Tag: Xbox Game Studios - Page 3
News Xbox Game Studios Titles Officially Arrive On Steam Deck
10+ games supported
Over the last few years, Microsoft has grown the Xbox brand on PC. From PC Game Pass to launching games on Steam, largely, the push has been a success. Now, Xbox is beginning to support Valve's new handheld device, the Steam Deck. As Windows becomes supported on Steam Deck, so do a bunch of Xbox Games. The Deck now supports...
News Microsoft Named Metacritic's Best Publisher In 2021
A LOT of highly rated games
Metacritic has posted a first look at its annual game publisher rankings, where the site judges publishers based on game scores. As it turns out, Microsoft is sitting pretty at number 1 by some margin! Microsoft achieved the ranking with a fantastic output from Xbox Game Studios last year. Their overall Metascore average...
News Xbox Is Launching A Mentorship Program To Help Women Develop Careers In Gaming
In partnership with Xbox Game Studios!
To celebrate International Women's Day, Xbox has revealed a new program aimed at helping women build careers in the games industry. The program will offer access to 1:1 coaching sessions in a number of countries including the UK and US, with the aim of fostering career development in gaming. More details on...
News Phil Spencer "Wouldn't Take No For An Answer" When Creating Xbox Game Pass
Persistence pays off
It's safe to say that Phil Spencer has transformed Xbox since he took over the brand in 2014. Perhaps the biggest transformation, aside from studio acquisitions, is Xbox Game Pass. However, persuading those at Microsoft that Game Pass was a good idea, wasn't always easy. In a WSJ report on Microsoft's
News Here's A Look At How Much Xbox Game Studios Has Grown Since 2017
A staggering amount
Remember the dark days? When Xbox had little other than Halo, Forza and Gears of War to show for itself... well, those years are well and truly over. Xbox fan artist Klobrille, who some of you may know on Twitter, has showcased just how much Xbox Game Studios has grown since Microsoft's acquisition spree began back in 2017...
News Xbox Can't Really Talk About Activision Blizzard Until The Deal Is Done
"The reality is, this is gonna take a while"
Earlier this week, Microsoft broke the internet when it announced it would be acquiring Activision Blizzard for close to $70 billion. While there's a lot of conversation surrounding this future acquisition and how it will pan out, don't expect to learn too much about it right away. According to Xbox's...
News Microsoft Is Buying Activision Blizzard, Reportedly For $70 Billion
Oh my goodness
This is not a drill! Microsoft has announced today that it is acquiring Activision Blizzard, in a transaction reportedly valued at $70 billion (update: now confirmed as $68.7B). When the deal closes, Activision Blizzard's games will also be integrated into Xbox Game Pass — Microsoft says it expects the deal to close in fiscal year...
News Rare's Everwild Is Reportedly 'A Real Mess', Still Being Figured Out
"The people working on it don't know what's going on..."
We've seen reports over the past year that Rare's Everwild is undergoing a bit of a challenging phase right now — even Microsoft confirmed it back in October — and a new report has stated that the game is "a real mess" at the moment. Speaking on The XboxEra Podcast a few days ago,
Poll Which Has Been Your Favourite Xbox Game Studios Title In 2021?
It's a tough decision!
We've already talked about how Xbox Game Studios has enjoyed an incredible year in 2021, with the likes of Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5 and Psychonauts 2 all entering the Game of the Year equation — also joined by the likes of Microsoft F
Reaction Halo Infinite Caps Off An Incredible Year For Xbox Game Studios
We've been spoiled
What a year it's been for Xbox, eh? Well, what a six months-or-so in particular. It's been capped off today with the reviews for Halo Infinite, the vast majority of which have been highly positive, and yet somehow it still isn't topping the Metacritic ratings for Xbox in 2021 — a testament to how strong the showing has been this...
News Alien: Isolation Lead Designer Joins Rare's Everwild Team At Xbox
"Looking forward to making amazing things"
The release of Rare's Everwild may still be a way off, but we've at least got some fresh news about it today in the form of a new hire for the team, with former Alien: Isolation lead designer Gary Napper joining the project. Napper, who also served on the early design team for Halo Wars 2, took to Twitter...
News The Outer Worlds 2 Has Seemingly Been In Development Since 2019
More Corp
We're already well aware of the fact that The Outer Worlds 2, Obsidian's sequel to their excellent 2019 sci-fi RPG, is currently in development, with a rather tongue-in-cheek announcement trailer having been aired for the game at E3 back in June. However, according to a Twitter post by @FaizShaikh7681, which zeroes in on Obsidian...
News Halo Live-Action Series 'First-Look' Trailer To Air At The Game Awards
Releasing on Paramount Plus in 2022
It's been a huge week for Xbox and Halo, and as part of the celebrations, earlier this week we got a teaser trailer of the new Halo live-action series due out on Paramount Plus in 2022. It showed us a glimpse of Master Chief himself putting on his armour and helmet and the famous 117 emblem and Cortana saying...
News Halo Live-Action TV Series' Debut Trailer Officially Unveiled
Paramount's show coming 2022
After leaking a little earlier on today via Facebook advertising, as pointed out by @dexertospartans over on Twitter, the Halo TV Series has had its first teaser trailer officially unveiled as part of the Xbox 20th Anniversary stream. The trailer, which is very short indeed, shows us a shot of someone's hideously...
News 'Project Belfry': The Banner Saga Dev Reportedly Working On New Xbox Exclusive
As part of Xbox Global Publishing
It looks like the team behind The Banner Saga is working on an upcoming Xbox exclusive, with reports from both the GrubbSnax show and Windows Central suggesting that this project is in the works at Microsoft. The exclusive is seemingly being built under Xbo
Roundup Here's What The Critics Are Saying About Age Of Empires 4
Heading to Xbox Game Pass (for PC) this week
The first reviews have dropped today for the highly-anticipated Age of Empires IV, which arrives on Xbox Game Pass for PC this Thursday, and the good news is that it seems to be shaping up very, very well! We'll also have our own thoughts on Age of Empires 4 to share in the near future here at Pure Xbox,...
News Xbox Provides An Update On Rare's Everwild, Says Reports Of A 'Reset' Are Too Extreme
"We want to get it right"
As we've already highlighted, Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty appeared on the Kinda Funny Gamescast earlier today, and one of the topics centred around an update on progress for Rare's new IP, Everwild. As you may remember, the game was rec
News Xbox Exec Admits PlayStation Has Been 'Out In Front' With 'A Certain Kind Of Game'
"We haven't really had the 1:1 with Sony there"
Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty appeared on the Kinda Funny Gamecast earlier today, where he made some interesting comments about the differences between PlayStation's first-party titles and Xbox's own offerings. Asked about the PlayStation Studios output and the supposed "AAAA" titles that...
News Phil Spencer Again Reiterates That Xbox Is 'Not Done' With Acquisitions
"We're always out there looking"
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer appeared in a brief chat as part of WSJ Tech Live yesterday, where he made some very fleeting comments about acquisitions, once again confirming that Xbox is "always out there looking" for new studios. That said, he also made sure to note that there's "no quota, no timeline" in which this...
News Xbox Apologises After Getting Fans' Hopes Up With 'Special' Fable Tease
"Sorry for any confusion"
If you were browsing social media yesterday afternoon / evening, you might have seen that Xbox Game Studios Publishing on Twitter posted a tease for "something special" this week, with a suggestion it could be related to Fable. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case, as the brand has returned to Twitter to...
Rumour Xbox Game Studios Has Only Announced 1/3 Of The Games In Its Roadmap
"This is a conservative, low estimate"
It's very clear that Xbox Game Studios has a massive future ahead of it, with the likes of Fable, Perfect Dark, Avowed and many other games in the pipeline, along with Bethesda's upcoming titles such as Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6. We already know of a lot that's coming in the years ahead, but according...
News 'Crazy' Xbox Acquisition Rumour Causes Speculation To Run Rampant
But take it with a grain of salt
If you happened to be browsing social media last night, you might have noticed a lot of people talking about another potential Xbox acquisition, and it all stemmed from a Twitter user called SkullziTV who shared the "crazy rumours". He stated that it could be a "huge potential Microsoft acquisition", going on to...
News Xbox Game Studios' Deathloop Becomes One Of The Highest Reviewed PS5 Games Of 2021
We can't wait for it to come to Xbox
Deathloop arrives on PS5 tomorrow and has already become one of the highest-rated games of 2021. While we wouldn't usually comment on PlayStation console exclusive titles, it's a bit more interesting here, purely because the game comes from Arkane Studios, one of Bethesda's developers. Of course, we all now know...
News Xbox & Kojima Reportedly Sign 'Letter Of Intent' For Upcoming Game
"This is a key step in the negotiations"
Update (Fri 2nd Jul, 2021 11:00 BST): Jeff Grubb has returned again with another update, this time provided in writing over at VentureBeat, where he notes that Hideo Kojima and Microsoft have signed a "letter of intent" for a new Xbox game, signifying that "both parties have agreed to a generalized deal."...
News Three Of Steam's Top Five Sellers Last Week Were Xbox Game Studios Titles
Sea of Thieves, Halo, and Forza Horizon 4 all made the cut
Every week a list of Steam's Global Top Sellers is released, and the week ending June 27 showed that in the top five, three of the titles belonged to Xbox Game Studios titles. As seen on the Steam Database, Sea of Thieves skyrocketed from 9th to the top position last week, following the...
Video Here's Another Behind-The-Scenes Look At Bethesda's Starfield
"The journey begins"
Following months of rumours and even some leaked screenshots, Bethesda finally gave us a very brief first look at Starfield yesterday as part of Xbox's E3 2021 Showcase, although it was only in the form of a quick teaser trailer. However, the team has today expanded on this a little further with a new video called 'Into the Sta
News Rumour Mill Continues To Suggest Xbox Might Have Acquired More Studios
Perhaps even as many as three?
Last week, we shared some comments from Windows Central's Jez Corden who highlighted that, despite not having any hard evidence, he believed "there's a very good chance" of at least one new Xbox acquisition in the works. Since then, Microsoft has hinted that it has "more than 23 studios worldwide," appearing to...
News The Initiative Is Currently Recruiting For Its New Perfect Dark Game
10 roles need to be filled
Xbox and Bethesda's E3 showcase takes place this weekend. While we've all got our predictions, one game we might not necessarily be seeing this time around is The Initiative's upcoming title Perfect Dark. This new entry in Rare's secret agent series was originally unveiled to the world at last year's Game Awards and is...
Feature Here Are Our Xbox Predictions For E3 2021
Just a few days left to go!
We're really counting down the days now until Xbox's massive E3 2021 event! It takes place this Sunday, June 13 in collaboration with Bethesda, and is set to provide 90 minutes of game reveals, updates and Game Pass news. In the meantime, we've gathered a selection of predictions between some of the staff here at Pure...
News Xbox Exec Teases Unannounced IP That Will 'Blow Your Mind'
Coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one
Xbox's head of gaming services Ben Decker has been talking to GamesRadar in an interview about Xbox Game Pass, hinting as part of the discussion that Xbox has unannounced IP "that is gonna blow your mind." Decker made the comment while talking about the many Xbox Game Studios (including Bethesda) that are working...
Rumour Xbox Game Studios Working On Four New IPs, Including A Spinoff Of An Existing IP
"One of them is not something I ever would have imagined"
Another day, another Xbox rumour. This one seems to be on the more plausible side however, which signals that there are currently four IPs in the works at Xbox Game Studios Publishing, one of which is based on an existing IP. During a recent GameOnDaily podcast (at the 12:35 mark), Window's...
News Industry Reporter Claims Fable, Perfect Dark & Everwild Are 'So Far Away'
"I had a few conversations with a few friends"
There's been a lot of hype around the upcoming Xbox exclusives Fable, Perfect Dark and Everwild (amongst others) since they were announced, but sadly it looks like we've got a long wait until they arrive. In fact, industry reporter and head of GamesIndustry.biz Chris D
Deals Xbox Game Studios Gets A Steam Sale, 30+ Games Included
Available all weekend for PC gamers
If you like to play your Xbox games on PC rather than console (and you're not a subscriber to Xbox Game Pass), you'll be glad to know that Xbox Game Studios is having a Publisher Sale on Steam this weekend. The sale lasts until Monday, April 12th, and features a whole bunch of great deals on everything from Halo:...
News Xbox Apparently Has Some 'Really Interesting' Partnerships In The Works
Exciting times ahead
It's been an excellent period for Xbox - with the brand seemingly stronger than ever right now thanks to acquisitions and partnerships with companies like Bethesda and EA. According to Windows Central editor Jez Corden, Xbox's publishing arm won't be slowing down, either. He recently shared a somewhat cryptic tweet, mentioning...
News Microsoft Ranks Sixth In Metacritic's Top Game Publishers Of 2020
Any guesses who came first?
Metacritic has today published its 11th annual game publisher rankings list for 2020 to determine the best and worst game publishers of the year, based solely on the quality of those publishers' releases over the 12 months. To do so, it utilised a points system based on the average Metascore for all of a publisher's...
Guide Microsoft Now Has 23 Xbox Game Studios, And Here They Are
The complete list following the Bethesda acquisition
So, the deal is done! Microsoft has officially brought ZeniMax Media into the Xbox family, and as a result, the list of first-party Xbox Game Studios has grown to a massive total of 23 studios in all, with eight new additions. To give you a better overview of which studios are now part of Xbox...
News Xbox Has Confirmed 'Some' New Bethesda Titles Will Be Exclusives
Well, there we have it
As Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda has finally gone through, the companies have confirmed that certain future titles will only be available exclusively to Xbox and PC players. In an Xbox Wire post welcoming Bethesda to Xbox Game Studios, Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, stated that Xbox, PC and Game Pass "will be the best...
News Six Xbox Published Games Were Top Sellers On Steam In 2020
As measured by gross revenue
The main focus of Microsoft's Xbox division in recent times has been on the launch of the Xbox Series X|S. Obviously, that's not the only part of its gaming business, though. In 2020, Xbox Game Studios released a bunch of games on Windows as well as Steam. One of the highlights was when Sea of Thieves sailed onto Steam...
News Xbox Has Some Unannounced Surprise Games Arriving In 2021
Tell us more, Microsoft!
Xbox Game Studios has already revealed that the likes of Double Fine's Psychonauts 2 and 343 Industries' Halo Infinite are on the way in 2021, but apparently there are more "surprises" on the way as well. According to Jerret West, CVP of Microsoft Gaming, Xbox's first-party division has yet to announce its entire slate for...
News Xbox Celebrates A Record Year For Its First-Party Studios
"1.66 billion hours played by our fans and counting"
Microsoft is today celebrating a record year for its first-party studios, with ten brand-new titles launched in 2020 and many of them earning "strong critical acclaim," as well as "impressive engagement from our fans." Specifically, here are some of the stats Xbox exec Aaron Greenberg has...
News InXile Studio Head: We're Working On Wonderful New RPGs
"It’s too bad they take so long to make"
Now that Wasteland 3 is out, Xbox developer InXile Entertainment is shifting its focus towards the next-generation. Based on updates over the past six months, it appears the studio is currently working on an "ambitious" AAA action-RPG powered by Unreal Engine 5. Studio head, Brian Fargo, has now shared a...
News It's Official, A New Fable Is Coming To Xbox Series X
Watch the World Premiere trailer
It's official! Microsoft has announced that a new Fable is on its way exclusively to Xbox Series X and PC as part of today's Xbox Games Showcase event, and the game will also be available with Xbox Game Pass. As rumoured, it's being developed by Forza specialists Playground Games, but very few details have been...
News Age Of Empires 3: Definitive Edition Rated For PC In Brazil
To be announced next week?
It looks like Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition will be released soon for PC, with the game having been rated recently in Brazil. As expected, there's no rating for an Xbox One/Series X version. Age of Empires 3: DE was originally announced all the way back in 2017, but underwent a closed beta earlier this year. The...
News Phil Spencer: We're Always In The Market For New Xbox Game Studios
'There's been no signal we should be slowing down'
Xbox head Phil Spencer and the bosses of various developers under the Microsoft umbrella have been talking more about Xbox Game Studios in a fantastic feature with GamesIndustry.biz. As you can see from the title, Spencer also used this opportunity to explain that while the company is focusing on...
Talking Point What Do You Want To See From July's Xbox Games Showcase Event?
Let us know your wishlists
Update (Mon 6th July, 2020 15:50 BST): It's been a few weeks since we first posted this, but now the event has an official date! Let us know what games you're hoping to see later this month in the comments below. Original story (Tue 23rd Jun, 2020 19:30 BST): We're sure you know about this by now - Microsoft is hosting a...
News Sea Of Thieves' Concurrent Player Peak On Steam Continues To Rise
Nearly 60,000 peak players!
When Rare's Sea of Thieves sailed onto Steam last week it was able to grab the attention of more than 10,000 players on the platform and made it into the top sellers list. Well now, just over a week later, it's managed to reach an all-time peak of 59,404 concurrent players. Once again, that makes it one of the top 100...
News Rare's Sea Of Thieves Is Already A Top Seller On Steam
Over 10,000 peak players
Yesterday, we noted that Xbox Game Studios title Sea of Thieves had been released on the Steam platform, two years after its initial release on PC. And so far, it looks like it's gone down a treat, with the game quickly rising to the top of the Steam "global top sellers" list. According to SteamCharts, Sea of Thieves has...
News Double Fine Confirms Psychonauts 2 Will Be Part Of July's Inside Xbox Event
Gameplay on the way
Microsoft confirmed during its Inside Xbox show on Thursday that the company will be showing gameplay from its lineup of Xbox Game Studios in July. Psychonauts 2 developer Double Fine was one of the development teams mentioned, and its founder Tim Schafer has elaborated on this further. Schafer provided an update via both...
News Xbox Dev inXile Fills Senior Producer Role For Unannounced Next-Gen Project
Is it for that "ambitious" RPG it's working on?
It's an exciting time for Xbox fans far and wide as we get closer to the launch of its next-generation hardware. More of Microsoft's first-party studios are obviously gearing up for some big projects as well. With this in mind, it appears Inxile (stylised as inXile) – the developer currently working...
News Gears Tactics Dev Says Xbox Game Pass Allows Microsoft's First-Party Teams To "Take Risks"
"And try things" they normally wouldn't
One of the best things about the Xbox ecosystem is Xbox Game Pass. It's an affordable subscription-based service allowing you to play literally hundreds of games – and quite a lot are brand new releases. In an interview with Venture Beat recently, The Coalition operations director Mike Crump explained from...
