#Xbox
36 article(s)
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.
Gears of War E-Day: Narrative Director Fired Before Launch
Days before Gears of War: E-Day ships, its narrative director was laid off as part of a wave of cuts across multiple Xbox studios. This isn't a behind-the-scenes detail—losing the architect of the story just as the game is supposed to speak for itself raises hard questions about The Coalition's internal state and how Xbox handles talent during critical moments.
Halo to Activision: A High-Stakes Gamble for Xbox's Flagship
Xbox has handed off development of the next Halo to Activision, ending the Halo Studios era—formerly 343 Industries. The studio that revived Call of Duty with massive budgets now inherits a franchise weakened by years of mixed results. This handoff raises a direct question: is it a lifeline or a risky bet on formulaic blockbuster gaming?
Xbox Overhaul: Halo to Activision, Ninja Theory's Future in Doubt
268 job cuts, Halo and Rare transferred to Activision, Turn 10 and Playground Games merged into one studio, Ninja Theory's future uncertain: Microsoft is executing a brutal restructuring of Xbox that reshuffles its most iconic franchises. This internal earthquake raises a direct question — who actually steers Xbox strategy, and at what human cost?
Physint Cancelled by Sony: Kojima Stunned, Eyes on Xbox
Sony Interactive Entertainment pulled funding for Physint without warning. Hideo Kojima, speaking at Tokyo Game Show, expressed shock to IGN and The Washington Post — while appearing at Xbox's booth. This sudden reversal raises a fundamental question: how can a project backed by one of gaming's most bankable creators get axed so abruptly? And what does this shift reveal about the real state of relations between star auteurs and proprietary platforms?
Physint Dropped by PlayStation, Picked Up by Xbox: Kojima Rebounds
PlayStation wanted to cancel Physint, Hideo Kojima's spy project announced as an exclusive. Xbox acquired it. The news broke tonight via a joint triple announcement from Kojima Productions, PlayStation, and Microsoft, with Asha Sharma, Xbox vice president, publicly welcoming the deal. A dramatic reversal that redraws the lines between the two console makers and raises a simple question: what is a PlayStation exclusivity label really worth anymore?
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.