Tag: Microsoft - Page 14
Talking Point Do You Buy Less Third-Party Titles Because Of Xbox Game Pass?
Or is it more of a first-party library to you?
The viability of Xbox Game Pass has once again been in the spotlight this week, as Microsoft continues to fight various authorities to pass its Activision Blizzard deal. While the company has seemingly admitted that Game Pass affects individual game sales (a point that seems obvious to us anyway),
Deals A Bunch Of Games Are Discounted By 85-90% This Week On Xbox (February 14-21)
Come grab a bargain
Looking for some super cheap Xbox games this week? We've got you covered. Microsoft has dropped the price on a nice little selection of Xbox titles over the next few days - at over 85% off across multiple promotions. A lot of these deep discounts reside across the ongoing indie and Spotlight sales on Xbox Live — including...
News Microsoft Says Xbox Game Pass 'Creates Another Option' For Devs To Make Money
Despite admitting the service can harm game sales
The UK CMA's recent report on the whole Xbox ActiBlizz deal contained plenty of standout comments, including one relating to Microsoft admitting that Xbox Game Pass can hurt game sales in the 12 months after titles are added to the service. Following this report, the notion that Xbox Game Pass can...
News Xbox-Owned Studio Double Fine Seemingly Has Two Projects In The Works
At least from the time of Psychonauts 2's launch
Late last week, Xbox studio Double Fine Productions uploaded a gargantuan documentary to YouTube detailing the whole development process on 2021's Psychonauts 2. While the 32-part doc is likely littered with tidbits of info on the studio's projects, episode 30 in particular drops a hint on what might...
Report More Xbox Employees Impacted As Part Of Microsoft's 10,000 Layoffs
Reductions in marketing and the Gaming Ecosystem Group
Bloomberg has reported that more Xbox employees have lost their jobs this week as part of Microsoft's ongoing plan to implement 10,000 layoffs throughout the company, while the Surface and HoloLens divisions have also been affected. According to the outlet, the Xbox reductions this time have...
News Sony Feels Microsoft Is Committing 'Obvious Harassment' In Relation To ActiBlizz Deal
What is going on?!
Not too long ago (although it all seems like a blur at this point), Microsoft ordered Sony to attend court to present its findings regarding Xbox's Activision Blizzard purchase. That court trial hasn't gone ahead yet — the hearing is currently planned for August 2nd — but it seems like Sony isn't too happy with Microsoft's...
News Analysts Predict Xbox's Activision Blizzard Deal Will Close Soon, Despite UK Objections
"We read today's release as a signal..."
We finally heard from the UK's Competition and Markets Authority on Microsoft's attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard yesterday, and it wasn't good news, with the CMA provisionally finding that the takeover "could result in higher prices, fewer choices, or less innovation for UK gamers". However,...
News Microsoft CEO Suggests ActiBlizz Deal Would Help Xbox 'Compete' In Japan
Expanding territories
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella appeared on CNBC this week to talk about the future of the company, including what's next for the Xbox team. Of course, this discussion led to questions about the Activision Blizzard acquisition, and how Microsoft is responding to the current regulatory approval processes going on around the world...
News UK Authority Proposes Excluding Call Of Duty From Xbox Activision Blizzard Deal
Amongst other potential changes
The UK CMA has today published a new report on its ongoing investigation into Xbox's ActiBlizz deal, and there's a lot to unpack here in regards to the likelihood of the purchase actually going through. While there are plenty of wrinkles to this report, much of the focus is once again centred around Call of Duty. The...
News Xbox's Activision Blizzard Deal Could Be 'Harmful' To The Industry, Claims UK Regulator
The CMA gives its provisional verdict
It sounds like Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have got a tough task ahead in the UK over the next few months, as the UK Competition and Markets Authority has provisionally decided that Xbox's attempted takeover of ActiBlizz "could result in higher prices, fewer choices, or less innovation for UK gamers". In...
Poll What's Your Favourite Special Edition Xbox Series X|S Controller So Far?
They're all pretty stellar aren't they
As Xbox announces yet another special edition Series X|S controller, we've been thinking about our favourite gamepads of the generation so far. Despite the fact that we've seen lots of stock issues across the industry during the COVID-19 era, Microsoft has managed to put out a solid amount of unique controller...
Deals All 20+ Backwards Compatible Games Added To This Week's Xbox Sales (February 7-14)
Some 360 classics on the cheap!
As part of Xbox's digital discounts for this week, the team has included a selection of backwards compatible (Xbox 360) titles across various different promotions. An RPG sale and a 2K Publisher sale dominate this week's deals, along with the usual Deals with Gold and Spotlight offers. Don't forget that we've still...
News Microsoft Announces New Special Edition 'Stellar Shift' Xbox Controller
Lookin' stellar, launchin' today!
(Update): Well, it's now official! Immediately after we reported on the new controller leak, Microsoft formally announced the Xbox Stellar Shift Wireless Controller. The latest Xbox pad in the 'Shift' lineup launches today for £59.99 / $69.99, and this one comes with its own unique Xbox Series X|S dynamic...
News Call Of Duty 'Full Annual Premium Release' Set To Launch In 2023
Water is wet
Activision Blizzard's latest financial report is now out for public viewing, or at least a summarised version of it is via the company's investor website. New ActiBlizz financials means one surefire thing - plenty of talk about Call of Duty. Alongside lots of boasting about how much money last year's Modern Warfare 2 made — along...
News Xbox Marketing Budget Reportedly 'Reduced' In The Wake Of Microsoft Layoffs
Will we hear less from the company in the coming months?
While the team at Xbox have finally been a little more vocal about their upcoming slate of games recently — namely in the form of Xbox Developer Direct and future showcase announcements — it turns out that the platform's marketing push, generally speaking, could actually be reduced in...
News Xbox Reveals Release Dates For A Bunch Of New Game Pass Indies Coming In 2023
The future is bright
Recently, Pure Xbox was invited to a secret ID@Xbox event to check out a bunch of new gameplay and other details on some of the biggest indie titles coming to Xbox Game Pass in 2023. Not all of that gameplay is publicly available just yet, but we did get some brand-new release dates and release windows, so we thought we'd throw...
Rumour Gears 6 Development Has 'Begun In Full' Within The Last Year
Update: Other Coalition projects reportedly scrapped
Update: Jeff Grubb has since revealed more about what he knows regarding The Coalition's upcoming plans. In a discussion during Thursday's Game Mess Mornings show at Giant Bomb, Grubb stated that all projects aside from Gears 6 have been scrapped. There were apparently two others in the works...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (February 2-5)
Three titles to enjoy
Xbox's Free Play Days promotion returns this weekend, with a distinct twist to celebrate 'Amine Month'. Yep, two of the free play choices for this week are anime-themed, with one Ubisoft title rounding out the selection. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising
Deals Xbox 'Anime Month' Sale Provides Deep Discounts On Japanese Titles
Monster Hunter, Mega Man & more!
Xbox is bringing the heat with some of these recent sales promotions, and another one has just gone live! Alongside this week's major Ubisoft sale — which has the potential to be even better thanks to a 'Just For You' bonus — the Microsoft Store has now set an 'Anime Month' sale live, featuring a selection of...
News All 25+ Backwards Compatible Games Added To This Week's Xbox Sales (January 31 - February 7)
A bunch of discounted classics!
It's Tuesday, which means it's time for another set of Xbox deals for the week ahead! This week, Ubisoft is running a publisher sale, which happens to stretch across a bunch of Xbox backwards compatible titles as well. Keep in mind that quite a few of the Xbox 360 games in this week's sales have Xbox One ports or...
News Xbox Is Offering Absolutely Crazy 'Just For You' Deals Right Now, Over 90% Off AAA Titles
Some of the best discounts we've ever seen!
We share plenty of Xbox deals with you lovely lot, including weekly roundups highlighting the biggest Xbox Store discounts at any given time. This week's Ubisoft sale seemed like your typical publisher promotion, until we started spotting 'Just For You' deals cropping up on our Xbox dashboards, offering up...
News Xbox's New 'Deep Pink' Official Wireless Controller Is Now Available
Update: It's back again on the Xbox Store!
Update (Tue 31st Jan, 2023): Remember this? The official Deep Pink Xbox Wireless Controller is back in stock on the Microsoft Store as of today, and it's also now available in the UK! You can check it out at the links below. As you can see, the price is £54.99 and $64.99 USD. <products id="22264">...
News Xbox Series X And Xbox Series S Consoles Are Going Up In Price In Japan
Starting next month
Well, here it is. A few months after Xbox boss Phil Spencer warned us all of potential price increases across the Xbox division, the company's current-gen consoles are officially going up in price in Japan. Revealed by Japanese outlet Famitsu, both Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S console prices are increasing by 5,000 yen in the...
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (January 31)
Closing out January
February 2023 for Xbox Game Pass is already looking like it could be a stacked month, bringing a few biggies to the library in the form of Atomic Heart, Hot Wheels Unleashed and more. However, January ain't over just yet, and the first month of the year is going out with a bang in regards to Xbox Game Pass.
News Halo TV Boss Kiki Wolfkill Has Reportedly Left 343 Industries
It seems she's jumped over to the main Xbox team
It's been a rough patch for the Halo team since Microsoft announced mass layoffs across multiple divisions including Xbox. Following the news of Joe Staten's exit at 343 Industries, it seems there's also been a significant departure from Halo's TV series. As spotted in various reports, Halo...
News First Reviews For Age Of Empires 2: Definitive Edition Impressed By Xbox Conversion
"The basic gameplay is just as good on Xbox as it ever has been"
Age Of Empires 2: Definitive Edition heads to console this week; also included in Xbox Game Pass on day one of its console launch. While we haven't had chance to play this title ahead of release (our impressions are coming soon), a few early reviews have hit the web and they're seeming...
Video Xbox Series S Ray Tracing Capabilities Tested By Digital Foundry
How does the system hold up?
The folks over at Digital Foundry have once again taken a look at Xbox Series S, this time to see how our little digital-only box tackles ray tracing. This element of 'next-gen' has proved a bit of a stumbling block at times for Microsoft's budget-friendly console, which is perhaps expected given its incredible value...
Feature Hi-Fi RUSH Has Us Mega Excited For More Xbox Shadow Drops In Future
Seriously, what else have they got up their sleeves?!
Xbox's first ever Developer Direct is in the bag, and we've come away very happy about how the whole event went down. Xbox brought a couple of release dates to the party, along with some
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (January 26-29)
Three titles available this weekend!
Xbox Free Play Days is back for the weekend, folks! Microsoft has opened up three titles for free this week, including a fantastic racing game in the form of Assetto Corsa Competizione! Here's the full lineup: Assetto Corsa Competizione Lawn Mowing Simulator
News Microsoft Confirms Another Xbox Showcase Will Take Place 'This Summer' In LA
Following the upcoming 'Starfield Direct'
Wow, what a busy day for Team Xbox! After wrapping up its first ever Developer Direct event earlier today, the team is already looking ahead at what's next. We know that a Starfield specific show is coming soon, and now we've been teased with some summer 2023 plans as well. In short, as expected, Xbox will...
News New Report Suggests Restructure At Halo Dev 343 Industries Is 'Ongoing'
The team says it will continue to work on the franchise
As a result of Microsoft's recent round of layoffs, Halo developer 343 Industries has been hit with a number of job losses in what sounds like a fairly major restructuring of the company moving forward. The team has since put out a statement to
News Xbox Marketing Director Calls Gears Of War Leak 'Fake News'
The leaked logos related to Gears 6 and a Gears Collection
Recently, we reported on some Gears of War rumours that had been floating around on the web; mainly an apparent 'Gears of War Collection' in the works at Microsoft. Since then, a picture of two logos has been doing the rounds from a leak relating to both 'Gears 6' and this supposed...
News Xbox Live Goes Down Temporarily As Microsoft Suffers Major Server Outages
Teams, Outlook and Office 365 also affected
If you've been running into issues accessing Xbox Live or any Microsoft services for that matter over the past few hours, it's probably because Microsoft has been running into some major worldwide server outages. According to Downdetector, there was a big spike at around 8am UK time where Xbox Live,...
Guide 'Xbox Developer Direct' Event Date, Start Time & Where To Watch
Today's the day!
It's almost time for Xbox's first ever 'Developer Direct' livestream! Yep, Microsoft is about to deliver deep dives into some of Xbox and Bethesda's biggest upcoming titles, in a brand-new event format for 2023. Here's everything you need to know about the Xbox Developer Direct January 2023 event. What Can We Expect From Xbox...
News Xbox Surpasses 120M Monthly Active Users, As Game Pass Reaches 'New Highs'
Despite Microsoft's decline in gaming revenue
It's a new year and as part of this, Microsoft has shared its latest earnings results for the quarter ended December 31st, 2022 (FY23 Q2). Overall, gaming revenue for the company saw a decline of 13% year-over-year. Xbox's "content and services" revenue also saw a decline of 12% and Xbox hardware...
Reaction Xbox Needs A New, Reliable Competitor For PS5's 'DualSense Edge'
Giving us the edge
A lot of Xbox fans will be seeing Sony's brand-new, high-end controller doing the rounds in gaming circles at the minute, with PlayStation finally getting into 'Xbox Elite' territory with the 'DualSense Edge'. The Japanese company's new PS5 pad is an impressive-looking bit of kit, building on what Xbox first introduced with the...
Deals All 30+ Backwards Compatible Games Added To This Week's Xbox Sales (January 24-31)
Original Xbox and Xbox 360 classics
Xbox has delivered yet another themed sale promo this week in the form of the 'THQ Nordic & Handy Games Sale', which is currently live alongside Deals with Gold, the Spotlight Sale and last week's ongoing 'Lunar New Year Sale.' Included in all of these sales promotions are a selection of backwards compatible...
News Microsoft Orders Sony To Attend Activision Blizzard Court Hearing This Summer
For the FTC trial
Things are getting real now! As part of Xbox's ongoing tussle over the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has issued a subpoena to Sony - summoning the PlayStation owner to attend an FTC court hearing this summer. According to a new filing in the overall case, Microsoft issued the legal order on January 17th, expecting...
News January's 'Forza Monthly' Livestream Will Be All About The New Forza Motorsport
Coming right after Xbox Developer Direct!
It looks like we're getting even more Forza Motorsport news this week, folks! Turn 10 Studios, the team behind the Forza Motorsport series, has announced that January's 'Forza Monthly' livestream will focus on the upcoming entry in the series. Forza Monthly livestreams, as the name suggests, are...
News Microsoft Asks To Pause Gamers' Lawsuit Over ActiBlizz Acquisition, Judge Says 'No'
A group of 10 gamers want to sue the company
Back in December, it was revealed that a group of 10 "gamers" were filing a private consumer antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft's attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard, and Microsoft has recently been trying to pause that suit. The reason? Microsoft's lawyers have suggested that the company's (and...
News Xbox Exec Wants Fans To Keep Developer Direct Expectations In Check
"Our goal has been to be as transparent as possible"
It's officially Developer_Direct week here in Xbox land, and we have to admit we're pretty excited to see some fresh deep dives on Xbox's 2023 games lineup. However, ahead of the livestream later this week, Xbox's Aaron Greenberg is urging fans to not get too carried away. The exec recently took...
News Redfall 'Deluxe Upgrade' Leak Gives Us First Evidence Of Xbox Price Increases
The game will still launch on Xbox Game Pass though
Redfall is one of Xbox's major AAA releases for the first half of 2023, and while the game will of course launch day one on Xbox Game Pass, a new European leak has given us our first glimpse at Xbox's confirmed price hikes. According to well-known leaker
Soapbox January's Developer Direct Could Be The Start Of Something Big For Xbox
Comms on lock
Since Xbox basically ghosted The Game Awards in late 2022, I've talked at length about the form of future Xbox events; asking the question of whether Xbox should go down the 'Nintendo Direct' route for upcoming showcases. Well, that future is almost upon us, as the
News Phil Spencer Responds To Xbox Layoffs, Calls It A 'Difficult Moment In Time' For Microsoft
"This is a challenging moment in our business..."
This week has been dominated by the news that 10,000 people are being laid off from Microsoft's workforce, and Xbox boss Phil Spencer has responded to the news in an internal email that was shared by Kotaku earlier today. In the email, Spencer acknowledged it had been a "difficult week" for...
News Halo's Joe Staten Provides Update Following 343 & Microsoft Layoffs
"I’m 100% focused on helping people who lost their jobs"
It's been a bit of a wild week for Microsoft so far, with the company announcing it would be cutting 10,000 jobs. This has also surprisingly hit the Xbox division within the tech giant - including Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries. Apart from layoffs, it was announced that Halo...
Talking Point Should Microsoft & 343 Carry On With Halo Infinite?
What's next?
Yesterday, Microsoft confirmed its plans for roughly 10,000 layoffs throughout the company, with Halo developer 343 Industries reportedly "hit hard" by the job losses. While the company restructure hasn't been fully detailed by Microsoft, and some of what's coming out regarding 343i are just reports right now, the whole situation does...
News Xbox's Phil Spencer Wants To 'Inspire Joy' Amid 'Culture Of Criticism And Cancellation'
"We’re all part of creating this echo effect of joy"
Yesterday, we brought news that Xbox boss Phil Spencer had formally accepted his New York Game Award; a prize that recognises industry figures who "have exhibited a significant, sustained body of work that shows exceptional artistic achievement and innovation." We believe Phil's award is well...
Talking Point Who Would You Cast As 'Delta Squad' In The Upcoming Gears Of War Movie?
Let's hear your suggestions!
Our new Video Producer Craig has been over on the Pure Xbox YouTube channel laying out some of his top casting suggestions for the upcoming Gears of War movie, which is being produced by Netflix. You can check out his picks in the video above, which include a perhaps surprising choice for Marcus Fenix; a character many...
News Microsoft Confirms Plans For 10,000 Layoffs Across The Company
"These decisions are difficult, but necessary"
Update: It appears as though Halo studio 343 Industries has been "hit hard" by the Microsoft layoffs. <related ids="143761"> Original story: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has confirmed today that the company plans to reduce its workforce by 10,000 jobs through the end of FY23 Q3, which he says...
News 'The Last Of Us' Ads Have Started Appearing On Xbox This Week
Hey, it's free real estate
HBO's 'The Last of Us' TV show is proving incredibly popular right now, as PlayStation brings its exclusive post-apocalyptic game series to the TV network. While we can't play the games themselves on Xbox, we can of course watch the show there, and Microsoft & HBO seem to be taking advantage of that fact. Adverts for...
