Xbox
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2 Teased, World of Warcraft: Forever Unveils Rule-Breaking Items, Xbox Cuts 268 Jobs Amid Studio Consolidation
Netflix reveals a sneak peek for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2, set for October 20, featuring new characters and a violent storyline. Blizzard introduces rule-breaking items in World of Warcraft: Forever, with a November 4 release. Xbox announces 268 layoffs and studio restructurings, including Halo moving to Activision and multiple studios being merged or sold.
6 outletsBusinessMicrosoft 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 outletsBusinessReports: PlayStation Dropped Kojima's Physint Over Budget, Schedule and Exclusivity Concerns
New reporting from Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, cited by TechPowerUp and Wccftech, says PlayStation's cancellation of Hideo Kojima's Physint stemmed from missed deadlines, ballooning costs, underwhelming Death Stranding sales, and Sony's reluctance to fund a game without permanent exclusivity. Kojima Productions has since partnered with Xbox to continue the project.
2 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 outletsBusinessXbox Signs Kojima's Physint After PlayStation Steps Away From the Project
Hideo Kojima's stealth-action title Physint, once a PlayStation exclusive, is now set to be published by Xbox after Sony informed Kojima Productions in June that it planned to cancel the project.
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 outletsBusinessSteam's New Age Verification in Australia Requires a Credit Card, Excluding Many Adults
Valve has rolled out mandatory 18+ age verification for Australian Steam users, but unlike PlayStation and Xbox, it currently accepts only one method: owning a credit card, leaving some adults unable to access R18+ content.
2 outletsBusinessSony 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 outletsHardwareXbox 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 outletsGamesRockstar's GTA 6 Gameplay Reveal Shows Series' Evolution and First Confirmed Returning Character
Rockstar Games unveiled a nearly 30-minute gameplay trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 on Thursday, prompting comparisons to past GTA titles and confirming the game's first character carried over from GTA Online.
3 outletsGamesGTA 6 Extended Look Reveals Major Car-Theft Overhaul and Other Gameplay Changes
A newly released Netflix extended look and accompanying hands-off previews of Grand Theft Auto 6 detail sweeping changes to car theft, the Wanted system, combat, side activities and more, alongside new soundtrack details and questions about the game's frame rate.
2 outletsBusinessXbox 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 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 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 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 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 outletsGamesOblivion Remastered's Surprisingly Solid Switch 2 Port Pushes Bethesda to Promise Fixes for Other Platforms
The Nintendo Switch 2 version of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered launched running better than expected, prompting frustration from PS5, Xbox, and PC players who have waited a year for fixes. Bethesda has now promised to bring some of the Switch 2 optimizations to other platforms.
3 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 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 outletsBusinessBlizzard 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 outletsBusinessXbox Posts Worst Quarterly Revenue Since 2024 as Nadella Offers Rare, Muted Comments on Gaming
Microsoft's Q4 FY2026 earnings showed steep declines in Xbox revenue amid ongoing layoffs, with CEO Satya Nadella offering an unusually vague and subdued outlook, pledging a return to growth only by fiscal 2027.
2 outletsHardwareXbox Says Outage Shouldn't Have Blocked Physical Game Access, Promises Fix
After a major Xbox outage left some players unable to access even physical, disc-based games, technology chief Scott Van Vliet says that shouldn't have happened and that a future update will address the issue.
3 outletsBusinessAnalysts and Gamers Warn PlayStation's Move to End Physical Discs Could Backfire
Following Sony's announcement that PlayStation will end physical game production in 2028, industry analysis and consumer commentary both raise concerns that the shift away from discs could squeeze out budget-conscious players and undermine long-term platform loyalty.
1 outletBusinessSony Defends Decision to End PlayStation Discs as Digital Sales Reach 82%
Sony executives say the shift away from physical PlayStation discs, planned for 2028, will not hurt the business, pointing to already-dominant digital sales. The comments come amid continued backlash from fans, including a planned boycott.
4 outletsMovies & TVMahershala Ali Says He’s ‘Moved On’ From Marvel’s Long-Stalled Blade Reboot
After years of delays, script rewrites, and two directors exiting the project, Mahershala Ali says Marvel’s Blade reboot won’t happen with him in the lead, placing the blame on the studio.
3 outletsBusinessXbox Raises Console Prices in Europe and UK as Microsoft Pushes for Profitability by 2027
Microsoft has begun rolling out steep price increases on Xbox Series S and X consoles across Europe and the UK, part of a broader push by CEO Satya Nadella to return the Xbox division to growth after a quarter of declining revenue.
2 outletsBusinessMicrosoft Reveals Steep Xbox Series X/S Price Hikes in UK and Europe
Microsoft has confirmed new Xbox Series X and Series S prices for the UK and Europe, with increases of up to 49 percent following the August 1st global price rise it first announced in June.
2 outletsBusinessMicrosoft Hikes Xbox Prices by Up to £170/€200 in UK and Europe, Citing Memory Shortages
Following earlier U.S. price increases of up to $150, Microsoft is raising Xbox Series S and Series X prices across the UK and Europe by as much as £170 or €200, starting August 1, as component shortages tied to the AI-driven RAM and SSD boom continue to push up console costs.
2 outletsHardwareXbox's Disc-to-Digital Rollout Leaks as Industry Weighs Digital-Only Future
A leaked Microsoft roadmap points to an August 2026 launch for Xbox's Disc to Digital feature, letting players convert physical game discs into permanent digital licenses. The reveal comes amid broader industry tension, with Sony defending its move to end PS5 disc manufacturing and mixed signals over whether Xbox's next-gen console will keep disc support.
2 outletsGamesCall of Duty Ports Outsell Halo: Campaign Evolved on PlayStation by Wide Margin
New sales estimates show Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2 ports dominating PlayStation charts in July, while Halo: Campaign Evolved, the series' first PlayStation release, struggled to gain traction.
2 outletsGamesQuake Gets 30th-Anniversary Update as id Software Faces Layoffs Under Xbox
MachineGames released a new Quake episode called Dawn of the Machine to mark roughly 30 years since the shooter's debut, adding levels, weapons and archival material even as id Software grapples with recent Xbox layoffs.
2 outletsBusinessDouble Fine Lays Off 23 Staff Weeks After Xbox Spinoff
Psychonauts 2 developer Double Fine has cut 23 employees—about a quarter of its roughly 90-person staff—just weeks after Xbox released it back into independence, with founder Tim Schafer citing the studio's survival as the reason.
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