Tag: Microsoft - Page 8
News Redfall DLC Cancelled As Developer Arkane Austin Gets Closed Down By Xbox
Not the 'bite back' we were expecting
Update: Redfall developer Arkane Austin says players "will be eligible to receive the value of the upgrade", while Bethesda Support adds that the team is "working to finalize details for the Redfall credit program". Original Aricle: Remember Redfall's planned DLC? Well, it never actually existed in any...
News Xbox Is Shutting Four Studios, Including Arkane Austin And Tango Gameworks
Creators of Redfall, Hi-Fi RUSH & much more
In some earth-shattering news today, it's been announced that Xbox is shutting four studios in the form of Arkane Austin (Redfall, Prey), Tango Gameworks (Ghostwire: Tokyo, Hi-Fi RUSH), Alpha Dog Games (Mighty D
News Xbox Is Hosting Another 'Buy One, Get Two Free' Sale This Week
But honestly, these aren't great deals
Xbox's new weekly sales are now live, and alongside a pretty great selection of standard deals on some recently released titles, the team is hosting another one of its 'Buy One, Get Two Free' sales right now. This particular promotion has a wide range of games on offer, but they're hardly what we'd call...
News Phil Spencer Set To Take Part In Big Interview After 2024 Xbox Games Showcase
Things are heating up ahead of the big day
Xbox Showcase season is really starting to kick into gear now! We recently got all the details on when exactly the 2024 summer show will take place, and now outlet IGN has announced that it will be hosting an interview with Xbox Boss Phil Spencer right after the show. According to IGN's Xbox guru Ryan...
News Microsoft & CI Games Strike Deal For Two New Xbox Game Pass Additions
One was already rumoured to be coming!
Following a rumour about Lords of the Fallen coming to Xbox Game Pass this month, we seem to have confirmation of that particular title and another from publisher CI Games joining the library soon. As picked up by Polish business site Bankier, Microsoft appears to have agreed to bring t
Talking Point Would You Mind If The Next Xbox Was A Portable Console?
Or do you hope Microsoft sticks to a traditional system?
As we move through the fourth year of Xbox Series X|S, we're surely approaching the back-half of this generation of gaming - which has us often pondering where Microsoft might go next. Lately, 'Xbox handheld' rumours have been swirling — fuelled by the likes of Phil Spencer talking about...
News Xbox Is Apparently 'Very Confident' In Its 2024 Summer Showcase Lineup
Just over a month until the big day!
We're closing in on the big Xbox Games Showcase for 2024, with this year's event recently confirmed to be airing on June 9th - and it's sounding like we might be in for a treat during the 2024 show and beyond. Windows Central's Jez Corden has been hyping up the event on Twitter, discussing his most anticipated...
News Xbox Exec Hypes Up Hellblade 2 As Team Green Lays Out Launch Plans
"Excited to share more & celebrate this visually stunning masterpiece"
We're about two and a half weeks away from Hellblade 2 releasing on Xbox Game Pass, and it looks like launch plans are kicking into gear over at Microsoft and Ninja Theory. Not only is the developer starting to "share something every day" from now until launch, but Xbox exec...
News Microsoft Revokes Access To 'Amazing' James Bond Movie Deal On Xbox
Refunds are being processed
Every now and then a ridiculous price error crops up on one of the digital storefronts we all shop on these days, and this week saw a pretty insane one appear on the Microsoft Store. For a brief time, a $200+ James Bond Film Collection was mistakenly priced at just $5 - A mistake that's now being refunded and revoked by...
News Original Xbox 'XBHD' Adapter Gets Promotional Price Drop
"Excited to get the XBHD in the hands of OG Xbox fans"
EON Gaming's plug-and-play OG Xbox adapter — the XBHD — is getting a promotional price drop at the moment, in partnership with Castlemania Games. The US-based, retro-focused store is currently selling the XBHD for $99, down from the listed retail price of $150. Now, we're not sure how long...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (May 2-5)
Included with Game Pass Core and Game Pass Ultimate
Update: Microsoft has since revealed that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's inclusion in Free Play Days only features a five-hour gameplay trial. As mentioned below though, the game is available in full on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and EA Play. Original Story: Xbox's Free Play Days titles are now live for...
News Xbox Cloud Gaming Is Adding The Ability To Manage Save Files
Starting out with Insiders
Following this week's news about dynamic backgrounds being improved over at Microsoft HQ, Xbox Insiders are also being treated to another neat quality-of-life feature; this time in regards to cloud gaming on other devices. As spotted by The Verge's Tom Warren, a new Xbox Cloud Gaming save feature has started to appear for...
News New Xbox Update Makes It Easier To Swap Between Wi-Fi Networks
"Another day, another great Xbox dashboard feature"
Xbox is always tinkering with the system dashboard, and following the news about a feature to improve backgrounds, another handy new feature has now been revealed. As highlighted by The Verge's senior editor Tom Warren, Microsoft is currently testing the "ability for Xbox consoles to remember...
News Starfield Is Getting A 60FPS Performance Mode On Xbox Series X
Coming as part of the big May update
As part of today's May update reveal for Starfield, Xbox Series X players are being treated to some brand-new display options for Bethesda's mammoth RPG. The big news here is that the game is getting a proper 60FPS Performance mode on Xbox Series X, although Xbox Series S appears to miss out for now. There's...
News Microsoft Gauges Interest In 'Handheld Gaming' Devices With New Survey
Is a portable Xbox being planned?
An Xbox handheld console is starting to feel more likely than ever, despite rumours of such a device circulating since the heyday of the PSP. Recently, we've read rumours about prototypes, have witnessed Phil Spencer liking tweets about Xbox handhelds, and the Xbox boss has even
News Xbox Is Testing A New Dashboard Feature To Improve Backgrounds
Dynamic backgrounds are becoming more flexible
Microsoft is testing a pretty cool Xbox dashboard feature in its Insider Program at the minute - one that adds a welcome bonus to using and applying dynamic backgrounds on your console. Basically, the new update will allow Xbox users to combine dynamic backgrounds and game art backgrounds at the same...
News Xbox Confirms Exactly How The 360 Store Closure Will Affect Players This July
Less than three months to go!
We're getting closer and closer to the end of the Xbox 360 store, with the old marketplace shutting its doors as of July 29th, 2024, and Microsoft has been sending out reminders over the past few hours to all Xbox users about the change. We pretty much knew everything we needed to be aware of before today, but just in...
News Here's What The First PS5 Reviews Are Saying About Sea Of Thieves
Rare's first-ever PlayStation game is out now
Well, the final entry in Xbox's new four-game-foray into PlayStation gaming is officially out now, with Sea Of Thieves releasing on PS5 today. It's been a long while since the game first came out on Xbox though, so what are the reviews saying about Rare's pirate adventure in 2024? We've already heard...
News Xbox Teases Call Of Duty 'Direct' To Follow 2024 Summer Showcase
"We can’t say much"
Following multiple reports in recent months about 'Call of Duty: Black Ops Gulf War' launching in 2024, it looks like Xbox is about to officially unveil the game this June. As part of today's Xbox Summer Showcase announceme
News Eight Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass In Early May 2024
The first batch of departures for May
The first six games leaving Xbox Game Pass in May 2024 have been revealed today, and sadly we've got a few big ones in the mix! The most notable example is Just Cause 4 Reloaded - Square's latest Just Cause title has been on the service for just over five years, until it leaves this month. Here's the full list...
Random Xbox Boss Spotted Rocking Huge Fallout Helmet Behind The Scenes
"Guess who this is..."
Fallout fever is certainly spreading at the moment, as the brand-new TV show hits a massive viewership milestone in just over two weeks since its release - and it seems that Xbox boss Phil Spencer has caught the bug over at Microsoft HQ right now. Posting to Instagram, Xbox exec Sarah Bond initially asked fans to guess who...
News Moon Studios Hopes Fans Get Why It 'Won't Be Making Ori 3 Anytime Soon'
"This is our Magnum Opus"
In and around the launch of its next big game No Rest for the Wicked, developer Moon Studios has been talking plenty about its popular Xbox series Ori - and why it likely won't return to the IP anytime soon. This weekend, the team has added further context behind this; claiming that it'll
News Former Xbox Exec Shares Achievement Sound That Was 'Rejected' At Microsoft
"We went through quite a few iterations"
During the Xbox One era, Microsoft introduced 'Rare Achievements' - complete with their own unique sound effect to set themselves apart. Well, that achievement sound went through multiple iterations according to former Xbox exec Major Nelson; who's taken to social media today to share one of the team's...
Talking Point Would You Like To See Xbox Focus On A New Fallout Game?
Have you caught Fallout fever this month?
Well, we're officially in a bit of a Fallout renaissance, folks! Amazon Prime's TV show has drummed up huge levels of hype for Bethesda's post-apocalyptic series — so much so that the nine-year-old Fallout 4 has shot to the top of the gaming charts in recent weeks — and the
News Microsoft CEO Comments On Xbox's New PlayStation Store Success
"More than any other publisher"
Microsoft's latest quarterly results are in; with the team seeing huge gains across its Xbox division thanks to the acquisition of Activision Blizzard last year. However, it's not just ActiBlizz bringing the good news at the moment - some of Xbox's older studio acquisitions are bringing continued success too. As part...
News Xbox's Gaming Revenue Is Up 51% YoY Following Activision Blizzard Acquisition
The FY24 Q3 results are in
Microsoft has today released its financial results for Q3 2024 and its Xbox gaming revenue growth is up by more than 51% year-over-year. Once again, this is mostly credited to Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which was closed on October 13, 2023. This latest figure factors in 55 points of net impact from...
News Gears Of War Voice Actor Reckons We're Due A 'Gears 6' Announcement In June
Rising like a JD Fenix
Gears of War developer The Coalition has been rather quiet since Gears 5 dropped almost five years ago, but we're starting to see pointers that things may get busier this year. The latest hint is a fresh tweet from the voice actor behind Gears character JD Fenix - the actor thinks June could be the month for a big '
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (April 25)
Including Fallout 4 next-gen!
It's a big day for Xbox Game Pass, folks! We have three additions to the library in total today, including Bethesda's Fallout 4 next-gen update and a pretty hefty addition to EA Play. Here's an introduction to what's coming to Xbox Game Pass today: Another Crab's T
News Xbox Talks Sustainability Efforts As Rare's New 'Solar-Powered Studio' Is Unveiled
Earth Day 2024 brings new Xbox innovations
As part of Earth Day 2024, Microsoft has broken down a number of new initiatives going on at Xbox right now - including a brand-new "solar-powered studio" at Sea Of Thieves developer Rare. This new studio, also known as 'Barn X', opened last year - and it's since been "certified LEED GOLD for its design...
News Xbox's Latest BOGOF Sale Includes Some Best-Ever Deals On Rockstar Classics
This is more like it!
Xbox has just set some new digital deals live as the annual Spring Sale comes to an end, and one particular promotion is standing out to us this week. The team has a new 'BOGOF' sale going on right now, focusing on a bunch of backwards compatible Xbox classics. The selection here is quite mixed, but we're noticing some good...
News World Of Warcraft For Xbox Is Still Discussed Internally At Blizzard
"Of course we still talk about it"
Can you believe that World of Warcraft is 20 years-old this year? Nah, us neither, and as it turns out - new versions of the title are still a hot topic over at developer Blizzard. Yep, two decades later the team still ponders a console release, and whether it's something worth pursuing. Talking to VGC, the...
News Blizzard Says It's Already 'Benefitting' From From Being A Part Of Xbox
"If anything, it’s just been helpful"
It's no doubt a pretty huge task to incorporate a team like Blizzard into your organisation - we've already seen evidence of this back in January when a studio shakeup resulted in a cancelled Blizzard project. However, things seem to have settled down since, and a new comment from one Blizzard dev suggests...
Talking Point What Do You Want To See From Xbox's New 'Game Preservation' Team?
New features like FPS Boost? More back compat games? Tell us!
Earlier this month, we learnt via internal Microsoft emails that Xbox has recently set up a new team dedicated entirely to game preservation - building on its "strong history of delivering backwards compatibility" to players on its platform. While the leaked memo doesn't contain much...
News Six Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass In Late April 2024
The latest group of leavers
The second batch of games leaving Xbox Game Pass in April 2024 has been revealed today, and in total we have six games leaving the library - including one EA Play title. Here's the full list of titles leaving Xbox Game Pass on April 30, 2024: Xbox Game Pass: Leaving Soon (April 30, 2024): Date Game Platform April...
News Former Xbox Exec Likes The Idea Of 'Tipping' Developers After Beating Their Games
"Some games are that special"
The price of AAA games has been a hot topic recently, especially with the move to $70 releases, but one former Xbox & Blizzard exec has taken to social media to express that they'd actually like the option to give devs more money for their releases. Yep, Mike Ybarra — who left X
News Crash Bandicoot 4 Has Apparently Sold Over 5 Million Copies
That's great news for the future
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time has apparently been a huge success for developer Toys for Bob. According to the game's design director Toby Schadt (via LinkedIn), the game has sold "over 5 million copies" since its initial multiplatform release in 2020. So in other words, this is great news for the future of...
Talking Point Will Hellblade 2 Be A Genuine Game Of The Year Contender This Year?
The first game missed out in 2017
As we close in on a month-or-so before launch, the Hellblade 2 hype is building. This is Xbox's first big exclusive launch of 2024, and it should hopefully get the ball rolling for a fantastic year in regards to Xbox first-party. As good as the game looks so far — and always has done since it was first unveiled...
News Fallout 4's Next-Gen Update Is Coming To Xbox Series X|S Later This Month
Finally!
As announced all the way back in October 2022, Fallout 4 Next-Gen is finally coming. Today, Bethesda has revealed that the upgraded version of its 2015 RPG will launch for Xbox Series X|S on April 25th, 2024. The update will add new 'Performance' and 'Quality' mode options for current-gen players, while stability improvements and bug fixes...
Feature If Q1 Is Anything To Go By, 2024 Should Be Another Fantastic Year On Xbox
2024 has already delivered some bangers!
Last year was widely considered the best of the current generation of gaming so far, and we're hoping that the Xbox Series X|S era keeps on gathering pace from this point onwards. It's going to be hard to top a year that contained Alan Wake 2, Baldur's Gate 3, Starfield and so much more - but the first
News Xbox's Hellblade 2 Is 'On Another Level' Says Digital Foundry, Despite Series S Concerns
The DF team dives into some preview footage
Early previews are now doing the rounds for Hellblade 2 - and by most accounts this is shaping up to be an impressive Xbox Series X|S title. The team over at Digital Foundry is one of the outlets to have taken a look at the game recently, and they reckon it's "on another level" visually, de
News Here's What's Included In The Xbox April 2024 Update
Rolling out today on Xbox & PC
The Xbox April 2024 update begins rolling out to all users on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC today, and it includes a bunch of new features highlighted by 'Game Hubs' for PC players. Here's a short overview of the Xbox April 2024 update, with more details available at Xbox Wire: Xbox April 2024...
Random Streamer Beats Gears Of War On Insane Difficulty In 2024, Without Ever Taking Cover
Now this is a mad world
Beating any of the Gears games on Insane difficulty is no small feat, but what if you were mad enough to try and do it without ever taking cover? Well, Twitch streamer Arrrash has decided to replay the first game — specifically 2015's Gears of War: Ultimate Edition — in 2024, without using the game's cover mechanic...
News It's Been 12 Months Since Xbox Faced A Major Activision Blizzard Crisis
And in some ways, it's still not over
Last year was absolutely packed full of news about Xbox's continual attempts to acquire Activision Blizzard in various countries around the world, but a major roadblock almost put a stop to everything 12 months ago. Yes, it's been almost an entire year since the UK's Competition and Markets Authority blocked...
News NetEase Enters Into Agreement With Microsoft To 'Explore' Bringing New Titles To Xbox
As Blizzard games return to China
Blizzard has announced its games will be returning to China under a renewed publishing deal between Microsoft Gaming and NetEase. After discussions "over the past year", players in China will be able to once again access World of Warcraft, Hearthstone and many other titles across the Blizzard universe including...
News Ori Dev Explains Why It Decided Against Third Entry In The Franchise, For Now
"I think were were pretty happy with where it left off"
Ori developer Moon Studios has talked about its future in a new interview with Game Informer - a future that's laser-focused on No Rest for the Wicked at the moment. A third Ori game has been discussed though, and while the te
News Xbox ANZ & Cure Cancer Foundation Collaborate To Build Dazzling Custom Series X Consoles
Three amazing designs for a great cause
Xbox ANZ has unveiled three unique Series X console designs this week, built in collaboration with Australia's 'Cure Cancer' foundation. The systems are being auctioned off in the region for the next three weeks, to help raise money towards fighting Cancer. There are three completely unique consoles up for...
News Citizen Sleeper Dev Says Xbox Game Pass Is 'Keeping A Lot Of Indie Studios Going'
"The money is a pittance to Microsoft"
We all love Xbox Game Pass here at Pure Xbox, and as it turns out, plenty of indie studios seem grateful for the service and its security too. We've heard this from small devs and publishers before, and this week, the Citizen Sleeper creator has talked about how the service is keepin
Random Gears Of War Creator Reminds Fans He Can't Revive Games He Doesn't Have Rights To
"Please stop asking me"
The Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski has previously voiced his interest in returning to the series, but he's recently taken to social reiterate that it's mostly out of his control. Here's what he had to say in his latest post (via social media): "Please stop asking me to bring back games that I don't have the rights...
News Xbox Dev Ninja Theory To Host 'A Journey Of The Mind' Live Event For Hellblade 2
Highlighting the game's ties to mental health
Hellblade 2 is out on Xbox next month, and to highlight some of the game's themes and overall ties to mental health, developer Ninja Theory has a special live event planned for tomorrow, April 9th. 'Hellblade: A Journey of the Mind' is a collaboration between the development team and its nearby...
Talking Point Which Classic COD Would You Play First On Xbox Game Pass?
It's rumoured Xbox is 'gearing up' for an announcement
So, all of a sudden we're starting to see lots of rumours about Xbox's upcoming 2024 summer showcase - including a potential ActiBlizz back catalogue announcement of some sort. This announcement could include Call of Duty in some fashion (we've still not seen any of those titles appear on
