Latest Xbox, multi-platform Game News & Updates
☁ Xbox, multi-platform News
633 articles
Xbox Elite 3 prototype pad leaks with tiny built-in screen
Did a prototype Microsoft gamepad fall off the back of a truck? We can't say, but a Redditor has legit-looking photos of a prototype Xbox controller that's almost certainly the Xbox Elite Series 3. Incredibly, they claim they bought the pad for $200 on OfferUp. In May, a Brazilian regulator's leaked images revealed that Xbox &8230;
The Elder Scrolls 6 Might Have An 8-Letter Subtitle
The Elder Scrolls 6(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-6-release-date-trailer-news/1100-6492383/) is one of Microsoft's biggest upcoming games, but it remains largely a mystery, despite being announced more than eight years ago.(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/elder-scrolls-6-was-announced-8-years-ago-today-heres-why-it-didnt-show-up-at-xbox-showcase/) Today, August 11, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma provided an update on it, saying she witnessed a "live playthrough" of the game. She also teased the game's subtitle, or at least that's what it seems like. "The scale and grandeur are incredible. The story is even greater," she said. Those are buzzwords that do not mean much of anything. More intriguingly, Sharma included asterisks in her post that suggest she's referring to the game's subtitle. Her post used eight characters, and people are theorizing as to what it could be, if that is indeed what she is teasing in the first place. The Elder Scrolls 6 is indeed likely to have a subtitle, as all previous games in the main series also did. These include The Elder Scrolls: Arena, The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. https://twitter.com/ashashar/status/2087258678000779664 In July, Bethesda provided an update on The Elder Scrolls 6, saying it understands "it's been a very long wait for the sequel."(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fallout-5-re-confirmed-alongside-fallout-3-and-fallout-new-vegas-remasters/) "The next chapter is on the way. We’re where we planned to be, loving how it looks, and playing it every day," the studio explained. This statement came after the mass layoffs and upheaval at Xbox related to the "reset" of the business. The layoffs hit Bethesda as well, and staff at the studio said they fear further delays for The Elder Scrolls 6(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-6-devs-fear-more-delays-after-layoffs-have-crushing-effect-on-morale/) and have expressed concerns about the "crushing effect on morale"(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-6-devs-fear-more-delays-after-layoffs-have-crushing-effect-on-morale/) related to the layoffs. The Elder Scrolls 6 is one of multiple new games in the works at Bethesda and its supporting teams. Some of the others include remasters of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fallout-5-re-confirmed-alongside-fallout-3-and-fallout-new-vegas-remasters/), while Obsidian is working on some other new Fallout game(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fallout-5-re-confirmed-alongside-fallout-3-and-fallout-new-vegas-remasters/). Fallout 5(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fallout-5-release-date-trailer-news/1100-6522412/) is also in the works.
2011 The Lord Of The Rings Game Gets Surprise Re-Release Today
Out of nowhere, the Embracer-owned Aspyr Media announced and released a new edition of The Lord of the Rings: War in the North today across PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC. The game was originally released in 2011 for PS3, Xbox 360, Switch 2, and PC, but now it's available on the latest generation of consoles for $20 (or $18 through August 25) as part of a "Legacy" edition. The new version features online or local split-screen co-op and "optimized" solo play, though further specifics about the updates and upgrades were not detailed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgZuaXTDEo War in the North was originally developed by Snowblind Studios, which closed in 2012. The game takes place in Middle-earth, but doesn't adapt the books or movies. It does, however, feature characters and story details from J.R.R. Tolkien's books and Peter Jackson's movie series, following EA's own games that only had the rights to elements of Jackson's movies specifically. The game has three different playable characters: the ranger Eradan(https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Eradan(Ranger)), the elf Andriel(https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Andriel), and the dwarf Farin.(https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Farin) Players can swap between each during battle. The characters have their own unique skills and abilities, and players can upgrade them over time with new weapons and powers. The game also incorporates the franchise's iconic eagles, with players able to call in Beleram(https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Beleram) to fight. Some of the characters players will meet in the game include Aragon, Gandalf, and Elrond, while the game also takes players to famous Middle-earth locations like Rivendell, Lorien, The Lonely Mountain, and Mirkwood. The Lord of the Rings might be set for a revival for video games, as Embacer--which now owns the rights to the series--has teased a renaissance for The Lord of the Rings games in the future(https://gamesbeat.com/a-new-generation-of-j-r-r-tolkien-games-is-coming-lee-guinchard-exclusive-interview/). Kingdom Come developer Warhorse is making a new The Lord of the Rings RPG(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-lord-of-the-rings-rpg-heres-everything-we-know/), while Crystal Dynamics is said to be developing one as well(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-the-lord-of-the-rings-game-coming-from-tomb-raider-studio-report/1100-6539137/). Both studios are owned by Embracer.
The Blood of Dawnwalker Is a Serious Witcher 3 Competitor, and It’s Launching Soon
Rebel Wolves' The Blood of Dawnwalker is a Witcher 3 sequel in all but name, and it's right around the corner.
Xbox Outage Bug Has Been Fixed, Microsoft Says
Xbox chief technology officer Scott Van Vliet has laid out Microsoft's response to the licensing problem that left players unable to play their games
2021 Game of the Year Could Be Coming to Nintendo Switch 2
Rumors indicate that Hazelight Studios' It Takes Two will get a Nintendo Switch 2 version this October.
A Cult Favorite Marvel Character's Dominance Officially Continues in New Release
Magik to lead new X-Men team after a banner year in games like Marvel Rivals and Marvel Tokon
Blizzard Is Reportedly Xbox’s New Top Studio
Out of all of Xbox's studios (of which there are admittedly fewer now following mass layoffs and studio divestitures(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-layoffs-studio-closures-and-spin-offs-everything-announced-today/)), Blizzard is reportedly the "top performing." That's according to a new report from Windows Central(https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/blizzard/blizzard-is-now-xboxs-top-performing-studio-as-the-division-ends-fy26-over-delivering-on-microsofts-projections-per-internal-emails) based on emails sent by Blizzard president Johanna Faries to staff last week. In the emails, Faries celebrated the studio's performance ahead of BlizzCon in September, an event she hopes will "serve as a powerful springboard into a new era of momentum and excitement." Faries went on to state Blizzard ended the 2026 fiscal year as the "top-performing studio in Xbox's studios division, and this past year has marked our third highest fiscal for top line revenue in Blizzard's history." Faries doesn't elaborate on what exactly "top performing" means, but Blizzard saw its first consecutive years of growth since fiscal year 2017. Faries attributed the growth to two games specifically. "Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred and Overwatch drove exceptional performance in particular, with Overwatch delivering its strongest quarter since 2022," Faries said. Both Diablo 4 and Overwatch have certainly had big years, as did World of Warcraft, which also released a new expansion earlier this year. Diablo 4's latest expansion was well-received(https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/diablo-4-lord-of-hatred-review-mother-knows-best/1900-6418484/), even if its latest season(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/diablo-4s-massive-mythic-item-changes-arent-finding-many-fans/) seemed to take two steps back. Even Diablo 2: Resurrected, a remaster of a 26-year-old game, received new content in the form of the Reign of the Warlock DLC(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/major-diablo-2-dlc-adds-features-fans-have-waited-decades-for-but-itll-cost-you/1100-6538086/). Overwatch, meanwhile, underwent a transformation of its own earlier this year, when it dropped the "2"(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/overwatch-is-dropping-the-2-and-launching-a-new-story-driven-era/1100-6537874/) from its name and introduced five new heroes at once(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/overwatch-is-getting-five-new-characters-heres-a-first-look-at-what-they-do/1100-6537890/). News that Blizzard is Xbox's top-performing studio of the last year isn't exactly a shock, especially considering the poor performance of last year's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. But it's a little surprising Blizzard hasn't been Xbox's top performer ever since Microsoft's acquisition of the studio back in 2023. Not many studios are capable of operating multiple popular live-service games at once, and Blizzard has three big ones. Though WoW wasn't cited as a reason for growth, it alone has millions of players paying a monthly subscription fee, and both Overwatch and Diablo seem more popular (and more monetized) than ever. While one of Blizzard's games individually might not be able to compete toe-to-toe with juggernauts like Call of Duty or Minecraft, it's clear Blizzard's entire output combined is a powerful source of engagement and revenue for Microsoft. As for what's next for Blizzard, BlizzCon is right around the corner on September 12-13, where there will no doubt be plenty of reveals about the future of Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo. Persistent rumors also point towards a new StarCraft game(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/starcraft-shooter-likely-to-be-revealed-at-blizzcon-report-suggests/1100-6537249/) being revealed. Faries said last year 2026 will be Blizzard's "biggest year yet"(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/blizzards-biggest-year-yet-coming-in-2026-for-35th-anniversary-president-says/1100-6537061/) and that she wants Blizzard to be the "best gaming and entertainment company in the world." This year's BlizzCon will "reflect that ambition in a bigger way," she said.
This Switch Game You Might Have Bought Is Now Totally Unplayable
The Nintendo Switch version of Aliens: Fireteam Elite is now completely removed from sale and impossible to play for people who bought it. Developer Cold Iron Studios announced earlier this year that Fireteam Elite, a game that runs in the cloud and not locally, would be shut down on August 5, and now that day has come. The game was delisted on the Switch's eShop earlier this year, along with other digital platforms. However, the game remains playable on other platforms in an offline state. Because the Switch version is streamed over the cloud, it's now totally unplayable. Fireteam Elite originally launched in August 2021 on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, before coming to Switch in April 2013 via the cloud. A sequel, Fireteam Elite 2, is coming this August on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, with the Switch 2 edition arriving later in the year. These kinds of issues, along with physical media going away, has prompted anger and frustration from fans, along with concerns about game preservation. Cloud gaming has been around for years, in various stages, and Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick recently said he expects adoption to continue to grow. During an earnings call recently, Zelnick said he believes the industry will be in "commercial streaming mode"(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/take-two-ceo-says-streaming-could-soon-make-expensive-consoles-matter-less/) within three years. He and others have theorized that expanded access to cloud gaming could help bring in more revenue by way of reaching more people. With console prices continuing to go up, people might see cloud gaming as an increasingly attractive opportunity to play the latest games without needing to own expensive hardware. For this to work, though, there needs to be low latency, Zelnick said. People would also need steady and reliable connections, along with internet plans with generous data caps, or no caps at all. The road to cloud gaming has been paved with plenty of issues. Google's Stadia service previously shut down and the cloud versions of Kingdom Hearts games, like Fireteam Elite for Switch, will be shut down in the future(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/kingdom-hearts-cloud-versions-shut-down-today-and-youll-have-to-buy-new-versions-to-keep-playing/). These are issues that could engender mistrust with the entire concept of cloud gaming. In 2019, Zelnick said clouding gaming was not going to revolutionize the gaming industry(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/take-two-ceo-doesnt-think-cloud-gaming-is-the-futu/1100-6482172/), nor did he buy into the theory that cloud streaming would open up a whole new market of people who previously didn't play games.
An Xbox Game With 50% One-Star Reviews Is Still the Top Game With a Million Players in Week 1
With lag, region locking, and spambots, can Mistfall Hunter survive the overwhelmingly negative reviews?
Amid Xbox woes, Blizzard has reportedly become the ‘top performing’ studio at the company
Blizzard has reportedly become the top performing studio at Xbox thanks to strong performances from Overwatch and Diablo 4's DLC.
2025's Best Soulslike You Missed Is Officially a Sleeper Hit on Xbox Game Pass
Hell Is Us is a must-play 2025 Soulslike saddled with terrible release day luck, now getting a second chance on Xbox Game Pass.