Hardcore EVE Online players have long used spreadsheets to calculate profits and battle damage. Up to now, they have had to fill these manually. However, thanks to an unexpected partnership between Microsoft and the game's developer, players will soon be able to export their game data directly into Excel spreadsheets. …
Read More »Microsoft to make big push for ‘Xbox Everywhere’ this year with xCloud at the centre
Microsoft is making headlines this week after bringing Fortnite to Xbox Cloud Gaming, allowing Fortnite to be played on an iPhone or iPad once again, complete with controller and touch-control support. As it turns out, this is part of a bigger play from Microsoft, as the company kicks off its …
Read More »Microsoft and Epic Games team up to sneak Fortnite back onto iOS
Fortnite has officially been unavailable on iPhones and iPads since the 2020 lawsuit between Epic Games and Apple. Epic has been fighting to get the game back onto iOS, but has been unsuccessful in persuading Apple to change its mind. Fortunately, there are other methods of getting Fortnite running on …
Read More »NYC lawsuit claims Kotick was ‘unfit’ to negotiate Activision Blizzard sale to Microsoft
Activision Blizzard CEO, Bobby Kotick, has come under fire over the last year, with thousands of employees campaigning to oust him from the company. Instead of stepping down, Kotick decided to negotiate a lifeline deal from Microsoft, something that New York City politicians aren't too happy about. In a new …
Read More »Upcoming Xbox showcase will feature nearly every internal studio
Microsoft has spent the past few years greatly expanding its roster of first party studios through the acquisition of other well-established developers. It seems soon we will see the fruits of this labour as according to one industry insider, the upcoming Xbox games showcase will feature almost every single first-party …
Read More »Danganronpa 2 and Loot River headline latest Xbox Game Pass update
It's the first week of the month, which means we're getting a new wave of Xbox Game Pass titles announced today. Previous months were headlined by the likes of MLB: The Show 22, Weird West, Life is Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy. For May, we're getting a boost in …
Read More »Activision Blizzard shareholders vote in favour of the sale to Microsoft
While Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have agreed to a merger, there are a number of hurdles still left to clear before the acquisition can happen. Aside from regulators, the deal also needs to be approved by Activision Blizzard shareholders. Due to the company's current stock price sitting far below Microsoft's …
Read More »Xbox Series X/S outsold the PS5 again this quarter
Microsoft held its quarterly earnings report earlier this week and it seems that the Xbox team has been doing extremely well. For the second quarter in a row, the Xbox Series X/S consoles have managed to outsell the PS5. Speaking during the call, Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, reported that the …
Read More »Microsoft wants to include ads in their free-to-play games
As much as video games are considered to be an art form, they also serve as a revenue stream for video game publishers. As such, in the pursuit of more influence, Microsoft is reportedly preparing to include ads in their free-to-play games. As reported by Business Insider, Microsoft is currently …
Read More »Halo composer settles lawsuit against Microsoft
Marty O’Donnell, best known for his work as a composer at Bungie in the days of Halo, and eventually, the early days of Destiny, filed a lawsuit against Microsoft two years ago. O’Donnell and fellow composer, Mike Salvatori, claimed that Microsoft owes the pair royalties dating back 20 years. Now, …
Read More »Microsoft’s Acquisition of Blizzard was decades in the making
We have recently seen all manner of video game publishers partaking in what appears to be an acquisition spree. One of the most active participants is Microsoft, Acquiring Activision Blizzard for $68 Billion last year. Despite the surprise announcement, talks between the two actually stretch as far back as the …
Read More »Microsoft will give you 3 months of Xbox Game Pass for PC if you played recent hits
Microsoft is known for offering great introductory discounts for Xbox Game Pass, often giving the first month for £1. Now, to bring a boost to Xbox Game Pass for PC, Microsoft is gifting three months of access to anyone who has played Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5 or Age of …
Read More »More Ubisoft titles are coming to Xbox Game Pass soon
We're just over the halfway mark for April, meaning its time for the next wave of Xbox Game Pass titles to be revealed. Aside from new games coming this month, Microsoft has also given us a much needed update on its growing partnership with Ubisoft, which will see more of …
Read More »Nintendo Switch Online and PS+ get consumer-friendly changes following UK investigation
Earlier this year, Microsoft made some consumer-friendly changes to the way it handles subscriptions on Xbox, following an investigation by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Now a few months later, Nintendo and Sony have adopted similar policies for Nintendo Switch Online and PlayStation Plus. The CMA has been …
Read More »The Master Chief Collection is more popular than Halo Infinite right now
Following an enjoyable honeymoon period, many Halo fans have fallen off of the Halo Infinite train. 343i’s slow rate of updates certainly hasn’t helped. This frustration felt by fans has now led to Halo: The Master Chief Collection surpassing Infinite in concurrent players. As noted by ResetEra user NekoNeko, Halo: …
Read More »Bethesda Launcher is going away later this month
Though Steam is viewed as the default launcher by many for their PC gaming needs, a number of publishers have in the past tried to draw users towards their own bespoke launcher and service. Bethesda was one such company, however thanks to the acquisition by Microsoft, its launcher is defunct …
Read More »SEGA’s ‘Super Game’ plan spans multiple titles and may include metaverse elements
Last year, SEGA entered a partnership with Microsoft, which will see the publisher using Microsoft's tech to develop a ‘Super Game' over the next five years. The ‘Super Game' concept wasn't exactly defined back when this announcement was made, but SEGA has since shared more details. On Sega's Japanese recruitment …
Read More »Sledgehammer Games has begun working on its next Call of Duty title
Sledgehammer Games hasn't had the best few years. Back in 2019, Treyarch had to step in and take over development of a previous Call of Duty game, leading to Black Ops Cold War, and now, Sledgehammer's most recent title, Vanguard, has launched to middling reception. Still, the Call of Duty …
Read More »Certain Affinity hiring Xbox specialists, possibly for rumoured Monster Hunter-style game
Xbox’s first-party studios and recent acquisitions have been getting all the headlines lately, but Microsoft does also have a number of third-party publishing deals in place for the coming years. One of those deals will see one of Xbox’s long-standing partner support studios, Certain Affinity, trying their hands at a …
Read More »Xbox to host its own E3-style showcase in June
While Nintendo and Sony have both held game announcement streams this year already, the Xbox team has been very quiet on that front. Fortunately, that silence will be coming to an end soon, with Microsoft set to hold its own E3-style games showcase in June. With E3 now officially cancelled …
Read More »Xbox might be raising the price to play online
After years of forcing Xbox gamers to pay for the console’s Live Gold service in order to play free-to-play online games, the requirement was removed last year. Premium titles still require a Live Gold subscription, and according to one insider, the base price to access online might be increased. Xbox …
Read More »Xbox studio ‘Undead Labs’ faces allegations of mismanagement
Xbox has faced plenty of criticism in the past for its heavy-handed approach to studio and project management, so when Xbox began acquiring and forming new studios in recent years, it chose to go with a more hands-off approach. Unfortunately, there are downsides that come with this, as we are …
Read More »Xbox Game Pass to get a new ‘family plan’ tier
Sony isn't the only company looking to revamp its subscription services this week. Microsoft is reportedly working on a new tier for Xbox Game Pass – a family plan that would allow up to five accounts to use the service. According to sources speaking with Windows Central, Xbox is planning …
Read More »KitGuru Games: PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium are no answer to Xbox Game Pass
Following on from multiple leaks, Sony officially announced its PlayStation Plus revamp. Formerly known as Project Spartacus, this was set up to be Sony's answer to Xbox Game Pass, but initial impressions seem to be that the final product has fallen short of expectations.
Read More »More Call of Duty remasters could be on their way
Call of Duty has been a staple of the video games industry for almost two decades, with publisher Activision ensuring the chart-topping franchise released a game every year. With this no longer being the case under Microsoft, it seems the console manufacturer will supplement mainline releases with remasters of older …
Read More »It cost an estimated $10 million to bring Guardians of the Galaxy to Xbox Game Pass
Six months on from launch, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy came to Xbox Game Pass for PC and console in March. We are often left wondering just how much money Microsoft spends licensing some of these bigger titles. According to one analyst, it seems Microsoft has paid Square Enix somewhere …
Read More »Group behind recent Nvidia, Microsoft and Samsung attacks arrested
Earlier this week, Microsoft published a lengthy post detailing the group ‘LAPSUS$' and how it operates following a string of cyberattacks on companies like Nvidia, Samsung and even Microsoft itself. Now, just days later, seven members of the group have been identified and arrested. The group had stolen and leaked …
Read More »Xbox sets up new publishing division for cloud-native games
We've been hearing about Microsoft's internal cloud gaming initiatives for a while now, with plans to fund and help develop “cloud native” games. Now, the Xbox team is making this more official, announcing its new cloud-focused games publishing arm at GDC. Previously, we've heard that Microsoft is in talks to …
Read More »Microsoft Flight Simulator’s next major update is out
Microsoft Flight Simulator released in 2020 to a positive reception with many praising the game’s rendering of the entire Earth – even if there were a few mistakes. Asobo Studio has since been updating its world country-by-country with accurate and bespoke mapping – the latest World Update of which is …
Read More »Microsoft announces furry Sonic-themed Xbox controllers
Microsoft’s first-party controller customisablility has shined in recent generations, with players being able to control the colours of almost all aspects of the accessory. Likewise, Microsoft-designed custom controllers have never shied away from being flashy. Even so, their newest controllers are the oddest pair yet. Making the announcement on the …
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