On this episode of the Windows Central Podcast, Zac and senior Xbox editor Jez Corden sit down to discuss the current state of Xbox, and where the business is headed.

It has been a wild month since Asha Sharma took the reins as Xbox CEO. While the team has been working to re-capitalize the brand and bring back some big-name exclusives, the narrative over the last week has taken a sharp negative turn. Between heavy rumors of Microsoft looking to sell off or close down certain first-party studios, console price hikes hitting shelves, and a massive rethink of what the next-gen hardware looks like, we wanted to figure out what’s actually going on with Xbox as a business.

In this episode, we break down the brutal economic realities hitting the industry. From the "RAM apocalypse" destroying console profitability to how free-to-play giants like Fortnite and Roblox have completely upended the old hardware subsidy model. We also look ahead at the next-generation "Helix" console, discussing whether Microsoft can actually deliver on its open Windows/Steam ecosystem vision if the hardware costs a grand, and what Sony's shift away from physical media means for the future of discs.

• [01:34] Podcast Introduction
• [03:17] The State of Xbox Leadership & Business Health A look at the whirlwind of changes under new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, transitioning from the strategy of Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond, and balancing last year's record profits with the harsh reality of incoming corporate cuts.
• [06:42] Microsoft-Wide Headcount Reductions & AI Capital Spending Discussion on how massive investments into Artificial Intelligence infrastructure are forcing headcount reductions and belt-tightening across all of Microsoft, including Azure, Surface, and Xbox.
• [11:34] Studio Closures, Sales, and the Fate of Big IP Jez discusses rumors regarding potential studio sales or closures (such as Ninja Theory and Undead Labs) and how Microsoft is trying to find buyers to save projects like State of Decay 3 rather than flat-out canceling them.
• [16:37] Is Xbox Becoming a Subsidiary? The hosts debate the pros and cons of Microsoft potentially spinning off Xbox into a more independent subsidiary, drawing comparisons to how LinkedIn and Skype were handled.
• [22:55] 'Ramageddon' and the Broken Console Subsidy Model How skyrocketing RAM and component prices mean both Microsoft and Sony are losing hundreds of dollars per console. The hosts explain how the rise of casual, non-monetizing players on free-to-play games has broken the traditional model of selling hardware at a loss.
• [28:32] The Death of Physical Media & Disc-less Futures Analyzing Sony’s shift away from physical disc drives and predicting whether the next-generation Xbox Helix will completely eradicate physical discs due to supply chain economics.
• [30:54] Next-Gen Consoles: Power, Pricing, and Lifespans A realistic projection of what the PlayStation 6 and Xbox Helix will look like, predicting premium price tags ($1,000+) and a much longer cross-gen lifespan for the Xbox Series X/S.
• [34:58] Xbox Helix: Open Windows Platform vs. Closed Box Jez outlines the original plan for Helix to function as an open Windows device supporting Steam, and how Microsoft's new Chief Strategy Officer, Matthew Ball, is rethinking that approach due to the financial risk of players buying the hardware but only spending money on Steam.
• [43:31] Grandfathering the Series X/S Family Exploring the possibility of the next generation skipping clean architectural cut-offs, instead grandfathering the Series S and Series X as budget tiers alongside the premium Helix.
• [52:12] The Unsustainable Cycle of AAA Game Development Zach and Jez express frustration over 6+ year development cycles, ballooning West Coast production budgets, and why smaller global studios (like Bloober Team) are building games more efficiently.
• [57:35] Code Name 'Positron': Xbox Disc-to-Digital Tech Jez details a leaked upcoming platform feature that allows users to insert a physical disc once, permanently claim a digital license to their Microsoft account, and only lose it if that physical disc is registered by someone else.
• [01:04:12] Redemption of the 2013 Xbox One Vision A retrospective on how the highly criticized 2013 Xbox One vision (all-digital, heavy DRM, licensing pools, multi-media focus) was actually correct, just poorly messaged and ahead of its time.

Have a question you want us to answer on the podcast? Send it to us at podcast@windowscentral.com

Hosts:

• Jez Corden
• Zac Bowden

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Xbox is celebrating it's 25th anniversary this year, something that's easy to forget within the deluge of seemingly bad news right now. While they've already announced the snazzy Xbox Series X25 as a homage to the original Xbox, I do wonder if there will be more for fans that doesn't include laying down a wedge of cash. Something not unlike the Xbox Year in Review but for our entire time with Xbox.

Well, we needn't wait to see if Xbox has such a thing in store, because the folks over at True Achievements have done it again with its #Xbox25 Milestones tool. Simply click here to be taken to True Achievements and link your Microsoft account, and you'll see all of your stats in one neat timeline and infographic from the start of your journey with the Xbox 360 (when achievements were first introduced).

A blast from MY past

The True Achievements #Xbox25 Milestone infographic is displayed within an Xbox 360 Blades dashboard skin for maximum nostalgia, and is a really cool reminder of my own journey with the Xbox ecosystem.

I never actually owned an OG Xbox myself, and was staunchly PlayStation up until my 4-year-old (at the time) decided to put around 7 discs into my PlayStation 3 at once, rendering it overfed and useless.

My infographic reflects this: the Xbox 360 launched in 2005, but I didn't unlock an achievement on it until this incident in 2012. At the time, because the PS3 had a Blu-ray player, it was cheaper to get a second-hand Xbox 360 instead, and I never looked back.

I'm also reminded that the first game I 100% completed on Xbox was Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure in August 2013. So, obviously, I'll be among the many excited for this to become a backward-compatible title, if such a thing is possible!
Would love to know your guys most interesting stats from the Xbox 360 era up until now, leave a comment below with your results or jump into our subreddit (link below) and share your own infographics!

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It's been a few days since PlayStation announced the end of physical games, and to say the reception has been bad would be an understatement. While we here at Windows Central also reported that Xbox's Project Helix is expected to drop the disc drive, we also covered fresh details on Xbox's disc-to-digital scheme, which could give players a way to preserve their physical game libraries while still enjoying the benefits of digital ownership.

Following those stories, we asked you one simple question: "How do you feel about PlayStation ending physical game discs?" The response was overwhelmingly in favor of one option. Of the 1,577 votes cast, 71% of you said you'll miss buying physical games, while just 13% said you're happy to embrace a fully digital future.

I also spent some time reading through the comments because, while the poll shows how you voted, the discussion reveals why. Concerns over ownership, game preservation, the rising cost of digital storefronts, and calls for optional disc drives all came up time and time again. There was also plenty of discussion surrounding Xbox's Positron system, so let's take a look at what stood out most from the community.

For many of you, it's about ownership

Moving over to the comments, many of you echoed the results of the poll, saying you'll miss buying physical games, and to be fair, it's hard to blame you.

I've been guilty myself of embracing the convenience of the digital era, relying heavily on services like Game Pass. That said, when a game really means something to me, I still make the effort to buy a physical copy.

Halo: Campaign Evolved, which launches later this month, is a perfect example. I'll be picking it up on disc because, for me, it comes down to ownership. I want a physical copy sitting on my shelf, regardless of whether I also have access to a digital version.

That brings us nicely to our first comment, from Obi74 here on Windows Central:

“I'm not much of a gamer, so my opinions in this aren't strong. However, I have worked closely with product designers for many years and every time changes were made, we used to ask two questions:

What problem does this change solve for our customers?

Do our customers see this problem as important enough to be solved?

I can't come up with answers that make sense when I apply those questions to removing disc drives on consoles.

It's not a Microsoft issue. It just shows how those corporations moved from serving customers to mostly serving themselves.

Not a trend I like.”

Whilst Obi74 looked at it from the perspective of whether removing disc drives actually benefits consumers, Floyd Smertnitch took things a step further by looking at why Sony might be making the move in the first place. They wrote:

“The decision doesn't just make sense from the perspective of preventing reselling. There's also the 30% margin to consider: Sony takes 30% from every transaction made through the PlayStation Store. This is not the case for physical game sales. Sony takes a cut, but it is often smaller, and retailers can negotiate directly with publishers”

Whatever Sony's reasoning may be, a recurring theme throughout the comments was trust, or rather, the lack of it. Many of you worried about what happens when everything is tied to a digital license, with reader Goose UK sharing their own experience:

“They can still pull your rights whenever they feel like it... I prefer my media to be on a disk somewhere, and then digitized if possible, as I've had digital rights pulled in the past (including from a disc based game I currently own).”

That comment really sums up what many of you were saying throughout the discussion. It wasn't necessarily digital gaming that worried you; it was the thought of losing ownership and putting even more trust in platform holders to safeguard your purchases for years to come.

Many of you aren't against digital gaming

One thing that actually surprised me while reading through the comments was just how many of you weren't completely against digital gaming, especially given the outrage over Sony’s decision to end physical media. Like myself, it seemed as though quite a few readers admitted they'd already made the switch years ago, but still didn't want physical games to disappear altogether.

Reader RagingTyga summed it up rather well, saying:

"It's unfortunate but I've been mostly all digital for nearly 3 generations now, starting with the PS3, and now the Xbox Series."

They went on to argue that Microsoft's original Xbox One vision, despite being heavily criticized at the time, could have offered "the same benefits of Play Anywhere and Digital convenience WITH the preservation and collection aspect of Physical."

Looking back, Xbox may well have been ahead of its time in some respects (a common theme for Microsoft), but in typical Xbox fashion, they completely fumbled the messaging. Fast forward to today, and many of us seem to be heading towards that same digital future anyway, only now we run the risk of getting far fewer of the benefits that were originally promised.

Judging by both the comments and the poll, the issue doesn't seem to be digital gaming itself. It's the loss of choice. Many of you have embraced digital purchases for years, but that doesn't mean you want physical ownership to disappear entirely.

The community wants a compromise

Perhaps that's why one of the most common suggestions wasn't for Xbox or PlayStation to abandon digital or whatever, but to meet somewhere in the middle.

Several of you suggested optional external disc drives, multiple console SKUs, or Xbox's reported Positron disc-to-digital system as ways of preserving physical collections without giving up the convenience of digital gaming.

Reader Xirathi put it simply:

"Why not just sell an external drive for dirt cheap?"

Others shared similar ideas, with fatpunkslim suggesting Helix could launch with "an optional external reader," while GraniteStateColin argued Microsoft could offer an external USB disc drive for those who still wanted one, rather than forcing every buyer to pay for hardware they might never use.

Looking back at the poll, I actually think that ties in quite nicely with the 16% of readers who said they were still undecided and simply wanted more options. Rather than choosing between an all-digital future or sticking entirely with physical media, many of you seem to believe the industry can, and perhaps should, support both.

Interestingly, each social platform had a slightly different take on the news. Here on Windows Central, the discussion largely centered around ownership, game preservation, and consumer choice.

Over on X, many of you were more interested in the technical side of Xbox's reported Positron system, asking how it might work with older Xbox discs, backward compatibility, and lending games to friends. Reddit, meanwhile, was far more divided. Some argued physical media is no longer relevant because most people already buy digitally, while others felt the real issue wasn't the disc itself, but losing consumer choice and giving platform holders even more control.

The community's message is clear

No matter where the discussion took place, one thing stood out to me. This debate was never really necessarily about the plastic disc you purchase. It's about ownership, preserving the games we buy, and having the freedom to choose how we play them.

Personally, I think it's a sad direction for the industry. Whether you actively buy physical games or not, having fewer options is rarely a good thing. As the industry continues shifting towards digital ownership, we're placing more trust in platform holders to maintain access to the games we've paid for, and that's something I don't think should be taken for granted.

This is especially true, as Sony have just revoked over 500 purchased movies from PlayStation users.

Thank you to everyone who took part in our poll and joined the discussion here on Windows Central, as well as over on X and Reddit. It genuinely means a lot to us. If you have any more thoughts on the future of physical games, be sure to share them in the comments below:

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I imagine that Sony knew its recent announcement that it's ending physical disc production in 2028 would cause backlash, but not likely to this extent. Indeed, the amount of pushback from gamers and game historians is astounding, and the debate is spilling out into adjacent communities.

Browsing the r/pcmasterrace subreddit last night, I came across one thread basically asking "what the point of a console is becoming" now that Sony is going digital-only and Xbox might not be far behind.

That's an excellent question, and one that I've also been pondering for some time. If consoles no longer have a physical library of media that can be owned, shared, and resold, what's the main appeal?

A mid-range PC-esque device that's locked down to one store? That requires subscription fees just to play online? Running software you can't control? Sounds fun!

I know, I'm not exactly being fair to consoles. As the top reply to OP's subreddit question about the point of consoles, it's "ease of use and low barrier to entry" that remain the selling points of Xbox and PlayStation.

Those are good points, but the foundation on which they're built is also quickly eroding.

Microsoft's Xbox Mode for Windows 11 effectively turns your PC into a console experience, exactly as the name suggests. SteamOS, Valve's custom Linux effort that runs on the Steam Deck, Steam Machine, and increasingly other devices, is as smooth as any console UI I've used.

Next-gen consoles from Microsoft and Sony won't likely be affordable, at least not in the traditional sense. Nearly all components that make up a "PC" are far more expensive than they used to be, and the crisis isn't likely to see any easing AT ALL until early 2028, never mind a complete return to normal.

Unless something miraculous happens, I can't imagine next-gen consoles launching for less than $1,000. You might be effectively paying PC prices for console problems like license revocations, store closures (in the case of PS3 and PS Vita), and other overarching issues with game preservation.

The Steam Machine is pricey, but the perks are worth it

The running joke in the PC gaming community is that we'll spend anything just to keep playing, and there's definitely some truth in that. This willingness to spend has kept the PC market going through recent rough times, and it's why it feels like Valve gets a bit of a pass when it comes to the Steam Machine's pricing.

Launching at $1,049 for the base model, it's a refined gaming PC that offers a console-like experience for the living room. Valve straight out said the price is caused by component shortages and a lack of subsidies that are found in the console market, and it still sold out immediately.

Free online multiplayer. Access to any storefront you want. Deep sales on games, old and new. Freedom to use the device as a regular PC. Excellent emulation abilities to play old games. I could go on, but I'm sure you see the perks of a PC compared to a console.

It's no wonder that the Steam Machine has already spawned a new market of $1,000-ish compact gaming PCs and custom SFF projects. There's a real audience for this sort of thing, and I expect it will only continue to grow as jaded console gamers make their exit.

Even if you dislike Steam for its own digital ownership rules (or lack thereof), other PC game stores like GOG make it clear that you own whatever you buy, forever. Besides, there are plenty of ways to get your Steam games working without Steam.

And although Xbox is much more geared toward game preservation than PlayStation, it's still not on the same level as PC. The reality is that digital ownership on PC is not the same as digital ownership on console.

Is this the beginning of the end for the console market?

I understand that there's a lot of anger right now regarding game preservation and the overall state of the console market. There are probably going to be a lot of console gamers making a switch to PC in the near future.

However, that doesn't mean I think the console market is going anywhere anytime soon. Sony and Xbox are going to sell a ton of consoles between now and the next generation, and whenever that next gen arrives, it had better be an incredible piece of hardware with some can't-miss exclusives that draw gamers in.

Xbox has already signaled that its next device will be more like a Windows 11 gaming PC than ever before, capable of handling Xbox games, legacy games, and PC software.

I think that's the right move forward, but whether it can actually pull it off remains to be seen. Many will claim that exclusives are still the point of consoles, but if Project Helix is "like a PC," how exclusive will those games really be?

When the physical disc market disappears, and console exclusives increasingly end up on PC anyway, the argument for buying a closed box rather than an open box gets tougher to make.

Why buy a device that will only work while a corporation keeps the servers running? Who wouldn't want to own something you can build, upgrade, and keep going as long as you'd like?

Am I way off the mark here? Am I overlooking other perks of consoles not mentioned here? Let me know in the comments section below!

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Xbox is having major changes, slated to go live in full this Monday from what we've heard.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has been signalling for weeks that Xbox's studios need a "reset." As Microsoft's gaming empire has struggled in the new economy, Xbox is pursuing a variety of cuts, sell-offs, and potential team mergers in order to reduce costs. Studios like Undead Labs, Double Fine, Compulsion, and others have reportedly been in negotiations with Xbox about what their futures' look like, and for some, that future might be bleak in the short term.

The Verge reported that one of those studios up for negotiations was Arkane Studios, currently working on Marvel's Blade. Arkane is known for Dishonored and Death Loop, but has struggled to find its footing arguably under Microsoft. Blade was a chance to change that, but The Verge's reporting suggested that Microsoft was actually considering closing the studio.

This latest update suggests that Microsoft may have found an alternative path.

Spotted by Timur222 on X early this morning, it seems that MachineGames co-founder and studio director Jerk Gustafsson has taken over leadership of Arkane Studios. Arkane's president, Leonard Bendel, has resigned. The leadership change over happened a few days ago, on June 30th, according to a legal notice on French enterprise information site Pappers.fr.

Indeed, at least from my end, I've heard there's no plans to actually end development on Blade, although there's clearly some major potential restructuring going on here.

Arkane is based in France, with MachineGames based in Sweden. Microsoft is investing in MachineGames following the success of Indiana Jones, but also on the basis of the popularity of the Wolfenstein franchise. Indeed, Microsoft is actually developing a TV show based on Wolfenstein with the Fallout TV producers for Amazon — which fits heavily into Asha Sharma's trans-media vision for Xbox. Wolfenstein 3 is in production to that end, according to our sources, with the goal of the TV show and game complimenting each other Fallout TV-style.

What this leadership change means for Arkane overall remains to be seen. Xbox is expected to join Microsoft in general with broad cuts from as early as Monday next week. Every studio and team is likely to be impacted in some form, as are teams across Windows, Azure, and so on more broadly.

Could this leadership change signal that Arkane is going to merge with MachineGames to forge a bigger overall studio? Is Jerk Gustafsson being promoted across with the intent of the studios remaining separate? It's hard to say for sure right now. Given the holiday weekend in the United States, I doubt we'll be able to get comment from Microsoft in the near term.

In any case, I'm choosing to take this as a positive sign for Blade and Arkane, despite rumors of its potential closure.

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Minecraft is probably the most iconic game in the world. It's the one with all the blocks, where creativity comes alive. For a long time, though, players on Minecraft's Bedrock Edition were missing one of the game's most important accessibility features, despite it having been available in Java Edition for years.

In fact, as a Java player, I had no idea it hadn't already made its way to Bedrock. I'm talking, of course, about the new closed captions.

For those unfamiliar, they're an accessibility feature that provides both text and visual cues for sounds happening around you. Whether it's footsteps, a door opening, or that dreaded creeper sneaking up behind you, closed captions help you better understand your surroundings without relying solely on audio.

To enable closed captions in Minecraft Bedrock Edition:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Open Accessibility.
3. Enable Closed Captions and adjust the settings to your liking.

I'm all for accessibility features like this. They don't negatively affect anyone who chooses not to use them, but they can make a huge difference for players who are deaf or hard of hearing, process audio differently, or simply need a little extra help enjoying the game. Features like these allow more people to experience games without barriers, and that's only ever a good thing.

I haven't actually played Minecraft in a while myself, although the annual two-week Minecraft phase seems to come for all of us eventually. Not too long ago I covered a fan-made Halo modpack for Minecraft, and as a lifelong Halo fan, that definitely caught my attention, so I might jump into that soon.

That said, there are so many great games releasing lately that it's hard to stick with just one, let alone go back to Minecraft. Even so, it's a game I've been playing since the early beta days, long before Microsoft owned the franchise, so I know it's only a matter of time before I end up jumping back in.

Enough about my thoughts, though. I'd love to hear what you think about this feature and whether it'll make a difference to the way you play Minecraft. Let me know in the comments below, and as always, be sure to take part in our poll below:

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Halo Studios is back with another community Q&A on Halo Waypoint, and unlike last time, it's packed with genuinely positive news about Halo: Campaign Evolved. Following recent reports that PlayStation is ending physical releases for new games and our reporting that Xbox's Project Helix won't include a disc drive, it almost feels like physical media has been put on life support. Thankfully, Halo Studios has some welcome news for collectors.

If you pick up a physical copy of Halo: Campaign Evolved on Xbox or PlayStation from a retailer, you'll actually get a game disc in the box. That might sound like a small detail, but in an industry that's increasingly replacing discs with download codes, it's a refreshing commitment to players who still value physical ownership, as dwindling of a fanbase as we are.

Halo Studios have also addressed concerns over the game's AI, as in some previews the enemy AI was awkward to say the least. Luckily, it seems Halo Studios has heard our concerns and clarified: "Over the last few weeks, the development team has been polishing and improving elements of the game, including enemy AI behaviors".

Another nice-to-know is that handhelds are addressed, and Halo: Campaign Evolved apparently is optimized enough for Windows handhelds and Valve's Steam Deck.

Last time Halo Studios published a Community Q&A, I ended up going on quite the rant over some of the features I felt were missing, with Theatre mode sitting right at the top of that list. Unfortunately, we're still not getting a proper Theatre mode, but Halo Studios has announced what is probably the next best thing: Machinima mode.

Machinima mode lets players detach into a free camera, lower their weapon, and even continue controlling their Spartan while using the freecam. Better yet, it's available to everyone from the start and isn't locked behind finding a Skull.

It's not quite the full-featured Theatre mode I'd still love to see make a return, but it's a decent compromise, and one that should make creating Halo videos and screenshots much easier than what we were expecting.

As someone who grew up watching and enjoying Halo machinima, whether it was Red vs. Blue or Arby 'n' the Chief, machinima was once a core part of Halo's identity.

It's nice to see Halo Studios providing some extra clarification ahead of launch, and I'm still incredibly excited to finally get my hands on Halo: Campaign Evolved. I'll certainly be doing my best to 100% the game over the coming months, and hopefully these new details help put some fans' minds at ease.

Whether they do or not, let me know your thoughts in the comments, and as always, be sure to take part in our poll below:

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Hideo Kojima, I'm sure, needs no introduction. He rose to fame as the creator of the Metal Gear Solid franchise before leaving Konami to establish his own independent studio, Kojima Productions, which has since gone on to create Death Stranding.

Another thing that needs no introduction is the long-rumored Xbox layoffs, restructuring, and everything that comes with them. While that could reportedly lead to studio closures and Microsoft pulling out of publishing agreements, as we've already seen with IO Interactive's Project Fantasy, there is at least one game that appears to have avoided the chopping block.

To say pulling funding for Kojima's OD would have been beyond idiotic is probably the understatement of the year. Then again, we live in a time where PlayStation has decided to abandon physical media, with Xbox seemingly poised to follow suit, so at this point I'm kind of at a loss and feel like just about anything could happen.

Fortunately, according to a new report from IGN, Kojima's OD is still safe. We actually heard about the game quite recently following the Xbox Games Showcase, when Entertainment Weekly published a full page of interviews and details regarding all things Xbox, and within that, it also included some words from Kojima that gave us a few fresh details. Nothing major, mind you, but enough to confirm the game is progressing well, and perhaps more importantly, that Xbox CEO Asha Sharma remains fully behind the project.

We've also heard reports that Xbox isn't actually reducing its overall investment in games. Instead, it's becoming far more selective about where that money goes. Here's what Xbox told Bloomberg:

"[Xbox is] taking a fresh look at where we invest so we're focusing on our highest priorities... We're not reducing our overall investment in games. We expect to invest about the same in content as we did last year. What's changing is where we're investing and the kinds of projects we're backing."

Despite being a bit of a wimp when it comes to horror games, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on OD. It is Kojima after all, and I'm glad it's reportedly managed to survive the Xbox funding chopping block. With that said, let me know your thoughts in the comments below, and as always, be sure to take part in our poll!

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As the dust settles after the Xbox Showcase and Summer Game Fest, I began reflecting on the games I checked out. One thing became increasingly apparent to me over the past few weeks: the game I found myself thinking about most is Remedy's upcoming Control Resonant.

The Control franchise forms the core of the 'Remedyverse,' which shares canon with Alan Wake, FBC: Firebreak, and potentially Quantum Break too (if Microsoft ever gives up the IP ...).

The original Control passed me by somewhat. I felt like it started a bit slow and for whatever reason, the game never gripped me. But after playing Resonant, I went back to Control and its DLCs, and played it religiously to completion in a single weekend.

Remedy's worldbuilding is second to none, and while Control itself wasn't perfect, Remedy is once again taking some unexpected risks with its sequel, Resonant, by completely flipping the gameplay style.

I didn't want to write this preview until I had the context of the Control universe in full. The rabbit hole runs incredibly deep in this world of parallel dimensions, quantum phenomena, and warped aberrations. Mysterious conspiracies, fourth-wall bending tropes, and hefty Twin Peaks, SCP, and X-Files inspirations made Control an unexpected hit with myself.

It's with humility that I admit I underestimated Control Resonant's potential. After going hands-on and getting myself immersed in the harrowing responsibilities of the Federal Bureau of Control, Resonant is now one of my most anticipated upcoming Xbox games.

The Hiss is spreading

The main character of Control is Jesse Faden on paper, but I would argue that really it's the Federal Bureau of Control itself in a lot of ways. The FBC is a secret U.S. organization that tracks, researches, and contains anomalies. Fans of the X-Files and SCP Foundation will find familiarity immediately here, but Control's mysteries tend to revolve around extra-dimensional phenomena and entities above all.

In the base game, Jesse arrives at the FBC headquarters to find her brother, taken by the organization when they were children. As she arrives, she finds their HQ on lockdown, with hundreds of agents driven violently insane by a mysterious extra-dimensional signal.

Without giving away too much for those who haven't played, very early on, Jesse ends up as the director of the Federal Bureau of Control, and becomes endowed with a variety of telekinetic powers and extra-dimensional weaponry. Jesse also finds her brother, Dylan, although it's hardly what you'd call a happy reunion.

Indeed, in Control Resonant, you take command of Dylan Faden, almost directly after the events of the previous game — and the threats are bigger than ever.

The mysterious signal that drove the Bureau's agents violently insane has spread beyond The Oldest House HQ and into Manhattan proper. Known as The Hiss, it turns regular folk into disturbed, murderous shadows of their former selves. And in Resonant, it seems to stronger and more deadly than ever.

CONTROL Resonant works incredibly well with action RPG elements

Change of central protagonist meets change of central gameplay style in Control Resonant.

The Faden siblings were experimented on and researched by the FBC for their Parautilitarian powers, which essentially gives them command of some of the Control universe's extra-dimensional physics. They're super heroes in short form, and their abilities make up the basis of gameplay in both titles.

The original was similar to Quantum Break with its physics-bending abilities mixed with gunplay. Resonant leans far more heavily into kinetics and melee combat, giving Dylan a variety of close-quarters capabilities that, to me, felt more intuitive in motion than Resonant's predecessor.

Dylan wields an aberrant tool which can transform into a variety of melee weapon forms. In the demo, I only had access to a couple of abilities, but more unlock as you play much like in the original. The basic hack n' slash horizontal slashery felt good, but not as good as the two-handed heavy hammer which can flatten enemies into paste — although the wind up can leave you vulnerable.

It's hard to say for sure how Control Resonant will play out across the course of its campaign. I wonder how Resonant will approach aspects of the original proved controversial with some critics. I loved getting lost in the dimension-breaking mind-fuckery that was The Oldest House, but some felt the map layout was confusing and convoluted, hurting the game's pacing.

Resonant takes place in Manhattan, warped and decimated by The Hiss signal. Dylan Faden can platform and hover from the outset, making for rapid city traversal almost reminiscent of games like InFamous or Prototype, albeit in a more linear, focused fashion. Indeed, this isn't a sandbox title, but the urban spread makes for a wider playground than its predecessor's oft-claustrophobic office-style haunts.

My demo concluded with a boss battle against a gigantic (and rather haunting) disembodied head. It wasn't quite soulsian in delivery as so many melee-oriented action games seem to want to emulate these days. It felt old school hack n' slash to me, in a good way, with well-telegraphed attack patterns that were easy to follow even on the higher difficulties. It also felt like a marked improvement from some of Remedy's previous attempts at boss battles, that's for sure. It makes me wonder just how many of them will pop up throughout the campaign.

I didn't expect Remedy to be able to pull off this type of gameplay so confidently. No guns in sight, slashing and hammering enemies into particulates felt effortlessly fun, but what really grips me about Resonant and Control in general is Remedy's painstaking approach to world-building and strong character treatment.

Dylan is an interesting character. We don't see too much of him in the original overall. But growing up as a lab rat in a nightmare-inducing Federal black hole is going to make for uniquely interesting hang-ups.

Also, Control already left several dozen (or more) unansered questions in its wake. Who or what is The Board? What is The Hiss, and what does it want? If indeed, anything at all? Jesse and Dylan's relationship doesn't seem as clear cut as being mere siblings either ... and the very nature of the Federal Bureau of Control itself is dripping with intrigue and conspiracy.

And I love it.

Control represents one of the most immersive universes I've gotten into in recent years. I know I'm late to the party, and regret that my attention-addled brain couldn't push through the slower-paced early segments sooner. Control Resonant was the perfect antidote — thrown head-first into apocalyptic chaos from the outset, in a world dripping with as much mystery as it is style.

Do not sleep on CONTROL Resonant

Control Resonant is launching in a very busy month, with lots of high-profile games in its orbit. Onimusha, Blood of the Dawnwalker, Wolverine, Silent Hill: Townfall, Minecraft Dungeons 2 ... just to name a few.

I'm surprising myself to say that Control Resonant will be the first of the September heavy hitters I intend to play this year.

If you like the look of it, I implore you to give Control and its DLC expansions a real go beforehand. The world building for me is what really makes Control a standout title, even if some other aspects of it aren't quite at the level you might want from a fully priced title. As an X-Files kid, there's just so, so much to love here, and the clandestine Federal agency angle remains a timeless trope that really sparks the imagination. Whether you grew up with Twin Peaks, the X-Files, or SCP, or even creepypasta in recent years — Control is at its best when it taps into that contemporary mythos.

Resonant may give Control's industry-leading worldbuilding the gameplay it deserves to match.

CONTROL Resonant launches on September 24, 2026 on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC with Xbox Play Anywhere, PS5, and PC via Steam.

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Ah yes, one of Xbox's most acclaimed studios, known for games like Fallout: New Vegas, Grounded and The Outer Worlds, is shutting down... oh wait, never mind. It's just the Xbox rumor mill spinning up another baseless claim.

Forgive the sass, but it's becoming exhausting. Yes, I'm fully aware a major shake-up is underway at Xbox, and we all have every right to be on the edge of our seats. At the same time, though, I'd quite like to enjoy my hobby of gaming without feeling like the entire industry is crumbling around me every other day.

The initial rumor that Obsidian could be facing closure came from The Game Business. The rebuttal, however, came from none other than Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, whose reporting is not something to ever bet against.

Schreier took to BlueSky, stating: "Despite a report this morning, I can confirm that Obsidian is not in negotiations to avoid shutting down. Plenty of details are still up in the air surrounding the layoffs (picture will be clear on Monday), but Xbox is keeping Obsidian, according to people familiar with the situation."

For what it's worth, our sources have not once indicated that Obsidian was part of the cadre of studios facing closure or selling, but Schrier's info is all you need here to know that it's likely bogus info.

It seems we won't have to wait much longer to find out what actually happens at Xbox. On the one hand, I'm relieved that the uncertainty might finally be coming to an end. On the other, I'm already worried for my fingers as I frantically cover whatever unfolds. I might have to invest in one of those finger grip strengtheners in preparation ...

I will say, the fact so many people believed Xbox could potentially close Obsidian speaks volumes about the level of distrust currently surrounding the brand. Clearly something within Xbox needs to change. I just hope those impacted by whatever happens land on their feet, and that the damage isn't as severe as many are fearing.

With that said, do let me know your thoughts in the comments, and as always, be sure to take part in our poll below.

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It's been a rough week for console gamers. First, Sony announced it's putting an end to physical disc production in 2028, meaning the PlayStation 6 will be strictly digital.

Over on the Xbox side of things, our sources (via Managing Editor Jez Corden) suggest that Microsoft is also leaning away from including a disc drive in its next-gen console.

Sony didn't think gamers were unhappy enough this week, and the company also confirmed that it's shutting down the PS3 and PS Vita digital storefronts as early as August 2026 in some regions. Whatever hasn't been downloaded once the stores disappear is, for all practical purposes, gone.

What's really irking me and countless other gamers is the expected blow to game preservation.

This is exactly the sort of combo knockout that the Video Game History Foundation (VGHF) has been dreading and warning gamers about for years. The VGHF's director, Frank Cifaldi, wrote a lengthy response to the news on Bluesky.

Statement from VGHF director Frank Cifaldi on the discontinuation of physical PlayStation media, and the closure of the PS3 and PSP digital storefronts.

— @gamehistoryorg.bsky.social (@gamehistoryorg.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-07-02T13:18:13.377Z

Cifaldi notes that "museums and archives have been preparing for this future for a while," and that console games pressed to discs have long been a poor way to preserve due mainly to day-one patches downloaded from the cloud (which might not always be available).

Cifaldi's frustration isn't exactly directed at Sony, but rather at the gaming industry as a whole, and what it expects comes next for institutions like the VGHF.

If platforms like PlayStation and Xbox are going to retire physical media and kill old storefronts, the least the games industry could do is help find a legal way to preserve old titles.

Instead, groups like the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) have "repeatedly opposed the efforts of cultural heritage institutions to reform digital copy protection laws to make it easier to do this work."

Alongside the Software Preservation Network (SPN), the VGHF has been putting in work in recent years to create some sort of DMCA exemption for historic archives and libraries.

👉 Subscription gaming is inching toward a world where players own nothing at all

In 2024, the US Copyright Office famously shot down an appeal to grant that sort of exemption, with lawyers stating that there was basically no way to have the correct safeguards around that sort of preservation effort. So what's the next step?

No one thinks game preservation is wrong; the disagreement is over who should be trusted to solve the problem, and so far, there's no clear answer.

What's left for game preservation but piracy?

I'm certainly not the only one who thinks that, in the face of blocked legal efforts, piracy is the only real way to preserve video games.

Responding to a post on Bluesky stating that "piracy is the only extant form of media preservation that exists in games right now," Cifaldi said, "This is accurate."

As the director of a historical video game preservation institution, and someone who has dedicated his entire adult life to this cause, this is accurate. We have attempted to work with the industry's trade organization to find a legal path forward, but they refuse to offer a meaningful alternative.

— @frankcifaldi.bsky.social (@frankcifaldi.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-07-02T13:18:13.339Z

I can see an obvious contrast here to the platform I imagine most of our Windows Central readers are already thinking about.

PC gaming has long been a digital medium, but the end of discs was more like a retirement after many years of dutiful service rather than an abrupt end as decided by industry giants.

Because of how open PC gaming has always been, it's much easier to preserve games. GOG does a great job of keeping old games alive. There are plenty of storefronts available with different and overlapping titles. Community efforts and modding revive old games all the time, and emulation is only growing.

The PC I built a few months ago can usually run the games I grew up on decades ago. Consoles, increasingly, can't promise the same thing. Nowhere close, especially with how gated everything is.

👉 As Sony revokes digital licenses and Xbox hints at a discless future — I'm saying a sad farewell to physical software, midnight launches, and second-hand game savings

With one of the biggest perks of console gaming gone, what's left? Ease of use? Sure, but PCs are quickly catching up with Windows Xbox Mode and SteamOS. Low cost? Maybe, but next-gen consoles are going to cost a lot more than I think most people can fathom.

Would you rather see older video games disappear than see them pirated? Do you agree that when there's no legal path forward, the only answer is to break the law? Let me know in the comments section below!

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Xbox looks likely to follow PC gaming by doing away with physical media, and Sony is already taking heat for its plans to stop PlayStation disc production by 2028. Whether or not Microsoft's next-gen, PC-like "Project Helix" console ships with some kind of external disc drive option is up for debate, but we know that Xbox executives are rethinking their strategy around production and shipping, mostly thanks to the unending RAM crisis affecting Xbox console prices.

An understandable knee-jerk reaction across social media has been to quiz PC gamers on why they're comfortable with Steam's approach to digital-only game sales and its implied digital rights management, even if the executable DRM wrapper in Steam is apparently optional. Plus, the popular, if runner-up, GOG maintains its stance on DRM-free digital ownership, though it relies on a proactive backup mentality from buyers.

However, regardless of how any retailer pitches itself as supposedly being on the side of consumers, there's no denying that there's a scary implication for the future of gaming, whether that's on Windows PCs or whatever hybrid consoles come next. Sony already plans to close its digital PS3 and PS Vita store, and has withdrawn ownership of digitally purchased movies for UK gamers, due to "content licensing agreements".

The slow, miserable death of ownership

There's understandable pushback from some gamers, who ask whether physical discs serve a purpose in 2026, with many questioning whether their peers have even bought a game outside digital stores in the last few years. However, our own readers say they'll "miss buying physical games", and I'm firmly in the same boat. Still, the status quo is seemingly shifting to digital purchases (or rentable licenses, depending on who you ask), whether we like it or not.

Besides the obvious benefit of allowing a friend or family member to borrow your games with ease — something Sony is also suffering criticism for on social media, given its previous tongue-in-cheek video response to Xbox's stance at the time — other elements of physical media now feel stranger in their absence as time goes on. Midnight launches, quirky in-box booklets, and money-saving second-hand sales are relics of the past.

At the risk of sounding like a budding applicant for a nursing home, midnight launches were a huge part of the hype surrounding games. Sure, they've been irrelevant for a few years already, but the FOMO effect of seeing hundreds of people queuing to buy a game even piqued my interest in some that I previously had no real desire to play, now replaced by refreshing web browsers to pre-order a digital GTA 6 code for $100.

Even today, after picking up a Switch 2, I'm borrowing Switch 1 cartridges from friends to catch up on Nintendo's modern era, spending a grand total of zero dollars on second-hand titles. Now, as the company moves towards Virtual Game Cards, it feels like this will likely be the last generation that lets me borrow games. Sorry to all the younger siblings out there, but you'll need to buy your own copies — no more hand-me-down goldmines.

Frankly, I rarely even spend the full amount on PC games, opting instead for discounted CD keys from Loaded or somewhere similar. I'm so regularly frustrated when I see pre-owned boxed games grow cheaper — depending on their rarity — while some digital copies remain expensive. From now on, we can only hope for sales events and pray the platform owners never shut down and take our licenses away.

Are you concerned with the disappearance of physical game discs, or are you fine with digital ownership — perhaps as long as there's a plan in place to transfer licenses in the future? I'm interested in takes from both sides, and the justifications for anything in between. Let me know in the comments, because it's certainly a turbulent time for gamers, no matter what opinion you hold.

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Xbox Helix is in flux, and it's not entirely Xbox's fault, although it might be their parent company's.

The RAMageddon is here, and everything and anything with a chip in it has seen price increases. PlayStation, Xbox, even the iPhone is getting crazy price increases. The AI build-out is leading to inflated memory prices, as hyperscalers like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google race to become key players in the space.

For us, and for Xbox Helix, the downside (are there any upsides?) is price increases. The low-powered Xbox Series S has virtually hit price parity with the launch versions of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

It has huge RAMifications (lol, pun) for Xbox Helix, PlayStation 6, and consumer tech in general. Xbox is already supposedly rethinking the entire console business model as a result.

Rethinking Xbox Helix

So, what's going on with Xbox Helix? Recently, quotes from Xbox's new Chief Strategy Officer, Matthew Ball, specifically come from The Game Business, which has some great industry interview content you should definitely check out.

On the topic of wider hardware challenges, specifically around memory, Ball described a scenario where Xbox is effectively rethinking that Helix and the console model in general can actually be in the new economy.

"We are working very hard to rethink everything that we can about Helix, which is a console we are committed to shipping, and we are very cognizant of the ways in which we need to change as a company to make sure it is affordable, to make sure that it’s flexible."

"We are working hard to rethink what the console model can look like, not in an exclusionary way, but in an additive way. [...] But… we are working very hard to figure out the best way to navigate it for a way that works for everyone, that does not ask too much on players, but also doesn’t detract from other investments that we need to make."

So, affordability is top of mind for them. The Steam Machine recently dropped at over $1,000 despite its relatively modest power draw, lending credence to the idea that the PS6 and Xbox Helix could be even more expensive.

Memory costs are not expected to abate in the near future. Lenovo is suggesting that prices will never come down, and they may well be right, given the monopolistic nature of the industry. There's a lawsuit for price fixing going on right now, but I digress.

Previous Xbox President Sarah Bond suggested Xbox Helix would be a premium product. Xbox confirmed it would support installing games from other storefronts, like Steam. That it would also have backwards compatibility with all existing Xbox games, even if it'll be a Windows-first machine.

Herein lies the core dilemma for Xbox, in my view.

An open "Xbox" with Steam, etc. could be insanely expensive ...

How can Xbox subsidize an open "PC?" It destroys the affordability model typically associated with console gaming. Steam itself has said that, since SteamOS is "open" to other stores and isn't a closed box, they have to sell it as a PC.

Xbox is already running into this dilemma with the Xbox Series X|S to some degree. Games that are completely "free" like Fortnite are becoming increasingly prevalent as consumer spending sentiment is squeezed. Since Xbox is selling its hardware at a loss, they are subsidizing some of the biggest games in the world like Roblox and Fortnite, and not receiving a penny. More users than ever are playing free-to-play titles and not spending anything. So, Xbox selling hardware at a loss to this cohort represents effectively giving money away — so that Roblox, Fortnite, etc. can make money. That's obviously not sustainable.

This is why Microsoft and others are exploring ads to help subsidize the cost of the box, particularly when a user is defaulting to "free" games.

But extrapolating from that, what happens if, with Xbox Helix, players default away from Xbox altogether? It's unlikely casual players on Roblox and Fortnite are going to upgrade on day one anyway. But, with Steam on the box, there's a real risk here: What if users bought Xbox Helix, which Microsoft would traditionally sell at a loss, only to play via Steam or the Epic Games Store instead?

In that universe, you'd have to sell Xbox Helix for gaming PC prices. None of this seems viable if the intent is to make Helix affordable. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has previously suggested the plan is to move ahead with an open PC-like Xbox, but I have to wonder how they plan to reconcile that with gunning for affordability.

PlayStation has already suggested that its PS6 will not be sold at a loss. The volumes that PlayStation typically sells consoles allow them to cut competitive deals for components like memory, but even Apple has had trouble keeping costs down lately. Apple has an absolute iron grip over its supply chain; Xbox is comparatively a smaller, far more niche player, even if it can wield its attachment to Microsoft as a bludgeon.

We saw the consequences of being a smaller player in the component supply chain with the Steam Machine, which is far more expensive than people were hoping for.

I can foresee Helix potentially moving in a few different directions here as a result, if not a combination of several.

Here are the possibilities and speculations summarized, and definitely take them as speculation.

• Xbox Helix could be very premium, costing over $1000, due to the memory rout that will continue for years.
• Microsoft will probably use some proprietary tech via AI super resolution and so on to squeeze more juice out of a "cheaper" build to keep costs down.
• Could Xbox Helix end up not being significantly more powerful to cut costs, but instead some kind of Xbox Series X+ or Xbox Series X Pro?
• "Niche" features like the disc drive will be removed to help cut costs.
• Could Microsoft ship a "cheaper" SKU without storage at all so some could leverage their existing Xbox Series X|S CF Express storage cards? Or other existing M2 / NVME drives they have lying around?
• Now that the hardware will be too expensive, Microsoft may be exploring closing the ecosystem again, removing Steam from the equation — otherwise it'll need to be gaming PC-priced.
• Microsoft could do some kind of "deal" with Epic Games Store or other third parties to share revenue. Steam obviously wouldn't do that (it doesn't need or want to help Xbox here.)
• Could Microsoft lock third-party stores behind a paywall or ads to keep the upfront Xbox costs down? (Although this would be monstrously unpopular, I feel.)
• Perhaps Xbox Helix will be closed out of the box, but let you bring your own Windows license to open it up.
• Microsoft will revive Banjo to help sell a billion units. Okay, maybe not on that one.

Xbox's 'X' factor?

Whatever Xbox does with its platform, there needs to be some kind of X factor here. The current Gen-X / Millennial cohort of gamers is aging out of gaming to some degree, and Gen-Z and younger seem to primarily want free-to-play experiences powered by things like Fortnite and Roblox.

The traditional console players have neglected the younger cohorts chasing older, more spendy gamers, and as a result, sacrificed a generation of compound nostalgia.

With Xbox CEO Asha Sharma's social media and platform expertise, I have to wonder if there won't be some kind of "fun" innovations down the line. Under Phil Spencer, Xbox has become a bit of a boring and traditional "software as a service" platform that outsourced the joy to game developers. But historically, platforms have offered a bit more than that — Steam and Nintendo have focused a lot on making their platforms fun and social, while Xbox and PlayStation have generally fled from such things.

One thing is for sure: I don't think Xbox can "win" by simply emulating PlayStation. They need an X factor, some kind of big innovation that cannot be ignored.

Having an Xbox console with Steam support sounds great on paper, but the economics demand hardware profits upfront — will people pay a premium for an Xbox-branded Windows PC? The RAMageddon has destroyed this opportunity potentially. Game Pass never became the X factor Microsoft hoped it would be; neither did Kinect, nor Xbox Play Anywhere, nor Cloud Gaming.

It'll be interesting to see how Xbox finds its way through this incredibly challenging time, where instant gratification is demanded, cheap and affordable mobile access has become the default, and forever-platform games have become dominant. I definitely don't have the answers. I hope Xbox does.

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A new report claims that Xbox's "Positron" disc-to-digital program is a lot more seamless than expected.

A few months ago, code snippets appeared showing that Xbox is working on a disc-to-digital program, although details were thin on the ground. Now, we have a credible report detailing exactly how it could work.

It's a hot topic at present, given that PlayStation just announced it will no longer be supporting discs in any capacity from 2028, and that the PlayStation 6 will not support discs at all. For those with existing disc-based games, they're effectively sat hoping their PS5 will continue to work in perpetuity. But given that PlayStation just killed access to previously-purchased movies and is shutting down the digital stores on the PS Vita and PS3, people are more anxious than ever about forwards and backwards compatibility.

Xbox has been something of a pioneer in the console space here. Its backwards compatibility programs for the Xbox 360 and OG Xbox are industry-leading on console, and it has already pledged to bring everything that runs on Xbox Series X|S to the next-gen Xbox Helix. But a big question mark remains over disc-based games, more so than ever now.

When Positron was inadvertently revealed, many wondered if it would require some form of intermediary to function, such as taking a disc to a retailer or something. But The Verge is reporting that won't be the case.

Simply installing an Xbox game from the disc will attach it to your account and give you the full digital entitlements on your Microsoft Account. You'll be able to access it via Xbox Cloud Gaming, Play Anywhere on the Xbox Ally X, as if you fully owned the digital version of the game. You will reportedly only lose your digital entitlement on that game if you sell the disc or give it away to another Microsoft Account holder.

The Xbox One had a model similar to this in 2013, but the DRM was so aggressive that it required retailers to "unlock" the disc. It sounds like Microsoft has figured out a way to provide digitization at their end, attaching the discs' signature to your account. Although, Microsoft warned testers that some older Xbox One discs may "lack the features needed" to make the system work.

Indeed, this will only work with Xbox One discs and above, so those hoping to digitize Xbox 360 discs are out of luck. Still, if it all works as described here, that would be fantastic news for those who could be left out of digital features such as Xbox Cloud Gaming.

The Verge says that Microsoft hasn't finalized whether to include a disc drive or not on Xbox Helix, but our sources have been hinting at us for months that Microsoft is leaning away from including a disc drive in its next-gen console.

Given that PlayStation is exiting the disc-based market, I would bet money that even if Xbox hadn't already decided on dropping discs, they almost certainly have now. But Xbox's new Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball did say they're "rethinking" everything about Xbox Helix ... so maybe he's a big disc fan? Time will tell. I'm sure Xbox is also monitoring reactions to Sony's uncharacteristically pre-emptive and transparent announcement here.

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IO Interactive has enjoyed a ton of success lately with its hit action-game adaptation of the James Bond franchise, 007: First Light, selling 1.5 million in 24 hours and winning the hearts of critics (including our Jez Corden, who gave it a perfect review of 5/5 Stars).

However, the good times have come to a screeching halt as IO Interactive announces on X that it is no longer working with an external partner that's been helping it develop its original IP, "Project Fantasy," which Windows Central exclusively revealed as Project Dragon previously back in 2021.

While IO Interactive didn't state who was publishing the game, we previously reported that it was indeed Xbox back in 2021. IOI changed the codename after its previous 2021 leak from "Dragon" to "Fantasy." An Xbox spokesperson talked to Bloomberg about the cancellation.

“We're not reducing our overall investment in games. We expect to invest about the same in content as we did last year. What's changing is where we're investing and the kinds of projects we're backing.”

The game also previously leaked during Microsoft's long court battle to acquire Activision-Blizzard in 2023.

It seems that despite losing the backing of Microsoft, IOI intends to soldier on with Project Fantasy. After the success of 007: First Light, I expect they won't have trouble finding a new suitor.

Given the recent rumors that several Xbox Games Studios developers are being gutted soon, third-party titles are being frozen for Xbox Game Pass, Arkane is being shut down along with their upcoming Blade game (as reported by The Verge), and State of Decay 3 could be cancelled, this official announcement of "Project Fantasy" losing Microsoft's backing is making these rumors more likely than ever.

Only time will tell what the extent of the damage to Xbox Game Studios will be.

What do you think about this announcement? Is it confirmation that Microsoft will purge more of its Xbox Game Studios in the future? Do you think 'Project Fantasy' will come to fruition?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know through the poll, the comments section, or our Reddit community.

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Before I continue, can we all just let out a collective sigh? Okay, now that's done, let's jump into it.

Just a week or so ago, I covered a few stories on Marvel's Blade. Todd Howard had recently seen the project and said it was progressing well, and the game's lead concept artist spoke on X regarding the game, both of which gave us a glimmer of hope that perhaps Arkane was safe and the game would eventually see the light of day.

Unfortunately, I have some bad news if this report from The Verge turns out to be accurate.

According to The Verge, Microsoft's next wave of Xbox layoffs is set for next week and could include studio closures or spin-offs, potential studio mergers, and canceled games. One of those games, according to the report, could be Marvel's Blade.

Now, it's important to mention that this is only something Microsoft is reportedly considering. The report also claims Xbox is exploring the possibility of selling Arkane.

In what is admittedly a bad situation all around, that would probably be the better outcome. I'd much rather see Xbox stick with the project and see it through, but Asha Sharma's reset appears to be focused on restructuring Xbox and returning the business to profitability.

The report also claims we could have seen Marvel's Blade as early as later this year before its internal release target reportedly slipped to late 2027. To me, that suggests the game may have been further along than many of us expected, although game development is unpredictable, so that's purely my own speculation.

I don't really want to drone on, because I think we're all painfully aware of what's potentially coming. It's going to be a difficult few weeks for Xbox fans, employees, and the wider games industry.

Gaming is supposed to be a hobby that helps us escape from everything else going on in the world, so it really does suck when those same problems keep finding their way into the industry we all enjoy so much.

With that said, I genuinely hope this remains something that's only being considered and that Arkane gets the chance to finish Marvel's Blade. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll.

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Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced launches on July 9, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC, and we've just got our first look from Ubisoft at what console players can expect in terms of performance. Honestly, it's looking pretty solid.

The Xbox Series X keeps pace with the PlayStation 5 in terms of resolution and frame rate, while the PS5 Pro gains the edge thanks to its enhanced PSSR upscaling. Series S fans, however, are a bit out of luck, and I'm a little disappointed to see it.

While the game does support ray tracing on Series S and is upscaled to 1620p, players are limited to a single 30 FPS fidelity mode, with seemingly no access to the other graphics presets. On Series X and PS5, players can choose between Performance, Fidelity, and Balanced modes, with Performance targeting 60 FPS and Balanced targeting 40 FPS.

It feels like a missed opportunity not to offer some kind of 60fps mode on Series S, even if that meant dropping ray tracing and reducing the resolution to 1080p. That said, I've actually picked the game up anyway, mainly for my dad, who's a big Assassin's Creed fan. Since we share games, I'll be playing it too. It is a shame, though, that the game doesn't support Xbox Play Anywhere.

We also already know the game's PC system requirements. For those wondering how demanding it is, the minimum specs call for a GTX 1660 or AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, 16GB of RAM, and either an Intel Core i7-8700K or Ryzen 5 3600. That'll get you 1080p at 30 FPS using the Low preset with standard ray tracing.

I'm actually looking forward to this remake. I never really got into Black Flag back in the day because I'd just finished Ezio's story and had started to lose interest in Assassin's Creed. Despite that, I've always heard it's one of the best entries in the series, so I'm excited to finally experience it for myself when it launches.

With that said, let me know what you think about the console and PC performance in the comments below, and don't forget to take part in our poll below:

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In a new report from GameFile, it was revealed that Xbox had been funding 1666: Amsterdam, a new game from the lead creator of Assassin's Creed, Patrice Désilets. However, in a story I'm sure we're all too familiar with, Microsoft reportedly pulled funding, similar to reports surrounding John Romero's game, where Xbox had reportedly met with Romero just a day before deciding to cancel funding.

For those out of the loop, 1666: Amsterdam is still coming out, and it's shaping up to be a story-driven, third-person action adventure spanning multiple time periods. You can even play as a cat, which I can imagine my girlfriend being quite into, considering we have three ourselves.

The game also currently has a 30-minute demo available on Steam and the Epic Games Store. From what I could gather, though, reception to the demo has been a bit mixed online. Interestingly, on release, the game is currently only coming to PC, though I assume consoles will come later; whether that includes Xbox or not is a mystery.

It's hard to say whether Xbox funding and publishing this game would've paid off. The game isn't out yet, and Xbox is currently undergoing a plethora of changes since Asha Sharma became CEO. As I'm sure we're all aware, her first 100 days were largely about scoring wins with fans.

However, the 100 days after that seem as though they may be far bleaker, with a major restructuring looming on the horizon. The results of that restructuring are still unknown, but that hasn't stopped negative rumors from swirling around Xbox, with some being disproven rather quickly. However, it feels like the wave of negativity around Xbox is stronger than ever.

Back to 1666: Amsterdam, though. It'll ultimately be a wait-and-see situation as to whether Xbox made the right decision to pull funding. Given the mixed reception to the demo, they may have made the right call, but it's still a shame to see what feels like a genuine passion project lose backing from what is, ultimately, a company worth trillions.

But let me know your thoughts. Are you excited for 1666: Amsterdam? Let me know in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll!

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Grand Theft Auto 6 is fast approaching, and the rumors are already in full swing. Unlike some of the recent, more upsetting Xbox rumors, this is one I'm genuinely hoping turns out to be true. The claim comes from the same source that reportedly leaked The Witcher 3 DLC ahead of its official reveal, which gives this rumor at least some credibility.

Of course, it's still just a rumor, so it's worth taking with a grain of salt. Here's what they had to say: “Xbox Series S is being locked at 30 FPS right now, but they’re fighting to get it to 60 FPS. From what I’ve learned, they’re not 100% sure yet whether 60 FPS will be available at launch.”

It continues with more hints: “A source close to Rockstar, but I emphasize that this is a single source, but a very reliable one. It’s very likely, and ultimately, according to the information I’ve received, there will be two graphical modes: 30 and 60 FPS on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.”

Interestingly, we could expect two graphics modes, which, I believe, might be a first for a Rockstar game (don't quote me on that). Many people, myself included, have expected Grand Theft Auto 6 to be capped at 30 FPS, and given the sheer scope of the game, that does seem believable.

Perhaps the most interesting part of this rumor, though, is the mention of a 60 FPS mode on Xbox Series S. While the report claims it's currently locked to 30, hearing that Rockstar is actively trying to get it to 60 is at least promising, at least to me.

The source also states that Microsoft is working with Rockstar on the Series S version of the game, so hopefully fans with a Series S do manage to see 60 FPS. Hopefully, we hear something official sooner rather than later, although there's a good chance we'll have to wait until much closer to launch.

As for me, I probably won't be picking up Grand Theft Auto 6 on day one. I've been a fan of the series from the beginning, but I grew a little tired of Grand Theft Auto 5, and I still prefer Grand Theft Auto 4. I'll be waiting to see how the game shapes up before deciding whether to jump in.

But let me know your thoughts. Would a 60 FPS mode make a big difference to you? Be sure to take part in our poll and leave a comment below!

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Correction: Today's Assembly layoffs were part of an agency-wide reorganization and were not related to Xbox ending contracts. People on the Xbox account were laid off but the agency is still continuing to work with Xbox, I'm told

— @jasonschreier.bsky.social (@jasonschreier.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-06-30T08:07:15.114Z

ORIGINAL ARTICLE CONTINUES:

Insert joke here about how Microsoft's layoffs are reportedly so big, they're impacting companies that aren't even part of Microsoft. Oh wait, that actually might be what's happening.

According to industry insider Jason Schreier of Bloomberg, Assembly, a PR agency whose biggest client is Microsoft, is laying off employees today.

In a post on Bluesky, Schreier says:

“The massive Xbox layoffs won't happen until after the fiscal year ends, but the company is already ending contracts and cutting vendors. So Assembly, Xbox's main PR agency, is laying people off today.”

Assembly appears to be responsible for quite a broad range of services, including media planning, communications, marketing research, and more. As for the full extent of its relationship with Microsoft, however, I couldn't find much publicly available beyond the comment above from Schreier.

Xbox is, however, undergoing a significant restructuring as CEO Asha Sharma attempts to make the business more profitable. According to Schreier, Microsoft is ending contracts and cutting vendors, which appears to have resulted in Assembly laying off employees due to a reduction in business.

It's hard to know what to say about layoffs, because I'm sure we can all agree they suck, regardless of the company involved. I genuinely hope those affected are able to land on their feet.

I'm also really curious to see what the next 100 days of Xbox look like. Rumors are everywhere at the moment, with recent reports even suggesting Undead Labs, the studio behind State of Decay 3, could be affected. If that were true, it would be a disastrous decision, especially considering the time and investment that's reportedly gone into the game and just how promising it's shaping up to be.

It's an exhausting time to be a fan of anything lately; skyrocketing prices are sucking the joy out of what would otherwise be fun hobbies. It's not to say that we can't still enjoy things like gaming, but egregious prices certainly put a damper on things.

With all that said, let me know your thoughts in the comments, because I'm honestly just tired of all the negativity surrounding Xbox lately.

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The death of trust at Xbox may be imminent, if this latest report is to be believed.

One of the most hotly anticipated upcoming Xbox games is State of Decay 3 from Undead Labs. State of Decay is a zombie apocalypse management simulation game, where players in small teams can develop settlements, fight against zombie hordes, and scavenge for supplies. The previous games had a variety of limitations, but many of these have been eliminated in State of Decay 3, which looks incredibly promising.

Despite having trailers at the previous two showcases and a well-received alpha test which boasted thousands of sign ups, Microsoft is exploring selling off Undead Labs and potentially cancelling State of Decay 3 if it can't find a buyer for the team. Given that State of Decay 3 is nearly finished, looks spectacular, and has had multiple trailers — this is one of the most self-immolating ideas I've seen of Xbox since I started reporting on it over a decade ago.

The report comes from GamesBeat, which lists studios having discussions with Xbox leadership. It coincides with information I received over the weekend. Indeed, Undead Labs could be among the studios Microsoft is looking to offload as part of its fiscal year end.

I'm told the cuts are being driven by Microsoft corporate CFO Amy Hood, who has demanded a variety of savings at Xbox to offset losses ... which were also a result of her previous 30% margin demands.

Microsoft has frozen discussions with third-parties for Xbox Game Pass deals (for now), and is exploring a range of measures, which could see Double Fine, Ninja Theory, Compulsion, and others shuttered if Microsoft can't find a buyer or pathway for them to go independent.

Xbox's administrative teams are working 7 day weeks to meet Microsoft's cutbacks, potentially saving studios with sales to third-party suitors or self-funded independence ventures. But for me, we shouldn't even be here.

At the end of the day, to run a business you need to be able to sell things. Some studios haven't sold products in years, eventually the math catches up. At the same time, Microsoft's gaming division had its most profitable year after in the previous fiscal, and Satya Nadella's compensation package was valued at almost $100 million last year.

Gaming is a risky business, and increasingly a luxury business for consumers (in part driven by the RAMpocalypse fostered by ... erm, Microsoft and its AI fad.) With gaming moving further and further into discretionary spending territory, I would argue trust and culture matter more than ever. Microsoft corporate either doesn't understand this, or perhaps more realistically, just doesn't care.

State of Decay 3 is clearly nearly finished. If that isn't safe, how is ANYTHING safe anymore? How can you trust ANY announcement Xbox will make in the near future? How is this not indicative of a Microsoft actively trying to set up Asha Sharma and her team for failure?

State of Decay 3 received multiple trailers. Undead Labs built up a passionate fanbase across decades, and was an early pioneer building games directly with fan-led feedback over the internet.

Microsoft's share price is imploding on fears that it missed the boat on the AI race (which let's be real, it has). And ... its response is to take an axe to one of its only businesses people actually like? Never change Microsoft. (Actually, change, change NOW.)

Are you looking forward to State of Decay 3? Let us know your thoughts on all of this in the comments.

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It was no secret that this year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 wasn't heading to Game Pass. It's a large part of the reason Microsoft was able to cut the price of Game Pass earlier this year, scoring Xbox a major win during Asha Sharma's first moves as Xbox CEO.

Now, while Sharma has scored some wins, we're all too aware of the concerns surrounding the next couple of months at Xbox, but I digress. What really caught my eye, however, is that Activision is now reportedly advertising Modern Warfare 4 online with a very specific message.

It states, and I quote, "NOT ON XBOX GAME PASS THIS YEAR," while urging people to pre-order the game, which also provides early access to the game's campaign.

I, myself, am actually fine with Call of Duty not being on Game Pass. As someone who didn't enjoy last year's Black Ops 7, even if I had, the money saved from the Game Pass price cut is enough to buy the game each year anyway, which is what I've typically done for my dad. This year, though, he's insisted on Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, despite my pleas to get 007: First Light instead, since we share games.

That said, Modern Warfare 4 does look pretty okay. It's still hard to say, as it does just look like another Call of Duty, but with promises to stay clear of goofy skins and the like, it's at least more promising than Black Ops 7 to me.

Despite it not necessarily being for me, I do still wish Activision the best. As someone who comes from a time when Call of Duty 4 dominated back in the Xbox 360 days, I hope a more grounded Call of Duty can help the franchise return to its roots, and a more grounded Call of Duty is definitely something I can get behind.

Maybe that's just me, though. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll!

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Sony just announced that over 550 movies will be removed from the accounts of PlayStation customers. On September 1, 2026, any movies or TV shows from Studio Canal will be removed. The move sparked controversy, drew criticism, and reignited a debate about digital ownership.

Those affected by the maneuver have no recourse to retain access to the content. There's no option to download the content for offline playback on another device. Sony isn't offering refunds either.

Several quotes have popped up repeatedly in online forums about Sony's announcement, such as "if buying isn't owning, piracy isn't theft." But a different quote about piracy came to my mind:

Gabe Newell, the co-founder of Valve, explained that providing excellent service is the best method to combat piracy. He added that, "The easiest way to stop piracy is not by putting antipiracy technology to work. It’s by giving those people a service that’s better than what they’re receiving from the pirates."

Newell specifically referenced localization efforts during his time on stage at the Washington Technology Industry Association's (WTIA) Tech NW conference, but the principles he broke down apply to what Sony is doing.

If "buying" content only gives you access for an undetermined amount of time dependent on volatile corporate licensing deals, the service is fundamentally broken. Naturally, people will look for other methods to acquire the same content.

You wouldn't steal a car

The infamous "You wouldn't steal a car" commercial pushed back against piracy over 20 years ago. The ad has received its fair share of criticism over the years, but please humor me as I look at it from a different angle.

If pirating digital content is akin to stealing a car, what is selling digital content and then revoking access without offering a refund? In this hypothetical world in which physical goods work the same way as digital content, what Sony is doing is like selling someone a DVD then breaking into their house and stealing it back after a few years.

I imagine Sony's legal team is getting ready to argue that people agree to terms and that Sony reserved the right to revoke access. But that's nonsense. When people obtained content through Sony, they clicked a button that said "Buy."

That Buy button was presented right next to a "Rent" button in most cases, meaning Sony was offering people two choices: purchase a piece of content or rent it.

Even Sony's statement sent informing people of the removal of Studio Canal content uses the word "purchased" rather than rent:

"As of 1 September 2026 due to our content licensing arrangements, you will no longer be able to watch any of your previously purchased Studio Canal content and the content will be removed from your video library."

Sony could argue that people purchased a revocable license, but if that's the case the company never should have used a Buy button.

Could this happen to Xbox?

Anything is possible, but I don't want to venture into speculation. We're trying to get confirmation from Microsoft regarding digital ownership of media.

What I will say is that legal protections of digitally purchased content need to be secured. Reportedly, over 90% of Xbox games are purchased digitally. PlayStation isn't that far behind, with digital sales reportedly making up 78% of purchases.

Buying habits have shifted dramatically over the last decade. There are plenty of gamers with entirely digital collections. The advent of online streaming has made physical movie collections rarer, though I know many cinephiles who cling to physical copies.

If companies want to continue to sell movies, TV shows, and games, potential buyers need confidence that purchases are secure. Otherwise, people will take some inspiration from Sea of Thieves.

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It's no secret that due to increasing RAM and NAND (storage) costs, everyone from Apple to Dell to Valve to Xbox is raising prices. And it's the latter here we're concerned with, as this may be your last chance to get the Xbox Series X below $700 until 2028. Indeed, we may not see prices on hardware drop significantly until 2030.

As such, I'm creating this page to show you the latest deals and inventory on the Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and associated accessories like the ever-so-important expansion cards.

I'll be updating this page every day, usually multiple times.

Xbox Series X prices

The Xbox Series X (see our updated review) is the top-tier Xbox model and is aimed at 4K/60 FPS gaming for those who want the best and fastest available.

Because it's in such high demand, this one often sells out or goes through frequent and rapid price shifts. We think it's the version most people should buy.

We have seen Xbox Series X (1TB, optical) drop down to $573 in the last few days (during Prime Day), and that could happen again for the July 4th holiday.

Xbox Series S prices

If you want to save some more money and don't quite need the power of the Series X (or simply can't afford it), you can go for the more budget-friendly Xbox Series S. If you're not familiar with this model, you can read our Xbox Series S review (2025) for more context and to see what we have to say about it.

The tl;dr is the Xbox Series X is the more powerful console, built for native 4K gaming, higher frame rates, and larger storage with its 1TB SSD. The Xbox Series S is a smaller, more affordable model designed for 1440p gaming, with reduced GPU power and a 512GB or 1TB SSD.

Both run the same games and features, but the Series X targets premium performance while the Series S focuses on value and accessibility.

The good news is that while the savings are not as much for Xbox Series S, they are often in stock at most stores either for pickup or shipping.

How much (and when) are Xbox prices going up?

Beginning August 1, the Xbox Series X Digital will rise to $749 (up from $599) and the Series S to $499 (up from $399) in the United States, with similar jumps across multiple regions.

And those are the entry-level models!

Xbox Series X (1TB) with optical drive is going up to $799 (from $649), while the Xbox Series S (1TB) increases to $599 (from $449).

To put that in perspective, the Xbox Series X (1TB) with optical drive launched at $499, but is going up a total of $300.

The company cites rising manufacturing and component costs as the primary driver, noting that the broader hardware market continues to face pressure that shows no signs of easing.

Analysts expect component prices to climb again in 2027, driven by supply constraints and increased demand for advanced chips. Microsoft’s own internal projections suggest that the “Rampocalypse” — the ongoing surge in RAM and component pricing — will continue well into 2028, making this price hike potentially the first of several.

For consumers, the timing is significant. Xbox consoles have remained relatively stable in price for years, but this shift signals a new era where premium hardware will cost more to produce and more to buy.

With the August 1 increase approaching, the window to buy an Xbox Series X|S at current pricing is closing quickly. We’ll keep updating this tracker as retailers react, deals appear, and the market adjusts, so you always know the best time to make your move.

What about expansion cards?

If you're picking up an Xbox Series X or Series S, extra storage becomes essential fast. Constantly deleting games or clearing space for updates interrupts play and makes managing your library a chore.

The Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S adds more room instantly with true plug‑and‑play support, giving your console the storage it needs without slowing anything down.

Like Xbox consoles, we've seen pricing on these vary a lot, and many times they go out of stock, so give it some serious thought, as we do expect these cards to cost even more later this year.

As to why get a storage card, it really depends on the size of your gaming library.

For instance, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 alone is 161 GB, without any DLC. The Seagate Expansion Card delivers similar speeds to the native storage of the Xbox Series X|S, so you can store games on the card and play them without having to transfer or delete files.

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Thanks to the rise of AI and its insatiable hunger for all the silicon its manufacturers can get their hands on, the last several months have been very rough for the tech industry and any consumer interested in purchasing new electronics. Ongoing RAM and shortage shortages show no signs of recovery any time soon, with prices continuing to rise and supply continuing to fall.

Gaming is one of many verticals that's been hit hard by the hardware crisis, with Microsoft recently announcing huge Xbox console price hikes that go into effect in August and Valve debuting the Steam Machine with a controversial $1,000+ price tag that was set with current market conditions in mind.

Naturally, many have wondered if PlayStation maker Sony also plans to raise the cost of its PS5 consoles soon — and interestingly, according to an answer from a recent Q&A session within the company, it sounds like a price increase may be in consideration.

"First, we regard hardware as the base for providing the gaming experience, and by offering products such as the PlayStation Portal Remote Player (PS Portal), we aim to provide experiences tailored to users’ play styles beyond the living room, which has traditionally been considered the primary usage environment," Sony replied to a question about hardware prioritization and profitability moving forward.

"As for pricing, it is not realistic for us to absorb all component cost increases, and we have already implemented some price increases outside Japan," the firm continued. "At present, however, sales are proceeding as planned, and we do not believe this has led to a decline in customer demand."

The key takeaway here is that Sony doesn't "intend to sell hardware at significant losses," which suggests that it might follow in Microsoft's and Valve's footsteps by raising the price of PlayStation consoles to offset the ballooning costs of RAM and storage.

"As a principle, we do not intend to sell hardware at significant losses. At the same time, we are carefully monitoring the market and continuing to evaluate our approach," it added. "We believe it is important for us to make every effort to ensure that customers fully understand the value we provide in relation to pricing."

It's worth noting that as Sony mentioned, it's already given the PS5 a price hike once this year, and clearly doesn't want to make them more expensive again. That being said, if component costs continue to become more and more untenable, it may not have a choice if it wants to avoid "significant losses."

All in all, right now is just a bad, bad time for tech hardware, whether you're looking to buy devices or market and sell them to the masses. I don't envy console makers like Microsoft and Sony right now...even if it's not lost on me that these companies have contributed to the problem by helping to fuel the push for AI.

I fear the business has some dark years ahead of it, and that we'll see next-gen consoles like Xbox's Project Helix and the PS6 retail for over $1,000 like the Steam Machine has. I can only hope that won't be true, but according to analyst Joost van Dreunen, "north of a grand is the floor." My hopes aren't exactly high.

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Another day, another Xbox rumor! Today's revolves around Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft's controversy-prone subscription service giving access to hundreds of games on a monthly subscription.

Xbox Game Pass took a battering last year when Microsoft made the spectacularly ill-advised move of making it $30 a month — a 50% increase. In one fell swoop, Microsoft destroyed one of its most stable revenue drivers for its gaming operation, leading to the biggest decline its seen in its history.

New Xbox CEO Asha Sharma remarked a few weeks ago that, now that Game Pass Ultimate has returned to a far more respectable $22 per month, they've started seeing growth return to the service. But I am curious if it's anywhere near back to previous levels.

Indeed, Asha previously spoke about Game Pass retention, and the business model revolves entirely around offsetting churn, i.e., the number of users subscribing month in, month out. If you make it too expensive, you risk users unsubscribing and never coming back. Subscription services work best when people subscribe and then ... just leave it rolling in perpetuity. If you make it so expensive that it becomes discretionary spending, it's going to end up being a net loss per head, rather than habit-forming perpetual income.

That's why I'm casting "big doubt" over this latest Xbox Game Pass rumor, which suggests Microsoft is no longer planning to new third-party funding for new Game Pass titles (via Insider Gaming).

During an episode of The Business of Gaming PodcastFernando Rizo of Caboodle Games shared rumors that Microsoft "rug pulled" Game Pass deals from industry colleagues Rizo had spoken with recently.

"I was at a trade show in Italy, had some nice lunches, some nice dinners with industry colleagues. Word on the street was that loads of people who were in the frame for Game Pass deals. You know, nothing was inked yet, but the deals were in advanced discussions. Everybody got the rug pulled out from under them."

I'm not doubting the idea that Microsoft cancelled discussions. But it has been used to frame an idea that Xbox is done completely with third-party deals for Xbox Game Pass.

Right now, Xbox is undergoing something of a "reset," with new CEO Asha Sharma and CSO Matthew Ball reviewing practically every corner of the business, including deals like the above. Microsoft's fiscal year is ending too, where budgets will be allocated (or re-allocated). Microsoft is exploring closing down entire studios at Xbox as part of this "review," so it stands to reason that some ID@Xbox deals might've been skewered in the cross-fire. I know of at least one example of a third-party Game Pass deal that didn't go through as a direct result of July re-budgeting.

But that doesn't mean they're done with Xbox Game Pass deals forever. Indeed, at least one industry publishing figure Stephen DuCrest poured cold water on the rumors earlier, saying it wasn't "remotely true."

Even if some deals had fallen through, I would expect as soon as next week or the week after when Microsoft's next fiscal starts, discussions for funding will immediately resume. The bottom line is simple: Xbox Game Pass needs content in order to operate. With Xbox rumored to be gutting first-party content, I expect it to lean even more into third-party deals, rather than less. But hey, Microsoft works in mysterious ways, as we all know.

Either way, I've reached out to Microsoft and other sources to get some firm clarification, but wanted to share some thoughts ahead of that. I'll update this article soon with more info.

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Xbox mode only rolled out to Windows 11 with the May 2026 Security Update, but the feature already has a name change in the works. The latest Windows Insider build shows "XBOX mode" rather than "Xbox mode."

The change is small, but it reflects the rebrand Microsoft is in the middle of. Earlier this year, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma polled people on X asking if the name of the brand should be Xbox or XBOX. The overwhelming majority preferred the all-caps version, and Microsoft listened to the feedback.

In several places, Microsoft has swapped in the XBOX name. The official XBOX website and XBOX social media handles show the all-caps version. Even the Microsoft Store shows love for capital letters.

Sharma has made more meaningful changes to the XBOX brand since being promoted, but the XBOX rebrand is quite visible. The move aligns XBOX with the original console, which is a clever bit of marketing.

The change was flagged by X user @phantomofearth. Microsoft's release notes for Windows 11 Experimental Build 26300.8758 do not note the new name for XBOX mode.

XBOX mode (and Xbox mode) was originally called "Xbox Fullscreen Experience." Throughout all three names, the concept of the feature has been the same: provide a console-like experience on Windows 11.

When enabled, XBOX mode makes Windows 11 open with a controller-friendly interface that also works well with built-in controllers on gaming handhelds. Microsoft has worked on XBOX mode for a while and overcome some awkward limitations. For example, it's now easier to sign in to Windows 11 when in XBOX mode by using a PIN.

XBOX mode also prioritizes gaming and reduces background tasks on Windows 11. It can free up to 2GB of memory on your PC, according to Microsoft. Considering it's increasingly expensive to get a PC with a lot of memory, freeing up 2GB makes a big difference.

The next generation of Xbox, known currently as Project Helix, is meant to run some form of XBOX mode. Before that device ships, XBOX mode needs more meaningful changes to smooth out the experience. We spent a week with XBOX mode last month and had a mixed experience.

Microsoft is aggressively pushing improvements to Windows 11 through its K2 initiative. Among those upgrades will be a smoother gaming experience. But for now, we can enjoy the unified branding of XBOX mode.

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The 2026 XBOX Games Showcase was undeniably packed with exciting game reveals from AAA studios and independent teams alike, but there was one particular reveal that I can’t stop thinking about. As soon as the large purple text and adorably odd bird-like creatures appeared on screen, I recognized the art style. Everybody’s favorite little purple dragon was back to face a new foe, albeit with a little more of a mature redesign that reflects some of the new gameplay mechanics.

Toys for Bob unveiled Spyro: A Realm Beyond in a flashy cinematic trailer, complete with a tease for our hero’s newest ability — goodbye gliding, hello flight. Spyro can be seen soaring through the air with his new skill: freely flying through the arches of a bridge and collecting orbs in the sky of the beautifully color-saturated world, where the danger of a dark and mysterious big bad lurks above the clouds.

The reveal for Spyro: A Realm Beyond has been nothing shy of successful. The cinematic reveal trailer on the Spyro The Dragon YouTube channel has amassed more than 16 million views in just two weeks. Add yet another million when you combine view counts across the XBOX, Nintendo, and PlayStation channels.

But the successful revival of Spyro almost didn’t happen. Toys for Bob had to return to its independent roots after being targeted for closure by Activision to give its beloved purple dragon his big-boy wings.

The path forged by Toys for Bob — avoiding closure and spinning out to become an independent studio that continues to work in partnership with Activision and XBOX to publish its next game — could prove to be the solution that just might save studios like Ninja Theory and Compulsion Games, which are rumored to be next on the chopping block under new XBOX CEO Asha Sharma’s “reset.”

A notable history that led to a radical plan

Few game studios make it to see their 35th anniversary. With the tumultuous state of the games industry today, that elite club seems even more elusive. But Toys for Bob, originally founded in 1989 and operating as a partnership between founders Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford until the pair incorporated the studio in 2002, has somehow managed to not just see the 35-year mark — it has surpassed that milestone and continues trucking along, creating mesmerizing and meaningful digital worlds for a dedicated fanbase.

However, the Toys for Bob story is one of resilience. In 1990, the studio changed the landscape for science fiction games with the release of Star Control, followed by the 1992 sequel Star Control II with Accolade, Inc. and Crystal Dynamics as its publisher. Toys for Bob continued its partnership with Crystal Dynamics until the early 2000s, when it faced a layoff following the release of Disney’s 102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue.

The studio found a new publisher in Activision and was fully acquired by the publisher in 2005. Activision then merged Toys for Bob with Vivendi Games, which held the rights to the Spyro IP at the time, setting the studio up to launch the Skylanders series and pioneer the toys-to-life game genre. “We had a fantastic, successful partnership over that time,” Toys for Bob studio head Paul Yan said in a recent IGN interview. Toys for Bob’s time with Spyro didn’t end there, as they then released the Spyro Reignited Trilogy in 2018.

After the unbelievably successful launch of Call of Duty: Warzone in March 2020, however, things changed for the studio as Activision began to allocate all of its studio teams to the resource-hungry free-to-play battle royale. Toys for Bob took its place as part of the dozen-plus studio machine that was fueling Call of Duty in addition to providing support for Overwatch 2 and other Activision properties.

“Toys for Bob stepped up to support those initiatives, and those teams, and those games. We’re very proud of the work that we did, but deep down inside, we knew it wasn’t the right fit. We were getting away from the types of games that we love to make and that we’re best known for doing,” said Yan.

Activision was then acquired by Microsoft in 2022. Despite statements by then Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer on the potential for studios to revive past IPs, Toys for Bob still found its studio offices closed down amid massive layoffs that affected 1900 jobs across Microsoft’s workforce in January of 2024. Just four months later, Toys for Bob successfully spun off from Activision and regained its independence.

How to save a game development studio the Toys for Bob way

Toys for Bob’s plan was unprecedented. Buy back its independence. Take back creative, financial, and organizational control. And preserve its tenured team. For the plan to succeed, it hinged on the past success of Spyro. The team pitched a new Spyro title, published by Activision and XBOX with plans to drop day one on XBOX Game Pass, to secure its future. Two years after going independent, the Spyro: A Realm Beyond trailer showing up during the XBOX Showcase feels like a step in the right direction for a radical plan at independence paying off.

The more things change, however, the more they stay the same. XBOX has a new CEO with fresh eyes for the future of the company, but rising hardware prices and ballooning development costs are cutting into the bottom line. We’re told a ‘hard reset’ is on the horizon. Microsoft-owned studios like Ninja Theory and Compulsion Games are the new sacrificial lambs sitting on the proverbial chopping block, despite a strong showing for Senua at the 2026 XBOX showcase and South of Midnight’s ongoing award-pick-up spree.

Studio closures are a scourge on the gaming industry. Studios are often formed from teams that come together organically to bring life to a creative vision, and then those studios are scooped up by publishers who promise financial security. Then, when the tides of a fickle industry shift, the studio is shuttered, and creative talent that was being fostered finds itself fractured between other studios, where the cycle starts again. That’s without taking into consideration the talent that simply leaves the games industry altogether.

Spyro: A Realm Beyond was more than just a game announcement. It felt like a victory lap for independent game development and a survival plan for how studios could keep things together even in the face of closure.

Should Asha Sharma consider taking any pages from Phil Spencer’s playbook as CEO, I hope it’s the one that saw fit to accept Toys for Bob’s independence plan so that we can continue to see studios in danger of closure have a chance to stand on their own and create what they love. When studios like Toys for Bob have the opportunity to return to their independent roots and keep creative teams together rather than just finding locks on the studio doors, consumers win.

With any luck, the radical plan that let Toys for Bob become an indie studio with creative control can serve as a roadmap for studios like Ninja Theory and Compulsion Games if the rumors of their impending closures turn true. If there's anything the games industry can use right now, it's radical plans for independence that pay off.

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If, by some miracle, you've been living on the moon in a soundproof dome for the last six months, you may not have noticed that gaming hardware has grown extremely expensive, making the hobby a mostly miserable affair for all involved. We first called it the RAM crisis, but the sad reality is that it's now spilling over into storage, and experts are predicting a grim future.

It's shredding PC gaming, as Valve's much-anticipated Steam Machine launched at over $1,000 for its cheapest model — a higher price than most might have expected — with its creators explaining that it "reflects the state of the world". Consumers are flanked at every turn, as anyone planning to buy older generations of memory sees that DDR4 and even DDR3 prices are going up.

It's easy to point fingers at Microsoft, given its undeniable, if somewhat retracted, obsession with AI, whether that's Copilot in Windows or an implementation across its Azure cloud stack. And let's be honest, it's not without irony that XBOX CEO Asha Sharma said that "gaming is becoming unaffordable" just before the brand announced a price increase on its consoles.

Sure enough, Xbox's Matthew Ball agrees that "crisis is the right term", and the effects of expensive RAM will undoubtedly be felt in the lead-up to its next-gen Project Helix console — which supposedly behaves more like a gaming PC — and who knows what its launch price might look like (over a thousand dollars?) In fact, hardware pivots are already appearing in Microsoft's PC hardware, as the Surface Laptop returns with 8GB of RAM to keep costs down.

I know, I'm hardly a beacon of good news or hopeful visions of the future, but this AI bubble will presumably break at some point, and it's good to take stock of what options we actually have. The usual midsummer onslaught of sales events brought some relief with retailer discounts, and pre-built gaming PCs maintain a hint of value throughout. Still, prospective buyers will have to brace for an inevitable sting if they plan to grab something later this year (or into 2027).

If you're interested in console gaming, you're looking at a minimum of $749.99 for a digital Xbox Series X — that's the one without a disc drive — or $499.99 for a similarly discless (and less powerful) Xbox Series S. On Sony's side, a PS5 Pro is now $899.99, or at least $599.99 for a digital base PS5. That's without any games, by the way, and Grand Theft Auto VI recently confirmed a $99 price tag for a code of its Ultimate Edition with all in-game content intact.

Gamers at large are already expected to spend close to $1,000 just to get started. The entire situation is absurd and unfair, but it puts the price of handhelds like MSI's $1,799 Claw 8 EX AI+ into perspective; that's just how much this kind of ultra-enthusiast hardware costs now. The whole thing reminds me of a bygone era of crypto mining that drove up GPU prices, but this time, it's bigger and even more insulting.

So, what are you supposed to do? You can penny-pinch your way through buying discounted and second-hand hardware, or you can submit to a future of subscription-based gaming streamed from the cloud. If you don't already own an Xbox, I'd suggest picking one up before the price increase happens in August, but that's about all you can do. Stay strong, gamers.

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Amongst what feels like a deluge of bad news for Xbox right now, from console price rises (again) and threatened studio closures, it seems GTA 6 preorder sales data has become the next battleground for which fans and publications are using to stick the knife in. There’s a particular social media post right now being shared from IGN stating that, based on their affiliate data, PlayStation is outperforming Xbox on GTA 6 preorders by a rate of 8-to-1.

Windows Central can confirm that we’ve received a statement from an Xbox spokesperson on this matter: “This doesn’t represent pre-order data. We’ve had record orders. People should wait for real data and not clicks on affiliate links."

Why affiliate data isn’t reliable on its own

We’re living in an era where social media narratives often outpace verified market reality, and to be clear, IGN does state in the quote that it's based on their own community data. But it’s worth noting that while it is likely true that PlayStation is receiving more orders based on their console share of the market, nobody actually knows the concrete sales data yet, and relying on affiliate linking programs from one website to draw broad conclusions about the state of affairs is a shaky tactic.

But it IS one that’s gathering traction as it’s being amplified by reports such as this one from Vice, and it’s gathering significant engagement. Engagement that will no doubt have reached the general public outside of the gaming sphere, too, as it's being shared around on Instagram, X, and other platforms.

Affiliate programs track user traffic and clicks directed through specific retail links. Such data inherently reflects the specific demographics, regional biases, and shopping habits of a single publication's readership rather than being a mirror for total industry performance. Treating click-through metrics as a proxy for platform health risks spreading misinformation, as can be seen in the current cycle regarding Grand Theft Auto 6 preorders.

(Speaking of which, we have our own list of links for pre-ordering Rockstar’s highly anticipated game, so go check that out. Girl's gotta plug!)

RELATED: Everywhere you can buy GTA 6

An unquestionably rocky time for Xbox

The discourse right now is occurring against the backdrop of an incredibly volatile console market. There’s a perfect storm of economic pressures, including the significant price hikes taking effect on August 1, 2026, on Xbox consoles, driven by the global crisis in memory and storage component supply.

On a personal note, I’ve wondered why Xbox, during the week of GTA 6 preorders, would choose this moment to announce price increases. GTA 6 is the final major catalyst that will push many remaining Xbox One and PS4 users to the current generation, and both Microsoft and Sony should be utilizing this to their full advantage. While Sony will likely announce its own price increases, waiting until after GTA 6 has launched could be a savvy move to maintain goodwill with the general gaming public, letting Xbox take the brunt of the frustration during a critical sales window for both platforms.

However, by announcing these hikes in advance, could Xbox have actually secured a surge of panic orders during Amazon Prime Week? If we were to look at our own affiliate data, we saw significant click-through rates on discounted Xbox Series X units at Walmart and Target. But for the reasons I have already mentioned, to base a market analysis on that would be biased reporting. Our audience, which is already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, is naturally drawn to deals on Xbox hardware; that doesn't necessarily reflect the wider gaming community, does it?

RELATED: Cheapest way to get GTA 6 on both Xbox and PS5

It’s more important than ever right now for the gaming community to distinguish between anecdotal affiliate traffic and concrete commercial data. As our Xbox contact noted, waiting for official comprehensive sales reports is the only way to gauge the true state of the market. Until then, statistics derived from click-based affiliate programs should be viewed for what they are: a measurement of a specific website's outgoing traffic, not a reflection of the global gaming state of affairs.

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If there ever was a golden age of cheap memory and storage, I'm sorry to tell you that it's over.

The 2TB NVMe SSD you bought early last year? It now costs three times what you paid. The 32GB kit of DDR5 RAM that was $90 last summer? It's now somewhere between $300 and $500, if you can find it for sale at all.

The effects of the RAM crisis are being felt downstream in tech markets everywhere. Xbox just announced this week another console price hike. Apple announced it's raising prices of its MacBooks. Microsoft recently raised the prices of its Surface PCs. The Steam Machine is making its debut at $1,049. I could go on and on.

The worst part of this whole RAMpocalypse? No one really knows when it's going to end.

Why are memory and storages prices still going up?

So what happened? AI happened. The way the world's memory market is set up relies on three major companies to supply everyone else with DRAM for consumer memory and storage.

Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron realized early on in the AI boom that they could make a whole lot more money by moving away from consumer memory and into high-bandwidth memory (HBM) that's used in AI datacenters.

Profit margins are enormous on the other side, and I really don't find it surprising that these massive corporations made the shift, as companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have essentially offered blank checks to buy up as much memory as possible.

The fallout of these moves by the three big memory manufacturers, of course, is a strangulation of the consumer memory market. And this isn't a typical supply crunch like we've seen in the past that can be remedied by a new manufacturing plant coming online.

This time around, the memory crisis is a reallocation of the world's DRAM manufacturing capabilities, and there's no real end in sight.

I don't think RAM and SSD prices will drop anytime soon

I'm not expecting to see tech prices drop anytime soon, and you don't have to take my word for it.

Counterpoint Research confirmed in February that memory prices rose in Q1 2026 by 80% to 90% compared to Q4 2025. Late last year, Kingston noted that it had seen a 246% increase in NAND wafer pricing compared to the start of 2025, the steepest ever in the company's 29-year history.

In February 2026, Gartner released findings suggesting that, by the end of 2026, DRAM and SSD prices could surge by 130% compared to 2025, which could raise PC prices by 17%. I believe we're already seeing that estimation come into play, and this same study predicts that global PC shipments could fall by 10.4% this year.

It gets worse. Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra signaled earlier this year that the RAM crisis would continue beyond 2026. This week, Micron announced that most of its DRAM has been bought up via long-term contracts through 2030, and that there's almost certainly no end to the crisis.

SK hynix, another one of the three big DRAM players, stated in 2025 that its HBM, DRAM, and NAND manufacturing capacity is sold out through 2026.

OK, I know that's a lot of numbers, but I'm trying to drive the point home: the RAM and SSD crisis isn't likely to end in 2026. It probably won't end in 2027, either. 2028 could be our lucky year, but that's relatively far into the future and harder to predict.

The problem is compounded by the fact that it takes a very long time to create new fabrication plants, not to mention the billions of dollars required to get the project going.

Micron is building a new fab plant in Idaho, for example, but it's not likely to begin producing anything meaningful until the end of 2027. Keep in mind that this is the same company that axed its entire consumer RAM and SSD portfolio in 2025 to focus on AI clients.

Samsung and SK hynix, meanwhile, are focusing on raising production in their existing plants, as new fabs won't be ready until the late 2020s.

Most of the analyst forecasts I've read rightfully point to some relief coming no earlier than late 2027, and I'm not talking about 2024-era prices. If those prices ever return, it will be at the end of a long, slow decline as the market levels out.

If memory prices drop, will PC prices also fall?

I certainly enjoy entertaining more conspiratorial ideas, and the one question that I don't think enough people are asking is about PC prices after memory and storage markets return to normalcy.

Will the laptops, PC components, consoles, tablets, and other affected tech products drop in price once RAM and storage markets return to normal?

If I'm being optimistic, then yes, I do believe that a correction in component costs would also lead to a correction in PC and console pricing. History suggests that this isn't out of the ordinary. There was a glut of memory and storage in 2023 and 2024, and I recall consumer prices did soften a bit.

However, I don't think 2026/2027/2028 is at all the same as years gone by. PC makers are expecting to see a major hit in worldwide PC shipments in 2026. As mentioned, Gartner predicts a 10.4% decline. IDC research points to an 11.3% decline.

The twist is that by raising prices for consumers, the PC market is still expected to grow by hundreds of billions of dollars in the coming years.

This is what I find particularly frightening. If the volume of sales drops but profits keep growing, is there really any financial pressure that will make PC makers drop prices?

I don't think most PC makers will care that entry-level buyers are priced out of the market when enthusiasts and enterprise customers continue to shovel money their way. Why bother with discount laptops at thin margins?

👉 Conspiracy theory or apt prediction? — The AI-fueled hardware shortage will kill local PCs, paving the way for subscription-based cloud computing

Gartner believes the sub-$500 laptop market will completely disappear by 2028, and I'd say we're already well on our way. Will that market recover when RAM and SSD prices return to normal? Hard to say.

I can reference the GPU price spikes from a few years ago during the crypto boom and pandemic shortages. GPU prices went up, the market leveled off, and GPU prices came back down. But they didn't go all the way back down, resetting at a higher baseline than before.

Consumers had become used to paying inflated GPU prices, and there was really no incentive to drop prices back to 2019 levels. I think the same logic applies to the PC market.

The Chinese wildcard could save us all

Competition is likely the only thing that can save us, barring a collapse of the AI boom and a bursting of the market bubble.

Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron currently control about 90% of the world's DRAM production, which makes it painfully easy to coordinate pricing. I'm not saying it's explicit collusion, but it's certainly something.

The best chance of breaking up this oligopoly comes from China. Companies like YMTC and CXMT have been steadily growing their share of the NAND market with newfound production and new fabs.

If these competitors can indeed scale up production and get their products out to international buyers, I don't see how that wouldn't disrupt the oligopoly. It's not exactly smooth sailing for China's manufacturers, though, as issues with exports, access to advanced equipment, and geopolitical concerns are all hurdles they must pass.

What does this mean for you and your next PC?

Gartner expects PC lifetime for regular consumers to increase by 20% by the end of this year. The cheap PC upgrade cycle has all but come to an end.

When new DRAM factories do come online, I expect them to serve AI customers first. Consumers will get the scraps, just like they are currently. Chinese DRAM makers might enter the international market and force prices to fall, but I doubt by enough to make a serious impact.

👉 Best Windows laptop in 2026

If you're waiting for the RAM crisis to be over before you buy your next device, I have some bad news. The most optimistic predictions put easing as early as late 2027 or 2028, while the most pessimistic push the dates into the 2030s.

Should you need a new PC now, I recommend buying one that will last for years to come. What some thought was a brief blip on the PC market's graph has some serious staying power. What it will look like, if it ever returns to normal, is anyone's guess.

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Earlier this week I wrote about the marketplace scandal rearing its head in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. Fast forward a few days and we have action.

It's all centered around a single vendor, Mscenery, who is – there's no other word for it – scamming people. Poor quality work riddled with issues, AI imagery, and highly suspicious ratings are all on the table.

After the issue was receiving significant attention online, Microsoft has provided an update, and it's good news; Mscenery is being given the old heave-ho. The Microsoft Flight Simulator Community Manager has posted the following message on the official forums.

We want to share an important update regarding content available in the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024 in-game Marketplaces.

Over time, we have received a significant amount of feedback from the community regarding products developed by Mscenery. After receiving a large number of complaints about the 1) low quality of Mscenery content, 2) lacking information in product descriptions and misleading images and 3) validity of high user scores, we have made the decision to stop offering Mscenery content for sale in the Marketplace, effective immediately.

For customers who have already purchased Mscenery products, please be assured that your existing purchases will remain accessible and usable as usual. This change only affects new sales of their content within the Marketplace.

We greatly value the feedback and engagement from the flight simulation community, and decisions like this are not made lightly. Your input continues to play a critical role in helping us maintain a high-quality and trusted Marketplace experience for all simmers.

Thank you for your continued support and for helping us improve Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Sincerely,
The Microsoft Flight Simulator Team

In this instance, it's a win for the community, and the marketplace will look immediately a little better. What we need to see going forward, though, are processes to ensure it doesn't happen again.

This message, while one Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 fans will be ecstatic to hear, doesn't talk about what may or may not happen on this front. But one step at a time – the scammer is gone.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

On Thursday morning, bad news that many were fearing unfortunately came to pass, with Destiny 2 and Marathon developer Bungie hit by major layoffs from PlayStation maker Sony, its publisher.

The cuts have affected "a significant number of employees, including most of the Destiny team and some Marathon team members." Additionally, it's been confirmed that some Sony workers that assist Bungie have been impacted by the workforce reductions as well.

Though the layoffs were, sadly, somewhat expected — Bungie announced the end of Destiny 2's live-service development last month, and it was recently reported that the developer would soon be struck with "significant" cuts — they're no less devastating for the studio's staff, and represent a large cutback of its resources from Sony.

Notably, separate from Sony CEO Hermen Hulst's memo to his employees on the matter, Bungie itself has also publicly shared a letter about the news to its fans and staff members, both former and current. I've embedded the post below, and the text of the letter has been included below that:

With great sadness, we are announcing a reduction in force as we reorganize Bungie.

As the leaders of Bungie, past and present, we recognize Destiny 2 fell short of expectations these past several years. Following our final content update to Destiny 2, and with our future projects still in early incubation, we unfortunately could not continue operating at our previous size.

We know this decision has a profound impact on the people affected, their families, friends, and teammates. While these changes are necessary to best position the studio now and for the future, that does not lessen the difficulty of this moment or the impact it has on those affected.

Later, we will share more about that future with you all but today is not that day.

Today, we wish to extend our gratitude and compassion to every member of the Bungie team who has been impacted and to those who remain.

We hope you will do the same.

— Bungie

This is the third and largest wave of layoffs that Bungie has faced after being acquired by Sony in 2022, with the studio also hit in October 2023 as well as in July 2024. At the time, 155 employees were shifted from the developer's workforce to Sony's as well.

The letter directly references Destiny 2's gradual decline throughout the last several years, which is all but assured to be the primary reason for the cuts we've seen. It's worth noting that recently, former Bungie and Destiny 2 community manager Liana Ruppert asserted that "A lot of money didn't go into Destiny" due to leadership "greed," leading to a lack of valuable resources for the game's development.

She then reported the lack of adequate funding became so severe that the merger between Bungie and Sony was done as an "emergency acquisition," and that if the PlayStation publisher hadn't absorbed the studio, it would have been "very close to shutting its doors."

We may never know the exact truth of what's happened at Bungie, but one thing is clear: the studio's last few years have been quite tumultuous, and sadly, its employees have suffered as a consequence.

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If you've had your sights set on a new Xbox console, I strongly recommend you get one as soon as possible, because in just over a month, they're about to get much, much pricier.

On Thursday afternoon this week, Microsoft announced that its Xbox Series X|S consoles are getting a price hike come August 1, and this one is steep. Specifically, the cost of all 512GB models of these systems is climbing by $100, while 1TB units are skyrocketing an eye-watering $150. Microsoft is also sunsetting its 2TB Xbox Series X entirely.

I've included what the MSRP of Xbox Series X|S consoles will be after these price increases go into effect in the table below:

As you can see, we'll soon be living in a sobering reality in which the Xbox Series S — once heralded by many as an affordable and low-cost option for enjoying modern gaming on a budget — costs as much as the Xbox Series X did at launch, and in which the Series X has hit the $800 mark. Awful.

It's important to note that these price hikes are coming after Microsoft and Xbox already rose the cost of its consoles twice last year, with one increase in Spring 2025 and another that came in October.

Tariffs were largely responsible for those, though this time around, the ongoing RAM and storage crisis that's being perpetuated by the tech industry's all-in bet on AI is to blame.

AI's insatiable hunger for silicon has brought on severe worldwide memory and storage shortages, driving up component costs and making just about every electronic device on the market more expensive as a result. Tragically, the problem is projected to get even worse next year, which may mean additional price hikes are on the horizon.

"Unfortunately, console storage and memory prices have increased by more than 2.5x and we expect another doubling by the fall of 2027," Xbox lamented in its notice about new prices. "The entire consumer electronics industry is struggling with the current components crisis, but the effects are particularly hard on consoles. Unlike phones, computers, speakers, and other consumer devices, consoles are typically not sold at a profit, but instead for less than they cost to make."

Ironically, these price increases come mere days after Xbox CEO Asha Sharma made a point of discussing the fact that "gaming is unaffordable in many cases" and highlighting that that's a serious problem. Granted, Microsoft isn't in control of what's going on in the industry...though, it's certainly contributed to it majorly with its own pushes for AI.

It's also worth noting that Sharma believes contending with memory shortages is Xbox's next big "challenge and opportunity"; making "affordable products during that time" is her goal, though evidently, things are getting worse before they get better.

How do you feel about the latest round of Xbox console cost increases? Do you believe the Xbox Series X|S is still worth getting at their new prices? Let me know, and be sure to check out the incredible Prime Day deal on the Series X I've included below. It's a killer chance to get one for less before August.

Original article: Just over a week after it was reported that Bungie — the developer of the 2017 live-service shooter Destiny 2 and this year's extraction shooter Marathon — would soon face "significant" layoffs, major cuts at the studio have now come, having been announced by Sony CEO Hermen Hulst.

Hulst revealed the news in a letter to Sony employees that was also published publicly, writing that the layoffs have impacted "a significant number of employees, including most of the Destiny team and some Marathon team members." Sony teams tasked with supporting Bungie have also been affected.

He went on to explain that "This decision was made only after extensive discussion and careful consideration," and that Sony worked with Bungie's leadership to evaluate its long-term plans, resource demands, and place within the PlayStation portfolio "before concluding that a reduction was necessary to align the studio’s resources with its current priorities and long-term goals."

"What Bungie has accomplished with Destiny over the past decade has been truly remarkable," Hulst wrote, of the space fantasy looter shooter's legacy. "The franchise has left a lasting mark on players and the industry, and everyone who contributed to its success should be proud of what they helped create."

He also made a point of mentioning that "Marathon remains an important part of our portfolio, and we will continue to support the team as they build on the strong foundation established in Season 1 and 2, and as they work on incubation efforts for future projects." Though the sci-fi extraction shooter reboot hasn't been a massive hit for Bungie and PlayStation, it does have a passionate and dedicated community of players.

"Our immediate priority is supporting affected employees through this transition. We are providing transition support and, where possible, working to identify opportunities across SIE and our global network of studios," Hulst continued.

"I want to sincerely thank every affected employee for their hard work, creativity, and contributions to Bungie, SIE, and the broader gaming community," he added. "I know today’s news is deeply difficult not only for those leaving, but for those colleagues and friends that remain. Please take the time you need to process this news and support one another."

These cuts come a month after Bungie announced the end of Destiny 2 development would come with its final Monument of Triumph content update on June 9, capping the title's nine-year lifespan. Though fans passionately rallied to try and save the game and get a Destiny 3 greenlit, there's been no sign that they've influenced Sony's plans.

In the weeks that followed, ex-Bungie community manager Liana Ruppert took to social media to claim that "A lot of money didn't go into Destiny" due to leadership "greed," leading to funding issues for the game. It also came to light that Sony's $3.6 billion merger with Bungie in 2022 was also reportedly an "emergency acquisition" that was necessary to keep the studio afloat.

Ultimately, after everything that's happened and come out in the last several weeks, I had a bad feeling that these steep layoffs were inevitable — and now that they've come down, I can't help but be very worried about Bungie's future as a developer. I also want to extend my best wishes to everyone affected at Sony and Bungie. I hope you're able to find new success in the industry or elsewhere as soon as you can.

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The video game industry is no stranger to heartbreaking news, and the latest round of cuts at Microsoft-owned studios is yet another continuation of that. They say people begin to become numb to certain sensations, and it seems we’ve reached a point where my own emotions are beginning to gloss over from this repeated news cycle.

On June 25, 2026, gaming reporter Rebs Gaming shared the latest update on X, stating that layoffs had started at Compulsion Games, the team responsible for developing South of Midnight. We knew this was coming, and in effect, many hoped for potential buyouts of these studios so they could continue their work and livelihood under the direction of another publisher.

Compulsions Games were known for their distinctive flavor, with titles such as We Happy Few, South of Midnight, and a personal favorite of mine, Contrast. A film noir-inspired platform puzzle game, Contrast was a perfect encapsulation of the work you could expect from Compulsion Games.

These reductions form a larger shift within Microsoft’s gaming division, as Asha Sharma looks to “right the ship” of the declining Xbox brand. As both budgets and studios within the group have ballooned beyond a reasonable amount, measures are being taken to reduce the issues before an even greater collapse were to occur.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not defending this whatsoever. Quite a while back, I remember writing another article about the closure of Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, where I mentioned that Microsoft shouldn’t be buying companies it couldn’t afford.

One can hope that these layoffs don’t lead to the total closure of Compulsion Games. One can hope their uniqueness is better directed toward games like their earlier entries, such as Contrast, rather than more extensive, less budget-friendly ventures.

Responses to the news have varied. Some fans lament the loss of potential sequels or new ideas from a studio known for taking creative risks. Others argue that such adjustments are essential for long-term viability, especially when resources need reallocating toward projects with broader appeal.

What saddens me is that, regardless of the current need to do so, it seems to me these decisions are still a reflection of the direction Xbox had previously taken. Sure, Phil Spencer is no longer at the helm, but folks like Matt Booty are still present who oversaw previous operations.

To make matters worse, more are still to come, with discussions ongoing amongst a group of studios at Xbox. Ninja Theory, Double Fine, and more are all under the strain of potential closure or layoffs within their walls. We previously heard that Ninja Theory is completely done, with Senua’s reveal being a last-ditch effort to give the studio a fighting chance to be purchased.

Regardless, here’s to hoping the future of these studios is met with a gentle hand, one that will guide them into the light rather than shuttering them forever.

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Amazon Prime Day is here, and like always, we have some of the best deals out there highlighted for you. To add a little flair to it, I am someone who very rarely posts about deals. It’s not my jam, but when I do, you can bet it’s about something I think is a real deal!

Introducing the Turtle Beach Velocity One Racing Wheel and Pedal System. One of the best setups I’ve laid my hands on and reviewed in 2024 is now on sale for an absolutely crazy price. Not only that, but its sister system is also on sale, the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race KD3.

Originally priced at $650, the VelocityOne Race Wheel & Pedal System is now just $399, an absolute steal when compared to plug-and-play systems like the Logitech G923. Then, the KD3 wheel, which starts at an even lower original price of $449, is at a crushingly low price of $237!

These deals are absolutely crazy

These are insane deals coming from my favorite new racing wheel creator, Turtle Beach. It still feels weird seeing them make something that isn’t a headset, but it's always amazing to see new entrants into the simulation space.

While I didn’t entirely recommend the VelocityOne system at the $650 price point, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that $399 would make this a ten out of ten deal. You'll get a 7.2nm base with a side control unit that delivers over a dozen different buttons and switches. Alongside a triple-pedal setup, perfect for manual/clutch racers.

Then, there's the $237 for the KD3 system, which is even more shocking. Completely undercutting the half-decade-old Logitech G923, which is also on sale, it’s $25 less than its main competitor!

With a slimmer look and a slightly reduced feedback system, the KD3 wheel and base are phenomenal for the price. With two pedals rather than three, those looking to skip the clutch and have a more realistic, but still casual racing experience will absolutely love this setup.

Whether you’re looking for a cheaper, higher-end setup or something cheaper than the old price of the Xbox Series S, look no further than the Turtle Beach Racing Wheel family. And while you’re at it, pick up Forza Horizon 6 too, you’ll thank me later!

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One of this week's bigger stories in the world of Xbox was the platform's new CEO Asha Sharma stating that "gaming is unaffordable in many cases" in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly.

Though it was hardly the main focus of the interview — most of it was centered around Microsoft's current and upcoming multimedia projects like the Fallout TV show, Netflix's work-in-progress Gears of War series, and a newly announced Sea of Thieves movie — the comment does stick out at a time when the cost of gaming is rapidly becoming a hotter and hotter topic.

We were curious to hear how you, our readers, feel on the matter, and so when we reported on Sharma's statement, we included a poll about it in our article in which many of you voted to voice your opinion. It remains ongoing, and I'll embed it below, but even now, the way our community feels has been made clear by the votes we've tallied up thus far.

At the time of writing, of the 228 of you that have participated in the poll, a whopping 151 gamers — 66% — believe that the cost of gaming is getting out of control. 28% of you, a count of 63, think it's a growing problem but that affordable options still exist, while the remaining minority think gaming isn't unreasonably expensive.

It's clear that the vast majority of you feel that gaming has become partially or completely unaffordable, and honestly? I'm not surprised.

In fact, I'm right there with you; between the ongoing RAM and storage crisis brought on by the tech industry going all in on AI and rising development costs leading to higher game prices (GTA 6 is $80, by the way), the cost of both new games and the hardware to play them on is becoming untenable.

Just look at the Steam Machine and the Steam Deck; the former costs over $1,000 no matter which version of it you want, and the latter got a brutal price hike last month that's made it a significantly less attractive option for portable gaming.

Sharma made a good point that memory shortages aren't the only culprit, and that "the attention economy and competing subscriptions" in other entertainment mediums like film and TV have made it harder for many to afford games and gaming devices too.

With that said, though, it's undeniable that the AI-driven hardware crisis is largely responsible for what we're seeing, which is why Sharma considers navigating it Xbox's next big "challenge and opportunity." In your responses to Sharma's comments over on our subreddit, though, many of you have rightfully pointed out that Microsoft itself has massively contributed to this problem with its own push for AI.

"Wonder who's fault that is? 🤔," wrote one reader, reacting to Sharma's statement about the price of gaming in 2026. "Well, of course gaming is becoming unaffordable at the moment. No s***, Sherlock. The call is coming from inside the house," said another.

"'Gaming is becoming unaffordable' says CEO of a company making gaming unaffordable," added another, hammering home the point as another of you did: "Yeah. Maybe she should talk to her boss about that."

Like many of you, I too believe that Microsoft has effectively stepped on a rake as it continues to invest in AI through initiatives like its partnership with OpenAI, sabotaging the game and tech industry alongside other big-name AI developers even as its AI products fail to move the needle and AI in general still lacks a clear road to any kind of stable profitability.

Put simply, gaming has become unaffordable — and quite a bit of the blame for that frustrating truth lies on Microsoft's shoulders.

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Throughout the last several months, Microsoft and Xbox have made a wide range of improvements to the platform on consoles and PC, including an overhaul to the Achievements system, visual updates for its user interface, and the introduction of more customization options, among other things.

Now, in the latest Xbox update — available now for Xbox Insiders in the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring of the Xbox Insider Program, and hopefully soon to all — Microsoft has further elevated the Xbox user experience with a few major feature enhancements and additions.

The first and arguably most exciting part of the update is a change for Xbox gamertags that expands their character limit from 12 to 15. Provided you create a gamertag that's both unique and doesn't contain non-Latin characters, you can take advantage of this. Non-unique gamertags will still have a 12-character limit, and will be assigned a random numerical suffix.

"This update applies to gamertags that are unique and available, giving you more room to create a gamertag that feels like you," reads Microsoft's blog post.

Xbox 360 games playable through the Xbox Backwards Compatibility feature have also been updated so that they have game hubs within their game cards in the Xbox UI. These allow you to "quickly view achievement progress, captures, and other useful information," and give these titles parity with Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S games in the Xbox Dashboard.

Another big addition for Xbox Game Pass subscribers specifically is the ability to play a game through Xbox Cloud Gaming while you're updating it. This allows you to circumvent the time you'd normally have to spend waiting for an update to finish entirely, and jump right in while one downloads in the background. Do note that this feature will only work with games that support play through streaming.

Finally, you now also have the ability to add games to your wishlist directly from game cards, making it quick and easy to bookmark a title you're interested in when you come across it on the Xbox Dashboard. This works with "both released and upcoming games," notably.

All in all, I think these are some excellent improvements to the Xbox platform, and continue the streak of speedy updates that have come after Xbox's new CEO Asha Sharma stepped into the position earlier this year.

They also come about a month and a half after Sharma vowed to deliver new Xbox updates every two weeks, admitting that "We have to sweat every single detail" and announcing that one of her core goals this year would be to "fix the fundamentals on console and PC."

That objective is part of a wider plan to make Xbox "where the world plays," and coincides with an ongoing 100-day "reset" of the brand. Sadly, it's been reported that this reorganization will likely bring layoffs as well as a variety of studio closures and/or divestments, but one silver lining is that the Xbox user experience has been getting quite a lot better.

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I'm a huge fan of many "Soulslike" action RPGs that draw heavy inspiration from FromSoftware hits like Elden Ring and the Dark Souls series, though ultimately, I feel many of them lack the refinement and polish of the studio's work.

With that said, there are titles such as Lies of P and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty that compare, and notably, both of them are available on Xbox Game Pass. Another Game Pass Soulslike that quickly became a favorite of mine is the 2023 Lords of the Fallen reboot, and I've very much been looking forward to its sequel that was announced in 2024.

Lords of the Fallen 2 was originally scheduled to launch in 2026, but developer CI Games has just announced that it's delaying the dark fantasy ARPG into Q1 2027. Given how excited I am for the game, I was quite disappointed to see this at first, but after reading the studio's reasoning, I actually don't mind the extra wait at all.

"Lords of the Fallen II is now set for a Q1 2027 release window. As development progresses, we have worked closely with the Gameplay Feedback Team, a dedicated group of seasoned Souls-like veterans within our Launch Creative Team," writes CI Games CEO Marek Tyminski. "Their valuable ongoing input, combined with the team’s vision, has identified meaningful opportunities to further refine and strengthen the overall experience."

"These enhancements will benefit from additional integration, iteration, and polishing time, enabling the team to deliver the highest possible quality at launch," he added.

Tyminski then went on to note that moving the release date back also gives Lords of the Fallen some breathing room, as plenty of big games are set to come out on the tail end of 2026. One that will no doubt come to mind for pretty much everyone is GTA 6, which is expected to have a launch so massive that the entire industry is shifting release schedules around it.

"This updated release window also strategically positions Lords of the Fallen II outside of a highly competitive holiday period, ensuring the game receives the dedicated attention it deserves," he said.

He then promised fans that "The team remains fully energized by the strong response to our recent reveals and is deeply focused on delivering a standout dark fantasy action RPG and a worthy successor to the Lords of the Fallen franchise."

"We are grateful for the continued passion, feedback, and support from our community, and we look forward to sharing more updates in the coming months," Tyminski added.

So, ultimately, Lords of the Fallen 2 is being pushed back for continued gameplay refinements and to give it a better chance to perform well — both of which will hopefully result in a more enjoyable and successful experience. For that, I hardly mind waiting a few more months, though after seeing how good the game looks in trailers like the one I embedded above, I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish I could get my hands on it sooner.

What are your thoughts on how Lords of the Fallen 2 is looking? Let me know in the comments, and in our poll.

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With GTA 6 pre-orders going live at midnight tonight, the pressure is on to ensure your hardware is up to the task, especially since the title is exclusive to current-gen consoles. If you haven't upgraded yet, Amazon Prime week Day is the perfect time to secure an Xbox Series X.

I'm not going to pretend that the current deal sets the gaming world alight, but it does bring us closer to an actually reasonable price for Xbox's flagship console. This is currently the only active deal for the Series X. You can pick it up for $573 at Walmart (not AMAZON), saving you $76.99 just in time for the GTA 6 launch.

The Xbox Series X 1TB will be the best place to play GTA 6

The Xbox Series X remains the gold standard for Xbox gaming, and will be the best place to experience GTA 6 (if you don't want to fork out PS5 Pro prices, that is). With a custom 8-core Zen 2 CPU and 12 teraflops of RDNA 2 GPU power, it is built to handle the heavy lifting that Rockstar’s latest beast of a game will demand.

Plus, unlike Valve’s catastrophically expensive new Steam Machine, which doesn’t even include a controller, the Series X arrives ready to play right out of the box.

This deal is mostly for those who have been waiting for the right moment to retire an aging Xbox One X or Series S. This console generation has been a rocky one, with prices being hiked upward rather than dropping as the hardware ages, so we always knew steep discounts were off the table. However, if you are looking to upgrade without heading to the second-hand market, this is the most sensible way to do it.

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One of this year's biggest new games for Microsoft and Xbox is Halo: Campaign Evolved — a full-fledged remake of the first game, 2001's Halo: Combat Evolved, that features new gameplay additions, expanded replayability, and an Unreal Engine 5-powered graphical makeover.

It's headed to Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5 late next month, with Xbox confirming its long-rumored release date of July 28 during the Xbox Games Showcase. Notably, you can jump in on July 23, five days early, if you purchase the Premium Edition; I imagine that's incentivized many players to preorder, leading to the game climbing the Steam sales chart.

Now that the Halo remake is just over a month away from its full launch, something PC players in particular have been wanting to know is what the game's system requirements and recommended specs are.

Thankfully, they've now been announced by Xbox and developer Halo Studios, and I've included them in the below image and table for your convenience:

All in all, for an Unreal Engine 5 title that's aiming to deliver peak visual fidelity, Halo: Campaign Evolved's CPU, GPU, and VRAM requirements aren't too bad at all. Targeting a 1440p / 4K resolution with 60 FPS and Medium or High settings can be done with hardware that's five to six years old, which is likely what many gaming rigs are equipped with.

The memory and storage requirements, though, are a bit harsher. Demanding 16GB of memory for the lower quality levels at 1080p and 1440p is fine — most players have that much — but the requirement for 32GB if you want to push higher is a little debilitating, especially during the ongoing RAM crisis.

Campaign Evolved requires a steep 100GB of SSD space, too, which is quite a lot for a campaign-only FPS game. You'll need to uninstall a game or two if your gaming hard drive doesn't have triple-digit room available.

Something worth noting is that it's unclear if these requirements were determined with or without performance-enhancing technologies like Super Resolution and Frame Generation factored in. What we do know, though, is that Campaign Evolved supports their use, alongside things like NVIDIA Reflex and other anti-latency tools. These will make taking advantage of the game's uncapped framerate easier.

Ultimately, the 100GB requirement aside? I'd say it sounds like the Halo remake has been optimized fairly well, and should run well on most PCs with optimal settings chosen. I can't say that for sure until the game is out, though.

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Microsoft and Xbox have experienced some high highs and low lows with its video game adaptations over the years, with Bethesda and Amazon's Fallout TV show and 2025's Minecraft movie proving to be huge hits while the live-action Halo TV series and Halo: Nightfall before it left most viewers extremely disappointed.

Overall, though, multimedia projects that draw from Xbox's gaming IPs have enjoyed more of a positive reception in recent years — and according to comments from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and other executives in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, there's "more appetite to work with us on titles than ever before."

"You won't see us try to become the biggest linear provider in the world or anything like that, but I think great games are culture, and culture is entertainment," Sharma explained. "If you think about it, we've got the number two show of all time on Amazon [Fallout], Minecraft was top 5 in 2025, Call of Duty is bigger than the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So it all measures. [There's] more appetite to work with us on titles than ever before."

The claim that the Call of Duty series is larger than Disney and Marvel's massive cinematic universe is a bold one, but from what I can tell, the math does actually check out; reported box office numbers put the MCU's lifetime revenue at about $32 billion, while all signs point to Call of Duty making over $35 billion across 500 million lifetime sales.

Now, you can certainly make the argument that the MCU is bigger in terms of cultural impact, but at least from a fiscal perspective, it does seem like Call of Duty has inched itself ahead of the film franchise that kicked off a renaissance of superheroes on the big screen.

That Sharma is confident enough to state so as fact speaks to Xbox's overall confidence in its video game IPs, and how viable they are as franchises to be adapted into other forms of media. Indeed, there is a Call of Duty movie from Paramount on the way, with the film recently getting its June 2028 release date confirmed.

In this very same interview, Xbox also confirmed that there's a live-action Sea of Thieves movie in the works, provided more details about the upcoming Gears of War Netflix series, and even seemed to express interest in taking another swing at a Halo adaptation.

We know a Wolfenstein show is coming to Amazon, that a Minecraft one is in the works with Netflix, and that a Fallout Shelter-inspired reality competition series is filming as well.

Microsoft's plans for multimedia Xbox projects beyond these are a mystery right now, but one thing is quite clear: the company is very interested in continuing to adapt its big-name gaming franchises to other entertainment mediums, and I have no doubts that we'll see additional shows and movies get announced and made in the coming years.

What are some of the Xbox properties you'd like to see Microsoft try and adapt to TV and film? Let me know in the comments below.

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If you were waiting for Amazon Prime Day to jump on some Xbox deals, well, I don't know what to tell you. It's been a bit of a damp squib so far, I think the age of actual console deals in today's climate is behind us. However, Newegg has stepped in with a genuine way to save: You can currently grab a $100 Xbox Gift Card for just $83 (expired) when you use the promo code FTTF6926 at checkout.

That’s an instant $17 saving on credit you were probably going to spend anyway on games, and it's basically free money in your (Xbox) bank.

How to redeem your Xbox gift card

The code is delivered digitally via email, so there’s no waiting around for a physical card.

To redeem it:

• Visit https://redeem.microsoft.com/
• Sign in to your Microsoft account (the same one you use on Xbox)
• Enter the code from Newegg

Your balance updates instantly and is ready to use across the Xbox and Microsoft Store.

When you check out, just select your Microsoft Account balance as the payment method to make sure you’re using that discounted credit.

What can you spend the credit on?

Don't let the name fool you; this isn't locked to digital games on your console. It adds balance to your whole Microsoft account, which you can use for games & DLC, Game Pass Ultimate, accessories and anything on the Microsoft store including Surface devices and Office 365 subscriptions.

If you don't have anything in mind right now, but know you are likely to spend money in the store soon, perhaps for a bigger purchase, you can stack multiple gift cards to lower the cost later. It’s a simple way to make any upcoming Microsoft purchase a little cheaper without locking you into a single product.

Newegg usually only runs these promotions for a very limited time, and it's likely that they're just trying to compete against Amazon Prime Day for traffic. With that in mind, this deal will be short-lived. If you have any big purchases with Xbox in mind (GTA 6 perhaps?), then jump on this deal now and secure yourself some free credit on top of your spend.

FAQ

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It's come to light that Obsidian Entertainment — the storied, legendary developer known for creating Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds, and Grounded, Pentiment, Avowed, and The Outer Worlds 2 under Xbox Game Studios — is currently facing a class action lawsuit after allegedly "violating state wage and hour laws."

The case — first opened in October last year, and followed by an amended complaint that was filed in January by plaintiff Victoria Turner, who has a name matching that of a QA lead that worked on Obsidian's 2025 RPG The Outer Worlds 2 — accuses the Xbox studio of engaging in "a systematic pattern of wage and hour violations under the California Labor Code and Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC) Wage Orders."

Specifically, it's alleged that the developer failed "to pay all wages (including minimum wages and overtime wages)," didn't "provide lawful meal periods or compensation in lieu thereof," and didn't "authorize or permit lawful rest breaks or provide compensation in lieu thereof."

It's also been claimed that Obsidian failed to "reimburse necessary business-related costs," "provide accurate itemized wage statements," "pay wages timely during employment," and "pay all wages due upon separation of employment."

The lawsuit "seeks monetary relief" for Turner and "all others similarly situated in California" where Obsidian is headquartered, with the ultimate goal being "to recover, among other things, unpaid wages, unreimbursed business expenses, benefits, interest, attorneys' fees, costs and expenses, and penalties."

Notably, the case covers "all persons currently or formerly employed by any or all Defendants as nonexempt employees in the State of California at any time between October 9, 2021 and the date of class certification." The plaintiff also seeks to include "All members of the Class who separated their employment with any or all Defendants at any time between October 9, 2022 and the date of class certification."

Obsidian's first response to the lawsuit came in early March, with the studio stating that it "denies, generally and specifically, each and every allegation in the FAC [First Amended Complaint]." It also denied "that Plaintiff and/or any putative class members she purports to represent have suffered any injury or been damaged in any sum whatsoever by reason of any act or omission" from the developer or its staff.

Obsidian then argued Turner's case "fails to state facts sufficient to constitute valid claims," and added that "Plaintiff and any putative class member and/or other allegedly aggrieved employees consented to and/or acquiesced in the alleged conduct by Defendant of which Plaintiff now complains."

Essentially, what the studio is saying here is that Turner hasn't provided adequate proof to support the lawsuit's claims, and that the workers it represents voluntarily gave up lunch and rest breaks. The case hasn't progressed since that response, but I and the rest of Team Windows Central will keep an eye on it and report on new developments.

All of this comes amid Obsidian's efforts to restructure itself within Xbox, with the developer enacting plans to shorten development cycles, more frequently work with partner studios, and reuse technology and solutions from previous projects as it builds new ones.

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In a rather lengthy interview with Entertainment Weekly, we received a lot of juicy details. From OD getting new information revealed to Netflix's Gears of War movie finally receiving some concrete updates, there's been plenty to unpack. While I've covered most of that elsewhere, it was Xbox's CEO, Asha Sharma's comments about her plans for XBOX's ecosystem that really caught my attention.

What's particularly interesting is that those plans extend far beyond the traditional console experience, so let's take a look at exactly what she had to say.

Within the interview, Sharma outlines her plans for XBOX, stating she wants:

XBOX is making moves to entice developers. Recently, the company introduced updates to help developers working with Unreal Engine 5.8 and also released documentation designed to help Godot developers bring games to XBOX on PC.

Interestingly, we then move over to Todd Green, the head of Candy Crush and King, the company Microsoft acquired alongside Activision Blizzard in 2023. Green offered some insight into the company's approach, saying:

"The thing that we've been trying to do the most here is to treat everybody, whether they describe themselves as a gamer or not, [as important]. We try to have a very mainstream product."

Candy Crush is, of course, a huge IP for XBOX, even if many people don't associate it with the brand. Personally, I think that's one of XBOX's biggest issues. Franchises like Call of Duty and Minecraft are among the biggest entertainment properties on the planet, yet neither is strongly associated with XBOX in the minds of many consumers. If you ask me, that's a huge missed opportunity.

Back to Sharma, however. Following XBOX's Games Showcase, she sat down with Entertainment Weekly and discussed the state of gaming. In particular, she argued that gaming has become increasingly unaffordable.

She does expand, touching on how difficult the business is, saying:

"It's a really hard formula. It's a really challenging business, but I think it's a really special business."

It does suck to hear the words "gaming is unaffordable," but there's certainly some truth to it. We recently got the price reveal for the new Steam Machine, and to say the reception has been positive would be a stretch. At over $1,000, it's simply too expensive to seriously consider, at least for me.

That said, I do understand the broader point Sharma is making. Between increasingly expensive hardware, competing subscription services, and the constant battle for our attention, gaming isn't as accessible as it once was. Whether mobile experiences like Candy Crush are the answer, however, is another debate entirely.

But let me know your thoughts on Sharma and Green's comments in the comments below, and be sure to take part in our poll!

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I’m sure he needs no introduction. The man, the myth, the guy who got extremely detailed scans of feet for at least one of his games (seriously), Hideo Kojima, has sat down recently and spoken with Entertainment Weekly in what I can only describe as an all-hands-on interview with Xbox.

The interview covers Xbox's foray into the entertainment industry, and there’s a lot to unpack, which I’ve done in various other explainers. Interestingly, though, we also got a new look at OD, including small details about its cast, revealing the main characters, which are Sophia Lillis, Hunter Schafer, and Udo Kier, who has sadly since passed away.

The article reveals that Kier underwent a full scan prior to his passing in November last year. However, his involvement in the game has not been detailed. Kojima did, however, discuss the game itself a little, stating: “I wanted to do something new. I wanted to do something different… I had this OD concept since I was working on DS1 [Death Stranding] and I was working on it just by myself. I can't reveal much detail, but it's something that no one has ever seen before. A new game system.”

Kojima also detailed the process of pitching the project, and it seems Xbox wasn't the first company he approached. He said:

“I pitched to many people, to the big companies, and also to the up-and-coming companies. All of them said the same thing…They said that I'm crazy, and that they really don't understand the concept - that they will not be able to do it.”

According to the article, however, Phil Spencer, the former head of Microsoft Gaming, understood what Kojima was attempting to achieve. So does Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who commented on the game, calling it a “deeply moving game.”

She went on to add, “I've got great artists and creatives that can pick a great game better than I can, and so I want to give it space, but most importantly, I think it just represents another kind of game.”

We also got a small teaser from Kojima. He told Entertainment Weekly:

“I wanted to go beyond the limit of the 'scariness' that other games had reached. It's a single-player game, and I wanted to make it as scary as possible. But for those that might stop playing when it gets too scary, I have thought of a system that will allow them to keep going. I can't say much more, because it'll give too much of a hint on the system, and I could get in trouble for saying too much!”

But wait, there’s more. Sharma chimed in one final time, lamenting that games like OD have shown her that Xbox has “not reached the boundary of games, and, therefore, we need to make sure our platform is sufficiently open so more creators and developers can come on board and be successful, because the next Kojima is yet to be known.”

It's important to include the full context of what was discussed, and to be honest, whatever Kojima is cooking up sounds wildly ambitious, and I’m here for it. Hopefully, we don’t have to wait much longer to learn more, but let me know your thoughts on what was said, and don’t forget to take part in our poll below:

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It feels a little strange talking about an update on Marvel and Xbox's Blade given the recent rumors surrounding studio closures and certain teams potentially going independent. One of the studios caught up in that speculation is Arkane Lyon, the very team developing Blade.

Despite all of that uncertainty, we've actually received a fairly positive update on the game. During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Blade came up in conversation with Todd Howard, who offered a surprisingly encouraging update. Here's what he had to say:

“I'm not at liberty to say when [we'll see more], but I saw some stuff just yesterday [on May 21] and the folks at Arkane [Studios, the developers] are doing a really, really great job.”

Of course, Todd Howard may not necessarily be privy to the full scope of any potential changes happening across Xbox, but a positive update is still a positive update. More importantly, it lines up with comments we've heard elsewhere recently.

I recently covered comments from one of Blade's lead concept artists, who told fans on X (formerly Twitter) to "let us cook," seemingly suggesting development is progressing well. On top of that, Xbox Chief Content Officer Matt Booty was recently asked about Blade's absence from the Xbox Games Showcase, where he said:

“It’s a big show, I can’t fit everything in. It’s a big show, and there’s other beats coming up in the year… there’s always potential to hear more about things that didn’t show up today.”

That certainly gives fans reason to believe we could see the game again sooner rather than later, perhaps even before the end of the year.

As I've said before, it's difficult to discuss projects like Blade without acknowledging the uncertainty surrounding Xbox right now. Hopefully Arkane and its teams are safe, and we'll get to see the fruits of their labor sooner rather than later.

For now, though, Blade appears to be very much alive and well, and that's worth celebrating. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll!

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Believe it or not, the Gears of War project in development at Netflix might be one of the Xbox adaptations I'm most excited about. I am a Gears of War fan, and after what happened with the Halo TV series, I'm really hoping Netflix takes a completely different approach here.

I don't want another adaptation that treats the source material as optional. I want something that respects what made Gears special in the first place. A gritty, brutal story that actually feels authentic to the games.

Now, in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Xbox Chief Content Officer Matt Booty, along with details revealed by EW itself, has given us our clearest indication yet of what Netflix is planning. And honestly, it's left me feeling more optimistic than I expected.

Instead of beating around the bush, let's look at the direct quotes:

"Netflix announced a live-action Gears of War movie from director David Leitch (The Fall Guy, Bullet Train) and writer Jon Spaihts (Dune: Part III). EW can exclusively reveal that the film will tell 'the origin story of Delta Squad, a ragtag crew of soldiers who wage a desperate war for survival against the Locust, a race of subterranean creatures set on destroying humanity,' according to an official description."

Matt Booty expanded on that by saying:

"The game really is about the bonds between teams. It's about brotherhood at its core. When you go visit the studio, their tagline is 'Never Fight Alone.'"

Now, I don't know about you, but that certainly gets me excited. Gears has always been at its best when it's focused on the relationships between its characters, and not just about the locust and such. If Netflix genuinely understands that the heart of Gears is brotherhood, survival, and fighting impossible odds together, then this adaptation might actually have a shot.

It's even one of those adaptations I think I'll end up forcing my parents to watch as part of my ongoing, and so far largely unsuccessful, mission to get them interested in the things I like.

It’s a great time to be a Gears of War fan, though, especially with E-Day releasing this year, exclusively on Xbox. We also got plenty of other details about Xbox's entertainment ambitions, including a small update on Halo and the surprise announcement of a Sea of Thieves movie. So, at least when it comes to film and television, Xbox seems to be thinking pretty big right now.

But let me know your thoughts. Are these details enough to get you excited about the Gears of War adaptation? Be sure to leave a comment and take part in our poll!

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Sea of Thieves, the popular pirate game developed by none other than Rare, is weirdly getting a movie.

Now, I'll be honest, I actually think pirates are pretty cool, and I'm going to go out on a limb and say this could be pretty fun. Imagine if they somehow managed to get Johnny Depp involved, though that's highly unlikely, of course.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Xbox Chief Content Officer Matt Booty discussed a number of things, including the newly revealed Sea of Thieves movie. So, rather than droning on, here's what was said:

"EW can also report that Sea of Thieves will be developed into a live-action movie. Marvel filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton (Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) will produce through his company, Hisako Films. A director is not yet attached.

'The main character of a Sea of Thieves game is actually the player and the community,' Booty explains. 'So if you sit down to think about Sea of Thieves, it's not, Who are the main characters? What's the plot? It's a super social game, but there's a tone to Sea of Thieves. It's built on a very cooperative community, so you can start to sense what that's going to be like.'"

I actually really like Destin Daniel Cretton, who is set to develop it, so this might be pretty interesting at the very least. I've also actually enjoyed the time I've spent playing Sea of Thieves, and as a fan of pirates, I'm interested to see how they pull this off.

It also shows just how serious Xbox, or Microsoft rather, is about breaking into the entertainment industry. In the same interview, Matt Booty teased that there are at least a dozen projects currently in the works.

I'm also glad we got a little bit of Halo news, which I've covered separately, but the full interview is well worth a read if you're interested in where Xbox sees its future beyond gaming. If nothing else, it paints a picture of a company that's being surprisingly ambitious with its franchises outside of video games.

But let me know your thoughts. Does a Sea of Thieves movie excite you, or are you feeling a little seasick at the idea? Let me know in the comments, and don't forget to take part in our poll!

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