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BIZARRE: Xbox game studios - You Need To See This

"There has to be a reason for people to buy an Xbox": Making sense of Microsoft's messy return to console exclusivity

The Saturday Read | Senior leaders across Xbox detail why the platform is returning to console exclusivity, and explain why Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution are only the beginning

GamesRadar

Does anyone know how to drive this thing?

It's increasingly looking like nobody remembers how videogames work—or cares to.

PC Gamer

Summary: what's happening at Xbox?

Everything we know about the "Xbox Reset," from Compulsion and Double Fine going independent to Bethesda layoffs and what it means for future Xbox games

GamesRadar

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

DOOM dev id Software was "toying around" with game ideas before Xbox layoffs gutted it — a John Wick-style "Gun Fu" game and Perfect Dark were in consideration

Before this week's Xbox layoffs that gutted the studio, DOOM dev id Software was "toying around" with several experimental, non-DOOM game concepts.

Windows Central

Obsidian was also hit by "the Microsoft sacrificial rituals," says laid-off RPG veteran who previously worked on Dragon Age and Mass Effect

About 25% of the studio has reportedly been impacted

GamesRadar

Report: Mass Xbox layoffs will impact Fallout and The Elder Scrolls devs Bethesda and ZeniMax "significantly" — they'll focus on their "biggest franchises" like DOOM

Microsoft's mass layoffs at Xbox have reportedly affected Bethesda and ZeniMax "significantly," though devs will still be able to work on their core IPs.

Windows Central

Xbox's big "reset" cuts: Compulsion, Double Fine, Undead Labs, Ninja Theory to leave Xbox — 3,200 roles to be removed

Xbox's expected cuts have been revealed. It'll be the single biggest staff reduction event in the platform's history — although no announced projects have been cancelled, and no studios have been closed (so far).

Windows Central

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IO of '007: First Light' and 'Hitman' fame announces that it's lost the backing of Xbox for its 'Project Fantasy' IP — Confirmed.

IO Interactive, the studio behind the Hitman series and 007: First Light, announces that it is no longer working with Xbox, who have been helping it build its original 'Project Fantasy' IP, feeding the fires of rumors regarding potential layoffs coming to Xbox Game Studios soon.

Windows Central

Move Over, Jack Sparrow, They’re Making A 'Sea Of Thieves' Movie

'Sea of Thieves,' one of Microsoft's biggest gaming successes in the last few years, is getting a surprising big-screen adaptation.

Inverse

"A systematic pattern of wage and hour violations": Xbox RPG studio Obsidian is facing a class action lawsuit, denies "each and every allegation"

Xbox's Obsidian Entertainment, the dev behind The Outer Worlds 2, Avowed, and others, is being sued for "pattern of wage and hour violations."

Windows Central

I slept on Grounded for years, and now I’m having spider nightmares

Careful of the arachnids...

Destructoid

Gears of War: E-Day brings back a feature the series hasn't supported in over 10 years, and The Coalition says making it work was "a huge investment"

The Coalition explains why now was the right time to bring back four-player co-op to the mainline Gears of War series

GamesRadar

Active Reload may be an "iconic" Gears of War feature, but that isn't going to stop The Coalition from making changes to it for E-Day

The Coalition ripped Gears of War down to the studs, and it's building it back up with some big new ideas

GamesRadar

"Launching on PS5 effectively makes this our second launch": Obsidian legend Chris Parker talks Grounded 2 and its massive Into the Abyss update

Summer Preview | Grounded 2 reaches its next major milestone this August, with the "largest content update" yet and a release on PS5

GamesRadar

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TechRadar

We spoke to three Xbox Game Studio teams about exclusivity, and got two very different answers

The Coalition believes making Gears of War: E-Day an Xbox exclusive was the best decision, but not all Xbox Game Studios teams are aligned on the approach to console exclusivity.

GamesRadar

The biggest Gears of War: E-Day gameplay changes should have a transformative impact on the series' tired multiplayer

Member Exclusive | As The Coalition details the biggest updates to cover and movement in Gears' history, I can't help but get excited about the PvP

Windows Central

Microsoft: Please let your Xbox studios cook — they shouldn't be punished for previous experiments and mismanagement

Studios like Ninja Theory and others are reportedly on the block at Microsoft. It shouldn't be like this so soon after the Xbox Showcase.

TechRadar

Amid reports of closures to Ninja Theory and Compulsion Games, Xbox Game Studios CEO Craig Duncan is stepping down from the role after less than two years

Xbox Game Studios CEO Craig Duncan is reportedly stepping down from his position after less than two years in the role.

Get all your
news in one place.

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GamesRadar

Halo: Campaign Evolved reignites Halo's longest-running argument

Summer Preview | The upcoming remake will let Master Chief sprint – we caught up with Halo Studios to hear why it's making the change

Dot Esports

XBOX studios are reportedly trying to spin off as Microsoft weighs more closures

Compulsion, Double Fine, and Ninja Theory are in danger.

Windows Central

Xbox studios Double Fine, Ninja Theory, and others "at risk of being shuttered" according to new report — "active negotiations" for independence are ongoing

Microsoft and Xbox may soon close several of its game studios as part of a planned reorganization of the brand's business, according to a new report.

PC Gamer

Xbox Game Studios head and chief of staff step down as 'Xbox reset' looms

Studio closures are expected as Xbox's new leadership looks for a fresh start.

GamesRadar

With so much uncertainty swelling around Xbox, Senua is the action-adventure shot in the arm that the Hellblade series deserves

Summer Preview | It's all change at Xbox right now, which is why Ninja Theory unleashing a lush action-adventure game couldn't have come at a better time

Windows Central

Microsoft and Xbox may close South of Midnight developer Compulsion Games — it was just hiring for a "fascinating, intriguing, brand new IP" [UPDATED]

As Microsoft and Xbox prepare for a huge business reset, it reportedly has plans to shut down South of Midnight developer Compulsion Games.

GamesRadar

"We didn't make E-Day as a reaction to Gears 5": How The Coalition ripped up the Gears of War playbook to create a shooter worthy of leading the Xbox exclusivity charge

Summer Preview | The Coalition takes you inside Gears of War: E-Day, the upcoming Xbox console exclusive that marks 20 years of Gears

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