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'Crackdown 2' is free on Xbox One ahead of updates to its sequel
Just because you're playing Crackdown 3 doesn't mean you've played its predecessor -- in fact, that's not too likely when the second game launched nearly nine years ago. The developers want to plug that hole in your gaming history. In addition to teasing some updates to the current game (more on those in a moment), they've revealed that Crackdown 2 is now free as an Xbox One backwards compatibility title. It's not the revelation that the first game was, but it will show you how the series evolved before its big hiatus.
Microsoft Studios buys 'Fallout: New Vegas' house Obsidian
With the next generation of gaming consoles on the horizon, Microsoft Studios has been gobbling up high-profile developers, and it's continuing that trend today with the acquisition of Fallout: New Vegas studio Obsidian Entertainment and Wasteland 2 company inXile Entertainment.
'Crackdown 3' launches February 15th, 2019 on Xbox One and PC
Yes, Microsoft really has been hinting at some big Crackdown 3 news by giving away the original game. The company has confirmed that the repeatedly delayed open-world game will be available on Xbox One (including Game Pass) and Windows 10 PCs on February 15th, 2019. It also premiered its talked-about competitive multiplayer mode, Wrecking Zone, that has two five-player teams fighting each other in "fully destructible" venues.
'Forza Horizon 2' leaves the Xbox Store on September 30th
We hope you weren't thinking of scoring Forza Horizon 2 on the cheap now that Horizon 4 is almost here. Turn 10 and Microsoft are removing the open-world arcade racer and its add-ons from the Xbox Games Store on September 30th. You can still play it if you have a copy, but you'll have to shell out for one of the later games if you just have to get your fix. The developer didn't explain the move beyond saying that the title was "end of life."
Microsoft bought five studios to fix its Xbox game problem
It's no secret that Microsoft's lack of exclusive games is partially to blame for the Xbox One lagging behind the PS4. To rectify this, the company's gone on a bit of a shopping spree, acquiring five studios under its Microsoft Studios umbrella. Four of these are existing outfits: Undead Labs (State of Decay), Playground Games (Forza Horizon), Ninja Theory (Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice) and Compulsion Games (We Happy Few). The fifth is an all-new studio called The Initiative headed by Darrell Gallagher, the former chief of Crystal Dynamics who spearheaded the Tomb Raider reboot and joined Microsoft back in April.
Microsoft's Xbox exclusives will come to Game Pass on launch day
To date, the Xbox Game Pass has been a tricky value proposition. While there have been a few recent hits, it frequently comes across as a clearinghouse for games whose best days are over. You'll have a better reason to subscribe going forward, though: Microsoft has promised to add all of its in-house Xbox One exclusives to Game Pass the moment they're available. Sea of Thieves will be one of the first when it launches on March 20th, and this should also include the long-delayed Crackdown 3 as well as future games in franchises like Halo and Gears of War. So long as you're paying that monthly fee, that blockbuster title won't cost you extra or require a months-long wait.
Microsoft taps 'Minecraft' leader to run its game studios
Now that Phil Spencer is managing Microsoft's broader game platform strategy, who's going to fill his shoes? Now we know: Microsoft has appointed Matt Booty, the overseer of the company's Minecraft teams, as the corporate VP of Microsoft Studios. He'll watch over all of Microsoft's own game publishing efforts, including Halo's 343 Industries, Gears of War's The Coalition and Forza's Turn 10. This isn't just about handing over the keys, though -- as Spencer explained to VentureBeat, it's also about improving the company's first-party game business.
Zombies won't invade 'State of Decay 2' until spring 2018
Microsoft may have teased the invasion of the undead at last year's E3, but during the 2017 installment we're still not getting a release date for the sequel to State of Decay. In fact, the game has been delayed. Next spring, you can enter the zombie apocalypse in the survival horror State of Decay 2 on Xbox One and Windows 10. Basically, then, after being slated to launch this year, the title won't arrive until 2018.
'Phantom Dust' returns tomorrow on Xbox One and PC -- for free
Phantom Dust was a surprise treat from Microsoft Japan that arrived in the US (thanks to intervention by Majesco) at the end of the original Xbox's run, and after years of work, a team has revived the original game's assets to build a version that works across the Xbox One and PC. Its business model was still up in the air a couple of weeks ago, but today Xbox Games marketing head Adam Greenberg announced it will be released tomorrow for free (with some paid DLC options available to speed your progress through the game).
Microsoft cancels Xbox One exclusive 'Scalebound'
If you've been anticipating Platinum Games' Scalebound ever since it was unveiled in 2014, you're about to get some crushing news. In the wake of leaks from Kotaku and Eurogamer, Microsoft Studios has confirmed that the dragon action role-playing game has been cancelled. The company hasn't elaborated on why (you can read its statement below), but Eurogamer's sources describe it as the result of a rough development process that grew particularly tortuous in 2016.
Microsoft's Play Anywhere reaches PC and Xbox on September 13th
You won't have to wait too long to see how well Xbox Play Anywhere works in practice. Microsoft has confirmed to Polygon that the cross-purchase, cross-play feature will go live on both Xbox One consoles and Windows 10 PCs on September 13th. You'll still need games that support it, of course, but you can count on at least strong first-party support. Microsoft says that all the games it publishes from now onward will use Play Anywhere -- in theory, that means the next Halo will be a PC title. The real unknown is whether or not many third-party games will follow suit.
Microsoft Studios shutters Xbox Fitness at-home workouts
Xbox Fitness has provided an at-home workout with the help of the trusty game console and Microsoft's Kinect since 2013. However, the exercise option won't be around much longer. Microsoft Studios announced that the console-driven workouts would be shuttered July 1, 2017, citing the effort required to ship regular updates to keep the gym routines fresh. The company says it has "given much consideration to the reality updating the service regularly in order to sustain it."
The first 'Gears of War 4' trailer is sad (and sounds like it)
We saw Gears of War 4 gameplay footage back at E3 2015, but (in time to hype the game before this year's game show), here's a short trailer that's a bit of a downer. Setting the scene for the son of the main protagonist from all the previous games, 25 years have passed since the last fight, and yet there's still things to gun down with giant machine guns. (And they deserve it for knocking down that tree.) As is the GoW series' wont, we get a cover song to underscore the destructions: Simon and Garfunkel's The Sound of Silence, which will probably sound familiar to most of you.
'Gears of War 4' stars 'Dragon Ball Z,' 'Spartacus' actors
Gears of War 4 is set 25 years after the events of Gears of War 3, and its story stars JD Fenix, the son of long-time series protagonist Marcus Fenix, Game Informer reports. He's joined by Kait Diaz, a survivalist who grew up outside of JD's walled-off world, and Delmont "Del" Walker, one of JD's best friends from boarding school and the army. After a mysterious military incident, Del and JD find themselves in the wild -- in Kait's territory, in fact -- and that's where the game kicks off. But, it's not going to go very far without a handful of talented voice actors.
Microsoft cancels 'Fable Legends' and closes Lionhead
Fable Legends has officially been canned and developer Lionhead Studios will be shut down, Microsoft announced in a blog post this morning. Fable Legends was poised to be a free, multiplayer-focused, fantasy-action game -- and a fairly dramatic departure from previous installments in the series. Microsoft announced Fable Legends in 2013 and it was supposed to launch in late 2015, though in December it was delayed into 2016. Lionhead is based in the United Kingdom and it's responsible for franchises such as Black & White and (of course) Fable. Famed game designer Peter Molyneux founded Lionhead in 1997 and led it for more than a decade, even once Microsoft acquired the studio in 2006. Molyneux left in 2012 after finishing Fable: The Journey.
'Splosion Man' developer Twisted Pixel is leaving Microsoft
Twisted Pixel may have gotten into Microsoft's good graces (and the company itself) through games like Splosion Man and The Maw, but it didn't stay there for very long. The developer has revealed that it's being spun out from Microsoft Studios roughly four years after it joined the fold. The reasons behind the departure aren't immediately apparent. However, it's safe to say that Twisted Pixel's most recent game, LocoCycle, didn't do it any favors -- the Xbox One launch title was so terrible that even the intro movie was hard to bear. Hopefully, the team's departure from Microsoft leads to bigger and better efforts.
Microsoft Studios lead talks Kinect and the future of Xbox
You might not know who Microsoft's Kudo Tsunoda is, but you know his work. He was the driving force behind Kinect and HoloLens. And more recently, he's taken control of a large part of Microsoft Studios, the company's in-house video game publishing and development arm. As part of his position, Tsunoda leads Rare, Lionhead and other first-party studios, and also oversees the development of key Xbox exclusives published by Microsoft, such as Scalebound, Quantum Break and the new Crackdown. I sat down with Tsunoda for a chat at Gamescom, and quizzed him on the future of Xbox, HoloLens and gaming at Microsoft.
'Gears of War: Ultimate Edition' and 'Killer Instinct' will come to PC
Microsoft hasn't offered a whole lot of affection to PC gamers in recent years, but it's making some reparations for that today: the company's Phil Spencer has revealed at the PC Gaming Show that both Gears of War: Ultimate Edition and the 2013 version of Killer Instinct will come to Windows 10. He didn't have much to say about when these ports will show up, or whether or not they'll have any new tricks up their sleeves. However, Iron Galaxy Studios' Dave Lang has confirmed Spencer's hint that KI will have Fable Legends-style cross-platform play that lets you brawl with your Xbox One-toting friends.
'Mass Effect' director Casey Hudson joins Microsoft's HoloLens team
Casey Hudson, the producer largely responsible for EA and BioWare's Mass Effect trilogy, is now Creative Director at Microsoft Studios, where he's working on HoloLens and Xbox games. Microsoft appears to be all-in on HoloLens development -- Hudson now works alongside former Lionhead Studios boss John Needham and he reports directly to CVP of Next Gen Experiences Kudo Tsunoda, who previously led Microsoft's Kinect Games initiative. Hudson relocated from Edmonton, Canada, to Redmond, Washington, for his new role.
JXE Streams: Into the deep, dark woods of 'Ori and the Blind Forest'
Last week during our stream of Grand Theft Auto V, we asked our Twitch viewers what brand new game they wanted us to play on the show. Let it never be said that we don't deliver! Today on JXE Streams, we're going to play through two hours of Ori and the Blind Forest because you demanded it. If you're unfamiliar, Ori is a lushly animated adventure game where you guide a whispy spirit through an arboreal maze. Think Metroid by way of Spirited Away and you'll get the idea.
