Tag: Microsoft
Talking Point What Do You Want To See From Xbox In 2025?
As Microsoft redefines the meaning of Xbox
As we near Xbox's final major release of 2024 with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, we've started to look back on the year in general - and think about what we hope to see from the team in 2025. It's been a bumpy old ride being an Xbox fan at times this year, and we're wondering what you think next year...
Rumour Xbox Giving MW3 Developer Four Years To 'Lead' New Call Of Duty Project
It will not be a "year 2" release
Earlier this year, Microsoft's first Call of Duty addition to Xbox Game Pass was Sledgehammer Games' Modern Warfare 3 - and a new rumour gives us some insight into what the Activision team is working on next. According to well-known COD leaker TheGhostOfHope, the MW3 developer is wo
News Xbox Game Pass Didn't Hurt Overall Black Ops 6 Sales, Says Analyst
But PlayStation dominated the split
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was the first series entry to launch day one on Xbox Game Pass, and naturally, that led to questions about whether such a move would affect sales. While the title's Game Pass inclusion seems to have dented Xbox sales specifically, PC and PS5 have more than pulled their weight to make up...
News Multiple UK Retailers Undercut Microsoft With New Xbox Series S Deals
Black Friday sales aplenty
Yesterday, Xbox UK unveiled its official plans for Black Friday this year, with some solid deals to be had across Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and their associated accessories. However, as we hit one week until the big day itself, loads of retailers over here have slashed prices even further - especially for Xbox Series S...
News Nine Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass In Late November 2024
Play them now before they're gone!
We've got another batch of games leaving Xbox Game Pass in late November 2024, and this time there are eight titles in all - including the likes of Remnant: From The Ashes, Conan Exiles and Coral Island. There's The Walking Dead: The Final Season as well, which we think is a fantastic conclu
News These Five Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (November 20-27)
November's second wave is here
Microsoft has revealed the second batch of titles joining Xbox Game Pass in November 2024, which includes the previously confirmed Stalker 2 and Nine Sols along with the surprise addition of Aliens: Dark Descent. We've also got two games entering XGP "Standard" - these are already available with Xbox Game Pass...
News Surprise! Xbox's Avowed Has Been Confirmed For Another Platform
Even Blizzard's digital service "is an Xbox"
Well, here's a bit of a surprise. Xbox has today revealed it's bringing Obsidian Entertainment's upcoming fantasy RPG Avowed to not only Xbox Series X|S, Windows, and Steam platforms, but also Blizzard's Battle.net launcher on PC. This was confirmed in an announcement today on Xbox Wire. While we've seen...
Reaction Like It Or Not, Xbox Has Gone Full Throttle On Multiplatform
It's much bigger than Series X and S
We've known for a good while now that Microsoft wants Xbox to be more than a console, but up to this point in time, its messaging around that pursuit has been quite vague. It's always felt like the company wants to keep its loyal fans happy, while also adapting and growing Xbox as a business, which hasn't always...
News Microsoft Is Now Advertising Pretty Much Every Gaming Device As An Xbox
"This is an Xbox"
We've been hearing for months and months, years even, that any device with Microsoft's games on it is an 'Xbox' of some sort. The company has been pushing PC, Mobile and Xbox Cloud Gaming for ages at this point - but today's absolutely massive new marketing campaign is their biggest move in this direction yet. Launched earlier on,...
News Phil Spencer Thinks Stalker 2 Could Be An Xbox Game Of The Year Contender
"The quality has really come a long way"
It's official, folks, we're less than a week away from Stalker 2 hitting Xbox Game Pass - and Microsoft's gaming boss thinks that the open-world shooter could be a real GOTY contender in 2024. Speaking with Game File, Phil Spencer was asked about the upcoming title and its
News Xbox Delayed Avowed Purely Because Of Its 2024 Game Pass Schedule
"Okay, let's make sure we pace this out a little better"
Obsidian's upcoming RPG Avowed was supposed to be out at this point, but the game was eventually delayed to February 2025 earlier this year. While delays in this industry often happen due to evolving development timelines, Xbox insists this isn't the case with Avowed. Speaking in a new...
News Xbox's Best-Rated Game Of 2024 Is On Free Play Days This Weekend (November 14-17)
This is a fantastic lineup!
Xbox has unveiled its latest Free Play Days lineup, and we have some really big games on the program this weekend. Leading the charge is Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth — Xbox's highest-rated game on Metacritic this year — alongside another major 2024 release in EA Sports College Football 25. Here's your full Xbox...
News Microsoft Issues Statement As 'Hundreds' Of ZeniMax Workers Go On Strike
A one-day strike across four locations
Yesterday was a turbulent day in the world of ZeniMax Media, as hundreds of unionised workers at the company went on strike against Microsoft at four different locations in Maryland and Texas. As reported by IGN, this involves people who work on the likes of DOOM, Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, and is related...
News Xbox Fan Shares Stunning 4K Images Of 360 Launch Title Project Gotham Racing 3
These look amazing!
Right, by now you probably know that we're huge fans of Project Gotham Racing here at Pure Xbox HQ - so it's no surprise that when we saw some fresh 4K images of PGR3 in and amongst the Xbox Reddit homepage this week, our hearts skipped a little bit. Of course, these aren't official images pulled from the Xbox version or...
News Fallout 5 Not Being Ready Benefitted Amazon's TV Show, Says Xbox Boss
"We didn't have a new game lined up for the launch"
When Amazon's Fallout TV show really took off earlier this year, and Fallout fever was in full swing, there were lots of eyebrows raised about Bethesda not having a game ready to launch alongside the show - but the head of Xbox believes that
News Despite The ActiBlizz Deal, Xbox Remains 'In The Market' For New Dev Teams
"We definitely want to be in the market"
Well all know the trials and tribulations that Xbox went though to acquire Activision Blizzard last year, but the whole ordeal doesn't seem to have put Microsoft off from potentially bringing more teams on board. In a new interview with
News Xbox Boss Says Everything Is On The Table When It Comes To PS5 Ports
"I do not see sort of red lines in our portfolio"
Ever since Microsoft started releasing some of its titles on Sony's PS5, there've been rumours that certain franchises won't ever move over - but Xbox boss Phil Spencer has thrown that notion out of the window in a new interview. Chatting with Bloomberg, the Microsoft Gaming CEO said that there ar
News South Of Midnight Documentary Shares Detailed Look At Xbox's 2025 Adventure
"Weaving Hazel's journey"
After spotting a little teaser last week about fresh South of Midnight coverage coming soon, Xbox has dropped a chunky documentary on the upcoming Compulsion Games adventure - focusing on the team "weaving Hazel's journey" in the 2025 title. You can take a look at this big old ViDoc up above, which goes over some of the...
News PlayStation's Call Of Duty Timed Exclusivity Deal Is Now Officially Over
MW3 DLC packs can now come to Xbox
Microsoft may have acquired Call of Duty publisher Activision more than a year ago, but the Xbox owner vowed to uphold any existing deals that the franchise had with PlayStation owner Sony - and the last of those deals has now officially come to an end. Yep, as pointed out by CharlieIntel, last year's
News Xbox 'Friend Requests' Have Now Returned
Update: Available now!
Update [Fri 8th Nov, 2024]: In September, Xbox mentioned how it was reintroducing friend requests on Xbox. Now, in an update this week, they're available to everyone across Xbox's platforms and services. Here's another look, courtesy of The Verge's senior editor Tom Warren: Original article [Thu 12th Sep, 2024]:...
News Four Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass Standard (November 6)
The Standard library expands
Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass Standard service is getting a pretty major update today. The team is bringing four more titles over from the Game Pass Ultimate library, including 2024 narrative adventure Harold Halibut. <related ids="164791"> For those who aren't fully caught up with Microsoft's new Game Pass plan -
News Xbox Has Two 'BOGOF' Promotions Running Right Now
One for games, one for DLC packs
Xbox has a couple of new 'Buy One, Get One Free' sales running on its digital storefront right now - and they're actually both worth a look this time around. One promotion focuses on sports titles, and includes a nice mix of new releases and older backwards compatible games, while the other is all about DLC packs and...
News Xbox's Long-Running Strategy Series Could Be Next To Jump To PS5
PlayStation logos spotted
Microsoft has gradually started bringing some of its Xbox games to PS5 this year, and it looks like the team's remastered Age Of Empires 2: Definitive Edition could be another title to move over in the near future. As spotted over on Reddit, two Age of Empires 2 player profiles appear to
News Xbox's AI-Powered 'Support Virtual Agent' Now Available To Insiders
"How can I help you today?"
Microsoft has announced its new AI-powered "Support Virtual Agent" is now rolling out to select Xbox Insiders on Xbox's support page today. Support Virtual Agent will allow you to "quickly access information" from Xbox's support page and answer any issues related to your Xbox console and games. US Xbox users with...
News Xbox's Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 To Get Official PS5 Pro Support This Week
For the (PlayStation) players
As part of PlayStation 5 Pro's launch week, Sony has revealed all of the games that will be "enhanced" by its $700 console on release - and Xbox's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has perhaps surprisingly made the cut. Yep, Black Ops 6 is on Sony's initial PS5 Pro list, which contains more than 50 titles that will be b
News These 10 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (November 4-19)
November's first wave is here
Microsoft has revealed the next wave of titles to join Xbox Game Pass, as we roll into a busy November for the service. We've got 10 games arriving over the next few weeks, although a batch of these are Xbox Game Pass Standard additions that are already part of the main library.
News Seven Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass In Early November 2024
Including some major titles
Microsoft has confirmed the first batch of titles leaving Xbox Game Pass in November 2024, and sadly, this list contains some major titles that are exiting the service in the middle of the month - including two Like a Dragon games. Here's the full list of leavers for mid-November: Date Game Platform November 15
News State Of Decay Studio Head Provides Update On Team Size
"We're part of one of the largest content producing organizations"
Microsoft's State of Decay 3 developer Undead Labs this week lifted the lid on a new logo as it enters a "new era". As part of this, it's provided an update on the size of the company, which was originally founded back in 2009. As explained by the studio's head Philip Holt, when the...
News Xbox's Rod Fergusson Explains The Team's Original Plan For Gears 6
Before they shifted to E-Day
Xbox developer The Coalition took a pretty big turn earlier this year when it announced Gears of War E-Day rather than 'Gears 6', with the upcoming title serving as a prequel to the original Gears trilogy. However, at one stage, the studio did have plans for Gears 6 - plans that previous lead Rod Fergusson has now...
News Microsoft Adds Two New Dynamic Backgrounds On Xbox Series X|S
To celebrate the launch of a major new title
Microsoft grows its Xbox Series X|S dynamic background collection once again this week, with two new additions arriving from one of the feature's most prominent contributors - EA. Yep, to celebrate the launch of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, EA has added two new dynamic backgrounds themed around the BioWare...
News Call Of Duty Will Follow Same Established Development Structure Under Microsoft
At least in the foreseeable future...
In the same Washington Post story, Activision has pointed out not only the success of the Call of Duty series but also how the development structure of the series will apparently be no different under Microsoft's rule. Activision's Call of Duty senior vice president and general manager Matt Cox explained how...
News Arkane Founder Says Xbox Shutting Austin Studio Was 'Stupid' And 'Not A Good Decision'
Its last game was Redfall
Microsoft controversially closed a bunch of Xbox developers earlier this year, including Redfall maker Arkane Austin - a move that the studio's founder says was "stupid" and "not a good decision". Speaking in a new interview with
News Xbox's Call Of Duty Series Has Now Sold Over 500 Million Copies
Black Ops 6 got it over the line
During Microsoft's recent earnings call, the team touched on Black Ops 6 being the biggest launch in franchise history, and now some additional context from The Washington Post tells us that the
News Xbox Hardware Revenues Down Again Despite Content & Services Growth
Q1 2025 financials are in
Earlier today, we touched on more huge revenue growth for Xbox as a result of its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but again, Microsoft's Xbox hardware division isn't doing quite so hot. Just like last quarter, the company's gaming hardware revenues are down year-on-year, this time 29% lower than the same period last...
News Age Of Empires IV Teases New DLC For 2025
In celebration of the third anniversary
Age of Empires 4 is currently celebrating its third anniversary, and as part of this, World's Edge has revealed its plans to launch a new DLC for the RTS in 2025. Specific details about this upcoming DLC haven't been shared just yet, but the developer did show off a video reflecting on the game's progress so...
News Microsoft's Xbox Gets Another Revenue Boost From Activision
But console hardware revenue declined
Microsoft has released its Q1 2025 financial results today and once again the company has received a significant boost from its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. This includes increases to its gaming revenue and 'Xbox content and services' revenue. The tech giant reported gaming revenue growing by 43%...
News Black Ops 6 Biggest Ever Call Of Duty Launch, According To Microsoft CEO
Activision confirms it broke multiple records
Activision has confirmed Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has set "new day one and opening weekend records" for the series. Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella also mentioned how last week's launch was the "biggest" Call of Duty release ever - not only setting "a record for day one players" but also for "Game Pass...
News Red Dead Redemption PC Footage Lands As Xbox Version Remains At 30FPS
Rockstar, please.
Earlier on this month, Rockstar announced that after years and years of waiting, PC players would finally be able to experience the seminal Red Dead Redemption outside of the console space this month. Well, a few weeks later and the game is out now on the platform, and some of the footage we're seeing is making us a little bit...
News Xbox App's New Home UI Update Available Now To Xbox Insiders
Introducing a "new home experience"
Microsoft has released a new "home experience" today for the Xbox app on Windows and it's available now to Xbox Insiders. The team has listened to feedback and has been testing different designs, it's now used this to create a unified Home UI experience - combining the best content from Game Pass and the...
Talking Point Xbox Released One Of Its Best-Ever Exclusives 10 Years Ago Today
Going into overdrive
It's often spoken about that Microsoft had one of its poorest runs for exclusive games back in the Xbox One era, but the first few years of that generation were hugely overlooked in our book. Earlier this month, we talked about one of the team's standout launch Xbox One games in Ryse: Son of Rome, and today marks the anniversary...
News Xbox Is Adding New Options For Uploading & Editing Custom Gamerpics
Included in a new Xbox Insider update
Microsoft has released patch notes for a new Xbox Insider update, and this one contains some interesting console changes coming from Team Green. We've got new Store notification options and controller calibration features, but also some major changes to the way custom gamerpics work. As detailed in the patch...
News Microsoft Boasts About Owning '20 Franchises That Have Generated Over $1 Billion'
Including ActiBlizz and Bethesda games of course
Microsoft's Satya Nadella has certainly been in the headlines today and not always in the most positive light, but one section of the CEO's recent annual company update at least talks about some of Xbox's more positive achievements in recent tim
News Satya Nadella's Huge Pay Package Generates Headlines Following Recent Xbox Layoffs
It's been a lucrative year for the Microsoft boss
We all know it's been a difficult year for Xbox at times in 2024, especially considering a bunch of people have been laid off along the way - and therefore a lot of industry folk are highlighting Satya Nadella's recently revealed pay bonus. Nadella, who is the boss at Microsoft, took home a base...
News Microsoft CEO Gaming Division Update: 'We Continue To Extend Our Content To New Platforms'
"We are bringing great games to more people"
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Following rumours about Xbox's PlayStation 5 ports slowing down, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has briefly touched on the company's gaming division in his annual letter to shareholders, acknowledging this new strategy codenamed "Project Latitude": Satya Nadella:
Rumour Xbox's PS5 Ports Have 'Slowed Down' Following Indiana Jones Announcement
"Halo and Gears are still RED LINES to this day"
Most of us know by now that Xbox has begun bringing select titles to PS5 this year, with the trend set to continue next spring with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
News Xbox Boss Namedrops Marvel's Blade & Everwild Following Recent Studio Visits
Phil has been busy!
As of late, the Xbox exec team have been a bit quieter on social media, especially in the wake of Microsoft's recent studio closures and developer layoffs. However, Phil Spencer has been breaking that trend recently with a return to the Threads platform - and the boss has delivered some interesting Xbox Game Studios updates over...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (October 24-27)
Included with Xbox Game Pass
Welcome to your latest Xbox Free Play Days roundup! This week, Microsoft has brought three games to the program, although two of them are already a part of the main Xbox Game Pass library in Fallout 76 and MLB The Show 24. Here's your full Xbox Free Play Days lineup this weekend: Fallout 76 MLB The
News Helldivers 2 Dev Says Xbox Version 'Isn't Up To Us', But It 'Could' Happen
But it's ultimately up to MS and Sony
The gaming world went a bit bananas for Helldivers 2 earlier this year - its PS5 and PC launch was massive and the game went on to be more popular than any of us ever imagined. Even way back when, there was talk about an Xbox version (with Phil Spencer even commenting on the situation), and now such a...
News Four Years Later, Xbox Series X Is Now Outselling Xbox Series S In The US
According to fresh sales data
Microsoft's decision to launch two completely different consoles as part of its current-gen gaming strategy was always a bold one, and for a long time, its been the cheaper console that's thought to have sold more units overall. However, according to new data from Circana (NPD Group), Xbox Series X is finally outselling...
News Halo Veteran's Return To The Series Is Just Speculation For Now
What will Joe Staten do next?
Yesterday, news surfaced about Netflix Games shutting down its Team Blue studio – a development team that was reportedly working on a new 'AAA' project with the help of Halo veteran Joseph Staten. Following this studio update, there are rumours swirling around the Halo and Xbox community about Staten potentially...
