This Week in Xbox One News: Remedy CEO quits, Fallout 4 announced, Phil Spencer joins PC Gaming Show keynote and more!

By Jez Corden
last updated

This week, we're looking at the CEO of Remedy (Quantum Break, Alan Wake) calling it quits, Fallout 4 announcement craziness and the countdown to E3!

Welcome to our weekly ICYMI for Xbox news!

We'll still be posting major Xbox announcements in the main feed, but I'll be collecting some of the more nuanced news, rumours and talking points into one handy post every weekend!

So without further ado, here's our latest edition of This Week in Xbox One News.

Remedy CEO calls it quits, sparking rumours of a buyout

On Wednesday Matias Myllyrinne announced his departure after 15 years at the helm of Remedy Entertainment. Remedy is best known for Max Payne, Alan Wake and the upcoming Xbox One exclusive Quantum Break.

In a statement on Remedy's website, Myllyrinne assured that Quantum Break was on track to be "amazing" and "worthy of the Remedy brand."

..."This year marks the 20th anniversary for Remedy and 15 years for me with the studio. I've been with Remedy since 1999 – this is a long time. It is time for me to move on. It has been a great ride and now is the right time to start another adventure. Remedy will be an unbelievably tough act to follow.I'm humbled by the continued support of our audience and fans. It has sustained us in times of struggle and gives meaning to the work we do here every day.We have all grown up with games that have touched our hearts and left an imprint on our soul. It is these moments that we want to create for our fans… these lasting emotional impressions that stay with us for years. This is our mission, to build games with character that could not be built anywhere else.The studio is in good standing and will go on to great things. Quantum Break looks amazing, and the team is working hard to build it into the game that you deserve. It will be worthy of the Remedy brand.We are yet to see Remedy's best game. Remedy and the fans will always have a place in my heart. Thank you!"...

Matias Myllyrinne will move on to an executive position at Wargaming, the developers of World of Tanks. Speaking with GameIndustry.biz, Matias remarked that the move was due to a desire for a change in scenery. While he didn't blame the demands of Triple A development for his departure, he noted that Quantum Break has required 3x more work than Alan Wake.

..."AAA can take a lot of effort, but it feels like a worthwhile undertaking. The leap from Alan Wake to Quantum Break is close to 3x in terms of work alone. There is just a lot of ground to cover - certainly if you are building a new IP with new technology on a new platform. But Remedy is one of the few places that can produce new AAA IP and build original franchises."...

The fact that Remedy haven't appointed a new CEO has led some to wonder if Microsoft have purchased the studio. While there's no real evidence to suggest that at the moment, the timing does beg the question. Matias has praised Remedy's independence before, and with Microsoft locking down Gears of War from Epic Games, they could be looking to do the same with Quantum Break and Alan Wake.

Fallout 4 trailer blows up the internet

In what is perhaps the biggest news of the week, Bethesda Softworks announced the long anticipated Fallout 4 with a nostalgic and colourful trailer.

The trailer has been viewed over 11 million times as of writing this, which is probably some game trailer world record. Stay tuned for Bethesda's E3 conference on June 14th for the game's full reveal.

Fallout 4 is set in Boston, Massachusetts and enjoys a slightly more diverse color palette than its predecessor. Very little is known about the game right now, but Bethesda game director Todd Howard describes Fallout 4 as their most "ambitious" game ever.

..."We know what this game means to everyone. The time and technology have allowed us to be more ambitious than ever. We've never been more excited about a game, and we can't wait to share it."...

It should also be noted that Fallout 4 is new-gen only, meaning that PS3 and Xbox 360 console gamers will have to leap across to PC, PS4 or Xbox One to enjoy it. Stay tuned.

Xboss Phil Spencer will be on stage for the PC Gaming Show at E3

PC Gamer magazine is hosting the first ever PC Gaming Show at this year's E3 on June 16th. Phil Spencer will be on stage to discuss Windows 10, in what will likely be a charm offensive for PC gamers refusing to ditch Windows 7.

..."For us, the PC Gaming Show is the ideal place to speak directly to PC gamers, and it's a great time to talk about Windows 10 – the best operating system we've ever created for gamers on PCs. With Windows 10, we're bringing the best of Xbox with the best of Windows gaming, and DirectX 12 for better gaming graphics and performance."...

Windows 10 includes native video game capture, something that required cumbersome programs to do previously. This is in addition to DX12, which will allow game developers to program closer to the metal than ever before. Check out this demo of Final Fantasy XV running on DX12 for an example.

PC Gamer echoed fans scepticism of the inclusion of Xbox in Windows 10, asking Phil Spencer why he wanted to show up at the conference in the first place after the debacle of Games for Windows Live.

..."That's one of the reasons why we need to be here. We want to be clear with the community about not only our progress and our ambitions, but also how we think about other popular gaming platforms like Valve, Origin, GoG, Oculus, etc. in the broader PC gaming ecosystem."...

Microsoft have previously showed how the game DVR features could be used regardless of how you run the game, whether it's from Steam, Origin, or a DRM free service like GoG. It certainly seems as though Microsoft's platform agnosticism is extending beyond Android and iOS app and into gaming as well.

Are you a PC gamer? How do you feel about Microsoft's renewed focus on PC gaming? Do hit the comments!

FBI SWAT joins the Rainbow Six Siege line-up

Ubisoft is gearing up to show off fresh Rainbow Six Siege details at their E3 conference next week. The above trailer shows us another team in the line-up of playable counter-terrorists. This time it's the USA's FBI SWAT. Thermite wall explosives, heat signature trackers and portable obstacles make up just part of the FBI's arsenal. Rainbow Six Siege will be available on October 13th later this year.

ICYMI - Some of Windows Central's biggest Xbox articles of the week

New Xbox One game releases for the week ending May 31st, 2015

SteamWorld Dig (opens in new tab) - Metroidvania - Image & Form International AB

"SteamWorld Dig is a platform mining adventure with strong Metroidvanian influences. Take the role of Rusty, a lone mining steambot, as he arrives at an old mining town in great need."

Sparkle Unleashed (opens in new tab) - Puzzle - 10tons Lt

"A secluded world of mystery has succumbed to an ominous darkness. You must travel through the fallen lands, light magical braziers and banish the darkness once and for all. Unlock amazing powerups and use the ones you like the most to overcome increasingly challenging levels, Chained Orbs, Rock Orbs and Survival challenges."

Massive Chalice (opens in new tab) - Strategy - Double Fine Productions, Inc.

"MASSIVE CHALICE is a tactical strategy game set on an epic timeline from Double Fine Productions. As the Immortal Ruler of the Nation, you'll take command of its heroes, forge marriages to strengthen your Bloodlines, and battle a mysterious enemy known as the Cadence in a war lasting hundreds of years."

And that's a wrap!

I feel as though I should've just named this article "This Week in Xbox One News: Fallout 4" and stuck the trailer up. All the details are just a week away. It's going to be a really long week.

Jez Corden
Jez Corden
Co-Managing Editor

Jez Corden a Managing Editor at Windows Central, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking exclusive news and analysis as relates to the Microsoft ecosystem while being powered by caffeine. Follow on Twitter @JezCorden and listen to his Xbox Two podcast, all about, you guessed it, Xbox!

52 Comments
  • Microsoft needs to go all in on Xbox for Windows 10. They need to stop sucking up to Valve and Steam and start treating them like what they really are: their biggest competitor (more so than Sony or Nintendo). They need to do something amazing to Xbox on Windows 10, going all in on the Windows 10 Store, with a special Xbox curated store accessed via the Xbox App that totally filters out all the non-Xbox games and apps in the Store (which no PC gamers will care about); they need to make cross-buy and cross-play between Xbox on Windows 10 and Xbox One full on. They need to enable Xbox on Windows 10 streaming to Xbox One (the opposite has already been announced). They need to bring all of their AAA franchises to the Windows 10 Store as Xbox games, and they need to encourage independent developers and major third-party publishers to do so too, incentivizing them to publish their games there instead of Steam. And, if something like this is even possible, they could win the entire gaming industry if they found a way to run an Xbox One emulator via virtual machine inside Windows 10, meaning that all Windows 10 PCs (with the right specs, which will soon be all of them in a few years) would automatically be able to play all Xbox One games, with no extra porting from developers. That's what they need to do.
  • They missed that boat with the demise of rt as x86-64 PC's aren't all equal some part choices will hamper the experience ms would like for gaming hence the lack of ports of their resource intensive games unless they pull a ea and compromise by using outdated dx9(nfs undercover)
  • This isn't a problem. PC gamers are already well familiar with minimum spec requirements. Same would apply here.
  • yyeah its been far too long Valve, Google, EA take advantage of Microsoft for their own benefit and what does microsoft get? Nothing. Just imagine Windows as a closed system, they can disrupt the PC industry.  These  companies are a leech specially Google.
  • They do that and they will have another Anti trust case on their hands. With valve leading the charge as they would have most to lose.
    As silly as it sounds, Microsoft could afford to do that if Windows wasn't that dominate in the PC space.
    Regardless such a move would back fire spectacularly as Google could simply do the same and forcibly remove all Microsoft apps and services from android.
    They lose EA as a publisher and so no EA published games. Then you will have devs and publishers alike jumping on the boycott bandwagon - cos you know its cool to hate on Microsoft and now they would have the public's support for a such a movement.
    So yeah, you lot need to look at the bigger picture.
  • i kno about anti trust, but the thing is, google is as huge as microsoft now, yet google is not investigated on this matter. theyre not releasing windows phone apps. its hypothetical.  the idea is everyone is leeching off microsoft and not getting any credit for it.   by the way , microsoft would still win because android is using a lot of ms patents.
  • It makes you wonder, though, how come Apple can get away with a closed system for iOS and Google can get away with a closed one for Android (although, EU anti-trust action against Google is imminent, it seeems). It is as though Microsoft got held to a higher standard, paid a massive price, changed their entire philosophy, which made them incredibly vulernable to Apple and Google, who essentially adopted Microsoft's strategies of old, without penalty so far.
  • YUP
  • Apple doesn't own >15% of any market it competes in. It is not a monopoly and isnt held to the same rules. Rules change when you're a monopoly. I also don't know what you mean by action is "imminent". Charges have already been filed. Action is now, and tbh, it doesn't look pretty for Google from the comments from the EU that I've seen.
  • Apple owns majority market share in many industries (e.g. digital music with iTunes, digital music players with iPod, etc.). I don't consider filing charges to be action. I consider ruling on those charges and then enforcing penalties to be action.
  • Apple has also been sued and fined hundreds of millions of dollars over their iTunes practices.
  • I'll disagree vehemently. Microsoft runs one of the worst digital marketplaces around, in terms of pricing and sales. They could never oppose Steam without an insane philosophy shift. Their overpriced, high-margin digital pricing is the biggest reason people still buy discs. I've only bought one retail title digitally (Halo: TMCC), and that was because I got a deal on Xbox gift cards, and I knew I'd want that title for a long time.
  • Ironically, they had the absolute perfect plan with the original Xbox One policies, which would've created the greatest digital gaming store ever. Then a vocal minority of idiots ruined everything.
  • We never got any firm explanation of those policies, so there's no proof of your claim. Eevn if what we hoped would happen came about, it would have made it a great CONSOLE digital platform, but Steam still would have been better, jsut because of the frequency of sales. Given that Valve has now added a digital title return policy, I'd say they're even further ahead of what we MIGHT have gotten (but don't actually know about) with the origial policies. While those DRM policies wouldn't have hurt me, they were still implemented in a compeltely moronic way. Microsoft was lazy or stupid with the online check-in function, and it was asinine to expect people to never lose service or be on vacation or in the military or overseas. I mean, during last Christmas' DDoS, how many people would have been screwed because they couldn't do online DRM checks, makign the Xbox One a total brick for the holidays?
  • The policies were confirmed by Aaron Greenberg via Twitter. I'm not going to dig back through all of his tweets to find them, but if you want to, he tweeted about them sometine around June 2013. We would have had all discs being digital licenses, we would have had digital family sharing with no time limits, and we would've had the buying and selling of used digital licenses, among many other features. That's what he confirmed. This article summarizes what we lost. I don't think Steam would have been better because Steam would not have all those other features mentioned above. The selling of disc games as digital games alone nullifies Steam sales because it removes the monopoly that Microsoft (and Valve) has on the digital store, giving access to all retailers. People wouldn't even have to wait for sales. After time, the prices would just be cheap. Go look at disc prices online right now. They're rock bottom for older games, even brand new and sealed ones ($15 for CoD Ghosts on Amazon v. $60 in the Xbox Store). Those would've been digital licenses: all the benefits of digital games (no scratched or lost discs, complete portability via hard drives or digital sign ins on other consoles, not having to change discs, family sharing, etc.) at the price of physical games. Agreed that Microsoft badly botched the unveiling of the policies. They completely failed at explaining them and, as a result, we're still suffering as a consequence of their ineptitude. It put the Xbox One way behind the launch window for most markets and made the console usability a complete mess for many months after launch. (Xbox Live was down less than 24 hours on Xmas, so everyone would've been fine, but I don't think it would've been affected by that anyway; we're talking a few kilobyte check-in; Xbox Live wasn't completely down; just it's core services; that said, they did a terrible job explaining the check-in policy, which was inexusable since it had leaked months before and the Internet was in an uproar over it, meaning Microsoft should've been well prepared with a cogently presented argument for it).
  • The explanations were bad, but the DRM policies were worse, in terms of planning. Everything coudl have stayed in-place if they allowed the system to check the policy with a disc-based or online check-in. Instead, they went online-only, and while the folks who would have been affected might have been small, there are more than enoguh people who envisioned potential issues they didn't want to put up with. My brother-in-law lost cable TV and Internet for a couple of days recently. With that system, his Xbox wouldn't have been a fallback option for long, as he'd have been locked out of gaming after 24 hours. They claimed you coudl tether to a phone if you're away from your home network, but that's just a massive inconvience and an ugly solution to laziness from the OS team. The main issue was the lack of interest in explaining themselves, but they also didn't seem to have their act together TO explain themselves. What's more, if they DID have their act together, then the act was bad. Much of those Perfect World features already exist on Steam, in some capacity. Though it's still in beta, I think, Steam has had game sharing, and not just locally. My friend was/is in the beta, and I was able to install a game from his library and play it without issue. They already do local network game streaming (the big to-do for W10). The buying/selling of licenses would have been nice, but again, Steam now has a digital refund policy, and their prices are just SO MUCH LOWER than the competition that even reselling on Xbox wouldn't have beaten Steam. You mentioned not worrying about scratched discs, but what happens if you sell your license, someone else buys your disc, and it's scratched and unusable? How does one ever link the license without the disc to acquire it (assuming you can with a disc)? It's all a bunch of half-explained wishing whose existence was never proven in any way. We have one person who says it without full-on proof, and no firsthand verification from Microsoft itself. But, evne those best-case things, they would have been short of Steam until we saw that those possibly good features worked in a meaningful capacity.
  • Checking via the disc in the tray wouldn't have worked (that is essentially the system as it is now) as that wouldn't actually be a digital license. Yes, those hypothetical examples were legitimate concerns that Microsoft failed miserably in addressing. All Microsoft had to do with offer fallback options (e.g. checking in via SMS message instead and then limiting 'alternative check-ins' to a reasonable number per month or whatever to prevent malfeasance, or something like that; I'm sure there are a ton of alternatives). Whatever the reason for their lack of preparedness was, ultimately it was outright incompetency (there is a reason Don Mattrick isn't around anymore). Perhaps they were taken aback by the  negative reaction (they shouldn't have been, though, as online-only Sim City thing had already  happened) and thought something like "Steam is popular; everyone loves Steam; we're doing Steam but even better". After the initial installation from disc (which therefore activates the digital license), that specific disc would've been only useful for installation, not activation. The digital license still would've needed to be resold (from Gamertag to Gamertag, for example; and the new owner could've used that disc, any other disc, or a digital download to receive the game). What they had officially announced--poor explanations aside--was, I believe, much better than Steam. Yes, it would've been nice to see it actually implented first to be sure, but, unfortunately, we'll never know now. And the aftermath is that digital consumers got completely screwed over.
  • psp go is perfect example of bad implementation
  • stopped getting Digital because the price difference is a joke in Australia. have not purchased a new game for over 6 months now  it will need to be fantastic game for me to want to get it in digital.
  • Again, this is exactly why the original Xbox One policies were so great: all discs were digital licenses, meaning all the cheap disc games you are buying now, all of those would've been digital games at that price. I'm still so furious that those ignorant yahoos who opposed the original policies ruined that. Now Microsoft has a monopoly on digital games and the prices are exorbitant.
  • Honestly, America's not better. You have faster price drops and MUCH better sales physically. You never see a buy 2, get 1 free sale digitally, for example. Thre's Best Buy's Gamer's Club Unlocked, where all new titles are 20% off for 2 years (for a $30, 2-year membership). The laucnh titles that are $60 digitally are now $48 physically, and you can trade the in when you're done. I basically did that and made a string of games (Shadow of Mordor, The Evil Within, Sunset Overdrive, Advanced Warfare, Dying Light) cost about $8 each, thanks to the pricing on games and trade-ins with Best Buy.
  • I have noticed that the gold sales are getting much better than they used to be, and there have been a few times where I have bought 360 games digitally even when I've had the disc, and then been able to sell/trade in the disc for more. Actually done that with a few titles now. It's not steam, not even close, but it is better than it used to be.
  • @camptime - agreed, re: ridiculous pricing in Australia. It's not even due to exchange rates, but an "Australia Tax" (that has nothing to do with our 10% GST). I remember a couple of years ago someone from the gaming industry answered the question as to why we are charged so much for games... the answer was, "because we pay it" !! We have been happily paying $80-90 for new releases from at least the early 90's when I started buying Amiga games as a kid. They were $70-80 then and they're $80-120 now (the latter only charged by the thieves at EB Games). The games are worth half the price, but everyone keeps happily paying through the nose for them (curses to our plentiful disposable income haha). I stopped buying from brick-n-mortar retailers a few years ago, and I wish everyone else would do the same to force the retailers to lower their prices. We have seen a slight drop in pricing in recent years - sometimes getting games in the $70-80 range... but it's still outrageous when the same games are $40-50 in the US. The only time retailers are good is during the sales, but even then you'd only buy console games as the PC game sales are never as good as Steam sales.  I've all but abandoned buying games on console, as the pricing is just too steep compared to PC, and Microsoft suck at sales. I remember when Fallout 3 was $99 on the Xbox digital store for a good 2-3 years, when the GOTY was available in retailers for around $50. It's also sad that the publishers have put so much pressure on Steam, Microsoft, and Sony that digital new releases are jacked up to match the steep retail prices. I've set my own upper price limit of $50 for new release titles, and $20 for games 6-12 months old. I have hundreds (literally) of unplayed games on Steam that it really doesn't matter if I buy them new or a few years later... so I usually pick them up when they're $10-20 with all the DLC included (i.e. GOTY). Humble Bundle is also good for adding cheap games to the pile!
  • Just like people and DLC. We get charged stupid prices like $50 for a Season Pass with CoD/Forza because people pay it. What's worse, if YOU don't want to pay it, people say you're entitled (literally just happened in another comment on this site), or you're cheap or something. For some reason, when it comes to gaming, people hate the idea of financial responsibly. Remember when 2K sold new games for $20, and good ones at that? Remember free DLC that meant something? People hate that, I guess.
  • I want to see Forza Horizon 2 on PC
  • Gears of War Windows 10 on the Store in the new First Party AAA Xbox digital download section. Make it happen Phil Spenser.
  • Cant wait for the 1tb but that would mean having to wait for my current unit(which since joining preview has given me grief) to be released for preview
  • They should just buy out Remedy and finish the game. It's going to be awesome.
  • remedy is being bought by ms!!! yes!!!
  • I hate console exclusives. I am one of those who like playing games on the keyboard and mouse. I loved halo on PC but then they made it Xbox exclusive.
  • Yes absolutely, Gears of War/Halo5/Forza6/Killer Instinct on the Windows 10 PC Store would make up a lot from the neglect Microsoft has struck upon the PC market.
  • a) Should have designed a better Xbox hardware.
    b) They should not have killed off XNA support for indie development.
    c) They should remove all the cr@p and spam Game Apps in the Windows Apps store
    d) They should have kept Games Hub in Windows Phone
  • Yes nobody wants silly apps in a Gaming store. First Party dedicated Xbox games to download in the Windows Store is the only way Phil Spenser is going to win back fans. Don't even get me started on the Streaming crap & owning an Xbox One. Have they lost there minds?
  • Lost their minds? What for giving gamers more choices. Talk about never fu#king happy. 
  • I for one am in complete support of Microsoft buying all the good independent devs and turning them Xbox exclusives
  • I'm skeptical about Microsoft buying Remedy, especially if it's going to mean they are forced to just churn out sequel after sequel. Bungie got pissed because they weren't allowed to do what they wanted, I'd rather not have the same thing happen to my favourite developer.
  • And then Bungie left and did Destiny, and it's insanely underwhelming, and 343 released a heavily buggy remaster. That kind of went poorly for all parties.
  • Yep, which I don't want to happen to remedy who are one of only two developers who I will blindly preorder games from solely based on their track record for quality control.
  • My point was that Bungie wanted to do Destiny, and it turned out to be a mediocre, watered-down attempt at an MMO. Maybe Microsoft kicked Bungie aside because they saw that with Destiny, and didn't want to invest half a billion dollars and more than a decade of guaranteed development on a series whose first year already feels as tired and redundant as Call of Duty to many players. If Remedy is bringing out quality concepts Microsoft believes in, I don't think they're going to just ignore it. The other thing is that Quantum Break is supposed to be tied into a TV show, isn't it? If that's the case, Remedy could easily be forcing itself into supporting the game as long as the show lasts, regardless of interest in a new series in a few years. Also, this coudl be a Microsoft play to get rights to the game AND show, perhaps a last-ditch effort with the original Xbox TV content, since it's become a popular thing among Netflix, Hulu, and Yahoo of late.
  • They pulled off the video tie ins with Alan wake pretty well, granted it wasn't the same as a tv show but it could also just be a one or two season thing for quantum break (which I might add is my most anticipated upcoming title). Microsoft buying them certainly won't stop me from enjoying their games s so ad long as they still make quality them I'll happily admit I'm wrong. Time will tell (we also don't actually know if that is what will happen yet).
  • I think MS had a 7 year contract with Bungie. After the 7 years they both shook hands and went on their way. There was no kicking aside.
  • Yeah, I mean that Microsoft opted to not fund Destiny for Bungie, like Activision ended up doing. Not that they terminated an agreement, but that Bungie went to them with Destiny near the end of the deal, Microsoft didn't like it and wanted them to stick with Halo instead, and so they parted ways and Microsoft didn't have to throw half a billion into Destiny, which they probably didn't deem worth it.
  • I'd so love Alan Wake 2 or Alice Wake for Xbox One. I'd be all over that! My favorite game for the 360!
  • I could definitely see Microsoft buying Remedy. They're desperate to turn the tide against the PS4 and exclusive AAA titles is the way to do it. It would be especially cool if the Silent Hills rumor was true and they bought that. While we're living in a fantasy land, let's also hope Microsoft buys Metal Gear Solid V and Tomb Raider while we're at it.
  • Microsoft buying Remedy makes a lot of sense, given their history (a lot more sense than it does to buy Silent Hills or MGS, though those would be nice too, if the price were reasonable). Same goes for Tomb Raider. They should've just went all in and bought the IP and Crystal Dynamics from Square Enix instead of wasting money 'renting' it. What they really should've done, though, was buy Sega back in 2001, right as Sega was leaving the hardware market and Microsoft was entering it. Sega could've been bought at a good value then and they have some amazing IP that have hardly been used since then.
  • Let me put this clear, Windows and Microsoft made playing PC games possible. People can argue that there is Linux, but reality. There was windows first and there is windows now with still the largest marks share of any OS. With the investment that Microsoft is making for PC, why would anyone question Phil's presence is beyond me. Chances are just about all you PC gamers are using a Windows OS to play your precious PC games. Give respect fools.
  • It was dos that was doing all the heavy lifting on the PC in the beginning.
  • +Windows 10
  • Jez only very short clips of Final Fantasy XV are shown in that video, the rest is a tech demo from Square Enix know as WITCH CHAPTER 0 [cry]. You should probably note that, so people don't get misled.
  • The demo is indicative of FFXV, they've stated so. I'll find a link for you when I get into the office.
  • I'm sure those small snippets of FFXV are represantative of FFXV. But WITCH CHAPTER 0 is a tech demo running on 4 Nvidia GTX Titan graphics cards which is definitely not indicative FFXV, unless they want people screaming "downgrade" at them.
  • I thought it said "Xbox CEO quits".. Almost had a heart attack