Microsoft
Microsoft Restructures Xbox, Transfers Halo Development to Activision Amid Layoffs
Microsoft has announced further layoffs and studio reorganizations as part of its ongoing 'reset' of Xbox Game Studios. Halo Studios will transition to a support role for existing games, while Activision takes over development of the next Halo title. Additional layoffs affect 268 employees across multiple studios, with further consolidations involving Rare, Obsidian, and others.
6 outletsBusinessKojima Productions Addresses Physint Publisher Shift and Development Concerns
Kojima Productions has responded to reports about Physint's development challenges, stating the studio is 'healthy and profitable' and urging skepticism toward unverified claims. The studio confirmed development continues with Xbox as publisher, while maintaining a strong relationship with PlayStation.
4 outletsBusinessSony Reportedly Dropped Kojima's Physint Over Budget, Deadlines and Death Stranding Sales
A Bloomberg report, cited by multiple outlets, says PlayStation canceled Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear successor Physint due to missed deadlines, ballooning costs, and disappointing returns from the Death Stranding series. The project has since moved to Xbox.
4 outletsBusinessNintendo Funds 'Customer Appreciation Sale' With Tariff Refunds, Drawing Criticism Amid Lawsuit
Nintendo of America is using part of a $300 million tariff refund to fund a storewide sale rather than compensating Switch 2 buyers who paid higher prices, a move critics say sidesteps an ongoing class-action lawsuit.
2 outletsBusinessMicrosoft's September Patch Tuesday Fixes Nearly 1,000 Vulnerabilities, Including Two Actively Exploited Flaws
Microsoft's September security update addressed close to 1,000 vulnerabilities across Windows, Office, Azure and other products, with two zero-day flaws already being exploited in the wild. Sources differ slightly on the exact total number of vulnerabilities patched.
2 outletsBusinessNintendo Announces 'Customer Appreciation Sale' Funded by Tariff Refunds It Won't Give Back to Players
Nintendo says a new storewide discount event was made possible by $300 million in tariff refunds, even as it fights in court to avoid passing that same money back to customers who paid higher prices.
4 outletsGamesLeaker Releases Alleged Prototype of Project Dream, the Canceled SNES RPG That Became Banjo-Kazooie
A prototype build of Rare's canceled SNES RPG Project Dream, an early ancestor of Banjo-Kazooie, has surfaced online. The leaker says they released it now to protest Microsoft's treatment of Rare and the games industry at large.
2 outletsBusinessMicrosoft Slashes Xbox Cloud Gaming Hours to as Low as 5 a Month, Sparking Backlash
Microsoft announced new monthly Xbox Cloud Gaming limits ahead of its TCL TV expansion announcement. Starting in November, Game Pass tiers will include 5, 10 or 15 streaming hours per month, with extra time available for purchase.
2 outletsBusinessData Center Water Use Sparks Outrage in Two Separate Incidents
A condemned Bitcoin mining facility in Oklahoma leaked 3 million gallons of water, while a Denver data center faces scrutiny for watering its lawn amid drought restrictions.
1 outletBusinessSony Clarifies PlayStation Disc Production Won't Fall to 10 Percent, Just by That Much
Sony has pushed back on reports that PlayStation disc manufacturing would be slashed to just 10 percent of current output, clarifying the real figure is a 10 percent decline by 2028 — as debate continues over the platform's disc-free future.
2 outletsGamesKamiya Talks Scalebound Revival, Then Threatens to Sue Fans Over Funding Rumors
Hideki Kamiya says he'd love to bring back the canceled Xbox project Scalebound, but he's also been sparring online with users who accuse him of diverting its budget to fund Bayonetta 2.
3 outletsBusinessTim Schafer Explains How Double Fine Survived Leaving Xbox
Double Fine founder Tim Schafer opened up to Bloomberg about the studio's departure from Microsoft, the layoffs that followed, and why he believes the studio's niche games could still find an audience.
3 outletsGamesStarCraft Teasers Mount Ahead of BlizzCon as Fans Speculate on New Game
A glitching official site, a mysterious gap in the BlizzCon schedule, and reports of a Nexon deal have fueled speculation that Blizzard is preparing a major StarCraft announcement — though it's unclear whether it will be StarCraft 3 or a shooter spinoff.
3 outletsHardwareMicrosoft to Expand Memory Integrity Protection to More Windows 11 PCs Starting in October
Microsoft says quality updates will begin automatically enabling its kernel-level Memory Integrity security feature on more eligible Windows 11 PCs, though devices where it has been manually disabled will keep their existing settings.
2 outletsHardwareMicrosoft Confirms Windows 11 Update KB5120998 Is Breaking Mouse Cursors and Wallpapers
Microsoft has acknowledged that its optional Windows 11 update KB5120998, released August 27, 2026, is causing cursor personalization settings to revert and, in some cases, wiping out custom wallpapers. The company says it is investigating, but the only current fix is to uninstall the update.
2 outletsBusinessDiscounted Windows 11 Pro Licenses and Office Bundle Offered Through Sept. 1
Two PCWorld listings detail limited-time offers for lifetime Windows 11 Pro licenses, including a standalone version and a bundle with Office Professional 2021, both requiring PC compatibility checks before purchase.
1 outletHardwareXbox CEO Calls Next-Gen "Project Helix" a "Family of Devices," Still Won't Confirm Elder Scrolls 6 Exclusivity
At Gamescom 2026, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma described the company's next-generation hardware plans, codenamed Project Helix, as a "family of devices," while remaining vague on whether The Elder Scrolls 6 will be an Xbox exclusive.
3 outletsHardwareWindows 11 26H2 Enters Release Preview as Microsoft Rolls Out Major Taskbar and Start Menu Customization
Microsoft has pushed Windows 11 version 26H2 to the Release Preview Channel while also releasing feature updates that bring expanded taskbar positioning, Start menu resizing, and search improvements to existing Windows 11 versions.
1 outletBusinessXbox Launches Disc-to-Digital Program, Signaling Path to All-Digital Next-Gen Console
Microsoft has confirmed a long-rumored disc-to-digital attestation program for Xbox One and Series X, letting players convert physical game discs into digital entitlements ahead of testing with Xbox Insiders on August 31.
2 outletsGamesRockstar Breaks Silence on GTA VI Leaks, Apologizes to Fans While Skirting Leaker's Demands
After a week of leaked gameplay footage from a source calling itself Cyberleek, Rockstar Games issued a public statement calling the leaks "heartbreaking" and apologizing for delays, even as legal efforts to unmask the leaker have so far failed to stop the leaks.
2 outletsHardwareXbox CEO Won't Confirm Whether Next-Gen 'Project Helix' Console Will Have a Disc Drive
Asha Sharma declined to say if Xbox's next-generation console, known as Project Helix, will include a disc drive, instead pointing to affordability and efficiency concerns as PlayStation moves to end new disc production by 2028.
3 outletsGamesRockstar Breaks Silence on Weeklong GTA 6 Leaks, Calls Them 'Heartbreaking' Ahead of Netflix Reveal
After more than a week of leaked Grand Theft Auto 6 gameplay footage from a source calling itself 'Cyberleek,' Rockstar Games issued its first public statement, calling the leaks painful for its team and apologizing for delays in sharing official details, just ahead of a planned Netflix gameplay reveal.
7 outletsBusinessTake-Two Seeks Broad User Data From Discord, Microsoft in Hunt for GTA 6 Leaker
Take-Two has filed subpoenas against Discord and Microsoft seeking personal data on potentially hundreds of thousands of users as it hunts for the leaker behind recent Grand Theft Auto 6 footage. Discord says it has not yet been formally served.
5 outletsGamesGTA 6 Leaks Escalate: Nudist Colony Footage, Crypto Monetization, and a Rockstar Office Protest
A hacker known as Cyberleek has released a string of new Grand Theft Auto 6 gameplay leaks over the past week, revealing new details about the game while pushing Rockstar and Take-Two toward aggressive legal action, including subpoenas targeting Microsoft, Discord, and X.
4 outletsGamesModern Warfare 4 Beta Draws Mixed Reactions as Infinity Ward Moves to Fix Spawn, Footstep and TTK Complaints
Players got hands-on with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 over the weekend, and while graphics and environmental detail impressed, complaints about maps, spawns, footstep noise and quick kills prompted Infinity Ward to issue early beta patches, including a new map and mode.
2 outletsHardwareMicrosoft Says RGB Peripheral Drivers Are Behind Windows 11 Game Crashes
Microsoft has identified RGB lighting software as the cause of crashes, freezes, and blue screens affecting some games after a recent Windows 11 update, though a full fix is still pending.
2 outletsBusinessTake-Two Subpoenas Microsoft and Discord in Search for GTA 6 Leaker
Take-Two has filed federal subpoenas seeking user records from Microsoft and Discord as it hunts for the source of leaked GTA 6 gameplay footage, sweeping up a popular streamer's Discord server in the process, while the company's stock shows only a modest, short-lived dip.
3 outletsBusinessGTA 6 Leaks Escalate as Rockstar's Parent Company Subpoenas Microsoft and Discord
A mysterious leaker known as Cyberleek has released daily gameplay clips from Grand Theft Auto 6 while promoting an associated cryptocurrency, prompting Take-Two to pursue legal action to unmask the source ahead of Rockstar's official reveal.
4 outletsBusinessGTA 6 Leak Fallout: Rockstar and Take-Two Pursue 'Cyberleek' as Netflix Reveal Stays on Track
A wave of Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks from a source calling itself Cyberleek has prompted subpoenas from Take-Two, a public statement from Xbox, and reports of frustration inside Rockstar—though the studio says its planned Netflix reveal won't change.
4 outletsBusinessTake-Two Subpoenas Microsoft and Discord in Hunt for GTA 6 Leaker 'Cyberleek'
Grand Theft Auto 6 publisher Take-Two Interactive has filed federal subpoenas against Microsoft and Discord seeking identifying information about the leaker known as 'Cyberleek,' as more unofficial gameplay footage continues to surface online.
6 outletsBusinessGTA 6 Leaks Continue Despite Take-Two's Legal Push Against Anonymous Leaker 'Cyberleek'
An anonymous source known as Cyberleek has released a string of Grand Theft Auto 6 gameplay clips since August 18, prompting Take-Two to subpoena Microsoft and Discord. A website and Telegram channel tied to the leaks went offline, but new footage kept surfacing.
6 outletsBusinessDouble Fine Confirms It Now Owns Publishing Rights to Its Xbox-Era Games
CEO Tim Schafer says Double Fine has regained IP and publishing rights to games made under Microsoft, including Psychonauts 2, Keeper and Kiln, following the studio's split from Xbox. The news comes alongside a revival of its Amnesia Fortnight game jam as a Kickstarter campaign.
7 outletsBusinessXbox CEO's Elder Scrolls 6 Preview Coincides With Layoff Protest Outside Bethesda HQ
As Xbox CEO Asha Sharma toured Bethesda's Rockville office and previewed The Elder Scrolls VI, unionized workers staged a protest outside featuring a giant inflatable rat and rows of red flags representing employees laid off during Xbox's ongoing restructuring.
4 outletsHardwareWindows 11's Built-In Weather App Found to Use Over 1GB of RAM, Far More Than macOS Equivalent
Multiple outlets report that the default MSN Weather app in Windows 11 consumes more than 1.2GB of RAM at idle and is filled with ads, using roughly five times more memory than Apple's ad-free macOS Weather app, according to testing originally conducted by Windows Latest.
4 outletsBusinessid Software Developer Says Microsoft's Cuts Make Making Games Like Doom 'Impossible'
A lead developer at id Software, speaking on the Well Played podcast, says the studio's staff cuts under Microsoft have gutted entire departments and left morale at an all-time low, disputing official statements that the studio is unchanged.
2 outletsBusinessAI Data Center Boom Sparks Pollution Concerns in Texas and Public Backlash in Kansas
Amazon's new natural gas plant for a Texas AI data center could become the largest single source of CO₂ emissions in the U.S., while a Kansas city council has moved meetings online and canceled public comment after facing death threats over a separate data center dispute.
1 outletBusinessBlizzard Named Xbox's Top-Performing Studio Amid Overwatch and Diablo 4 Resurgence
A leaked internal email from Blizzard President Johanna Faries reportedly shows the studio ended its fiscal year as Xbox's top performer, driven by Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred and a major Overwatch comeback — even as Microsoft's Xbox division undergoes sweeping layoffs.
4 outletsBusinessid Software Developer Says Xbox Layoffs Have Cut Studio in Half, Questions Whether It Can Still Make Games Like Doom
Chris Hays, a 16-year veteran and lead services programmer at id Software, has publicly criticized Xbox following mass layoffs that hit the Doom studio, saying Microsoft doesn't understand art, games, or the business model it operates in.
3 outletsHardwareRAM Crisis Reshapes Hardware Market as Prices Hit 2007 Levels, Vendors Cut Configurations
A surge in AI-driven memory demand has pushed DRAM prices back to historical lows not seen in nearly two decades, prompting device makers to scale back RAM configurations and Microsoft to revise its Windows 11 guidance — even as reports surface of a company destroying dozens of functional MacBook Pro units.
2 outletsGamesHalo: Campaign Evolved Runs Best on PS5, Testing Shows
Digital Foundry's cross-platform testing of Halo: Campaign Evolved found PlayStation versions edging out Xbox in stability, with the PS5 Pro offering the sharpest overall experience.
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