microsoft: Last News

Microsoft‘s acquisition of Activision Blizzard apparently came about due to the misconduct allegations against the latter.A new report from Bloomberg has detailed some of the behind the scenes actions that are said to have taken place regarding the Activision Blizzard acquisition. According to the report, when the news broke of misconduct allegations at Activision Blizzard from The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft Corp.

Xbox chief Phil Spencer has talked about how Microsoft wants to make sure all of Activision Blizzard’s studios feel safe following the announcement of the acquisition.Spencer made the comment during an investor call today (January 18) after it was announced that Microsoft would be acquiring Activision Blizzard for £50billion ($68billion USD).“We’re looking forward to working with the thousands of Activision Blizzard employees with the same approach of proactive inclusion and partnership that we extend to every member of the Microsoft family,” he stated.“We believe firmly that the great teams at Activision Blizzard have their best work in front of them, and we’re looking forward to making sure they feel safe, supported and engaged in every aspect of their work going forward.”“That includes respecting the creative vision and identity of individual game studios. We have fundamental values that we refuse to compromise on,” Spencer added.According to the call, this deal will make Microsoft third to only Tencent and Sony in terms of revenue, with it expected to go through some time in 2023.Spencer also added that the acquisition “is not about short term results.

Halo: Combat Evolved on the original Xbox didn’t have a single-player campaign at first.This comes from programmer on the title Stefan Sinclair, who told Retro Gamer magazine (thanks, Gamesradar) that at first Halo was going to be multiplayer-only, and that a server connection was required for the development team to play.“Halo had been developed for internet multiplayer even in its most primordial forms,” explained Sinclar.

Xbox Games with Gold have been revealed, with a couple of indie titles and some older titles through backwards compatibility.Starting January 1, 2022, you will be able to pick up the twin-stick shooter RPG NeuroVoider, and the classic vertical scrolling shoot ‘em up Radiant Silvergun. NeuroVoider will be available until January 31, whereas you will have a shorter time to claim Radiant Silvergun, as it’s only available until January 15.From January 16, you will also be able to pick up Aground, a pixel art survival game, and Space Invaders Infinity Gene, a unique take on the classic arcade game.

Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley has responded to a video saying that online toxicity in video games needs to be stopped.Blackley shared a video from streamer Grenade Queen, who was playing an online match of Halo Infinite only to receive abuse for being female. Blackley responded by saying that “This wasn’t the future for Xbox Live we envisioned.

Xbox has revealed that Microsoft believes its handling of Lionhead Studios was a “mistake”.Power On: The Story of Xbox is a six-part documentary series about the “scrappy beginnings of Microsoft’s video game console” and launches today (December 13). Early insight by IGN has uncovered that a short segment in the sixth episode is dedicated to Lionhead Studios.

Microsoft hints towards another Halo video game project, or maybe even something else.As spotted by Aggiornamenti Lumia on Twitter, trademarks for Halo: The Endless and The Endless have been made by Microsoft. The filing date for both was December 3 this year, and they have a status date of December 7, just a day before the campaign release of Halo Infinite. Whilst that alone doesn’t prove the trademarks have anything to do with the newly released title, there are some other details that might just push it in that direction.

Xbox, Phil Spencer, has said that he believes Kinect was one of the key contributions Xbox has made in its 20-year history.The interview features in the latest issue of Edge magazine and was spotted by VGC. In it, Spencer talked about some of the best examples of what Xbox had contributed to the games industry.He explained that creating Xbox Live on the original Xbox before making it standard on every Xbox 360 console was a key inclusion.

Playground Games has announced that 20 new cars will be coming to Forza Horizon 5, giving players even more ways to get around Mexico.In the most recent “Let’s ¡GO!” stream, which can be viewed below (thanks PCGamesN), the 20 different sets of wheels were shown off in a calendar style presentation. First up at the 7:20 mark was the Lamborghini Aventador J, followed by the 2012 Lamborghini Gallardo and Spyder Performante LP570-4.All these cars will be available through the in-game Festival playlist starting next week, the Forzathon and Car Pass.

Microsoft has released a new online course, free to everyone, that covers the fundamentals of making gaming more accessible.The course can be found on the Microsoft Learn page and consists of five modules.

Halo Infinite‘s head of design has commented on the game’s multiplayer progression criticism, saying that it’s at the “top of the list”.Following the launch of the free-to-play multiplayer on November 15, players have reported that the game’s level progression system, as well as the battle pass, is too slow.343 Industries has since released an update allowing players to earn more XP during matches. However, fans are still having issues with it.Now Halo Infinite‘s head of design Jerry Hook has taken to Twitter stating that the issue is a top priority for the development team (as spotted by VGC).Yes I am still playing Halo and feeling everyone’s pain on progression.

Microsoft has shared part of the letter it sent to Nintendo in 1999 when it wanted to buy the company.This was before the launch of the original Xbox in 2001, and can be found by going to the Xbox museum website and exploring the history of the original Xbox (thanks, Kotaku).As we learned earlier this year, the desired acquisition had embarrassing results, as Xbox founding member Kevin Bachus said: “[Nintendo] just laughed their asses off. Like, imagine an hour of somebody just laughing at you.

Halo Infinite’s early release of a free-to-play multiplayer beta has not stopped players from creating some truly astounding mods, but one seems to stick out from the rest.As noted by PC Gamer, modders have been having a field day with mods in the new Halo, and one is definitely ludicrous. Appropriately called the “Tank Hog”, this mash-up combines the Warthog with the Scorpion tank, so now there’s a huge tank cannon on a car, because why not.Viewable in the below video from Gamecheat13 on YouTube, you can see the Tank Hog put to good use in a game against bots.

Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition as a DLC next week.Forgotten Empires has announced that the Mexico civilization is coming to Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition on December 1 as the newest DLC.The official blurbs reads: “In Age III: DE, the burgeoning Mexican States can choose to Revolt instead of advancing to the Fortress, Industrial, or Imperial Ages. Each Revolt offers you a whole new deck full of opportunities.

Halo Infinite‘s campaign mode won’t have new, unlockable armour pieces for the game’s multiplayer mode.According to a dataminer on Twitter who goes by the name Chaz the Jackal – as reported by VGC – they recently shared a list of 34 customisation items that can seemingly be unlocked while playing Halo Infinite‘s story.However, it looks like none of these 34 unlockable items are armour pieces that will change the player’s Spartan.

Xbox Series X/S first party games are launching at a significantly lower price point, when compared to their current gen counterparts on PlayStation 5.As spotted by Eurogamer, AAA, first-party Xbox titles such as Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite have released in the UK at a £55 price point. This is 22 per cent lower than some of the games on its competitor Sony’s current generation console.This generation of the PlayStation boasts an impressive library of released and upcoming first party games including Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart  and Horizon Forbidden West.

Halo Infinite is on track for its December 8 release, with developer 343 Industries announcing the game has gone gold.The confirmation came on the official Halo feed on twitter, with a simple announcement of the game’s gold status, and the messages “We’ll see you on December 8, Spartans.” The game will arrive on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.#HaloInfinite has officially gone gold!We'll see you on December 8, Spartans. ♾️ https://t.co/WUyHTqp6yp pic.twitter.com/bIbmyCParc— Halo (@Halo) November 19, 2021When a game has “gone gold”, it means that a final master copy has been produced by the developer, and – traditionally – been sent off for the replication, packaging and shipment of physical copies.

Halo Infinite’s free-to-play multiplayer will run multiple events through its six-month first season, and the free rewards and event themes have been detailed.Up first is the Samurai-themed Fracture: Tenrai event, running from November 23 to 30, which another three events throughout the season will then follow. These events will come and go throughout season one, but players will maintain progress each time they return.Events with free content are an integral part of #HaloInfinite’s MP seasons – and, with our 20th Anniversary event wrapping on Monday, Nov.

Microsoft, the University of Arizona history department gives Age of Empires 4 players credit towards their degrees. There will be unique educational content on the Age of Empires website from two professors at the University of Arizona from early next year. “Engaging with the content could allow players to earn one academic credit at the university,” reads a press release.Department head at the university, Alison Futrell, said: “The idea was really exciting, to put together lessons in a different kind of framework and with a public-facing opportunity to engage in a really dynamic way with this material.

PlatinumGames’ action RPG Scalebound was cancelled in 2017, and now Hideki Kamiya has come out and apologised to both Microsoft and fans over the ordeal.Positioned as an Xbox exclusive, the game would see players control Drew, who could issue commands in combat to his dragon companion Thuban. In a Cutscenes video posted today (as spotted by VGC), Kamiya talked about the games development and eventual cancellation.“We were working in an environment we weren’t used to,” explained Kamiya.

Minecraft Caves & Cliffs: Part 2 update is on its way, due to be released later this month.Mojang has revealed that the ambitious Caves & Cliffs: Part 2 update is will finally launch at the end of the month, on November 30.Minecraft’s Caves and Cliffs update promises new cave types, with new blocks, mobs, and items. There are also new underground lakes and waterfalls to find, too.“Part II gives the mountains and caves that you know and love a makeover,” reads the official announcement.