Tag Archives: microsoft

The fact that Microsoft is beginning to fund and develop ‘cloud-native’ games is an open secret at this point, with recent reports indicating that Xbox was working with a new studio, Mainframe, to build an ambitious cloud-native MMO. As it turns out, whatever deal was in place for this game …

There is no denying that the highly popular Halo franchise has struggled with securing the lighting-in-a-bottle success that the series enjoyed from the first game in 2001 all the way to 2010’s Halo: Reach. With Halo Infinite however, 343i have finally created a Halo game almost as good as some …

While Halo Infinite’s multiplayer mode launched to a great deal of success both commercially and critically, the game’s surprise beta launch felt very basic in many ways, offering a limited number of game modes. Fortunately, we do not have to wait long for new content, as many much-requested game modes …

It has been roughly a full calendar year since I first picked up an Xbox Series X and with PC upgrades hitting all-time high prices, I've spent most of 2021 as a console gamer, primarily playing on Xbox. With Year-One down, it is time to take a look back at the first year of 'next-gen' and whether or not it was worth upgrading right from the jump. 

CD Projekt Red has had a very rough year, with the disappointing release of Cyberpunk 2077 tarnishing the studio's reputation. Earlier this year, some financial analysts did suggest that this launch could prime CD Projekt Red for a takeover or acquisition by a larger entity, but the studio this week …

During the recent 20th anniversary celebration of the Xbox brand, Microsoft announced that a number of games would be added to its backwards compatibility list, as well as its FPS Boost list. At the time, it was confirmed that no more games would be added to the backwards compatibility program. …

With the Xbox brand officially being 20 years old now, Microsoft has been introspective, looking back at its past successes and failures. One of these failures saw Microsoft try to buy Nintendo back in 1999. The console manufacturer has now published this letter, letting fans take a look behind the …

We've seen multiple laptops and 2-in-1 PCs with ARM-based processors running Windows, but they've all had one thing in common – Qualcomm processors. This week, we finally found out why this has been the case. As it turns out, Microsoft and Qualcomm hashed out an exclusivity deal for Windows on …

Earlier this month, we learned that the Xbox team had secured a “strategic partnership” with SEGA, which will see Microsoft helping the Japanese publisher with next-gen and cloud-oriented game development. This has obviously brought up additional rumours around future Sega games being exclusive to Xbox, but the company has now …

If ever there is an Xbox system on the market, you can bet your bottom dollar that a Halo game will follow right behind. Though one year later than planned, Halo: Infinite’s multiplayer mode has finally been released. But was it worth the wait?

One of the most disappointing video game cancellations came about with the news back in 2017 that the action-RPG Scalebound – the collaboration between PlatinumGames and Microsoft – had been cancelled after 4 years in development. While both parties have been quiet about the game ever since, PlatinumGames’ CEO has …

As the video games industry matures, more and more older titles are being left behind. While some publishers will remaster or re-release these older titles on newer consoles, hundreds of games are being left behind with no legal way to play them. Xbox head Phil Spencer has now commented on …

There have been many questions lingering around future Bethesda game exclusivity now that Microsoft owns the company. While a new IP like Starfield being exclusive to Microsoft platforms seemed like a given, many doubt that a huge series like The Elder Scrolls would ever become exclusive. If you are one …

Microsoft has released many major first party titles in November, with both Forza Horizon 5 and Halo: Infinite (multiplayer) being made available for free to all those with an Xbox Game Pass subscription. What this has meant however is that the second half of November is appearing to be rather …

NFTs are currently one of the most controversial topics in gaming, with the blockchain technology being scrutinised by some, while adopted by others. Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, has now given his thoughts on NFT’s and claims that “some of the creative that I see today feels more exploitive …

Following a surprise launch yesterday evening, Halo Infinite has already gone on to become the most played Xbox Game Studios title on Steam, wiping out the record that Forza Horizon 5 set just a week ago.  Forza Horizon 5 just had the largest day-one launch of a game in Xbox …

Xbox Game Pass represents one of the biggest gambles made by Microsoft when it comes to the Xbox ecosystem. Deprioritising purchasing games and instead focusing on bolstering an ever-expanding library for one monthly cost is certainly ambitious. It does seem to be paying off, however, as according to Xbox, Game …

Xbox’s Game Pass subscription service offers hundreds of games, both old and new. Microsoft isn’t afraid to splash the cash either in order to obtain major 3rd party titles. It seems this may be the case with the latest entry in the Mortal Kombat franchise, as MK11 has been teased …

Following on from a massive early access debut, Forza Horizon 5 has now set new records for Xbox, with the “largest launch day” in Xbox Game Studios history.  Forza Horizon 5 got off to a good start over the weekend with over a million players joining in early access, a …

Back in March of this year, a rumour propped up suggesting that Microsoft was interested in potentially purchasing SEGA. It would seem this is in fact not the case, as SEGA has expressed its intentions to continue growing and acquiring other studios for itself. As part of their annual report, …

As the video games industry matures, developers have been focusing on making games as accessible as possible. Forza Horizon 5 looks to be taking it to the next level as the upcoming racing game will offer full sign-language support in an update after launch. In a video detailing the accessibility …

Windows 11 has been out for a little over a month now and Microsoft now has a few updates under its belt. Unfortunately, an expiring certificate has come in to play, causing dome Windows 11 features to stop working correctly.  As Microsoft warned, starting on the 1st of November, a …

Halo’s E3 2020 campaign demo will likely go down as one of the franchise’s worst moments, with the response being so visceral as to cause the game to be delayed by an entire year. One of the most hilariously bad aspects to the demo was of a derpy looking brute …

Xbox Game Pass has continued to improve this year with the addition of more first-party games and major third-party deals. November is shaping up to be one of the biggest months of the year, with a strong line-up of headline worthy titles.  While last month's big Xbox Game Pass releases …

Back in 2019, Microsoft and Sony formed a “strategic partnership”, with Sony agreeing to utilise Microsoft's cloud technology to develop next-gen streaming products. Now, Microsoft is forming a “strategic alliance” with another Japanese company – SEGA.  First things first, this is not an acquisition. Sega has long been rumoured to …

Back in 2019, Microsoft became the third company ever to reach a $1 trillion market cap, coming in just behind Apple. A few months ago Microsoft began to catch up to Apple, crossing the $2 trillion mark and now as of today, Microsoft has overtaken Apple as the world's most …

Back 4 Blood is the newest game from Turtle Rock Studios, and the spiritual successor to the Left 4 Dead series of games. It seems demand for a new Left 4 Dead has grown sufficiently strong ever since the release of 2 back in 2009, as Back 4 Blood has …

Microsoft has been slowly phasing out the Xbox 360 and closing down online services. Now with the Xbox Series X/S in the wild, and the older Halo games being replaced by the Master Chief Collection, it is time to take the Xbox 360 Halo titles offline, a process that will …

There have been a number of leaks regarding third-party partnerships at Xbox recently. Not only is Microsoft teaming up with a studio on the first ‘cloud-native' MMO, and looking to sign a deal with Kojima Productions for another game, but the Xbox team is also seemingly working on an action-RPG …

On a monthly basis, Microsoft updates the Xbox Series X|S software with new features, improvements and optimisations. Following an early inclusion as part of the Microsoft Xbox Insider Program, Series X console owners were able to quadruple the resolution of the dashboard from 1080p to 4K. Now, this update is …