Phil Spencer

Microsoft intends to put its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard to use by releasing the next Call of Duty game directly on its Game Pass subscription service, the Wall Street Journal reports. The WSJ says the plan will be announced at Xbox’s annual summer showcase on June 9.

Is Call of Duty coming to Xbox Game Pass? When Microsoft first began pursuing it’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, many assumed using Call of Duty to bolster Game Pass was one of their goals, but things have changed since then. Game Pass growth has slowed, badly missing growth targets, and Xbox boss Phil Spencer has admitted there’s a ceiling to its success. While some Activision Blizzard games like Diablo IV have been added to Game Pass, recent reports suggested that Microsoft was still “evaluating” whether to do the same with the headliner that is Call of Duty.

Despite news that Microsoft was stopping development on Redfalland closing its studio, Arkane Austin, the game will get one final update.

Recent reports suggested that Microsoft executives had been debating for some time whether to put new Call of Duty games onto Game Pass on day one (i.e. on their release day). That seems like something it should have figured out before spending $68.7 billion on CoD publisher Activision Blizzard, but it seems that Microsoft has finally reached a decision. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company will indeed bring the next Call of Duty title directly to Game Pass when it arrives later this year.

Microsoft will soon announce its intention to release this year’s mainline Call of Duty game straight into Game Pass, according to a new report.

In a development you don't see every day, following the closure of Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, swarms of fans have expressed their outrage by positively review bombing the game on Steam. This reverse review bombing campaign has resulted in several thousand Positive new reviews rising to the top since the news of Bethesda's Microsoft-mandated restructure broke last week.

Following a devastating week of Bethesda studio closures, which coincides with the Fallout franchise's recent bump in popularity (thanks to Amazon's excellent adaptation), it was only natural for the pressure to erupt somewhere. In a legitimately hilarious turn, vengeful Fallout 76 players have been venting their spleens on Phil Spencer's in-game encampment, repeatedly detonating nukes on top of it, reducing the surrounding landscape into an (even more) uninhabitable wasteland.

More first-party Xbox games are reportedly in development for PlayStation 5.

It's been a rough week for Xbox following multiple studio closures decided by Microsoft and the severe blowback from fans and fellow developers alike, not to mention reports of Perfect Dark having a rough time, but a new rumor suggests State of Decay 3, at least, might be coming along well.

Bethesda is rolling out a new Fallout 4 update across all platforms on May 13, packing new graphic options, fixes, performance improvements, and more.

Xbox president Sarah Bond has confirmed that the company will continue to launch its first-party games, including Activision titles like Call of Duty, on Game Pass. This news comes in the midst of a period of uncertainty over the subscription service, as recent reports claimed that Microsoft was internally debating whether new Call of Duty titles should be launched on Xbox Game Pass.

The Fallout 76 player who nuked Phil Spencer's in-game camp wasn't protesting the recent closure of Bethesda studios but had instead been planning the attack for weeks.

President of Xbox Sarah Bond announced during yesterday's Bloomberg Tech talk with Dina Bass that the long-awaited Xbox mobile store will debut this July via Web (to avoid the limitations of the App Store and Play Store while regulators around the world enforce new guidelines). The first games to be added to the store will be Microsoft-owned franchises, like Minecraft and Candy Crush, though the store will be opened to partners shortly afterward.

Microsoft is officially entering the mobile gaming store scene this summer. With the acquisition of Activision-Blizzard-King formalized, the legal precedent of Epic vs. Apple settled, and the European Union disrupting the digital market, Microsoft and Xbox believe the time is right to vie for a piece of the market.

Xbox president Sarah Bond has responded to questions about Microsoft’s decision to shut a number of much-loved studios this week, insisting it was about ensuring the Xbox business remains healthy for the long-term during what she called “this moment of transition.”

After Microsoft unexpectedly announced it closed Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, some wondered whether the previously announced physical version of the game would ever see the light of day. But don't worry — despite Tango Gameworks' closure, Limited Run Games is still planning to release a physical edition of the studio's final project.

In one of the most double-think statements ever made outside of George Orwell’s 1984, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty has told employees that “We need smaller games that give us prestige and awards,” just one day after closing down the game studio that was responsible for the prestigious award-winning game, Hi-Fi Rush.

A Fallout 76 player may have found a rather creative way to show their disapproval for Xbox closing down Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin.

Like us, you’re probably still reeling from Tuesday’s news that Hi-Fi Rush studio Tango and Prey’s Arkane Austin are getting shuttered by Microsoft. According to Bloomberg, these closures were just a part of a “widespread cost-cutting initiative” that’s still underway. All signs point towards more cuts to come, basically. ZeniMax studios seem to be the main target.

Xbox closed down four studios this week, including The Evil Within developer Tango Gameworks and Dishonored developer Arkane Austin. The backlash has been overwhelming, and Matt Booty only added fuel to the fire yesterday when he said that the company needs "smaller games that give us prestige and awards", perfectly describing Tango's recently released Hi-Fi Rush.

Following the unexpected move to shut down three game studios and merge another with ZeniMax Online, we learned that Microsoft is still planning more cuts to its Xbox division. But that's not the full extent of the company's re-evaluation of its gaming strategy.

For a while in the late 2010/early 2020s, it seemed liked gaming subscriptions may be the future of the hobby. Microsoft certainly wanted us to think it was the future, pushing Xbox Game Pass every chance they got, and Sony eventually joined the party with their own expanded PlayStation Plus service.

Microsoft has shuttered several Bethesda-owned game studios, including Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Redfall maker Arkane Austin, in order to shift focus on to its “priority games”. The Xbox parent is also closing Alpha Dog Games, makers of the mobile game Mighty Doom, while Roundhouse Studios, which also contributed to Redfall development, will be absorbed by ZeniMax Online Studios. The development, initially reported by IGN, was confirmed by affected studios Tango Gameworks and Arkane in separate posts on X late Tuesday. The shutdowns come months after Microsoft announced layoffs at Xbox and Activision Blizzard earlier this year, which made 1,900 roles redundant.

The now abandoned Redfall had a roadmap of support that was being actively worked on before Microsoft scrapped all development and closed its developer, IGN can reveal.

Former Blizzard boss Mike Ybarra has claimed that Xbox head Phil Spencer will be hurting “as much as anyone else” following the closure of four first-party studios.

Earlier today, it was announced that Xbox will be closing multiple studios under its umbrella, including Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin. Despite having made several high-profile titles between them, including Hi-Fi Rush, Ghostwire: Tokyo, The Evil Within series, Prey (2018), and Redfall, Xbox explained that it will be shutting the studios to funnel more cash into "high-impact" titles from Bethesda.

Today opened with rather shocking news, as Microsoft announced a number of their studios were being shuttered including Arkane Austin (Prey, Redfall), Tango Gameworks (The Evil Within, Hi-Fi Rush), Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Studios. Considering the recent success of some of these studios (Hi-Fi Rush was the most widely-acclaimed game Xbox had put out in recent years) and the general pro-developer message Phil Spencer and other Xbox execs tried to send while on their studio shopping spree over the pass few years, this has caught many off guard.

In an announcement made on May 7, Xbox stated that it is ending all development on Redfall. In the same memo, Xbox also announced the closure of Arkane Austin, the developer of the game. Redfall’s developer wasn’t the only studio shut down, as several others are also shutting their doors.

Microsoft is closing four Bethesda studios: Redfall developer Arkane Austin, Mighty Doom developer Alpha Dog Studios, Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, and support studio Roundhouse Games. Xbox Game Studios leader Matt Booty announced the news to staff in an email Tuesday citing a reprioritization of “high-impact titles,” according to IGN. Arkane, Alpha Dog, and Tango Gameworks confirmed the closures on their respective X accounts.

Redfall celebrated its first anniversary recently, with fans questioning the lack of information on DLC characters promised with the Hero Pass. With Microsoft shutting down Arkane Austin, the co-op shooter’s November update is the last, and development has officially ceased.

Redfall will receive no further updates, as Microsoft “ends all development” on the game.

Xbox is closing down four Bethesda studios, including Redfall developer Arkane Austin and Hi-Fi Rush studio Tango Gameworks.

Arkane Lyon boss Dinga Bakaba has publicly criticised Microsoft executives for their decision to close several studios, including its Austin studio, calling the news “a fucking gut stab”.

Redfall, Arkane Studios’ co-op, squad -based vampire shooter, was released a year ago, and quickly panned as broken and undercooked. Despite vowing to work on the issues, and owing players who bought their $100 deluxe edition two promised post-launch heroes, some are still waiting for what they were promised for their purchase.

Many players are still waiting for the Redfall DLC they spent $100 on. Redfall was positioned to be the next big release from popular developer Arkane Studios. Arkane became well known for games such as Dishonored as well as their more recent release Deathloop, which have both received praise for their unique combat and traversal mechanics.

Following yesterday's launch of Sea of Thieves on PS5, Microsoft has now delivered on its initial multi-platform promise to bring some of its exclusive Xbox experiences to new consoles. Having made the surprise announcement in February, the firm has brought Pentiment, Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded, and the aforementioned seafaring adventure to PS5, PS4 boxes as well as Nintendo Switch. During the presentation that revealed Microsoft's multi-platform plans, Phil Spencer and his team refused to discuss any efforts beyond those four titles. Is that it, then? Will Microsoft now return to releasing first-party titles exclusively for Xbox Series X|S and PC? Those questions can't be answered definitively yet, but probably not.

Around three months ago, a flurry of rumors suggested that Microsoft was preparing many Xbox exclusive games to go multiplatform, including heavyweights like Gears of War, Starfield, and the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Shortly after those rumors, Microsoft broadcast a 'business update event' where Xbox executives revealed that a few games were indeed making the jump to PlayStation and/or Nintendo Switch consoles. These games turned out to be Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Grounded, and Sea of Thieves. Phil Spencer labeled this an experiment and warned it didn't mean other, bigger games would definitely appear on other consoles:

Hi-Fi Rush has been rated in Europe for Nintendo Switch.

With Grounded, Pentiment, and Hi-Fi Rush, Microsoft has brought a number of its first-party Xbox titles to rival platforms in recent weeks, and though that’s set to continue with Sea of Thieves, which launches for PS5 on April 30, for now, that’s as much as we know about Microsoft’s plans for multiplatform releases. Interestingly, however, CEO Satya Nadella has suggested that more Xbox titles will be following in the aforementioned games’ footsteps.

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.

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

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.