Microsoft has worked with the developers behind Ark: Survival Evolved a few times in recent years. Ark 2 was announced at an Xbox conference and Microsoft aided in funding with a day-one Game Pass deal. Before we get to the sequel though, Studio Wildcard has us returning to the original …
Read More »Xbox Games Showcase airing this week focused on third-party studios
It looks like we're in for another Xbox games showcase. While the summer showcase focused on first-party games, this month's unveilings will focus primarily on third-party studios. We won't be seeing what's next for Starfield, Hellblade, Fable or Avowed at the next Xbox showcase but we will get updates on …
Read More »Final Fantasy 14 Xbox beta coming in January
Earlier this summer, Square Enix officially announced plans to bring Final Fantasy 14 to Xbox, with plans for an open beta test ahead of launch in 2024. Now, we have more details, with the beta taking place in January. The Xbox version of Final Fantasy 14 will include all available …
Read More »People Can Fly is working on an Xbox exclusive RPG
People Can Fly didn't quite strike it big with Outriders but the studio has multiple new games lined up. One such game is Project Maverick, a new RPG developed in collaboration with Xbox. We first heard about Project Maverick earlier this year but People Can Fly has now confirmed a …
Read More »Sea of Thieves Season 10 adds private PvE worlds and more
Sea of Thieves has quietly become one of Microsoft’s best Xbox console exclusives. Launching all the way back in 2018, the game saw a lukewarm response upon its initial release. 5 years and 10 Seasons later however, the team at Rare have added a whole bunch of long-requested features – …
Read More »Xbox head is “all in” on reviving old franchises if devs want to
With Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision-Blizzard-King finally complete, the Xbox console manufacturer has started to open up about their plans for the publisher. With so many IPs and franchises now under Microsoft’s belt, Xbox head Phil Spencer spoke on their plans for ABK claiming that “If teams want to …
Read More »“We have no goal of somehow using Call of Duty to get you to buy an Xbox” claims Phil Spencer
After months of legal battles, Microsoft has finally officially acquired Activision Blizzard, giving the Xbox console manufacturer control over one of the biggest franchises in gaming: Call of Duty. According to the head of Xbox Phil Spencer, the FPS juggernaut will feature 100% parity on content for Call of Duty …
Read More »Phil Spencer confirms plans to bring Activision Blizzard titles to Game Pass in 2024
Earlier this month, Activision put out a statement saying that it does not expect to bring its games to Game Pass until next year. An additional report claimed that we could see some older titles coming to the service earlier. However, Xbox head, Phil Spencer, has now straightened things out, …
Read More »Microsoft reveals next batch of Game Pass titles – no Activision games included
Over the last week, there have been rumours that we would start to see the first Activision games hitting Game Pass this month now that the deal has closed. Unfortunately, this week's Game Pass update isn't quite that exciting, but there are some good games included. There are no Activision …
Read More »Pete Hines is leaving Bethesda after 24 year career
When we think of Bethesda and past Bethesda game launches, two names immediately spring to mind, Todd Howard and Pete Hines. Just six weeks on from the launch of the studio's latest game, Starfield, Hines has now announced that he is retiring. Pete Hines joined Bethesda back in 1999, working …
Read More »Activision Blizzard games are heading to Ubisoft+
As of today, Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard has completed and as a result, Ubisoft now owns the cloud streaming rights to all Activision Blizzard games, including all previously released games and all new games released over the next 15 years. As a result, Ubisoft announced today that it plans …
Read More »It’s official – Bobby Kotick is leaving Activision
While Bobby Kotick has managed to turn Activision into a hugely successful publisher over the last few decades, the CEO has had his fair share of controversies too. Just two years ago, employees were protesting and calling for his resignation. Now, following Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Kotick will indeed …
Read More »Microsoft now officially owns Activision Blizzard
The largest deal in gaming history has now completed after 20 months of battling regulatory hurdles. Microsoft now owns Activision Blizzard King and most importantly, employees at those studios are looking forward to the change.
Read More »Microsoft wins UK approval of Activision Blizzard acquisition, deal now set to close
Over a year and a half on from Microsoft's announcement of its $69 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard, the company has cleared the final regulatory hurdle. The UK's Competition & Markets Authority has now approved the deal and Microsoft is set to complete the transaction.
Read More »New Xbox Series S holiday season bundle to drop soon
We are coming up towards the start of the holiday season which means we are bound to see new console bundles to entice those who have yet to pick up a current-gen system. Last year's big Xbox Series S bundle contained a selection of bonus content for Epic's popular titles, …
Read More »The EU reportedly won’t reinvestigate Microsoft’s ActiBlizz deal following restructure
Earlier this month, reports claimed that Microsoft would obtain UK approval for its Activision Blizzard deal this week, with plans to close as soon as this coming Friday. However, given that the deal was tweaked after obtaining EU approval for the old deal, there have been questions as to whether …
Read More »Activision interested in reviving Guitar Hero following Microsoft merger
At this point, all signs are pointing towards Activision Blizzard merging with Microsoft by next week. Another sign that this is indeed happening comes via Activision, as the company held an internal meeting this week to discuss the future of the company under Microsoft. According to sources speaking with Windows …
Read More »Modern Warfare 3 may not hit Game Pass this year but other ActiBlizz games will
Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is set to close any day now and with that, we expect to see many games hitting Xbox Game Pass for the first time. However, in an effort to protect sales of games like Diablo 4 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Activision has …
Read More »Redfall patch brings 60FPS to Xbox consoles and increases enemy count
A few months ago following the launch of Redfall, Arkane promised to bring improvements to the game, including a 60FPS performance mode for Xbox consoles. Now seemingly out of nowhere, that update has dropped. This week, a new Redfall patch began rolling out, bringing a 60FPS performance mode to both …
Read More »Microsoft will reportedly complete Activision Blizzard acquisition next week
It was January 2022 when Microsoft first announced its plan to acquire Activision Blizzard. Now some 20 months later, the deal finally looks set to close next Friday. According to “a source familiar with Microsoft's plans” speaking with The Verge, Microsoft is hoping to complete the transaction on Friday, the …
Read More »Red Dead Redemption Remastered gets 60FPS update on PlayStation
When Red Dead Redemption Remastered dropped for PlayStation and Switch consoles, Rockstar caught some flack for the lack of 60FPS mode, particularly when the game runs on PS5. With the latest update, this may have been fixed. As spotted by Push Square, Patch 1.03 for Red Dead Redemption Remastered has …
Read More »Alan Wake II will not have a performance mode on Series S
Last week we reported that the much-anticipated and upcoming survival-horror title Alan Wake II from Remedy Entertainment would be getting a performance mode on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. At the time, no word was given on whether Microsoft’s lower-powered Series S would receive such an option, however …
Read More »Forza Motorsport, Gotham Knights and more land on Game Pass in October
September was a big month for Game Pass, with Bethesda's latest RPG Starfield releasing onto the service on day-one. As we look ahead to October, Microsoft has a few more big games planned, including the latest Forza Motorsport game. The big headliner for Game Pass in October is Forza Motorsport. …
Read More »No plans for FF7 Remake port claims insider
Ever since Final Fantasy VII Remake was confirmed to be coming to the PlayStation 4, a great deal of speculation took place with regards to when/if the title would arrive on other systems. It was eventually ported to PCs however there is seemingly no sign of an Xbox/Nintendo version. According …
Read More »Support for Minecraft Dungeons ends as game hits 25 million players
Following the overwhelming success of Minecraft, we have seen the team at Mojang expand the IP outwards into other gaming genres. One such project was Minecraft Dungeons – a dungeon-crawling spin-off which released back in 2020. As the game sees its post-launch support ending, the team are celebrating Minecraft Dungeons’ …
Read More »Cities: Skylines 2 delayed for consoles, still releasing this year for PC
Paradox's City Skylines impressed us back when it launched in 2015 and the game has only grown since then with expansions adding new features and more depth. Now, Cities: Skylines II is on the horizon but while the game will still be landing this year for PC players, console gamers …
Read More »Ubisoft reckons cloud gaming will see a Netflix-like rise in users over next decade
Ubisoft has been an early proponent of cloud gaming, having worked with Google in the early days of Stadia, before pivoting to services like GeForce Now and Amazon Luna. Game streaming is still niche, but Ubisoft believes it will eventually take over the games industry. Ubisoft is in the process …
Read More »Older Call of Duty games might be coming to Game Pass soon
With the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard seemingly finally set to go through fully, the Xbox console manufacturer appears to be preparing to bring the publisher’s back catalogue of titles to Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription service – starting with Call of Duty. As reported by Twitter page ‘Game Pass Tracker’ …
Read More »Bethesda may have a secret Star Wars or Marvel game in the works
As part of the massive Xbox document leak last week, we got a good look at Bethesda's roadmap of upcoming games. We already know that Machine Games is working on an Indiana Jones game, but Bethesda has another licensed IP in the works and it is rumoured to be based …
Read More »Capcom says it would ‘gracefully decline’ a buyout offer from Microsoft
Microsoft has worked closely with Capcom many times over the years. From the original Dead Rising games to bringing newer titles like Devil May Cry 5 and Monster Hunter Rise to Xbox Game Pass. With Microsoft being in acquisition mode at the moment, the company has been tied to many …
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