This week, Deathloop finally launched on Xbox after a full year of PS5 exclusivity. The end to the Sony deal also meant that Deathloop could come to Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft isn't leaving PlayStation players behind though, as Deathloop will also be available to subscribers of Sony's PS+ Extra and …
Read More »Xbox will continue to acquire studios
The past few weeks has seen the heat turned up when it comes to Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard and whether the move is in fact anti-competitive. Amidst all this, head of Xbox Phil Spencer has remained resolute, stating that the console manufacturer will continue to acquire more studios. In …
Read More »Phil Spencer speaks out against console price hikes
Recently, Sony announced plans to raise the price of the PS5 in many countries outside of the US. At the time, Microsoft and Nintendo responded by saying there are no plans to raise prices. This week, Xbox’s Phil Spencer addressed the subject again, stating that now is ‘not the right …
Read More »Sony claims Microsoft owning Call of Duty would have ‘major negative implications’ for gaming industry
In recent weeks, Sony has begun taking the offensive by publicly campaigning against Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard. We've seen Sony lay out its argument against the deal before in regulatory filings, but now, Jim Ryan has been giving juicy quotes to the press, branding Microsoft's post-merger Call of …
Read More »UK CMA calls for in-depth investigation over Xbox’s planned Activision Blizzard deal
Earlier this month, the UK's Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) announced that it has reached a new stage in its probe into Microsoft's planned Activision Blizzard acquisition. In short, the CMA has concerns that the deal could harm competition and on that basis, the case is now being recommended for …
Read More »GoldenEye 007 is coming to Xbox Game Pass WITHOUT online play
One of the most surprising announcements at Nintendo’s recently held Direct was the reveal that the long-elusive GoldenEye 007 would be leaving its Nintendo 64 shackles and would be coming to the Switch. Even more surprising however is the fact that the game is set to also come to Microsodt’s …
Read More »Discord voice chat is now live on Xbox
Discord is one of the most popular messaging platforms used by video game enthusiasts thanks to its voice chat functionalities and room-based servers. It was previously confirmed that the service would soon be coming to systems other than PC and mobile – namely PlayStation and Xbox. With PlayStation getting the …
Read More »Microsoft announces ID@Xbox Autumn Showcase
For years now Microsoft has championed its ID@Xbox program, offering a spotlight to many indie titles which would otherwise possibly fall under many players’ radars. Part of this initiative includes hosting ID@Xbox showcases – the latest of which has now been announced. Making the announcement on the Xbox Blog, Microsoft …
Read More »Cheaper Xbox Elite Series 2 Core announced
The Xbox Elite Series of controllers offer a premium option for all those who want to maximise their gaming potential. This comes at a heavy premium however, costing significantly more than a Standard Xbox controller (£159.99 to be exact). For those who want a slightly more premium experience while not …
Read More »September’s first batch of Xbox Game Pass titles announced
Throughout each month, Microsoft adds a number of titles to its Xbox Game Pass library, allowing subscribers to experience a wide variety of games across all types of genres. The console manufacturer has now announced which titles will be dropping onto the service throughout the first half of September. Making …
Read More »Gears of War studio is helping develop State of Decay 3
State of Decay 3 was announced all the way back in 2020 with a teaser trailer and little else. While we still have yet to get a proper look at the upcoming open-world zombie survival game, Matt Booty, the Head of Xbox Game Studios, has now offered some insights into …
Read More »Over 100 Crystal Dynamics devs are helping ‘The Initiative’ with Perfect Dark reboot
It is quite common nowadays for video games to be worked on by multiple teams across different studios. That being said, these collaborations typically occur between studios which fall under the same corporate umbrella. It is therefore interesting to see that over 100 Crystal Dynamics devs are assisting Xbox studio …
Read More »Microsoft reveals surprisingly cheap Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family tier
Following on from a test phase last month, Microsoft has now officially announced the new Xbox Game Pass ‘friends and family' tier. While this was initially rumoured as a family plan, Microsoft is leaning into the fact that friend groups often share access to services too. The Xbox Game Pass …
Read More »Microsoft confirms plans to bring franchises like COD and Diablo to Game Pass
We've all assumed that Activision Blizzard games will come to Xbox Game Pass some time after Microsoft completes its acquisition of the company. Today in response to questions around the deal, Xbox head, Phil Spencer, confirmed exactly that. In a lengthy blog post intended to reassure regulators, gamers and developers, …
Read More »Xbox confirms that like Minecraft, it will keep Call of Duty multiplatform
In response to news that the UK CMA is moving onto phase two of its investigation into Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has published a new blog post further detailing its plans for the company post-merger. In short, Microsoft is now more firmly committing to keeping Activision Blizzard …
Read More »UK CMA concerned over Microsoft’s planned Activision Blizzard acquisition
We learned a while ago that the UK authorities had begun their investigation into Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard and after gathering preliminary information, they have come to the decision that Microsoft owning the publisher could impact competition in the market. Now, the CMA will move into phase two …
Read More »Humble Games announces partnership with Game Pass for day-one releases
Over the years, Humble Games has gone from merely operating a storefront to publishing their own titles, such as was the case with the much-loved A Hat in Time. Now, the publisher has announced that they are partnering up with Microsoft to bring 7 upcoming Humble Games to Xbox Game …
Read More »Xbox Games With Gold announced for September
Each month, those with an Xbox Live Gold account (or an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription) are able to get their hands on a number of games for ‘free’. For the month of September, subscribers will be able to get their hands on a number of classic titles including Portal …
Read More »Microsoft and Nintendo have no plans to increase price of Xbox or Switch consoles
This week, Sony announced plans to raise the MSRP of the PlayStation 5 in most regions outside of the US, blaming inflation and the ‘global economic situation'. While the PS5 is about to get more expensive, Microsoft and Nintendo have both confirmed that there are no plans to raise the …
Read More »Ubisoft+ might finally be coming to Xbox
Back in January, Ubisoft announced it would bring its Ubisoft+ subscription service to the Xbox platform. Seven months have passed since then, and we are still waiting for Ubisoft+ to arrive, but new evidence suggests launch is just around the corner. Twitter user @ALumia_Italia is known for datamining and sharing interesting …
Read More »Death Stranding is coming to Xbox Game Pass for PC next week
Recently, there has been some discussion around Sony's exclusivity practices, including paying for ‘blocking rights' to keep certain titles from launching on Xbox Game Pass. Despite all of this, Death Stranding is now coming to Microsoft's service. While Sony owns the Death Stranding IP, the game was developed by Kojima …
Read More »Death Stranding is heading to Xbox Game Pass for PC
The Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass Twitter accounts are both known for their teasers. While most titles coming to Game Pass this month have already been revealed, Microsoft seems to have one big surprise up its sleeve – Death Stranding for Game Pass on PC. The PC Game …
Read More »Xbox Game Pass is losing some major titles this month
Yesterday, Microsoft officially announced the next batch of titles for Xbox Game Pass, all of which will land on the service before the end of the month. Unfortunately, some titles have to be cycled out due to expiring agreements. Typically, we see just a handful of titles removed each month, …
Read More »Immortals Fenyx Rising, Exapunk and more join Xbox Game Pass
The first half of the month saw titles like Ghost Recon Wildlands, Two Point Campus, Cooking Simulator and Offworld Trading Company joining the Xbox Game Pass library. Now, Microsoft has revealed the titles coming in the second half of August, including another big Ubisoft release. Ubisoft is continuing to add …
Read More »Legal documents confirm PS4 outsold Xbox One 2:1
Microsoft is currently in the process of having its massive acquisition of Activision Blizzard approved by governments across the world. While most countries don't publicly publish documents involved in these investigations, things work a bit differently in Brazil, which has given us an excellent look behind the curtain. The latest …
Read More »Microsoft will soon let you stream any Xbox game you own via xCloud
Back in June, Microsoft announced a number of improvements coming to Xbox Cloud Gaming, including new low-latency tech and support for a broader range of games. Recent updates to Xbox Store pages indicate that soon Microsoft will allow you to stream any game you own via xCloud. Currently, Xbox Cloud …
Read More »The Xbox Game Pass family plan lets you share subscription with four people
Earlier this year, multiple sources began claiming that Xbox was planning to roll out a new tier for Game Pass – a family plan tier that would allow up to five users on one subscription. Now just a few months later, it looks like Microsoft is pushing ahead with this. …
Read More »Here’s what Sony, Ubisoft, WB, Riot and others think of Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal
We're over six months on from Microsoft announcing plans to acquire Activision Blizzard, kicking off the lengthy process of gaining approvals from anti-trust organisations across the world. Most of the time, these investigations are highly secretive, but we do know that they involve seeking opinions from competing companies across the industry. Now thanks to recent filings in Brazil, documents containing these opinions have been posted online, giving us insight into what the likes of Sony, Ubisoft, WB and others think of the deal.
Read More »The FTC could make a final decision on Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal in August
Back in February, a few weeks after Microsoft announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard, the FTC, along with other regulators across the globe, launched investigations to figure out whether or not the deal should be approved. Now, It looks like the FTC's investigation will soon come to an end. The …
Read More »Microsoft reportedly planning Windows 12 for 2024
Prior to Windows 10, Microsoft would release a new version of Windows roughly every three to four years. It seems that following on from Windows 11, Microsoft will be returning to this release cadence, meaning we'll be seeing Windows 12 in 2024. As reported by Windows Central, Microsoft is shaking …
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