Microsoft News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Microsoft plans to release the coming installment of the "Call of Duty" videogame to its subscription service, in a departure from its longtime practice of only selling the title independently, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The next Call Of Duty will arrive on Game Pass on day one, according to anonymous sources. Microsoft's strategy has long involved releasing all their first-party games on Game Pass, but there had been doubt over whether the same would be true of the first Call Of Duty to be released since Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of publishers Activision.

Microsoft is poised to add the newest Call of Duty series entry to Xbox Game Pass.

Fallout fever has been running rampant for over a month, thanks to the immense popularity of Amazon Prime’s acclaimed Fallout show. Not only has that sparked renewed interest in Bethesda’s Fallout titles, the franchise is seeping its way into other games as well.

Since Microsoft purchased Blizzard Activision and took ownership of the Call of Duty franchise, there have been questions about whether Microsoft would bring future entries in series to PlayStation and whether future titles might be day-and-date launches on Xbox GamePass. The answer to the former is that for now at least PS4 and PS5 players will indeed continue to enjoy access. On Friday, the answer to the latter question finally emerged as well.

It’s been several months since Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard was finalized, and even though the latter’s catalog of titles has started making its way over to Game Pass with Diablo 4 kicking things off in March, there hasn’t been any real clarity on whether Call of Duty in particular is going to follow suit. Now, however, it’s being reported that concrete details on that front will be officially shared soon.

Microsoft will release the upcoming installment of the Call of Duty franchise to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service at launch this fall, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

Around a week after Microsoft shuttered a number of beloved studios with a track record of making excellent single-player, story-driven games, their newly-owned arm of Activision has revealed a brand new studio. Working on a new series of story-driven, triple-A games.

Microsoft is reportedly planning to put the unannounced 2024 game on from day one. The move is supposedly meant to shakeup Microsoft’s videogame sales strategy and is expected to be announced at the Xbox Games Showcase held next month.

Activision is getting ready to work on a new video game franchise. The company has announced the founding of a new internal studio, dubbed Elsewhere Entertainment. The studio, headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, will be focused on a new narrative-based AAA franchise.

While developer Tango Gameworks has been shut down by Microsoft, the studio’s most recent title—Hi-Fi Rush—is getting one more update. Out today, the update is available on PS5 and PC, and brings with it a host of smaller bugs throughout the game. Check out the complete patch notes below for more details.

Microsoft had announced in February that it would bring four of its exclusive Xbox titles to rival platforms from Sony and Nintendo. It seems the company is not stopping with its four first-party games coming to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. A new report claims that the Xbox parent intends to make a multi-platform push for more of its games. Under the plan, internally codenamed “Latitude,” more upcoming first-party Xbox titles are said to be in development for the PS5.

The has begun rolling out today and its main feature is that it adds keyboard and mouse support with Xbox Cloud Gaming. The bad news is that only 26 games that are available through cloud gaming will have that support for now, and Microsoft didn’t mention whether that list will grow in the future.

After a short period in the Steam Beta Branch, Starfield’s latest update is available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S. As the largest update yet for the space-faring RPG, it features multiple new features and sweeping changes. For example, surface maps on planets are vastly improved, denoting points of interest. It even outlines all the vendors in cities to fast travel to.

With Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 less than one week from release, Ninja Theory has revealed launch timings for the sequel on Twitter. It goes live on May 21st for Xbox Series X/S and PC at 1 AM PDT, so those living on the West Coast in the United States will see it pop up early.

Look, you've had 15 years to play that well-regarded time-bending puzzler sitting in your Steam library, staring at you this whole time. Well, now you can have another 15 years. Braid Anniversary Edition is out on Steam now, a high definition remastering of a classic indie. It got stuck in time following a few delays but it's finally defrosted now. The sharper look will appeal to pixel perfectionists, but there are also 40 new levels for serial rewinders. And - for those interested in the thought processes of designer Jonathan Blow - a bunch of developer commentary.

may not have been the silver bullet Microsoft hoped for. However, it’s still a way for subscribers to play several free games every month. The second half of May sees the arrival of twelve more games, including a major new release.

Microsoft released its newest and fourth Xbox Transparency Report, providing details on how it is combating harassment conduct and content on its gaming platform.

Microsoft has announced new titles coming to Xbox Game Pass in late May, which includes Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Immortals of Aveum, Lords of the Fallen, and more.

Following Fallout 4’s Next-Gen Update, Bethesda Game Studios has a new patch to address issues and offer improvements. Perhaps the most noteworthy addition is the new display settings on Xbox Series X/S and PS5 to allow for setting the Frame Rate Target and whether to prioritize visuals or performance.

The latest episode of the GI Microcast is now available in podcast form, delivering your weekly dive into the biggest stories of the past week. The video will be available tomorrow.

Following rumors about Microsoft debating whether Call of Duty should come to Game Pass, Xbox president Sarah Bond reiterated that all first-party titles from the publisher arrive on day one for the service. That includes Activision’s titles, but she didn’t discuss rumors about Game Pass potentially receiving a price hike. Nevertheless, it seems to be happening.

Microsoft on Sunday announced four billion euros in investment for developing data centres in France, joining fellow US giant Amazon in committing to the country's tech infrastructure.

With the Xbox Games Showcase less than a month away, rumors circulated about what could appear. Gears 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops Gulf War are favorites, but The Initiative’s Perfect Dark may be another. After reports from Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb about it being in “rough shape,” insider Nate the Hate said it could make an appearance.

Ninja Theory’s long-awaited sequel to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, is out next week. It sees Senua venturing to Viking Iceland to mete out justice while still dealing with her psychosis, manifesting as “The Furies.” In a new video, the development team discusses psychosis alongside several experts and how it’s depicted in-game.

Amid reports of Microsoft internally debating future Call of Duty titles coming to Game Pass, Xbox president Sarah Bond has reiterated that all Xbox games will launch on day one for the service.

Fallout 4’s Next-Gen Update arrived last month to much fanfare and hype, especially following the success of Amazon’s TV show. It wasn’t without issues, whether it’s the UI not scaling with Ultrawide displays, breaking mods or oddly targeting 60 FPS in all modes on Xbox Series X.

Turn 10 Studios has made great strides over the previous few months to address concerns with Forza Motorsport, like revamping car progression to unlock all parts at level 1. Its next update, which goes live sometime this week, will tweak Safety Ratings and their calculations, starting with bumping the required races to 20 from 10.

will launch its version of a mobile gaming store in July. Xbox President Sarah Bond revealed the store will be available on the internet and will not be a specific app like the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, making it available to a wider audience from the start.

Xbox president Sarah Bond has responded to some of the criticisms faced by the company in the wake of its recent decisions to shutter a bunch of development studios, laying off employees in the process. In an interview with Bloomberg, Bond referred to the decision as one made to ensure the health of Xbox as a business.

Since Microsoft’s shuttering of developer Tango Gameworks, angry fans of the studio’s work have taken to bombarding the Steam listings for Hi-Fi Rush, Ghostwire: Tokyo and The Evil Within and its sequel with reviews. Interestingly, while movements among fanbases like this typically opt to go with negative reviews, the Steam reviews for these games are incredibly positive.

Hi-Fi Rush fans are currently leaving tons of positive reviews on the game's Steam page, marking another community-driven instance of reverse-review bombing. The occurrence follows parent company Xbox's decision to shutter Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks.

Halo and Destiny developers Bungie have released their classic shooter Marathon for free on Steam, with sequels Marathon 2 and Marathon Infinity to follow. The Steam ports are the work of the celebrated Aleph One community developers, who've kept Bungie's old Marathon 2 game engine going as an open source project - and who still have PC ports of all three games available on their own site, if you'd rather not truck with Steam.

Xbox president Sarah Bond says that Microsoft's shuttering of four Bethesda studios is to ensure the firm's business is "healthy for the long term."

This Week in Business is our weekly recap column, a collection of stats and quotes from recent stories presented with a dash of opinion (sometimes more than a dash) and intended to shed light on various trends. Check every Friday for a new entry.

Addressing Microsoft's recent call to close down four of its first-party studios, including Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, Xbox President Sarah Bond talked about the motive behind it. Other companies that Xbox recently dissolved are Redfall developer Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Studios.

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.

Microsoft has announced that its Xbox mobile storefront will launch in July 2024.

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.

Former Microsoft senior PR lead Brad Hilderbrand has blogged about the recent closure of Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin, making a familiar case that Microsoft’s gaming division are now expected “to cut expenses to the bone” in the wake of the wildly expensive acquisition of Activision Blizzard and amid slowing growth of the Game Pass subscription business. In Hilderbrand’s view, Game Pass will likely never be sustainable or profitable. Microsoft’s only chance on this front, he says, is “to put all the world's biggest games on the service” – namely, Call of Duty, which still earns hundreds of millions annually in direct sales, or GTA 6, which, hahahaha.

Microsoft has rolled out an update to its Microsoft Rewards program that looks to help users earn more Microsoft points. While it began hitting Rewards dashboards back in March, more Microsoft Rewards users should see the new support measure showing up for them.

Fallout 76 has been going strong with each new update, and Bethesda doesn’t seem to have any plans of slowing down in the near future.  A new developer preview gives us a sneak peek at the upcoming Skyline Valley expansion, check out the details in the video down below.

Another Xbox Game Pass price hike may be coming in the foreseeable future, according to a new report. The same source also raises the possibility of some more bad news for Xbox Game Pass subscribers concerning Call of Duty.

Players have decided to attack Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer and his personal camp in Fallout 76. A new social media post went viral recently, revealing that longtime Microsoft executive Phil Spencer was hit by a nuke in Fallout 76.

Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks were reportedly in the process of pitching sequels to Dishonored and Hi-Fi Rush before Xbox’s sudden closure of their studios on Tuesday. This news comes after learning more details surrounding the shutdown of three ZeniMax Media subsidiary studios, Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks prominently among them.

The closures of Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog Studios and Arkane Austin, and folding of Roundhouse Studios into ZeniMax Online Studios may not be the end of Microsoft’s layoffs. The Verge’s Tom Warren reports that Xbox employees are “bracing for what’s next” and that there are “whispers among employees” of cutbacks at core Xbox Game Studios.

Microsoft’s closure of Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin and Alpha Dog Studios (with Roundhouse Studios folded into ZeniMax Online Studios) proved shocking for the industry, especially after its layoffs earlier this year. While it has plenty to look forward to, including the next Call of Duty, it’s reportedly debating whether it – and future releases in the series – should go to Game Pass.

When Microsoft teased big changes to its Xbox business, rumors flew all over the place regarding potential first-party games for non-Xbox platforms. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 by Ninja Theory was reportedly one, and while nothing came of it, the company is reportedly considering a PS5 release, per a new report by The Verge’s Tom Warren.

A new report claims Microsoft is internally considering bringing Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 to PlayStation 5. The company announced earlier in the year that it will launch four first-party games from its back catalog on competitor platforms PlayStation and Nintendo, leading many to wonder if it plans to port more titles. As it seems, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 could be a future multiplatform Xbox release.

The sudden closure of several video-game studios at Microsoft's Xbox division was the result of a widespread cost-cutting initiative that still isn't finished.

A ZeniMax executive has reportedly said Xbox's closure of four studios this week was due to a lack of staff and support.

The sudden closure of several video-game studios at Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox division was the result of a widespread cost-cutting initiative that still isn't finished. 

Video game industry analyst Mat Piscatella has revealed that growth for video game subscriptions has been stalled. According to Piscatella, spending on non-mobile game subscriptions only rose by 1 percent compared to April 2023.

Microsoft has been catching flak after the closure of Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin, Roundhouse Studios and Alpha Dog Studios. While Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty assured employees of upcoming Bethesda releases in an internal email, its other projects are an entirely different matter. The Initiative’s Perfect Dark, announced in December 2020, is a good example.

According to reports from several insiders, the development of Xbox first-party game Perfect Dark is facing a lot of turmoil. Announced at the 2020 Game Awards by brand-new Xbox team The Initiative, the game promised a modern reimagining of Rare's Perfect Dark series, while retaining its hallmark blend of action, espionage, and sci-fi elements.

A Fallout 3 player recently noted that in the Japanese version of the game, the Cannibal perk is renamed «Mystic Power» and features a distinct description. This discovery has sparked discussions within theFallout 3 community, resulting in various explanations being put forward.

The news that Xbox was going to buy Bethesda caught me by surprise. And not just because of the sheer size of the $7.5bn acquisition.

Arkane Lyon director Dinga Bikaba has taken to Twitter to condemn the closure of Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Roundhouse Studios and Alpha Dog Studios by Microsoft. Calling these events “absolutely terrible,” he implored gaming company executives to “make us proud when times are tough.”

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.

A Fallout 4 player has created an enormous junk-themed town within the game. Fallout 4 has had a huge increase in players recently, thanks in part to the renewed interest from the Fallout TV show on Amazon Prime. Fans have been getting involved in almost every Fallout title, from the original games to the more recent Fallout 76.

Xbox pulled back the curtain on its latest controller design, the Fire Vapor Special Edition Controller, as part of its ongoing Vapor Controller series exclusively available on the Microsoft Store. Like other Vapor Controllers from Xbox, the Fire Vapor Controller comes with a special dynamic background for Xbox console users to enjoy.

The upcoming World of Warcraft expansion is introducing an inventory bag with an attribute bonus, opening up the possibility that future bags will offer different buffs and special effects to player characters when equipped. While World of Warcraft has enjoyed newfound popularity with its Season of Discovery on the Classic servers, the Retail version of the game is at a major crossroads. With Dragonflight coming to a close, the Worldsoul Saga is expected to commence with the launch of The War Within before the end of 2024.

Microsoft are shutting down multiple game studios including Redfall developers Arkane Austin and the creators of Hi-Fi Rush, Tango Gameworks. The news was delivered via an email to staff from Xbox boss Matt Booty which has since been seen by IGN. Booty calls the decision a "consolidation of our Bethesda studio teams, so that we can invest more deeply in our portfolio of games and new IP."

After layoffs earlier this year that impacted Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax and Xbox, Microsoft has shuttered four major studios under Bethesda. Arkane Austin (Redfall), Tango Gameworks (Hi-Fi Rush), Alpha Dog Studios (Mighty Doom), and Roundhouse Games will be shuttered due to a “reprioritization of titles and resources.” The number of employees laid off has not been specified.

Microsoft is shutting down four of the studios it picked up as part of the 2020 Bethesda acquisition, as reported by IGN.

You can now download or watch the latest episode of the GI Microcast, our weekly quick dive into the biggest stories of the past week.

Microsoft has confirmed it is closing studios with Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, and Alpha Dog Studios all having their operations ceased. Roundhouse Games is being absorbed by ZeniMax Online. An email was sent by Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty to teams, and it has been verified by IGN. The email is below.

One of the most popular new mods for the classic RPG Fallout: New Vegas is leaving its mark on virtually every gun in the game. The mod makes comprehensive tweaks to the weapon animations for almost all the Fallout: New Vegas guns, drawing attention from fans looking to inject some new life into the old game.

(Reuters) -Microsoft is training a new, in-house AI language model large enough to compete with those from Alphabet's Google and OpenAI, the Information reported on Monday.

Demand for Sea of Thieves on PS5 skyrocketed pretty much as soon as it became available to pre-order on the platform, and only went on to increase from then on, so it’s no surprise that the game’s sales are reflecting that in the aftermath of its PlayStation release.

Even with updates, Arkane Austin’s Redfall remains an underwhelming release. However, after celebrating its first anniversary on May 2nd, it’s worth noting that fans still haven’t received the characters promised as part of the Hero Pass.

A Minecraft player comes up with an ingenious idea to add some flair to the newly-updated loading screens in the game's PC launcher and make them more bearable to wait through. Though the ideas they have may not always be acknowledged by Mojang, Minecraft fans continue to share interesting concepts on how to make the beloved sandbox game even better.

Starfield is set to add some long-awaited features with its upcoming update, including graphics modes on console, expanded ship building options, surface maps, and much more, while later on in the year, Bethesda Game Studios will also finally be adding a land vehicle to the game. Beyond that, however, the developer is also working on a full-fledged expansion for the space-faring RPG in the form of Shattered Steel, and though not much is known about it yet, some interesting new details may have potentially been unearthed.

Sony's DualSense controller for the PlayStation 5 can also work with Windows 10 and Steam, as long as you don't mind losing a few features (such as the adaptive triggers). You can also have the DualSense work with non-Steam games if you're willing to try out some third-party apps to help the controller connect.

In the wake of renewed interest in the Fallout series, a fan put together a collage that showcased how the Pip-Boy device changed in its designs over the years. The Fallout fan shared five different versions of the Pip-Boy designs that are most commonly used throughout the series, and other fans commented about which designs were their favorites.

Mojang has released the patch notes for Minecraft's first snapshot for Java Edition 1.21, which includes new paintings, music discs, background music tracks, adjustments to Trial Chambers, and more. The Minecraft snapshot also introduces data-driven enchantments, pushing its changelog to over 900 lines.

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.

2024 is looking like a packed year for Microsoft, and though the majority of the company’s first-party releases are likely planned for the back half of the year, one of the more prominent ones is not that far away. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is set to launch in under three weeks’ time, and ahead of its release, starting next week, Microsoft will be kicking its marketing campaign into gear.

A new update has been released for Grounded, with several major issues being addressed. These changes include balance updates, bug fixes, and optimization improvements across the board that should make Grounded that much more enjoyable for both new and returning players.