PC-only, but it's still a massive first-party game
A lot of the focus this year when it comes to Xbox first-party releases has been on Forza Horizon 6, Halo: Campaign Evolved and Gears of War: E-Day, especially considering it's the 25th anniversary of Xbox and those franchises have been integral to the success of the brand for much if...
"We want to be a great publisher and a great platform provider"
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has been speaking a little bit more about the future of Xbox in a new interview with the Sources Podcast, with the interview seemingly taking place earlier this week at a Copilot event in Seattle (although there's a chance it might have been earlier in the...
News 'We're Not Resetting Our Roadmap' - Bethesda Boss On Obsidian And The Xbox Studios Shakeup
It's said to be mainly a change in reporting structure
When Xbox announced its major shakeup of studios earlier this week, one of the companies that was affected was Obsidian, which is now officially part of the Bethesda group rather than Xbox Game Studios as it was beforehand. This has naturally led to questions about what the future holds for...
News Devs From The Coalition, World's Edge, And Other Xbox Studios Confirm Layoffs
"Well, that's that"
Yesterday, Xbox announced a further 268 job cuts across Halo Studios and other first-party development teams. Although the post detailed a major restructuring that'll see things like Halo move under Activision, the specifics on who and which studios were affected were quite light. In the past 24 hours, it looks like developers...
News Former Xbox Studio Suffers 'Significant' Layoffs Hours After Going Independent
"Development of State of Decay 3 remains actively underway at Undead Labs"
Yesterday, Undead Labs announced it had completed its separation from Xbox and was now a fully independent operation. Just mere hours later, however, the State of Decay developer returned with news that a significant number of employees had been let go. In the same message...
News Xbox Game Studios Suddenly Looks Very Different In New Fan-Made Infographic
Just a handful of studios left under the XGS umbrella
Today's announcements regarding the restructure at Xbox Game Studios have switched things up in a big way over at Microsoft, with Activision in particular now taking responsibility for some major names in Halo, Rare and World's Edge. All of this means that Xbox Game Studios itself is now leaner...
News Arkane Studios' Future With Xbox Remains A Total Mystery
Will Marvel's Blade ever see the light of day?
Xbox has revealed its next steps in the company's continued reset, but it's still uncertain what the future holds for Marvel's Blade developer Arkane Studios. In a company-wide message, Xbox CCO Matt Booty detailed the next wave of layoffs, the future of Halo, Forza and Fable, as well as restructuring...
News Xbox Warns Ninja Theory Could Be Closed As Two Agreements Fall Through
But they're "continuing to explore other paths forward"
A couple of months ago, Xbox announced that it would be saying goodbye to four studios in Compulsion Games, Double Fine, Ninja Theory and Undead Labs, with the latter two being sold off. Hellblade developer Ninja Theory is apparently in particularly dire straits though, with Xbox warning that...
News Xbox Announces Four Major Studio Changes And Cuts 286 Jobs
"We are reorganizing our studios"
Earlier today, rumours starting doing the rounds that layoffs were incoming at Xbox, and it's now been confirmed that 286 roles are being eliminated across "Halo Studios, other first-party studios, and the XGS management and central functions layer". All of this is part of the 3,200 job cuts that were announced...
News Xbox Is Officially Taking Over From PlayStation On Hideo Kojima's New 'PHYSINT' Game
Sony decides to step away
How about this for a story to wake up to! It's been announced overnight that Sony has decided to step away from Hideo Kojima's new PHYSINT game, which is described by the man himself as a "genre-defining action-espionage title", and Xbox Game Studios has stepped in to publish the project instead. Yes, a game is really...
News Two Former Xbox Studios Confirm Their Independence And Plans For The Future
"We get the publishing rights back to all our games"
It's been a while now since Xbox announced that it was saying goodbye to four studios in Double Fine, Compulsion Games, Ninja Theory and Undead Labs back in July, and now two of them have confirmed they've completed the split. Double Fine's Tim Schafer appeared on a recent episode of the Kinda...
News Halo Studios Suffers Job Losses Shortly After Campaign Evolved Launch
Update: Xbox source says they're not "layoffs", but "external contractor shifts"
It's been just nine days since the release of Halo: Campaign Evolved (a remake we loved enough to slap a 10/10 on it) and now a few employees at Halo Studios have indicated they've left the company. The revamped campaign appears to be off to a good start, at least on...
News Former Xbox Studio Forced To Layoff 23 Employees To Ensure 'Survival Of Our Studio'
"The people we are losing were all important"
It's been just over three weeks since Psychonauts and Kiln developer Double Fine announced its independence from Xbox Game Studios, and the team has now been forced into letting go of 23 employees to avoid complete closure. Studio Head Tim Schafer confirmed the cuts on
News Former Xbox Studio Wins 'Game Of The Year' At Games For Change 2026
Just weeks after announcing they're going independent
It's been a few weeks now since Xbox announced that it was eliminating 3,200 job roles and parting with a number of first-party studios, and one of those studios has just won Game of the Year at the annual Games for Change Awards. The award for "Game/Experience of the Year" went to Compulsion...
News Compulsion Games, Double Fine & Undead Labs Issue Xbox Departure Statements
EX Game Studios
As a new dawn breaks on news that Xbox is cutting 3,200 jobs and releasing four development teams from its Xbox Game Studios umbrella, three of those studios have issued statements about their departure from Xbox. In case you missed it, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma confirmed Compulsion games and Double Fine will return to independent...
News Here's The New Lineup Of Xbox Game Studios For July 2026 Onwards
Let's get an idea of how things are shaping up
So, you've probably seen the news today that Xbox is eliminating 3,200 job roles and getting rid of four studios in the process, with all of those development teams falling under the "Xbox Game Studios" banner at Microsoft. There are four studios that are definitely affected, while a fifth is in...
News Xbox Announces 3,200 Job Cuts And Four Studio Departures
The news we were dreading
We've been waiting ages for Xbox to announce what's happening with the layoff situation, and it's now been confirmed that 3,200 roles are being eliminated throughout fiscal year 27, with 1,600 of those taking place today. In addition, Compulsion Games (We Happy Few, South of Midnight) and Double Fine Productions...
Report Hideo Kojima's Xbox Exclusive 'OD' Is Safe From Cancellation At Microsoft
The project remains a mystery, but at least it's still in development
Hideo Kojima's Xbox exclusive horror game OD is reportedly safe from Microsoft's, arguably scarier, 'Xbox Reset' strategy. The sentiment comes from a recent IGN report claiming a source 'familiar' with Microsoft's dealings believes Kojima Productions aren't considered to be on...
News 'It's Going To Be Pretty Brutal' - Jason Schreier Reveals More On Upcoming Xbox Layoffs
The Bloomberg reporter has published a new 30-minute video
We're still waiting to hear more news on the reported layoffs taking place at Xbox soon, with multiple studios such as Compulsion Games, Double Fine and Ninja Theory potentially set to be affected, and well-regarded Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier has taken
News Ori Creator Shares His Take On The Future Of Xbox's First-Party Strategy
"It still looks like Xbox is sitting on an absolute goldmine"
It's no surprise that multiple people in the industry are sharing their thoughts about the state of Xbox Game Studios and Xbox's other first-party teams, as the rumours have been flying around about potential job cuts and studio closures. One of those people is the head of Moon Studios,...
