#Xbox
30 article(s)
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?
Gamescom 2026: The Witcher and Gears Set the Stage in Cologne
Gamescom 2026's opening conference takes place August 25 in Cologne. The Witcher and Gears of War are among the confirmed titles on the program, alongside other unannounced projects. This annual showcase has become Europe's premier industry event, capable of competing with American giants. What's expected tonight isn't so much a barrage of announcements as a signal: where CD Projekt and Xbox stand heading into late 2026.
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 Studios: Contractors Out, Full-Time Staff Safe
Contractors at Halo Studios have lost their jobs in recent days. An internal Xbox source insists that no permanent employees were affected. The distinction may seem technical, but it reveals a widespread approach to workforce management in the industry—and a convenient one when headcount needs adjusting without triggering media alarm. What this says about the studio's actual state warrants closer examination.
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.
Double Fine Cuts 23 Jobs Three Weeks After Xbox Independence
Twenty-three Double Fine Productions employees are out of work just three weeks after Tim Schafer's studio officially severed ties with Xbox to reclaim independence. The timing raises a hard question: was the studio's newfound autonomy purchased with a pre-planned restructuring, or is Double Fine now discovering the real cost of flying without Microsoft's safety net?
Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary on PS5: 25 Years Later, Is It Worth It?
Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary arrives on PS5, fifteen years after its first release on Xbox 360. The question isn't whether the original game still holds up — it does. It's whether this port brings enough to justify the purchase for PlayStation players who've never touched the franchise, and whether Microsoft truly invested in it or just phoned it in.
Xbox Tests Ad-Supported Game Streaming: Trap or Opportunity?
Microsoft is experimenting with an ad-supported game streaming model that doesn't require a Game Pass subscription. On paper, it's a low-cost entry point to the Xbox catalog. In reality, it signals that Game Pass alone isn't cutting it for acquiring new players—and it's a risky bet on how tolerant gamers are of ad interruptions.
Halo Campaign Evolved Hits Game Pass: Here's What Changes
The new Halo game joins the Game Pass catalog in July 2026 alongside fifteen other titles announced by Microsoft. This isn't a trivial addition: every Halo franchise entry on Xbox Game Pass redefines access to a series that remains the benchmark for console shooters. The stakes go beyond the catalog itself — it's about perceived value of Game Pass at a moment when Microsoft is fundamentally restructuring its gaming division.
Game Pass: Halo Campaign Evolved, Hell is Us, Beast of Reincarnation Added
Microsoft is bolstering its Game Pass catalog with several notable titles including Halo: Campaign Evolved, Hell is Us, and Beast of Reincarnation. For the Halo franchise, the arrival of an episode branded "Campaign Evolved" raises concrete questions about what Halo Studios is actually preparing, in a context where the license is undergoing deep restructuring following the cancellation of Project Ekur.