Tag: Microsoft - Page 2
Report Halo 2 & 3 Remakes Are In 'Active Development' At Halo Studios
As follow-ups to Campaign Evolved
Some of you may remember that right around the official announcement of Halo: Campaign Evolved in 2025, a rumour was going around that Halo 2 and Halo 3 remakes were set to arrive sometime after this year's Combat Evolved remake - and now a fresh report from Rebs Gaming adds even more fuel to that fire. Accor
News Xbox Founder Invited To Microsoft HQ By Asha Sharma, Says It Was 'Amazing' And 'Bizarre'
25 years since he shipped the original Xbox
Ever since Asha Sharma took the role of Xbox boss in February, she's appeared to be taking advice from a wide range of people throughout the industry, and the latest example arrives in the form of Xbox co-founder, Seamus Blackley. Blackley played a key role in shipping the original Xbox 25 years ago (to...
News Here's What Might Leave Xbox Game Pass In June 2026
Some early predictions!
What's leaving Xbox Game Pass in June 2026? 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...
News Five Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Early May 2026
Everything that's leaving soon
Microsoft has revealed the next five games leaving Xbox Game Pass in early May 2026, with all of these being highlighted as "leaving soon" on the official Xbox mobile app. The most notable departure here is arguably Planet of Lana, which just recently received a sequel on Xbox Game Pass as well, but the likes of Go...
News Xbox Adds Backgrounds, Profile Themes & Gamer Pics Based On New Logo Designs
Rolling out to all users now!
Hot on the heels of promising some customisation options based on the new Xbox logo (and indeed off the back of us covering some other dynamic backgrounds, thanks Microsoft!), the team has unleashed a raft of new backgrounds, profile themes and gamer pics centred around Xbox's fresh logo design. Yep, all of this stuff...
News Asha Sharma Comments On AI Use As Upscaling Tech Rolls Out To ROG Xbox Ally
"We are refocusing our AI efforts..."
Earlier this week, Microsoft announced some new ROG Xbox Ally features including the introduction of 'Auto Super Resolution'; an AI upscaler in a similar vein to Nvidia's DLSS. This is the sort of AI tech players seem on board with, but that isn't the case for all uses of AI - something that Xbox boss Asha...
News Three First-Party Titles Get New Dynamic Backgrounds On Xbox Series X|S
With a bonus third-party addition!
Recently, we covered that Team Xbox was working on a dynamic background for its fancy new logo - and whilst that one is still in works for now, we have had a batch of new game-themed backgrounds added to Xbox Series X|S recently, including three first-party additions. The first of those is for Diablo 4 — to...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (April 30 - May 3)
Some new Xbox freebies to choose from!
Welcome to your latest selection of Xbox Free Play Days titles! Microsoft has currently added four games to the program this weekend - including an extended trial for Sony's Predator: Hunting Grounds. Here's a look at the full list: Dragon Ball FighterZ
News Asha Sharma Comments On Xbox Revenue Loss For Q3 2026
"We know we have work to do..."
In the wee hours of this morning, we covered Xbox's latest financial report, which showed losses across multiple areas within the Xbox business. Hardware and content & services are both down in the last fiscal quarter, and whilst this is no doubt disappointing, the new Xbox boss has followed this up with some fighting...
News Four Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (April 30)
A busy day for XGP!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Today, Microsoft is bringing four games to the library across Xbox Series X|S, PC and cloud. Here's everything new on Xbox Game Pass for April 30th: Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era (PC) - Ultimate, PC: "Heroes of Mi
News Microsoft CEO Says Xbox Is 'Recommitting To Our Core Fans' As Revenue Falls In FY26 Q3
Embarking on a new era
Microsoft has shared its earnings results today for the period between January 1st and March 31st of 2026 (referred to as FY26 Q3), and compared to the same time in 2025, Xbox revenue is down in both content & services and hardware. The content and services revenue drop isn't significant — it's just 5% — and Microsoft...
Talking Point After Halo: Campaign Evolved, What Do You Want Xbox To Do With The Series?
Infinite sequel? Reboot? Come tell us!
Following our chat yesterday about Forza Horizon 6 and its imminent release, we got thinking about the rest of Xbox's 2026 slate - with rumours pointing towards Halo: Campaign Evolved being the team's next major release for this year. Indeed, we've heard
News Microsoft Issues Xbox Email Addresses As Part Of 'Strengthening The Xbox Identity'
According to a new report
We've heard a lot recently about how Asha Sharma is trying to initiate the "return of Xbox", and while this isn't a major revelation or anything, The Verge's Tom Warren says new Xbox email addresses are playing a part in that. According to Warren, Microsoft is issuing Xbox email addresses to all of its gaming employees,...
News Former ESO Lead Speaks Out On Xbox's Decision To Cancel New ZeniMax MMO
"Making games is always a heartbreaking business"
Last summer, seismic news shifted through the world of Xbox as Microsoft cancelled multiple projects and laid off hundreds of developers, with one of those cancellations being 'Project Blackbird', a new MMO from the folks behind The Elder Scrolls Online. It's a shame that
News Xbox Sends Out $5 Call Of Duty 'Campaign' Bonus, But It's Not What It Seems
It's not tied to the actual Black Ops 7 story campaign
Xbox occasionally offers up bonus gift cards for participating in select promotions, and when this happens, they're usually tied to something nice and simple like a big digital sale the team wants to promote. Sometimes though, they're a little more specific - and this new Call of Duty-related...
News 'Working On It' - Asha Sharma Confirms Dynamic Background For New Xbox Logo Is In The Works
Heading to Series X|S soon!
New Xbox boss Asha Sharma has been very active on social media since taking on her new role, and now, on the back of the team's brand-new logo reveal, Sharma has confirmed online that it's being turned into an Xbox Series X|S dynamic background as we speak. Heading over to Twitter, fan account Xbox Studio asked if the...
News Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Headlines Batch Of New Free Demos On The Xbox Store
Lots added over the last month or so!
We have a bunch of new free demos on the Xbox Store to tell you about, folks. Microsoft rarely advertises these, so every now and then it's worth a browse to see what's been added as of late - and we have a big one headlining this new batch of free trials on Xbox. That major addition is a demo for Final Fantasy...
Talking Point With Forza Horizon 6 Imminent, What Are Your Predictions For Its Final Review Score?
Will the 2026 racer actually be a GOTY contender?
It's getting to that point where, quite frankly, we're desperate for Forza Horizon 6. After playing the team's preview earlier this month, we're incredibly excited to experience the full thing, and launch is just weeks away now with its imminent May 2026 arrival. So, taking a stab in the dark, what...
Poll Which Generation Of Xbox Logo Is Your Favourite?
OG Xbox to Series X|S, which takes your pick?
On the back of Xbox's new mission statement, the team has been experimenting with different logo designs as of late. We saw Microsoft unveil a new Xbox logo last week that harkens back to the original console, before the team
Reaction Xbox Is Changing For The Better, And Now Microsoft Needs To Be Consistent
A new Xbox is emerging, and we hope it lasts
Over the last week or so, we've seen yet more big changes over at Team Xbox. Following on from a busy few months with Asha Sharma in place, Microsoft announced a reversal in its Xbox Game Pass strategy; dropping day one Call of Duty as a result. Then, just the other day,
News 'I've Ordered A Series X, I'm Back In' - Lapsed Xbox Fan Attracts The Attention Of Asha Sharma
"Hell yes"
Since Asha Sharma has taken up her new role as Xbox boss, she's been quite open with fans online. Indeed, we've seen Sharma chat very publicly with Xbox followers since taking over a few months ago - and this past week, one of her to-the-point responses to a lapsed fan went viral on Twitter. In short, an Xbox fan known as '
Guide Xbox Game Pass: All Games Coming Soon In May 2026
All the confirmed reveals so far
Looking for a complete list of games coming to Xbox Game Pass in May 2026? It can be pretty difficult to keep track of all the comings and goings in the world of Xbox Game Pass every month, so we've put together this handy guide to provide an overview of what's coming to the service over the next few weeks. Without...
Random Three New Xbox Slogans Have Been Added To The Office Windows At Microsoft HQ
Defining the next era of Xbox
At the very end of yesterday's big Xbox statement about where the brand is going in the future, Xbox boss Asha Sharma and EVP Matt Booty mentioned how they've "honored our commitments of great games, return of Xbox, and future of play" after 62 days of being in their new roles. It turns out that these three slogans —...
News 'This Change Is Not Surprising At All' - Industry Analyses Xbox Game Pass Price Drop
Cost down, COD out
This week, we've seen some pretty big news regarding Xbox Game Pass and the future of the service. Microsoft has decided to drop Game Pass Ultimate back down to a more manageable cost, whilst announcing that Call of Duty will no longer arrive day one in the service. In the days since, the industry has reacted, with
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (April 23-26)
Featuring a Sony-developed title!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Free Play Days lineup! This week, we've got four games available as part of the program - including Sony San Diego's MLB The Show 26, as pictured above. Here's your full list of FPD games this weekend: Age of Mythology: Retold
News Xbox First-Party Title 'Kiln' Is Available Today With Game Pass Ultimate (April 23)
Spring roadmap also revealed!
Today's Xbox Game Pass update brings us the latest Microsoft first-party release in Kiln; a new multiplayer brawler from the folks over at Double Fine Productions. You'll see this one roll out on XGP later today, and ahead of that launch, the team has also revealed a Spring 2026 roadmap for the game. So, we'll give you...
News Xbox & Halo Veteran Makes 'Difficult' Decision To Leave Microsoft After 28 Years
"What a gift the last 28 years has been"
We've got a departure to report from Team Xbox today, as Kiki Wolfkill has announced she's left Microsoft after 28 years, describing it as a "difficult but exhilarating" decision that allows her to explore new opportunities going forward. Wolfkill was most recently the Head of Film and TV at Xbox (since late...
News These 10 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (April 21-May 5)
The final batch of April, plus another one for May!
Microsoft has today unveiled another 10 games coming to Xbox Game Pass later this month and at the start of next month, including a couple we hadn't heard about before in the form of Trepang2 and Final Fantasy V. Here's everything coming to Xbox Game Pass from April 21 throu
Feature You're The Xbox Boss And Need To Figure Out Exclusivity, What Decision Are You Making?
Are you going back to doing exclusives?
In recent years, Xbox has veered away from exclusive games massively, to the point where Forza, Gears and even Halo later this year are being stripped of their console exclusivity. This move — at least in the public-facing world and below Satya Nadella — seemed to lie largely at the feet of previous...
News Nine Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Late April 2026
Everything that's leaving soon
Microsoft has revealed the final nine games leaving Xbox Game Pass in late April 2026, with all of these being highlighted as "leaving soon" on the official Xbox mobile app. There are some definite fan favourites in here, including the popular extraction shooter Hunt: Showdown 1896, sci-fi action adventure game...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (April 16-19)
Including this short but sweet co-op adventure!
Xbox Free Play Days has returned once again for the next few days, and although we've only got two games as part of the selection this time around, one of them is a short but sweet co-op adventure that you'll easily be able to complete. That game is South Park: Snow Day!, which may not be the most...
News Xbox's New Dashboard Update Is Now Available For All Users
New Quick Resume features, customisation options and more
Around a month ago, we brought you the news that Microsoft was delivering its first substantial Xbox Series X|S console update in ages - and now, that update is available for all users rather than being limited to Xbox Insiders. Yep, Microsoft's new Quick Resume features, guide customisation...
News Xbox First-Party Title 'Wasteland Remastered' Is Free To Claim Right Now
Grab it for free to keep!
Although inXile's Wasteland Remastered is included in multiple tiers of Xbox Game Pass, it's currently showing up as being totally free to keep on the Xbox Store right now - which means that it's probably worth adding to your account while you can. Indeed, heading over to the Microsoft Store listing for Wasteland...
News Another Call Of Duty Game Is Seemingly Being Prepped For Xbox Game Pass
Could it be arriving soon?
Following Modern Warfare's arrival on the service later this week, it looks as though Microsoft is preparing another Call of Duty title for Xbox Game Pass sometime in the near future. It's been spotted that Call of Duty: Vanguard — the series' 2021 entry by Sledgehammer Games — has just gotten an Xbox for PC version...
News Three Games Are Available Late This Week With Xbox Game Pass (April 16-17)
Including a couple of big first-party games
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Over the next two days, we've got three games coming to the service - two all-new for XGP and one that's moving over from Ultimate to Premium. Here's the lowdown on everything coming to Xbox Game Pass this Thursday and Friday (April 16-17): NHL 26 (Series...
News Xbox Exec Reveals That Blizzard Is Helping Out With Development On Fable
Shiny, shiny cinematics
Fable is certainly one of Xbox's biggest releases of the year, and a new comment from Matt Booty gives us a little bit more insight into its development, and how an unlikely Microsoft team is helping bring the upcoming RPG to life. In a new chat on the Official Xbox Podcast, the exec touches on how some of the teams are...
News Xbox's Studios Are Working 'Side-By-Side' With Microsoft On Project Helix
"Our teams are involved early on..."
At this point, we know that Microsoft is full-speed ahead with Xbox Project Helix, and now Chief Content Officer Matt Booty has revealed that the company's first-party teams are deeply involved with crafting the hardware, even at an early stage. Speaking on a new episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, Booty...
News Gears Of War E-Day Direct Length Detailed As Xbox Games Showcase Reveals Get Locked In
Here's how much of Gears we're gonna see
At the end of last month, Microsoft revealed fresh details on its Xbox Games Showcase featuring Gears of War: E-Day Direct, and now exec Matt Booty has revealed just how much of the new Gears game we're going to see in roughly two months' time. While talking about planning for the show, Booty said that...
News Eight Xbox Games Are Currently Set To Be Delisted In April & May 2026
Update: New titles added to the list
A couple of days ago, we highlighted three Xbox games that are shutting down their servers in April 2026, but when it comes to games that are being delisted, there are actually a few differences that you might want to be aware of. The two Fortnite games that we mentioned in that article are getting delisted by...
News Starfield PS5 Sales Estimates Revealed & Compared To Other Xbox Ports
"The high-profile port has had a middling start..."
With Starfield now being out for a week or so on PS5, the folks over at Alinea Analytics have provided us with some sales estimates at the port's seven-day mark - and it sounds as though the Bethesda RPG has just done okay so far. According to the firm, Starfield has shifted roughly 140,000 copies...
News Xbox Is Having 'Very Big Discussions' About Exclusivity, Says Reporter
"There are very very very big discussions..."
With Asha Sharma now in charge of Microsoft's Xbox division, the team is going in a slightly different and more console-focused direction here in 2026, with Xbox exclusivity coming up as a hot topic for the new boss already. Whilst nothing has been confirmed publicly yet — and
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (April 14)
Including two brand-new Xbox releases!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, we've got three games joining the library, including a long-awaited day one release and a highly-regarded title that's new to Xbox in the form of Hades 2. If you want to know the exact release times for Hades 2, we'll chuck a link to our coverage on that...
News Microsoft Announces New 'Xbox First Look' Showcase For Later This Week
Featuring the new Metro from 4A Games!
Surprise! Microsoft has just announced that a new Xbox showcase will air later this week - focusing solely on 'Metro 2039' in a similar vein to the team's upcoming Stranger Than Heaven event. This one is being called 'Xbox First Look' though; where developer 4A Games will be revealing its brand-new Metro game...
News Xbox Reporter Suggests Microsoft Is Being More Lenient With Its Gaming Profit Goals
"This has given Xbox extra breathing room..."
Back in October, we heard that Microsoft had been pushing its Xbox teams to aim for increased profit margins in recent years - and although the Xbox owner responded by saying that the quoted 30% margin was incorrect, it was still believed that increased pressures had been put on Microsoft's studios as of...
Rumour Fable Has Apparently Been Delayed Internally, But May Still Launch In 2026
"They are worried about the launch of GTA6"
GTA 6 could be a bit of a trouble-maker when it comes to other 2026 game launches, couldn't it? The Rockstar epic is sure to swallow up everyone's time and attention when it finally launches this year (supposedly), and the latest rumour doing the rounds suggests that Xbox's Fable may end up getting delayed...
Rumour Microsoft Might Not Launch Call Of Duty 2026 On Xbox Game Pass
This year's COD may skip a day one XGP release
In the last couple of years, Microsoft has made the bet to launch Call of Duty day one on Xbox Game Pass; first with 2024's Black Ops 6 before following it up last year with Black Ops 7. However, a new rumour doing the rounds suggests that Xbox is considering reversing that decision for this year's Call...
Talking Point Are You Happy With The New Updates Coming To Xbox Consoles So Far?
We're getting new features on Series X|S!
We've not had enough time to properly judge how boss Asha Sharma is going to get on in her new role as Head of Xbox, but one thing we're loving so far is the team's renewed focus on console, and that's starting to manifest itself with new updates arriving for Series X|S users. Indeed, for the first time in...
News Four Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In May 2026 So Far
Including a first-party release you may have heard about
As we always do around this time of the month, we're taking an early look today at what's ahead for May 2026's Xbox Game Pass selection, with four games currently scheduled to arrive next month. One of those is the absolutely massive release that is Forza Horizon 6; Xbox's first major AAA...
News Former Xbox Exec Says Project Helix Is 'Very Similar' To Microsoft's Plan For The OG Xbox
"It's very similar to what the original Xbox plan was..."
Microsoft is moving further and further back towards its PC gaming roots with the advent of the next-gen Xbox — Project Helix — and according to former exec Ed Fries, the upcoming console sounds a lot like what Microsoft had originally planned for the OG Xbox before the system morphed...
News Halo: Master Chief Collection Deploys 'Significant Ban Wave' In Latest Update
Gravity ban hammer
The Halo Support team has announced that a new backend update has been deployed to its Easy Anti-Cheat efficiency program in The Master Chief Collection, resulting in a "significant ban wave" for the Halo collection on Xbox and PC. This was announced by the team on social media late last night, where it's noted that this doesn't...
