Many of us had been expecting to see updates on Machine Games' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Obsidian's upcoming RPG, Avowed, during the Xbox Games Showcase on June 9th. However, it would seem that Microsoft has something else planned, as it is now claimed that these games will …
Read More »Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 officially announced
Following on from numerous leaks in recent weeks, Activision has now officially announced this year's Call of Duty. As you would expect, previous leaks were indeed accurate, with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 set to release this year. While it was no secret that there would be a new …
Read More »Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 launches to mixed criticism
Hellblade 2 was first revealed in late 2019, alongside the announcement of Microsoft's next-gen Xbox console. Now, four years into the Xbox Series X/S generation, Ninja Theory's long-awaited sequel has finally arrived, but reviews are a little more mixed than anticipated. While Hellblade garnered universal acclaim back in 2017 for …
Read More »Summer Game Fest kicks off on June 7th
Summer Game Fest is just a couple of weeks away. With E3 now officially cancelled for good, Summer Game Fest has cemented its position as the new go-to summer event for game announcements. This year's show will see over 55 partners being involved, ranging from smaller indie companies and gaming-adjacent software makers, to the biggest publishers in the industry.
Read More »Toys For Bob seemingly gearing up for new Crash Bandicoot
After acquiring Activision Blizzard in late 2023, Microsoft made the decision to allow Toys for Bob to go independent. At the time, we did not know what this meant for the studio’s future involvment with IP like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. However, the company’s new logo gives us …
Read More »Xbox Game Pass tiers may change thanks to Call of Duty
Microsoft plans to shake up its subscription service after acquiring Activision Blizzard
Read More »Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 tipped for October launch
We’ve known through leaks for a while now that Call of Duty’s next game will be a return to Black Ops, with Treyarch leading development. The game is expected to be officially revealed at the Xbox Games Showcase in June, but the release date may have leaked ahead of time. …
Read More »Call of Duty will be heading to Game Pass day-one this year
While Sarah Bond appeared to confirm this already in an interview earlier in the month, a new report has come out stating that Microsoft has finalised plans to bring Call of Duty to Game Pass this year. A previous report had claimed that there had been debate within Microsoft about …
Read More »Microsoft launches new ‘Proteus’ accessible controller with modular design
Microsoft has recently unveiled the Proteus controller, a customisable video game controller kit designed with accessibility in mind. Developed by ByoWave as part of the Designed for Xbox program, the wireless controller consists of modular cubes with interchangeable faceplates featuring controller buttons, a directional pad, and analogue sticks. All of …
Read More »Activision is opening up a new studio with veterans from CD Projekt, Naughty Dog and Bungie
In a surprise move today, Microsoft has announced that it has actually opened a new games studio. Following on from last year's Activision Blizzard acquisition, Xbox allowed Toys for Bob to go independent. Now, a new Activision Blizzard studio is opening up to fill the gap. Elsewhere Entertainment is a …
Read More »Ubisoft confirms Assassin’s Creed Shadows won’t require an online connection to play
Assassin's Creed Shadows was officially unveiled this week and players quickly learned that physical copies of the game will require an online internet connection to install. This led to concerns that the entire game would require an online connection but Ubisoft has now confirmed that this is not the case. …
Read More »Microsoft is working on bringing more Xbox titles to PlayStation
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced plans to bring four previously exclusive games to rival consoles for the first time. So far, this has led to Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves, Pentiment and Grounded all going to PlayStation or Switch (or both in some cases). Now, it appears Microsoft is planning …
Read More »Hellblade 2, Immortals of Aveum and more head to Game Pass this month
We've come up to the second half of the month, which means it is now time for a new wave of Xbox Game Pass titles to be announced. The big headliner here is Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, the highly anticipated sequel to Ninja Theory's beloved action-horror game. Senua's Saga: Hellblade …
Read More »A new DOOM game appears to be around the corner
In recent years, a number of trademark filings have revealed new id Software releases ahead of announcement. Previously, we've seen the classic DOOM re-releases and Quake re-releases leaked this way. Now, a new trademark filing hints at something new in the works for DOOM fans. The pending trademark is titled …
Read More »Square Enix finally throws in the towel on ‘exclusive’ games
We've heard a lot about the surprisingly lacklustre sales tail for Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, both of which launched as PS5 exclusives, limiting each game's respective market reach. Now, Square Enix seems to be acknowledging that exclusivity deals aren't making much sense for the company, confirming …
Read More »We might finally see Perfect Dark next month
With the current kerfuffle surrounding Microsoft’s surprising moves within Xbox – aka shutting down Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin – fans have begun to fear for Xbox’s many other studios and projects, including the self-described AAAA Perfect Dark reboot. Throughout its development we have heard conflicting reports on the game’s …
Read More »Hi-Fi Rush breaks multiple Xbox records on Steam following studio closure
Over the past week we have seen a massive shift in the narrative towards Microsoft and Xbox, primarily stemming from the recent closure of 4 internal Bethesda studios including Tango Gameworks of Hi-Fi Rush fame. In protest of this decision, fans have flocked to Hi-Fi Rush – making it the …
Read More »Xbox to launch its own mobile game store in July
Microsoft has been making a lot of headlines in recent days following the announcement that they will be closing down 4 Bethesda studios including the much-loved Tango Gameworks. In amongst all this, the console manufacturer also revealed their plans to launch a standalone Xbox web app, allowing the $3 Trillion …
Read More »Microsoft is still planning to bring Call of Duty to Game Pass on day-one
Microsoft's announcement that four Bethesda studios will be shut down has caused another wave of speculation around Game Pass. Reports claim that Microsoft is debating whether or not to keep bringing major releases, like Call of Duty, to Game Pass due to the revenue drop in sales. Just one day …
Read More »Fallout 76 players are sending nukes at Phil Spencer for recent studio closures
Xbox finds itself embroiled in yet another PR debacle this week, as Fallout 76 players enact an unconventional form of protest. Earlier this year, the gaming community was stirred by Microsoft's decision to release former exclusives on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. Now, Microsoft's recent announcement of the closure of four …
Read More »Microsoft is closing down Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin and other Bethesda studios
While Microsoft hasn't interfered with Bethesda's operations much since acquiring the company in 2020, that is slowly starting to change. A round of lay-offs earlier this year impacted several Bethesda teams. Now, a few studios are also being shut down, including Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks. An announcement penned by …
Read More »New Starfield update announced, bringing 60fps and a whole lot more
Starfield launched in September last year to somewhat mixed reviews, with the perception surrounding the game being increasingly soured as time went on. That said, Todd Howard and the team at Bethesda Game Studios have been cooking a massive update – though one which arguably should’ve been available at launch. …
Read More »Tomb Raider headlines new wave of Xbox Game Pass titles
The first wave of Xbox Game Pass titles for May 2024 have been announced. Unfortunately, it is a pretty minimal update this time around, featuring just four games. The headlining game in this update is Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, which is very old at this point. Still, if you've never …
Read More »Microsoft’s secret ‘gameplay deep-dive’ stream is for Call of Duty
Yesterday, Microsoft officially confirmed its plans for the next Xbox summer showcase. Like last year, this year's big stream will be a two-parter, with a second stream offering a lengthy deep-dive into a new game “in a beloved franchise”. At the time, we noted that the teaser image resembled Call …
Read More »Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro returns in white
SteelSeries recently unveiled a new white version of its highly acclaimed Arctis Nova Pro Wireless headset. This new headset iteration is similar to its black counterpart but has one significant update to its ANC microphones. While the headset is white, the included DAC/wireless receiver will be black. The updated ANC …
Read More »Switch version of Hi-Fi Rush rated by PEGI
Earlier this year, leaks and rumours sprung up suggesting that the Xbox console exclusive Hi-Fi Rush would be coming to more platforms, specifically PS5 and Nintendo Switch. Of course, Microsoft did wind up announcing that Hi-Fi Rush was coming to more platforms – though only PS5. One month on from …
Read More »The Xbox Games Showcase returns with back-to-back streams on June 9th
As previously rumoured, the Xbox Games Showcase will return on the 9th of June. Like last year, Microsoft will be following up its major showcase with another ‘Direct' stream. Last year, the secondary Direct focused on Starfield, but this year's Direct remains a mystery for the time being. Microsoft did …
Read More »BlizzCon has been cancelled again this year
BlizzCon made its grand return in 2023, after a four year hiatus. Unfortunately, it looks like the event is on the ropes once again, with plans for BlizzCon 2024 being scrapped. BlizzCon is by no means a cheap event to run, but it has been a core part of the …
Read More »Could Helldivers 2 come to Xbox?
Helldivers 2 has been a huge hit over the past couple of months, maintaining a massive playerbase eager to stay up to date on new content across PS5 and PlayStation. Currently, the game is a PS5 console exclusive, but recent rumours suggest that may change. Xbox Era's Nick Baker has …
Read More »Microsoft announces date for next Xbox games showcase
We're still awaiting news on the next major Xbox Games Showcase, which is due to take place this June. Still, the Xbox team does have other announcements to make in the meantime, so there will be an indie-focused showcase next week. The next ID@Xbox Digital Showcase has been announced, scheduled …
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