Phil Spencer

Blizzard Entertainment has renewed its publishing agreement with NetEase, which is set to begin this summer.

World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch maker Blizzard Entertainment confirmed that BlizzCon 2024 will not be happening.

Blizzard has announced that it will not be holding a BlizzCon event this year.

Sony’s multiplatform release strategy has accelerated rapidly in recent years, with the company now viewing PC as a much more prominent part of its larger strategy, especially where live service titles are concerned. Earlier this year, for instance, Helldivers 2 launched simultaneously for PS5 and PC, and it’s fair to say that the majority of game’s unexpected success has been thanks to PC audiences. Now, interestingly enough, it looks like Sony might be considering ways to bring even larger audiences into Arrowhead Game Studios’ acclaimed co-op shooter.

Helldivers 2 launched exclusively on PS5 and PC on February 8, quickly becoming a phenomenon and rising up the charts to become one of the most played games on Steam. The co-op third-person shooter, developed by Arrowhead Game Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, broke the mould a bit when it launched simultaneously on Windows alongside the PlayStation platform. While it's not a first-party title, publishers Sony rarely release games under their banner on other platforms at launch. The overwhelming success of Helldivers 2, however, could be forcing the PlayStation parent to rethink its strategy. The game is now rumoured to be a subject of internal discussions over a possible Xbox release.

Obsidian Entertainment's survival action-adventure game, has finally arrived on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch after years as a PC and Xbox exclusive title. 's story heavily resembles that of the classic 1989 movie,, and sees a quirky scientist, Wendell Tully, accidentally shrinking a group of kids and looking for a way to "" them using "". Players assume control of the four shrunken children, Pete, Max, Willow, and Hoops, as they have to survive their own backyard as spiders and other normally small creatures now tower over them and pose a much greater threat than before.

The third of Xbox's multiplatform efforts on PS5, Sea of Thieves, reportedly boasts superior visuals on the Sony machine. A recent analysis comparing the Xbox Series X/S and PS5 versions of Sea of Thieves revealed the latter pulling ahead on the graphical front.

The current state of the PlayStation store suggests that Xbox doesn't need to worry about winning the console wars. On February 15, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, Xbox President Sarah Bond, and Head of Microsoft Studios Matt Booty announced some of its Xbox exclusive titles would be coming to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch during an Xbox podcast, something that was welcomed by players on the other platforms, with titles such as being hugely successful on PlayStation, but was initially controversial with Xbox players.

A dedicated group of Banjo-Kazooie fans have created an impressive concept trailer for what they invision a «Banjo-Threeie» game could look like. With recent rumors of Banjo-Kazooie making a comeback, fans have remained optimistic that the beloved franchise may see a new installment. However, there has yet to be any official confirmation on such a project, so some fans have taken the opportunity to showcase the potential of a new Banjo-Kazooie title.

Sea of Thieves has surpassed 40 million lifetime players, Rare has revealed. This remarkable user milestone was achieved around the time Sea of Thieves concluded its immensely popular PlayStation 5 beta.

Next week’s free Epic Games Store titles have been revealed.

Microsoft Gaming and NetEase have entered into an agreement to explore bringing new NetEase games to Xbox consoles and other platforms.

Blizzard games are set to return to China, thanks to a new agreement with publisher NetEase.

Ori developer Moon Studios is currently working on No Rest for the Wicked, but a new Ori game isn't being ruled out by the studio's co-founder and game director.

US games firm Blizzard has signed a new deal with China's NetEase.

Blizzard and NetEase have formally announced they have renewed their partnership to bring Blizzard games back to China.

Three months ago, a rumor suggested that NetEase was close to inking a new agreement to bring Blizzard games back to mainland China after the complete shutdown that occurred in early 2023.

Blizzard has announced that its games are coming back to mainland China in summer 2024 after almost a year and a half off the market. Additionally, Microsoft (which now owns Blizzard) and NetEase have entered another separate agreement to bring NetEase games to Xbox and other platforms.

NetEase has announced a renewed partnership with Blizzard Entertainment to bring World of Warcraft and other Blizzard games back to China! Included in the announcement were statements from NetEase President Ding Lei, Blizzard President Johanna Faries, and Head of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer all celebrating the renewed venture and welcoming the Chinese player base home again.

The Sea of Thieves PS5 version will be a crucial test for other former Xbox exclusives coming to rival platforms, according to outlet The Verge.

While the name Kareem Choudhry may not be as well-known as, say, Phil Spencer or Matt Booty, Xbox fans who keep abreast with the company’s announcements and showcases are likely to be familiar with his face. As corporate vice president of emerging technologies at Xbox, Choudhry was in charge of a lot of the more innovative things Microsoft’s gaming division offered in recent years, including backward compatibility and Xbox Cloud Gaming.

The early months of 2024 have seen Microsoft stepping up its efforts to bring its first-party Xbox titles to audiences on rival platforms, with Hi-Fi Rush having released for PS5 and Obsidian duo Pentiment and Grounded both having launched for PS5 and Switch. Sea of Thieves arrives for PS5 later this month, and though Microsoft hasn’t officially announced further plans to bring any other of its games to rival consoles beyond that, reports continue to insist that there’s more stuff in the pipeline.

Todd Howard says that a Fallout TV show has been in talks for 16 years and that its producers are so focused on accuracy that they're "sweating every pixel."

Gaming analyst Michael Pachter believes that Xbox Game Pass will reach over 200 million subscribers in the next 10 years. Pachter also highlighted what he says is a common misconception regarding Xbox Game Pass' current subscriber numbers.

Company of Heroes developer Relic Entertainment has said it will make further layoffs, following its sale by Sega announced last week.

Everyone’s favourite candid games exec, Phil Spencer, was in the news last week discussing the concerning ‘lack of growth’ in video games.

Next week’s free Epic Games Store title has been announced.

Games that are at least six years accounted for more than 60 percent of playtime in 2023, a new report suggests.

Hi-Fi Rush was recently released on PlayStation 5, where an analysis identified the game to be running slightly better than on Xbox. Despite being a first-party Xbox title, Hi-Fi Rush continues a trend of such releases either performing worse or lacking features on Xbox Series X when compared to the PS5 launch.

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The Epic Games Store recently saw the addition of several older games from EA, including multiple entries from the Need for Speed and Battlefield franchises. Standing as one of the most popular online marketplaces for games, Epic Games has often looked for ways to help its storefront stand out from major competitors like Steam. Epic Games regularly features free games for users to claim through the storefront, often giving away popular games like The Outer Worlds and Fallout: New Vegas. Now, the storefront has added multiple EA games to its lineup.

Xbox has added a new feature to Xbox Cloud Gaming that could make the overall Game Pass Ultimate subscription a far greater deal for players. While there are separate Game Pass tiers for consoles or PC players with slightly different libraries, the Ultimate subscription grants access to Game Pass across both, along with the option to stream titles rather than downloading them both at home and on the go through Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Next week’s free Epic Games Store titles have been confirmed.

New leaked images seem to have revealed a digital Xbox Series X.

Sega will shed 240 staff across its European studios, and sell off Company of Heroes developer Relic Entertainment as part of a cost-cutting drive.

Microsoft may be working on a white version of its current all-digital Xbox Series X console, according to leaked images reported by Exputerand documents seen by The Verge. The design appears to be identical to the current black disc version (sans the disc slot) and has the same «robot white» finish as the white Xbox Series S. If accurate, the news may mean delays to a rumored Xbox Series X refresh that carriesas a different design.

Images allegedly showing the white, digital-only Xbox Series X reported to be in the works earlier this year have leaked online.

Next week’s free Epic Games Store title has seemingly leaked ahead of an official announcement on Thursday.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has suggested that Microsoft would be willing to open up their console platform to third party storefronts. Could with see the likes of itch.io and Epic Games Store on Xbox in future?

Xbox head Phil Spencer has said that he wants to see more digital retailers on the console, such as the Epic Games Store and Itch.io.

In another interesting revelation, Xbox head Phil Spencer has reportedly backed the arrival of third-party game stores on game consoles. This has led to Xbox fans anticipating the possible launch of game stores, like Steam, on Microsoft's console.

Microsoft's gaming head Phil Spencer has said he wants to feature more digital storefronts on Xbox consoles.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer says he’d like to see other digital storefronts appearing on Xbox consoles in the future.

Phil Spencer has discussed the devastating wave of layoffs that has impacted the video games industry, and said he was «most concerned» about the overall «lack of growth».

Xbox head Phil Spencer wants to see more digital storefronts such as Epic and Itch.io on Microsoft's consoles.

The CEO of Microsoft's games arm, Phil Spencer, has said that the industry's abundant layoffs are related to market contraction.

It's a pretty strange time for Xbox owners, with some concerned about the future of the hardware now that the company has committed to launching its flagship exclusives on rival systems. Grounded, Sea of Thieves, Hi-Fi Rush, and Pentiment have all launched on both PlayStation and Nintendo Switch systems, with rumors of bigger titles like Starfield and Halo following them refusing to go away.

In recent months, there’s been a lot of debate and concern about the future of the Xbox brand, with Microsoft seemingly tip-toeing away from exclusives and the traditional console business. In a recent “business update,” Xbox boss Phil Spencer and other execs sought to calm fears, saying major exclusives like Starfield are staying put (for now) and Microsoft is working on powerful new hardware, but fans have been skeptical in the face of “flatlining” demand for Xbox consoles.

Microsoft’s head of gaming has said the company’s decision to cut 1,900 jobs was ultimately the result of a lack of growth in the industry.

Xbox’s new exclusivity strategy has partly been shaped by research into Gen Z consumer behaviour, according to Microsoft’s head of gaming.

Phil Spencer doesn’t just want Xbox games on other consoles. He wants other video game retailers on Xbox, too.

Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer has revealed what he wants in an Xbox handheld amid rumors.

Xbox gaming boss Phil Spencer has discussed the idea of a Microsoft handheld games device, and how Xbox games should play on third-party handheld hardware.

Microsoft's CEO of gaming Phil Spencer has now spoken about the possibilities of a handheld Xbox, detailing what he wants to see from such a device if it should ever happen. Rumors about the possible handheld Xbox are hot right now, and Spencer's comments may very well be him stoking the fires himself.

“The math on [making] a game has definitely changed,” said Phil Spencer, CEO of Gaming at Microsoft.

When Microsoft revealed its new strategy of bringing titles like Grounded, Sea of Thieves, Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment to other platforms, there was discussion on those that weren’t included. Starfield andIndiana Jones and the Great Circle were some of the most hotly rumored. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said the industry shouldn’t rule out any titles on other platforms, but they seem unlikely.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer hasn't explicitly said an Xbox handheld is coming, but in a new Polygon interview, he said he has a number of ideas if one were to ever happen.

Rumors of an Xbox handheld console have been a thing for over a decade. There was, after all, the so-called Xboy, a project pushed internally by several groups within Microsoft's Xbox Leadership Team (XLT). However, it never panned out under the leadership of former Microsoft Xbox lead Robbie Bach.

Final Fantasy 16 could make the jump to other platforms once it launches on PC, at least according to some of the game’s developers. The latest mainline Final Fantasy game launched exclusively on the PlayStation 5 last June, but Square Enix has promised a PC port at a later date. So far, there is no official word on when the PC version of Final Fantasy 16 will be released, but producer Naoki Yoshida recently told fans that it is in the end stages of development and a playable demo should be forthcoming.

Microsoft Xbox fans were in for quite a fright not too long ago. A slew of rumors hit the web suggesting that Xbox was bowing out. There wouldn’t be new consoles, and first-party titles would launch on competitor platforms, and it really painted a doom-and-gloom picture. Now, a new report suggests there are even more disheartening comments made from third-party publishers. 

Some third-party publishers are reportedly expressing doubts about continuing to support Xbox consoles amid “flatlining” sales in Europe.

Microsoft’s head of gaming has discussed what he’d like to see in a potential Xbox handheld.

Say what you will about Starfield, but there’s no denying the hype around Bethesda Game Studios’ next big title, The Elder Scrolls 6. In a tweet celebrating 30 years of the franchise, the developer confirmed that it’s “playing early builds” of the eagerly-awaited sequel.

Bethesda has celebrated the 30th birthday of The Elder Scrolls series, and in doing so provided a brief update on the in-development The Elder Scrolls 6.

Phil Spencer has tried all of the new PC gaming handhelds: the Asus ROG Ally, the Lenovo Legion Go, and the Steam Deck. He’s impressed. But he can’t shake one question. How would he make them more Xbox?

With Amazon’s new Fallout TV show slated to hit Prime next month, longtime Fallout fans have already started wondering what the next official entry in the iconic post-apocalyptic video game series will look like.

The US has filed a lawsuit against Apple, accusing it of illegally limiting competitors and holding a monopoly over the smartphone market.

Xbox is jumping into spring with a huge slate of games coming to Xbox Game Pass. Starting today, the service will be getting Lightyear Frontier, a space exploration and farming sim with a mech, and MLB The Show 24, which also launched Tuesday across platforms and will feature women players for the first time in franchise history.

It can be difficult keeping track of the various comings and goings in the games industry, which is why we compile them in semi-regular round-ups.

Something Wicked Games has reportedly laid off «most of» its staff, according to a handful of people impacted.

A new Xbox devkit was rated in South Korea yesterday by the National Radio Research Agency. It's unclear what this console is, but there are a couple of possibilities, such as the leaked all-digital Xbox Series X and separate handheld.

Leaked specifications for Sony's unannounced PlayStation 5 Pro console have been posted online, and show the upgrades present in the souped-up console expected to launch later this year.

As the gaming community eagerly anticipates Rockstar Games highly awaited GTA 6, a recent leak has stirred excitement, hinting at the arrival of the next-gen PS5 Pro, potentially setting a new benchmark for gaming consoles. Scheduled for a speculated release later this year, just in time for the holiday season, the PS5 Pro could be the ultimate platform to experience the next instalment of the iconic franchise, according to insider reports.

Hi-Fi RUSH is now available for pre-load on PlayStation 5 ahead of its release later this week and weighs in at 15.5GB.

Thomas Mahler, the co-founder of Moon Studios and creator of the Ori games, has said that he fully believes in the direction that Phil Spencer is taking with Xbox.

An Xbox insider has responded to recent rumors that have claimed Ninja Theory is porting to the PlayStation 5. Reports of more Xbox-exclusive titles going multi-platform have become more common since Xbox CEO, Phil Spencer, announced four of the platform's first-party games would also be going to Nintendo and PlayStation devices.

Sea of Thieves is off to a strong start on PlayStation, taking the lead in preorders. In February, Xbox announced that some of its games would no longer be exclusive to its platforms, and that roster included Sea of Thieves. Several games were rumored for a while, and their official announcement during Xbox's Business Update podcast only confirmed what many had already suspected.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is not coming to the PlayStation 5, a well-known Xbox insider has said. The claim was offered in response to a newly emerged rumor that Ninja Theory is already working on a Hellblade 2 PS5 port.

Former Xbox, Sega and Electronic Arts executive Peter Moore believes that “serious questions” are being asked about the future of console generations.