ID@Xbox - Xbox Wire

Our Approach to PC Gaming

by Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox Posted on May 30, 2019May 30, 2019

We believe the player should be at the center of their gaming experience and be able to harness the unique benefits of the devices they choose to play on. Nowhere is that belief more important than on the PC. As the creators of Windows, we have a unique responsibility to ensure we’re investing in experiences that benefit players everywhere, while respecting the PC community’s preference for an open, highly customizable platform. We’ve not always lived up to our aspiration of keeping gamers at the center of everything we do when it comes to the experience they’ve had on Windows. Today I’d like to share three steps we are taking to contribute to the thriving PC gaming... Read more: Our Approach to PC Gaming

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for June 18 to 21

by Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor Posted on June 14, 2019June 14, 2019

Welcome to Next Week on Xbox, where we cover all the new games coming soon to Xbox One! Every week the team at Xbox aims to deliver quality gaming content for you to enjoy on your favorite gaming console. To find out what’s coming soon to Xbox One, read on below and click on each of the game profiles for pre-order details (dates are subject to... Read more

Spiritfarer Debuts at Xbox E3 2019 Briefing

by Will Dubé, Founder, Thunder Lotus Posted on June 13, 2019June 13, 2019

“Welcome to the big show.” These were the first words I heard when I walked into rehearsals. We were about to announce our studio’s third game, Spiritfarer, on the biggest stage in the world: E3. My name is Will Dubé, and I’m the founder of Thunder Lotus Games. Five years ago, I quit my job to put an indie game on Kickstarter. Today, I’m writing to you from beautiful Los Angeles as we introduce our new game, Spiritfarer, to the world on the biggest stage in gaming. Spiritfarer is a cozy management game about dying. It’s a game about heritage and what you leave behind. It’s about relationships you create and care for, and the bitter-sweetness of saying goodbye.... Read more

Inside Xbox – E3 2019 News Recap

by Will Tuttle, Xbox Wire Editor in Chief Posted on June 10, 2019June 10, 2019

Today’s special E3 edition of Inside Xbox was chock-full of world premiere trailers, developer interviews, exclusive gameplay and general celebration of all things gaming and E3. We delved deep into the hectic, strategic and violent new game mode for Gears 5, Escape, with Rod Fergusson and showcased the fast and fluid 4v4 competitive gameplay of Ninja Theory’s brand new IP, Bleeding Edge. We welcomed Phil Spencer to the stage to discuss Team Xbox’s vision for gaming, plumbed the depths of Halo Infinite’s moving new trailer with Chris Lee, got details on the incredible partnership with Smilegate to bring Crossfire X to Xbox One, and gave a hearty welcome to Double Fine’s Tim... Read more: Inside Xbox – E3 2019 News Recap

E3 2019: Rise Up for Zombie Army 4: Dead War on Xbox One

by Tim Jones, Head of Creative, Rebellion Posted on June 10, 2019June 10, 2019

Maybe you’re one of the hundreds of thousands who loved Zombie Army Trilogy on Xbox One. Maybe you were one of many who battled right through to the end with your pals. You dispatched hordes of ravenous undead soldiers in a Europe ravaged by Hitler’s nefarious Plan Z. And finally, you and your crew faced off against the demon Fuhrer himself, sending him back to Hell, never to return. Well, I’ve got news for you. Zombie Hitler and his undead hordes are back! Yes, Rebellion are thrilled to say Zombie Army 4: Dead War is coming to Xbox One in early 2020. We’ve unveiled a fantastic cinematic trailer at E3 this week, and after what’s felt like months of lurking in the shadows, we... Read more

E3 2019: ID@Xbox Shines the Spotlight on Amazing Independent Games

by Lisa Trott, ID@Xbox Community Manager Posted on June 10, 2019June 11, 2019

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for fans, newcomers and veterans alike, one of the biggest events on the video games calendar, E3 is here! And oh boy, have we got a lot to share with you. If you didn’t catch our Xbox E3 briefing live yesterday, we’re excited to be able to share a bit more about the games we had the distinct honor of showcasing. These are some of the best independently developed games out there, from a wide variety of developers from across the globe. Some you’ve seen before, some you haven’t, but one thing they have in common is that they’ve all got something special about them – oh, and a whole bunch of them are coming to Xbox Game Pass! Below,... Read more

E3 2019: The Director’s Vision of Twelve Minutes

by Luis Antonio, Creative Director, Twelve Minutes Posted on June 9, 2019June 9, 2019

I've always been fascinated with the concept of time loops and often wondered how they could create exciting gameplay. I would have never imagined that the result would be the story of a married couple, living in a small apartment, continually being attacked by a detective in a twelve minutes loop, all in real-time and from a top-down camera. All these decisions were part of an iterative process of trying to find the most relevant design of the time loop mechanic from my point of view. When I set out to build something, I have a significant amount of control in the creative process ( based on my skills, experience, and end goal), but there is an organic side to the development of an... Read more

This Week on Xbox: June 7, 2019

by Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor Posted on June 7, 2019June 7, 2019

We know you’re busy and might miss out on all the exciting things we’re talking about on Xbox Wire every week. If you’ve got a few minutes, we can help remedy that. We’ve pared down the past week’s news into one easy-to-digest article for all things Xbox! Or, if you’d rather watch than read, you can feast your eyes on our weekly video show above. Be sure to come back every Friday to find out what’s happening This Week on Xbox! AAPE by *A Bathing Ape and Xbox to Drop Gears of War Capsule Collection at E3 2019 As we get ready to return to the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles to celebrate the future of gaming with the Xbox E3 2019 Briefing, we’re excited to... Read more: This Week on Xbox: June 7, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is the Next Buddy-Duo Adventure From Playtonic Games

by Gavin Price, Managing Director and Creative Lead , Playtonic Games Posted on June 7, 2019June 7, 2019

It feels like an entire decade ago that we had our heads down working on Yooka-Laylee. We were a fledgling studio comprised of industry veterans, and although we had over 100 of years of experience combined, we had to learn to work together wearing and sharing lots of new hats. We had to do a lot of things for the first time, setting up a company and doing loads of boring paperwork and tax stuff being the tip of the iceberg. We also had a massively successful Kickstarter campaign to handle, from signing thousands of manuals to mailing them out. We had one of the best character artists in the industry, Steve Mayles, personally licking every single stamp. Since then, we’ve been... Read more

E3 2019: How to Experience Xbox Game Pass for PC

by Ashley McKissick, Head of Xbox Game Pass Posted on June 9, 2019June 9, 2019

As part of our commitment to bring more choice to the PC gaming community, we’re excited to announce that starting today, PC gamers can join the recently-announced Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta) and explore a curated, growing library of over 100 high-quality PC games on Windows 10. Just like Xbox Game Pass for Console, Xbox Game Pass for PC will be $9.99 per month. To celebrate launch, you can join today for just $1 for your first month and $4.99 per month after that for a limited time. New games from Xbox Game Studios will premiere on Xbox Game Pass for PC, and we’re also working with over 75 content partners to bring a unique library full of great PC titles across a variety of... Read more

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for June 12 to 14

by Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor Posted on June 7, 2019June 7, 2019

Welcome to Next Week on Xbox, where we cover all the new games coming soon to Xbox One! Every week the team at Xbox aims to deliver quality gaming content for you to enjoy on your favorite gaming console. To find out what’s coming soon to Xbox One, read on below and click on each of the game profiles for pre-order details (dates are subject to... Read more

Where to Watch the Xbox E3 2019 Briefing

by Will Tuttle, Xbox Wire Editor in Chief Posted on June 6, 2019June 9, 2019

With E3 coming up on Sunday, we’ve got some final details on what Xbox has got going on for the biggest gaming event of the year! We’ll be kicking things off with our annual Xbox E3 2019 Briefing, which you can watch live beginning on Sunday, June 9 at 1:00 p.m. PDT. During the briefing, you’ll have a chance to check out everything from trailers for unannounced titles coming in 2019 and beyond to in-depth looks at previously announced games. You can watch the Xbox E3 2019 Briefing live beginning at 1 p.m. PDT on June 9 on the official Xbox Channel on Mixer, or on the Mixer app for Xbox One and mobile. Once again, we will plan to have a MixPot (the Mixer feature that drops... Read more

E3 2019: Xbox Game Pass for PC and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Available Today

by Ben Decker, Head of Gaming Services Marketing at Microsoft Posted on June 9, 2019June 9, 2019

Since the launch of Xbox Game Pass, we’ve been committed to offering the best value in gaming. For the last two years, Xbox Game Pass has offered our members on Xbox a curated catalog of over 100 great games, with new games added all the time and day one access to new titles from Xbox Game Studios. Today, we bring this commitment to PC with the launch of Xbox Game Pass for PC and the new Xbox App. You can get more details here. Our members have told us they want to be able to choose a plan that is right for how and where they play. That is why we offer Xbox Game Pass plans for Console and for PC. Many of our members also want a simple way to get it all, so we created Xbox... Read more

The Painterly Pixel Art of Even the Ocean

by Sean Han Tami, Programmer, Composer, Chief Happiness Officer, Analgesic Productions Posted on June 4, 2019June 4, 2019

Today, I’ve got a question for you. Can a platformer be nonviolent, while having a deep story, adventure, dynamic platforming, and more? That's one of the game design questions we answered when working on the upcoming Even the Ocean. Even the Ocean is a platformer adventure where you play as Aliph, a government worker who repairs power plants. You’ll travel across the countryside, meet diverse people, and attempt to restore the world’s balance of light and dark energy. In the power plants, you’ll use obstacles and hazards to shift Aliph's energy levels and movement physics. Central to Even the Ocean is the two-way energy bar. This bar shows Aliph's alignment between dark and... Read more

The Greatest Xbox Deals of the Year Drop on June 7, Including $100 off Xbox One X

by Will Tuttle, Xbox Wire Editor in Chief Posted on June 3, 2019June 9, 2019

The big week is nearly upon us: E3 is almost here and we can’t wait to share a look at the future of Xbox with our fans. We’re also excited because E3 also marks the start of our greatest Xbox deals of the year, when gamers can upgrade their console, accessories, and games at deep discounts. If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to buy an Xbox – that moment is now. In addition to great discounts on the Xbox One consoles you know and love, we’re happy to announce that there’s a new bundle joining the family. The new Xbox One S Fortnite Battle Royale Special Edition bundle includes a Special Edition purple 1TB Xbox One S, the Dark Vertex cosmetic set featuring Legendary... Read more

This Week on Xbox: May 31, 2019

by Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor Posted on May 31, 2019May 31, 2019

We know you’re busy and might miss out on all the exciting things we’re talking about on Xbox Wire every week. If you’ve got a few minutes, we can help remedy that. We’ve pared down the past week’s news into one easy-to-digest article for all things Xbox! Or, if you’d rather watch than read, you can feast your eyes on our weekly video show above. Be sure to come back every Friday to find out what’s happening This Week on Xbox! Tips for Playing Outer Wilds, Available Today with Xbox Game Pass Hello, travelers! As you prepare for liftoff, here are some tips from a veteran member of Outer Wilds Ventures, your local hearthian space program. As a combination of narrative... Read more: This Week on Xbox: May 31, 2019

Build Your World on PixArk with These Tips, Available Today on Xbox One

by Peter Kang, COO, Snail Games USA Posted on May 31, 2019May 31, 2019

Snail Games and Studio Wildcard are excited to announce a new adventure within the Ark universe: PixArk. Explore endless possibilities in an open world full of infinite voxel-based maps and a procedural quest system that allows you to build fortresses, discover prehistoric and magical creatures, and explore the secrets of this mysterious world - how you play is up to you! It can be overwhelming being dropped into a world with unidentifiable resources and unknown creatures. In the beginning, you might find yourself collecting every material and experimenting with different crafting recipes. Is this safe to eat? How do I build a shelter? Is that creature dangerous or friendly? The answers... Read more

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for June 4 to June 7

by Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor Posted on May 31, 2019May 31, 2019

Welcome to Next Week on Xbox, where we cover all the new games coming soon to Xbox One! Every week the team at Xbox aims to deliver quality gaming content for you to enjoy on your favorite gaming console. To find out what’s coming soon to Xbox One, read on below and click on each of the game profiles for pre-order details (dates are subject to... Read more

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Creating the World of Hunt: Showdown, Available Today in Xbox Game Preview

by Fatih Özbayram, Lead Producer, Hunt: Showdown Posted on May 30, 2019May 30, 2019

If you know Crytek as the developer that made Crysis or, more recently, Ryse: Son of Rome, then you might be surprised to see what we’ve done with Hunt: Showdown, which we are releasing today on Xbox One through the Xbox Game Preview program. When we started work on Hunt: Showdown in our Frankfurt studio, we decided to take the most thrilling moments from survival games and pack them in a match-based format while retaining the fear of loss that makes survival games so incredibly intense. We wanted to create the feeling of gambling with your character’s life and strip away the downtime between the exciting moments. Piece-by-piece, we created the dark, tense, photo-realistic... Read more

Tips for Playing Outer Wilds, Available Today with Xbox Game Pass

by Wesley Martin, Art Director, Outer Wilds Posted on May 30, 2019May 30, 2019

Hello, travelers! As you prepare for liftoff, here are some tips from a veteran member of Outer Wilds Ventures, your local hearthian space program. As a combination of narrative mystery and astrophysics simulation, Outer Wilds can often be counter-intuitive if you approach it like other games. While it is completely up to you to choose how you play and where you go, this advice should help you get the most out of each expedition. Pay Attention to Information In many games, lore means fun bonus text to collect that you can read at your leisure or not at all depending on how you feel at the time. In Outer Wilds, every person you talk to or piece of text you read is a useful tool that... Read more

New Combat and Weapon Skills in Black Desert Awakening Update

by Danny Park, Live Service Project Manager, Black Desert Posted on May 29, 2019May 29, 2019

In the three months since its launch on Xbox One, Black Desert has added two new regions, doubling the size of the world, four new classes, and massive world bosses that take whole servers of players to defeat. Today, we’ve added a whole new way for players to bring the fight to their enemies in Black Desert with the Awakening free content update. All ten available classes will receive new weapons and devastating skills once they are “awakened” that can strike down enemies on the battlefield. During combat, classes can switch in-and-out of their awakened forms as they execute a variety of new combos delivering ultimate damage. To awaken, adventurers must first reach level 56,... Read more