#Microsoft
30 article(s)
Double Fine's Union Drive Collapses, Organizers Fired
A unionization effort launched in May 2026 at Double Fine, a studio known for its progressive culture, fell apart in two weeks. The result: all employees behind the initiative were laid off. The incident tarnishes the reputation of the Psychonauts and Keeper studio and raises serious questions about Microsoft's stated commitment to union rights in gaming.
Halo Combat Evolved Now Runs in Browser With 128-Player Multiplayer
A fan-made port lets Halo Combat Evolved run directly in a web browser with multiplayer supporting 128 simultaneous players—eight times the original 16-player limit from the 2001 release. Beyond the technical feat, the project raises a familiar question for the Halo modding scene: how far will Microsoft let these initiatives go before stepping in?
Forza Horizon 2 at 12: The Breakthrough Xbox Never Recaptured
Released in September 2014 on a struggling Xbox One, Forza Horizon 2 restored credibility to the brand after the Don Mattrick-Kinect disaster. Twelve years later, Playground Games still exists, but Microsoft never replicated the method that produced this turnaround at the same scale.
At Halo Studios, You Can Get Promoted on Monday and Fired Tuesday
Josh Daniels was promoted at Halo Studios before being laid off the next day—an episode that directly contradicts Microsoft's self-righteous stance against Sony. While the company picks up Physint from Kojima Productions and poses as a defender of physical games, its internal studios continue cutting staff in chaotic fashion.
Minecraft Live 2026: Mojang Unveils New Dimension and Amusement Park
At Minecraft Live 2026, Mojang revealed a new dimension, an original biome, and an amusement park project dedicated to the game. An announcement that confirms a deliberate shift toward transmedia, fifteen years after the game's official launch. Between sandbox expansion and brand diversification, the studio's strategy raises questions about the priority given to the game itself.
Microsoft's Ad Patent Is a Wake-Up Call for Gaming
Microsoft filed a patent describing a system capable of displaying ads at strategic moments during gameplay. Not between matches, not in menus: during the game itself, at moments deemed "opportune" by an algorithm. The question isn't whether it's technically feasible—it is. It's what this says about the industry's direction when the largest Western publisher openly pursues this dark vision.
Blizzard Unions Win Two Days of Remote Work Per Week
Nearly 1,900 Blizzard employees have secured a union agreement guaranteeing two days of remote work weekly—after two years of negotiation with management. In an industry that has aggressively mandated return-to-office policies since 2023, this is a concrete victory that raises a simple question: are working conditions in gaming finally changing course?
Microsoft Quietly Bundles Major Gaming Licenses for Hollywood Sale
Microsoft is discretely approaching Hollywood to sell off film and streaming adaptation rights to its biggest franchises—Halo, Gears of War, World of Warcraft, The Elder Scrolls, Diablo—in one sweeping deal. A single global contract for an entire catalog. The move raises a direct question: does the publisher view its licenses as cultural assets to exploit elsewhere, having failed to fully capitalize on them as games?
Black Ops 2 dominates July on PS5 as Microsoft cuts data flow
Black Ops 2's PS5 port topped US sales charts in July according to Circana, during a traditionally slow month. But the real shock came from elsewhere: Microsoft decided to stop sharing download sales data with tracking firms like Circana and GSD. A move that will blind much of the industry and make PC and Xbox market trends unreadable for months to come.
Beast of Reincarnation and Resonance Hit Game Pass in August 2026
Microsoft has announced the wave of games joining Xbox Game Pass in August 2026. Twenty titles in total, but two heavyweights stand out: Beast of Reincarnation, whose director recently publicly acknowledged its limitations, and Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, the latest entry in one of the most solid survival franchises in recent years. Two arrivals that raise very different questions about what the service expects from its subscribers.
Contraband Resurfaces in Fishing Game, Five Years Later
Announced with fanfare in 2021 by Microsoft and Avalanche Studios, Contraband never materialized. This open-world smuggler game set on the fictional Bayan island in Southeast Asia seemed permanently shelved. Its unexpected reappearance in an indie fishing title says less about the project's survival than it does about the sorry state of Xbox's catalog in recent years: a graveyard of broken promises whose ghosts keep surfacing through the most improbable channels.
Halo Campaign Evolved: Layoffs Begin Before Launch Window Closes
Halo Studios has already cut contractor positions, including at least one producer who worked on the project since Halo Infinite. It's unsurprising in the Xbox ecosystem, but the speed of the move says something about how Microsoft manages headcount: ship the game, turn off the tap, never mind what's left to do.