November2023
News State Of Decay 3 Developer Seemingly Working On Another Project At Xbox
Multiple 'projects' are being developed at Undead Labs
It's been a while since we've heard anything official on State of Decay 3, hasn't it? The open world zombie-slaying sequel was unveiled in 2020, before basically going into hiding ever since. Well, a new LinkedIn update from an ex-Undead Labs developer could hint at why things are progressing...
Soapbox After Finally Playing 'Rally Adventure', I Want To See More Of This From Forza Horizon
I've enjoyed my time with its linear campaign
A little over six months since Playground Games launched Forza Horizon 5: Rally Adventure, I finally got around to playing the add-on this past weekend thanks to its big Black Friday discount. Another Pure Xbox racing fanatic in Liam reviewed the DLC pack when it first arrived in March, but I wanted to...
News Xbox Wants 'All Of The Games' In Its Portfolio To Matter, Not Just Huge IP
Matt Booty: From Halo to Psychonauts "and everything in between"
Following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft and Team Xbox now have more studios (and games) than ever. If there was any concern about how all this is going to be managed or if certain franchises will be overshadowed by others, there's apparently no need to worry...
Talking Point Xbox's Influential Gears Of War Sequel Is Now 15 Years Old
Happy belated birthday, Gears 2!
Ahh, the original Gears trilogy - one of our absolute favourite collections in the Xbox library. We had so much fun on these games back in the day, and this week, the second game in the series celebrated a rather substantial birthday. Gears of War 2 is now 15 years of age, and it was a pretty influential game for its...
October2023
Guide BlizzCon 2023 Kicks Off Next Week, Here's The Full Broadcast Schedule
It's now part of Microsoft's gaming division
With Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard complete, we can finally move onto the fun stuff like Blizzard's annual event, BlizzCon. The official convention is returning live this year between November 3-4 and if you are wondering what will be on display, Blizzard has now unveiled the full...
News Activision Blizzard Documents Its 44-Year History With New Infographic Featuring Xbox
"We begin an exciting new chapter"
It's been an exciting period for Microsoft and Xbox with the finalisation of the Activision Blizzard (and King) acquisition. Now, as part of this, Activision Blizzard has released a huge infographic documenting the entire history of both companies, the eventual merger, and joining team Xbox. Throughout it, there...
News Here's A Look At Microsoft And Xbox's New Gaming Leadership Structure
See for yourself
It's been another big week for team Xbox with the latest announcement of a Microsoft reshuffle which sees some familiar faces promoted. Perhaps the biggest changes apart from Activision Blizzard, are the promotions of two execs. As noted in the initial announcement, Matt Booty is now 'president of game content and studios'...
News Microsoft Reshuffle Makes Huge Changes To Team Xbox, Matt Booty & Sarah Bond Promoted
We have a new structure in place at Xbox
Xbox is in the midst of making massive changes to its leadership structure, as a result of recent acquisitions like that of Bethesda Softworks and Activision Blizzard. As detailed by The Verge, multiple Xbox execs will hold new roles after the company reshuffle, including familiar faces like Sarah Bond and
News Xbox Head Thanks Bethesda Veteran Pete Hines For His Services
"24 years of being at the heart of Bethesda"
Yesterday, Bethesda veteran and head of publishing, Pete Hines, announced he would be retiring after 24 years of service at the company. In a follow-up to this, Phil Spencer and some others within the Xbox family have thanked Hines for his contribution to the Bethesda family over the years. Xbox and...
Talking Point Which Activision Blizzard Series Do You Want To Play Most On Xbox Game Pass?
Come tell us what you're excited to play
Okay, so, the big Activision Blizzard deal is officially happening - and we're already starting to get giddy about the future of Xbox Game Pass with them on board. Sure, we know that some of the team's newer titles like Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Diablo 4
September2023
News Phil Spencer Visits Hi-Fi RUSH Xbox Studio Tango Gameworks
Checking up on the team in Japan
The Tokyo Game Show recently took place, and as usual, Xbox aired its own showcase featuring all sorts of announcements for the local market in Japan. Of course, the Xbox head Phil Spencer was also present, and apart from a recent message talking about the "great" time he had, Hi-Fi RUSH and The Evil Within studio...
News Starfield Has Already Surpassed 10 Million Players
It's not even been out for a month yet
2023 has been an amazing year in the world of video games, and one of the biggest success stories so far has been Bethesda and Xbox's open-world space RPG, Starfield. After its arrival at the beginning of this month, it's already become Bethesda's biggest game launch ever ahead of the Fallout and Elder Scrolls...
August2023
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...
July2023
News Xbox Boss Acknowledges 'Team Effort' In Victory Against FTC
"We take an important step forward"
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has had a busy few months not only promoting Xbox's upcoming lineup at the recent showcase but also attending the Microsoft v FTC hearing. Now that the acquisition has been given the all-clear in the United States, Phil has taken the time to t
PSA Crackdown 1 & 2 Are Still Free On Xbox As Sequel Turns 13
Officially a teen!
Once upon a time the Crackdown series was a notable staple within the Xbox first-party lineup. While the third game only came out four years ago (can you believe that?!), it's the first two Xbox 360 titles we have fond memories of - and one of them has just turned 13! Yep, Crackdown 2 launched on this very day in the US back in...
News Xbox Adds Another Free Dynamic Background, Available Now On Series X|S
Try out this new Hi-Fi RUSH theme
If you want even more Hi-Fi RUSH in your life, then you might want to check out the new dynamic background for Xbox Series X|S. Following Tango Gameworks Ghostwire: Tokyo one, we've now got this cool looking one feature Chai and the rest of the gang. To apply it, you'll need to enter the Settings menu >...
Deals Get Up To 85% Off Major Xbox Titles In The Steam Summer Sale
Bargains to be had!
The Steam Summer Sale is always a major event for PC gamers, especially those looking to add a bargain to their Steam libraries. We're even more interested these days due to Xbox's renewed investment in PC gaming, including bringing first-party games to Steam. As part of this year's summer promo, Xbox Game Studios is hosting...
June2023
News Microsoft's CEO Isn't A Fan Of Console Exclusives, Blames Sony
Sony has "defined market competition using exclusives"
Exclusives are arguably one of the main selling points of console gaming, but if Microsoft's boss had any say, he would apparently abolish them. During his testimony in the Microsoft v FTC hearing today, Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella said he would do away with exclusives on Xbox consoles if it...
News Jim Ryan: Publishers 'Unanimously' Do Not Like Xbox Game Pass
It's apparently "value destructive"
There have been a lot of positive success stories emerging from Xbox's Game Pass service such as Tango Gameworks' surprise release Hi-Fi RUSH earlier this year, but according to PlayStation boss Jim Ryan, publishers aren't big fans of the model at all. During his pre-recorded video deposition for the hearing...
Soapbox As 'State Of Decay' Turns 10, I'm Super Excited To See More Of What's Next
State of Decay 3 was revealed three years ago
We're going through a very 'British heatwave' right now here in the UK (meaning it's vaguely warm and the sun's out a bit), and weirdly, such unbearable heat is taking me back to summer 2013 - when I had an old Xbox 360 struggling on as the Xbox One generation fast approached. Lots of late Xbox 360 era...
News Here's The Latest Xbox Game Studios & Bethesda Roadmap (June 2023 Version)
Exciting times ahead!
Now that the madness of the summer showcase season is over, we've got an even better picture of what Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda are working on — and it's looking like a bright future for first-party releases! The popular Xbox fan Klobrille has put together one of their famous Xbox Game Studios & Bethesda roadmaps on...
News Xbox Boss Shares Heartfelt Message Following Summer Showcases
"We need that moment here where we come together to celebrate"
Xbox boss Phil Spencer is always open about how much he enjoys being a part of the gaming industry, and in the wake of Microsoft's big summer blowout, the man has a message for all who enjoy these sorts of gaming get-togethers. In a tweet posted yesterday, Phil thanked the gaming...
News Redfall Dev Had 'Tunnel Vision' During Development, Says Xbox Game Studios Boss
"They just had a little bit of tunnel vision"
It's no secret that development on Redfall didn't exactly go to plan - as evidenced by the state of the game when it finally released in May 2023. Since launch, Phil Spencer has come out and said that he's "disappointed" with how he handled the release, and now a fellow Xbox exec has made some...
News Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Seems Extremely Excited About id Software's Next Game
He knows they're cookin'
Lots of Xbox first-party developers were present at Sunday's big showcase, but unfortunately, DOOM developer id Software wasn't one of them. However, the team is being inserted into the conversation anyway, with Xbox boss Phil Spencer seemingly doing his best to mention the studio. In a sit-down chat with GiantBomb, Xbox's...
Reaction Microsoft's 2023 Showcase Confirmed There's Something For Everyone At Xbox
Variety is the spice of life
We've spent the last few hours just trying to gather our thoughts on the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 livestream, and it's been no easy feat let us tell you! The teams at Xbox showcased a little bit of everything during the event (and a whole lot of Starfield) - reassuring fans that this is a first party lineup not to be...