Tag Archives: microsoft

Microsoft recently made waves when it purchased ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion, bringing over half a dozen studios into its first party line-up of developers including Bethesda, id Software, and Arkane Studios. Despite this most recent purchase, it appears that Microsoft may not be done with its acquisition spree.

Prior to Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda, the publisher seemed to be getting pretty close to Sony, having signed two deals for timed PS5 console exclusives. As it turns out, Bethesda Game Studios next big game, Starfield, was also reportedly due to be a timed PS5 exclusive.  Bethesda typically hasn't done …

It is increasingly becoming clear that Xbox Game Pass is core to Microsoft’s strategy for the next generation of Xbox gaming. Alongside the recent announcement that Bethesda is joining Xbox Games Studios, the console manufacturer revealed that its Game Pass subscription service has reached 15 million subscribers – an increase …

Despite some bumps along the way and continued roadblocks in Apple's policies, Microsoft is still determined to get xCloud streaming running on iOS. Speaking with Bloomberg, Microsoft's Vice President of Gaming and Xbox chief, Phil Spencer, stated that the company remains “committed” to bringing xCloud to Apple's ecosystem and is …

In a move that absolutely nobody anticipated, Microsoft today announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Zenimax Media. Moving forward, Bethesda, Arkane Studios, id Software, Tango Gameworks and more will be joining the Xbox Games Studios family.  The deal was announced today and is estimated to be worth …

This week was somewhat eventful for Microsoft studio acquisition news. Reports from a couple of notable outlets claimed that Microsoft had been in and out of talks with Bungie to re-acquire the studio following their split from Activision, an idea that would excite many Xbox fans.  Jeff Grubb of VentureBeat …

Throughout each month, Microsoft announces and adds new titles to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service. While the titles joining the service for the first half of September were already announced, the console manufacturer has now revealed what titles subscribers can look forward to for the rest of the month …

When Microsoft recently revealed the prices for its upcoming Xbox Series X and S consoles, many expressed their surprise at just how relatively cheap the consoles were, with particular note being given to the lower-cost Series S. According to one insider, the console manufacturer has achieved this by taking a …

While the upfront cost of a brand new console is often a daunting idea, Microsoft has made the proposition easier through the creation of Xbox All Access, which allows fans to purchase an Xbox console with no upfront costs, instead utilising a system similar to smartphones – paying off the …

Xbox Game Pass for PC has been in beta ever since it first launched last year. Due to this beta period, the service was also available with a lower ‘introductory' monthly price. As of the end of September, Xbox Game Pass for PC will no longer be considered as ‘in …

While HDR represented a major enhancement in colours and visuals, allowing for much more impressive experiences, the format has been fragmented into competing implementations. Of these, Dolby Vision is commonly regarded as being the best. It is therefore a welcome surprise to see that the next-generation Xbox consoles will not …

Microsoft is continuing to pile on value to its Xbox Game Pass service. Recently, the company announced that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers would also get to access their games through xCloud at no additional cost. Now, Microsoft is also partnering up with EA, bringing the EA Play library of …

After months of waiting and plenty of speculation, Microsoft has officially announced pre-order dates and pricing for both the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S – the company's two next-generation consoles.  The announcements started to trickle out slowly yesterday morning when Microsoft officially confirmed the Xbox Series S …

Though Microsoft have yet to reveal the launch price of its upcoming Xbox Series X, the console manufacturer did recently reveal not only the much-rumoured Series S, but also its price tag. Thanks to this announcement however, the price of the Series X has also seemingly been confirmed, as sources …

This morning, Microsoft officially confirmed the Xbox Series S console following a leak a few hours earlier. This afternoon, the trailer and other details about the console also leaked, so Microsoft is lifting the curtain on everything.  The Xbox Series S is officially launching on the 10th of November. Microsoft …

While we first heard of the term AAAA in reference to Microsoft’s ‘The Initiative' studio, it appears as though other publishers are beginning to adopt the naming scheme. Ubisoft, has now announced that it is working on two separate AAAA titles, one of which is the much-anticipated Beyond Good & …

After months of rumours, leaks and insider reports, today Microsoft is officially announcing the Xbox Series S - complete with an incredibly aggressive price tag.

Xbox Game Pass has had some major launches over the years, but very few of those have been exclusive to PC. At this point, Microsoft Flight Simulator seems to be the biggest success story for Game Pass on PC so far, with the launch drawing in over one million players.  …

Tokyo Game Show recently unveiled its line-up of showcases which are set to go live when the event begins later this month on the 24th of September. With Microsoft headlining the event with a 50-minute showcase, many fans hoped to see more news regarding the impending Xbox Series X (and …

On a regular and consistent basis, Microsoft announces and adds new games to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service. The console manufacturer has announced its next batch of titles set to be joining the service, and they include Destiny 2’s Shadowkeep and Forsaken expansions, as well as Resident Evil VII: …

While the Summer Game Fest has only recently ended, there are still many more gaming events left for 2020. One of the biggest is Tokyo Game Show. Beginning on the 24th of September, fans will be given many first-looks at some of the biggest games set to come out of …

While we don't yet know exactly when Halo: Infinite is launching, it hasn't stopped Microsoft from beginning to market the much-anticipated shooter. One way that the console manufacturer is drumming up excitement is through a partnership with Monster energy, which will allow fans to obtain double XP boosts, as well …

Over the last few years, Microsoft has been slowly bringing back the Age of Empires series. At the moment, we have Definitive Edition remasters for Age of Empires and Age of Empires II and as of October, the trilogy will be completed, with Age of Empires III finally releasing.  Age …

Each month, Microsoft offers four free games to those who are subscribed to the console manufacturer’s Xbox Live Gold service. For the month of September, subscribers can get their hands on Tom Clancy’s The Division, The Book of Unwritten Tales 2, de Blob 2, and Armed and Dangerous. These games …

The recent delay of Halo: Infinite from Holiday 2020 to an indeterminate time in 2021 was certainly unexpected. While citing the global pandemic as being a core reason for the delay, many fans took to believing that the underwhelming gameplay demo reveal also played a part. As such, some began …

The ongoing situation regarding Epic Games vs Apple, vis-a-vis Fortnite being removed from the App Store continues to evolve and get more interesting by the day. With neither of the two companies appearing to back down, Microsoft has now weighed in on the situation, officially announcing its support of Epic …

Earlier this week, there were some concerns raised around Microsoft Flight Simulator and how the game's install could impact eligibility for refunds. The initial Steam download is a 600MB launcher, with the remaining 127GB download taking place from within the game. Valve has since responded to these concerns, assuring that …

Each month, Microsoft expands the line-up of titles available on its game subscription service, Xbox Game Pass. While the console manufacturer previously announced which games would be joining the service for the month of August, Microsoft has now updated that list with even more titles – including Resident Evil 7 …

One of the key areas where Microsoft has somewhat lagged behind this generation has been the dashboard, which has been somewhat clunky and slow over the lifespan of the Xbox One. As Microsoft prepares for the Xbox Series X, the dashboard UI is getting an overhaul, reworking the interface for …

The Xbox Series X SoC has been detailed during Microsoft's presentation at Hot Chips 2020. Besides revealing the SoC die, Microsoft also shared new information about the Xbox Series X, including graphical features and optimisations, storage specifications, encode/decode support and more. The die-shot of the SoC shows us that the …