Microsoft’s Xbox has been around since 2001, and over that time the gaming brand has given us huge hits like Halo, Gears of War, Forza, and more. Today, the Xbox brand covers consoles like the Xbox One, PC gaming, and has even expanded to other platforms. You can play Minecraft on everything from a computer to an iPhone to a Nintendo Switch. Along the way, Microsoft has pioneered modern services like Xbox Live and Game Pass, introducing new ways to play games. And with Project Scarlett on the horizon, the Xbox looks to have a bright future.
Ubisoft and “at least two other gaming companies” have made bids for Arkane, which Xbox is working to divest as part of its “reset,” Bloomberg reports. Xbox has “also weighed selling the studio to its management.”
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and team countered by asking for $800 million, and Netflix has pulled its offer, Puck reports in an article discussing the new leadership at Netflix.
Xbox launched an “XP” division this month that will work on adaptations of its games, and Xbox is already working with Netflix on a Diablo animated series.
Late yesterday, I laid out five ways Microsoft can try to make lemonade out of RAMageddon, but one feels likelier to me now readers have weighed in: the cell phone subsidy model. In the K-shaped economy, wealthier buyers could buy an “unlocked” Xbox, but most could get it “free” with 36-month (or longer!) subscription.
But I also think many will reject that and stick with what they already have.
Xbox CTO Scott Van Vliet has been “cooking up retro vibes” as part of Microsoft’s new Xbox Labs effort. The result is what looks like a vibecoded option to pick your dashboard on an Xbox console. This is simply an experiment right now and it’s not clear if we’ll ever see such an option, but Xbox CEO Asha Sharma asks “blades on the web. Do we like this experiment?”
The new nine-piece collection created as part of a collaboration with Microsoft debuted at Ikea’s physical stores at the beginning of the month. But if you don’t have easy local access to meatballs and flatpack furniture, the Yxstaby collection, which includes accessories and furniture that draw inspiration from Xbox controllers, is now available through Ikea’s online store, too.
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The collection celebrating Xbox’s 25th anniversary includes games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, Minecraft Dungeons, and Gears of War: Reloaded. Microsoft says you can also play some of the free games on Xbox Series X/S with Xbox Play Anywhere.
[Windows Experience Blog]
NBA 2K27 is debuting on the Xbox store on PC this week, and as part of the launch it’s becoming an Xbox Anywhere title. That means if you purchased the game on an Xbox console already, you’ll get the PC copy free from the Microsoft Store and vice versa. Microsoft has been pushing Xbox Play Anywhere for years, and hit a milestone of 1,000 titles last year — ahead of the next-gen Project Helix console.
I reported last month that Microsoft was planning to delay the release of Forza Horizon 6 on PS5 to early 2027. Dealabs now reports that the game will release on January 26th, a date I’ve also been hearing from sources. It’s not yet clear if there will be early access to Forza Horizon 6 on PS5 through a premium edition of the game.
[Dealabs Magazine]
A confident return for one of Xbox’s most iconic franchises is coming during a period of dramatic upheaval.
If you’re looking for a match-3 game to play on your phone that isn’t Bejeweled or Microsoft’s own Candy Crush, you can try Microsoft Jewel on iOS and Android. The game includes Xbox achievements, and if you sign in with your Microsoft account, your progress stays synced between the iOS, Android, and PC apps.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers coach will be showing off his “Minecraft City” in a YouTube video premiering tonight at 8PM ET. The description calls it an “episode,” so perhaps this is the first in a series.
Tomlin says he’s been working on the city, which he called his “secret obsession,” for 12 years. (Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, in a reply: “Well done Coach.”)
The feature was initially launched for Xbox Insider testers but is now available for all.
Xbox has teamed up with Prince St. Pizza to launch a pizza cutter to mark the launch of Gears of War: E-Day. The $60 cutter is built in the shape of the Prototype Lancer weapon from the game, and also includes an in-game pizza emblem. Price St. Pizza will also be selling an “Emergence Pie” pizza with a spicy vodka sauce in stores across the US and Canada through November 1st.
While Undead Labs is avoiding closing as Xbox’s assortment of developers continues to shrink, the studio announced on LinkedIn that “Unfortunately, today we are also saying goodbye to a significant number of our colleagues. It’s difficult to reach this moment knowing that not everyone who helped get us here gets to make the rest of the journey with us.”
Its blog post earlier said that State of Decay 3 development “remains actively underway,” targeting a 2027 release on Xbox, Game Pass, PC, and PlayStation.
State of Decay 3 developer Undead Labs is now an independent employee-owned studio. It’s the third studio to successfully separate from Xbox, after Double Fine and Compulsion Games did the same recently. “Development of State of Decay 3 remains actively underway at Undead Labs,” says the team. The game is still planned to release in 2027 on Xbox (and Game Pass), PC, and PlayStation.
Sadly, it looks like Ninja Theory won’t be the fourth Xbox studio avoiding closure, though.
[State of Decay 3]
