Tag: Xbox Game Studios - Page 2
News Xbox 'Fails To Qualify' As Metacritic Reveals 2023 Game Publisher Rankings
Here's a look at the top ten
We were taking a look at the new 2023 Game Publisher Rankings over at Metacritic earlier today, trying to figure out where Xbox Game Studios had landed in the list of 45 different publishers, and then we realised... Xbox isn't there. The reason? Well, these rankings are actually based on all of 2022's releases, and...
Deals Get Up To 85% Off In Xbox & Bethesda Spring Sales On Steam (March 16-23)
Plenty of titles discounted
If you're anything like us and have caved at Valve's current Steam Deck offer (or you game regularly on PC), you might be looking for some new Steam titles to bulk out your PC library. Well, you're in luck! Both Xbox and Bethesda are running major Steam sales right now, with some deep discounts available across a bunch of...
News Xbox Marketing Budget Reportedly 'Reduced' In The Wake Of Microsoft Layoffs
Will we hear less from the company in the coming months?
While the team at Xbox have finally been a little more vocal about their upcoming slate of games recently — namely in the form of Xbox Developer Direct and future showcase announcements — it turns out that the platform's marketing push, generally speaking, could actually be reduced in...
News Here's A Look At The Updated Xbox Game Studios Roadmap For 2023 & Beyond
We've got some great stuff to look forward to!
Yesterday's Xbox Developer Direct gave us release dates for a couple of upcoming Xbox first-party games, as well as the announcement of Hi-Fi RUSH, and therefore it's a good time to take a look at the upcoming slate of XGS titles. Fortunately, the supremely talented Xbox fan Klobrille over on Twitter...
News Rare's Everwild Team 'Warming Up' For 2023 As Work Continues On New Title
"Back in studio this week"
Remember Everwild? Rare's brand-new IP was first unveiled way back in 2019 at this point, and we've been eager to hear more about it since its mysterious reveal. While the team has remained largely quiet about the game over the past few years, we do at least have some confirmation that work on the title is ongoing. Louise...
Pick One Which Game Are You Most Excited For At The Xbox 'Developer_ Direct' Event?
Redfall? Forza? Minecraft? Tell us!
It's time for another round of Pick One! This week, to celebrate the announcement of the Xbox Developer_Direct event happening on January 25th, we want to know which of the four confirmed titles you're most excited for. Microsoft has revealed information about what we can expect from Forza Motorsport, Minecraft...
Talking Point Are Games Announced Too Far In Advance?
Microsoft, CDPR, we're looking at you
Today's 10-year anniversary of the teaser trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 got us thinking about about game announcements and how long we often have to wait between reveals and releases. CD Projekt Red's almost eight-year gap between teaser trailer and launch might be
Pick One Which Xbox Game Studios Title Are You Most Excited For Right Now?
Looking at the upcoming slate
It's no secret that Xbox's first-party developers have had a quiet year, especially when it comes to the big AAA experiences we all expect from a platform holder like Microsoft. Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic certainly hasn't helped, with game delays largely contributing to such a barren year on Xbox. However, the...
Feature Looking Ahead To A Brighter 2023 For Xbox Game Studios
On track
A lot has been said about Xbox Game Studios this year, with Microsoft's first-party output dropping quite significantly from last year - especially when talking big AAA titles. While that's true and has indeed been disappointing, we want to look ahead to 2023 as we all hope for a much stronger output from Team Xbox. The first offerings...
News Xbox Confirms Exclusivity Plans For Three Upcoming Bethesda Games
"Designed to be played primarily alone or in small groups"
Microsoft and Activision Blizzard's initial court responses to the FTC Lawsuit have been published today (as we've highlighted elsewhere on Pure Xbox) and as part of this, Microsoft mentions that three upcoming ZeniMax (Bethesda) games are anticipated to become Xbox and PC exclusives at...
News Xbox Unveils Job Listing For 'Director Of Japan Creator Partnerships'
Another major hire in the region
Microsoft has made a big deal about the need to grow Xbox's presence in Japan over the past couple of years, and it seems like that's still a major focus for the team right now, as a major job role has just opened up at the company. The ad, posted on the Microsoft website, is for a "Director of Japan Creator...
News Hideo Kojima Reveals More About His 'Unusual' New Xbox Project
He's been thinking about it for "five or six years"
We've known that Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has been working on a project with Xbox Game Studios for a little while, but both parties have remained largely quiet about what we can expect from it. However, speaking to IGN in an interview this week, Kojima
Rumour Xbox Might Be Planning 'Some Kind Of Event' For Early 2023
Definitely not a guarantee though
The Game Awards 2022 definitely ended up feeling a little disappointing from an Xbox perspective last week. Sure, we saw plenty of games announced for the platform, but none of them came from Xbox Game Studios. Since then, Windows Cent
News Xbox Fans Left Disappointed With Lack Of First-Party Reveals At The Game Awards 2022
Update: Xbox says it has "a lot planned" for 2023
Update: Xbox's Aaron Greenberg has shared a brief message on social media, mentioning how Xbox has "a lot planned" for the year ahead. Apparently, fans won't have to wait long to find out what's next! "We have a lot planned to show and share about an incredibly exciting year ahead for 2023...
News Phil Spencer Admits 'Something Had To Give' With Price Of First-Party Xbox Games
"We had held off as long as we could..."
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has been speaking about the recent announcement that major first-party Xbox games will be getting a price increase beginning in 2023, jumping from $59.99 to $69.99 at launch. In his conversation with the
News Xbox First-Party Games Are Officially Getting A Price Increase In 2023
Including Starfield, Redfall & Forza Motorsport
Microsoft has confirmed today that Xbox Game Studios (first-party) titles will be getting a price increase from 2023 onwards, with Starfield, Redfall and Forza Motorsport all reflecting the new $69.99 USD price point next year. This will affect games "built for Xbox Series X|S" - in other words, all...
News Xbox Game Studios & Bethesda Hosting Major Steam Sale This Weekend
It's now live!
We've talked a lot about the huge Xbox Live Black Friday 2022 sale, and for good reason - there are over 700 games discounted on Xbox through late November! However, if you're also looking at picking up some PC games this weekend, the team has thrown together a nice little Steam sale featuring a bunch of Xbox & Bethesda titles...
News Pentiment Is The Best Xbox Game Studios Release Of 2022, Say Critics
It should crack the Metacritic Top 10 list
Obsidian's latest release arrives in the form of Pentiment on Tuesday (November 15th), launching into Xbox Game Pass on day one. Ahead of release, the reviews have been dropping everywhere today, and it's been getting fantastic scores. In fact, if you look at the Metacritic average (86 on Xbox Series X),...
Pick One Which Is The Best Xbox Game Studios Release Of The Past Two Years?
Halo Infinite? Forza Horizon 5? Tell us!
It's time for another round of Pick One! This week, to celebrate two years of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, we thought we'd take a look back at the first-party games that have been released on those consoles so far. The only game missing from this list is Obsidian's Pentiment, which arrives on...
News Halo Infinite 'Fell Short' After Launch And Needs To 'Recover', Admits Xbox Studio Head
"We just fell short on the plan..."
It's no secret at this point that Halo Infinite has suffered a rough time ever since its release back in late 2021. The actual launch was great, and we had brilliant things to say in our review, but the post-launch momentum just wasn't there for 343 Industries, and players have suffered from a lack of regular new...
News The Outer Worlds Looks Like It's Getting A Native Xbox Series X|S Upgrade
Rated in Taiwan
Obsidian's The Outer Worlds has been rated for next-gen platforms by the Taiwanese ratings board, a regular source for early leaks on upcoming titles. The sci-fi RPG first launched back in 2019 as an Xbox One game, shortly after Microsoft acquired the studio. Since then, Obsidian has announced a sequel, although for all intents and...
Rumour Xbox Is Talking To 'Major' Japanese Publishers About Acquisitions
Even while the ActiBlizz deal is underway
Xbox is continuing to push for growth in Japan, highlighted by its recent Tokyo Game Show livestream which was one of Xbox's best in recent memory. The show brought a bunch of Japan-focused news, like Ni No Kuni shadow dropping on Xbox Game Pass and much more. Well, if fresh rumours are to be believed, then...
Rumour Xbox Initially Planned To Launch 9 Exclusives In 2023
But how will things actually pan out?
Due to 2022's unfortunate slate of delays, we've always looked at 2023 as a pretty stacked year for Xbox Game Studios. Redfall, Starfield, and Forza Motorsport are all planned for the first half of next year, however it appears Xbox originally had a pretty packed lineup planned for 2023 anyway. VentureBeat...
News Microsoft Is Looking To Bring More Original Japanese Titles To Xbox
In the vein of 'Blue Dragon' and 'Lost Odyssey'
We have to admit, we've been really impressed by Xbox's efforts in Japan as of late, especially its recent Tokyo Game Show livestream, which was jam packed with Japan-flavoured Game Pass announcements. As it turns out, this doesn't look like the end of Xbox's upward trajectory in the Japanese market -...
News Xbox Will Be At Tokyo Game Show 2022 With Japan-Focused Livestream
"This will be a show curated for our players in Japan and Asia"
Team Xbox has revealed that it'll return, at least digitally, to the Tokyo Game Show this year, which takes place mid-September. Xbox will host a livestream focused mainly on Japanese and Asian titles from "developer partners" around the world. The team has tempered expectations...
News Xbox Continues To Look For Potential Acquisitions, Says Phil Spencer
Especially in different markets
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has sat down with Bloomberg to discuss all things Xbox, as the industry focuses on Gamescom 2022. Microsoft's head of gaming expressed how he feels about the ongoing Activision Blizzard deal, while also touching on what could potentially come next. In short, Spencer says the company continues...
News Awesome Starfield, Bethesda Merch Created By Animal Charity To Celebrate Quakecon
Barkfield anyone?
Starfield and Redfall might have been delayed recently, but we're still incredibly hyped for this pair of Bethesda titles to hit Xbox Game Pass in 2023. The latter of the two is due to appear at this year's Quakecon even too, which kicks off August 18th, and ahead of the event, some awesome merch has been been revealed by Dallas...
News Perfect Dark Supposedly Coming Along 'Really Well' Despite Previous Reports
According to WC's Jez Corden
Since Perfect Dark's reboot was announced at TGA 2020, we've not really heard much positivity on its development. In fact, reports have since said that developer The Initiative was struggling to get development going, especially before Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics
News Bethesda's 'Roundhouse Studios' Is Working On An Unannounced Title At Xbox
Alongside co-developing Arkane's Redfall
Since Xbox fully acquired Bethesda last year, quite a few of the company's studios have remained tight-lipped on the future. Sure, we now know quite a lot about Starfield and Redfall — after the Xbox showcase anyways — but the future of teams like Id Software and Machine Games remains fairly unknown...
Feature The Exciting Prospect Of ActiBlizz On Xbox Game Pass Is Starting To Feel Real
So close we can almost taste it
With the recent news that Xbox has reportedly submitted all the requested info to the FTC regarding the big Activision Blizzard deal, we’re starting to get excited about the prospect of the publisher’s titles hitting Xbox Game Pass. Sure, we’ve known for some time that Xbox is hoping to bring as many Activision...
News Xbox Sets Positive Precedent As Minecraft Says 'No' To NFTs
NoFT
Mojang Studios has put forward its stance on NFTs and their place in Minecraft, and it's a positive one for the swath of gamers who are vocal about their disdain for the technology. In short, Mojang has said that NFTs in Minecraft are "generally not something we will support or allow". The developer says that the use of NFTs is not permitted...
Feature Stray's Success Could Pave The Way For Everyone's Favourite Xbox Cat To Return
Blinx, baby
You might of heard of a little game called Stray — out now on PlayStation platforms and PC — featuring a whole bunch of our cute feline friends. (We say friends, but do cats really like us?) Anyway, let's not try and figure that one out because we'll be here for eons. Instead, let's ponder how Microsoft can fight back with the return...
News Grounded Is Getting TV Adaptation By Star Wars Writer & Halo Director
Well, this is unexpected
Remember when it seemed a little odd that famous western RPG developer Obsidian Entertainment had decided to make a survival game about avoiding giant bugs in an overgrown garden? Well, things are getting even stranger as Grounded — which is set to hit its 1.0 release this September — is being converted into a TV series!...
News Psychonauts 2 Physical Version Slated For Xbox This September, Bonuses Included
Hit the motherlobe
Psychonauts 2 came to Xbox last August, not too long after developer Double Fine was scooped up by Xbox Game Studios. Just over a year after launch, a physical version is set to arrive — 'Psychonauts 2: Motherlobe Edition' — featuring some extra goodies and bonus content. Here's what's included. First up, of course, you'll...
News Xbox Exec Claims Crunch At Bethesda Is A Thing Of The Past
"We do not have a situation where people are crunching"
In a new Kotaku report, the outlet has shared details of a recent all-hands meeting featuring Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty. He touched on various aspects of the Xbox business, including the continued handling of its studios and how the company is working on integration with the likes of...
News Phil Spencer's 'No-BS' Approach Convinced Obsidian To Join Xbox
There was "trust" from Phil's reputation
It's no secret that Xbox has gone on a bit of a spending spree these last few years. Phil Spencer & co. have been building up Xbox's first party lineup for almost half a decade, in part to bolster the Game Pass library. Having said that, the company still had to convince devs to join up, and it looks like...
Rumour Fable & Perfect Dark Won't Be At The Xbox Games Showcase
But plenty of other games will be there!
This weekend's Xbox & Bethesda Showcase should be packed with games, especially those coming from Xbox Game Studios. However, it's looking like two already-announced Xbox reboots won't be appearing, according to VentureBeat's Jeff Grubb. Speaking on his latest podcast episode, the well-known leaker and...
News Xbox Plans To Release At Least 5 Exclusives Within The Next Year
The company is on track to match last fiscal year's output
After the unfortunate delays to Starfield and Redfall, we can't say we weren't a tad worried about Xbox exclusives over the next few months. However, from a recent media briefing, Xbox has raised our hopes once again. The company recently went ahead and detailed its plans over the course of...
News Forza Horizon 6 Development Underway As Playground Games Searches For Staff
Are we there yet? Japan that is
Forza Horizon 5 only launched about six months ago, but 'Horizon 6' appears to already be in development. A new job post, spotted by XGP, shows developer Playground Games advertising for a level designer on its "next AAA title", as part of the Forza Horizon team. Now, we don't know about you guys, but that sure...
News Unsurprisingly, Xbox Is Expected To Be At Gamescom This Year
As the event returns in-person
As Xbox gears up for its own big summer showcase, we can't forget about Gamescom, the huge European convention that typically closes out the summer gaming season. This year, the event returns to in-person proceedings, and it's looking like Microsoft will return as well. Jez Corden spoke about Xbox's presence at the...
News Former Nintendo Manager Joins Xbox As Forza's 'Director Of Quality'
Seal of approval
We're not sure we'd ever say Forza lacks in the quality department, but clearly, Microsoft sees room for improvement. Redmond-based Turn 10 Studios has made a major hire this month, as a former Nintendo manager joins the team as the franchise's Director Of Quality. That means that new hire, Heather Gearreald, will oversee both...
News Xbox Execs Tease 'Cool', 'Amazing' Demos They've Been Testing This Week
It's showtime
It's safe to say we're pretty pumped for Xbox's big showcase next month. Whether E3 itself is around or not, summertime is always an exciting one in gaming and we're ready to see what Team Xbox has been cooking up. Having said that, some Xbox execs seem even more giddy than us! That's probably because they've had the chance to go...
Video Here's Gameplay Of An Unreleased Half-Life Game From Arkane
Ravenholm
Recently, developer Arkane became a huge new addition to Xbox Game Studios, arriving as part of the big Bethesda deal. However, did you know that long before that, the team worked on a Half-Life game that never got released? Nah, us neither. Well, thanks to video game documentary channel Noclip, about an hour's footage of that very proje
News Jeff Grubb Suggests Another Square Enix Acquisition 'More Likely' Following Western Studio Sale
Could the Japanese side of the business be sold?
It seems to be acquisition season right now in the gaming industry. Embracer Group, the huge Swedish firm who owns the likes of THQ Nordic, recently picked up Square Enix's Western studios, and now there's talk of WB Games being up for sale too. However, business regarding Square Enix might not be...
Rumour Warner Bros' Game Studios & IP 'Supposedly' Up For Sale
Acquisition season
Right, let's take a breath. Yesterday, May 2nd, Embracer Group announced that it's to acquire Square Enix's western studios, but that's not all the acquisition talk done just yet. WB Games' development studios appear to be the next bunch up for sale, and quite a few publishers are said to be interested. This rumour comes from...
Rumour 'Virtually Every' Xbox Studio Has Submitted Content For June's Games Showcase
Hype intensifies
Last week, Xbox finally got around to announcing its big summer showcase for 2022. Even so, they didn't really reveal much of what they'll show off - aside from the fact that Bethesda will have a huge presence once again. However, as expected the rumours are starting to swirl, and this one is getting us pretty excited! Rand Al...
News Xbox Isn't Done With New Acquisitions, Job Listing Suggests
Here comes the money
Xbox made huge waves earlier this year when it announced its intentions to acquire Activision Blizzard for a frankly ridiculous $70 billion. However, that doesn't seem to have stopped the company from looking at other potential takeover targets. A new job listing went live a few days ago (spotted by VGC) that spells out just...
News Xbox Game Studios Japan Is Working On A 'Truly Groundbreaking Product' For Xbox
"We are working with top-class developers"
Xbox has long spoken of its plans to expand in Japan, and here's some evidence of those efforts. Matt Smith, an Xbox exec in Japan, is looking to expand his team in the region. Smith says that Xbox Game Studios Publishing in Japan is "working with top-class developers" on a "groundbreaking product" for...
Guide Here's How PlayStation's New Services Compare To Xbox Game Pass
PS Plus Essential, Extra, Premium vs. Xbox Game Pass
PlayStation has officially revealed its new tiered subscription plans, with three levels available to players. Each level includes a range of different benefits, with some clearly positioned to compete with Xbox Game Pass. So, how do they all compare? And will any of them really rival Microsoft's...
News Xbox Game Studios' Ghostwire Tokyo Is A Mixed Bag On PS5
A future Game Pass title
Reviews for Bethesda's Ghostwire Tokyo are starting to roll in. It's looking like there's a lot to like in Shinji Mikami's new open world, despite some notable drawbacks from critics. Remember, this one is a PS5 exclusive at launch — much like Deathloop — with Ghostwire Tokyo expected to hit Xbox console
