Category: Xbox News

Story time. A few weeks ago, while we were all sitting around a giant pile of gifts and wrapping paper, my kitten was losing her mind, darting from pile of paper to ribbon to making loops around the tree. It was like an avalanche of fun.

Well, I feel you little kitten, because being overstimulated by so many exciting new toys is totally me right now. I’m back to work after the holiday break, and already counting down the hours until I get home to play more new games. We’ve got a couple coming at you very soon, plus a ton we added last month, so I can’t wait to get started! I’ve already fired up the Xbox (Beta) app to download the games, so they’re ready to play by the time I get home tonight.

Let’s get to what you’re here for: New PC games plus those you might have missed from last month!

Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass for PC

Frostpunk (ID@Xbox)
As the ruler of the last city on a frozen planet, you must manage both its citizens and its infrastructure against the overwhelming cold in Frostpunk. What decisions will you make to ensure your society’s survival? What will you do when pushed to breaking point? Who will you become in the process? This society survival game, where resource management clashes with empathy and heat means life, every decision comes at a price.

FTL: Faster Than Light (ID@Xbox)
Command your very own starship and embark on an awesome strategic adventure as you and your crew try to save the galaxy in the classic roguelike FTL. Command your team, manage your ship’s power and weapons, and engage in tactical space battles while trekking among the stars. A challenging voyage across a randomized galaxy with no second chances, each playthrough will feature different enemies, events, and results from your decisions.

Looking Back on Xbox Game Pass for PC December

We added a ton of awesome PC games to our library in December. If you missed them, don’t leave these behind in 2019. 

Age of Wonders: Planetfall

Demon’s Tilt

Europa Universalis IV

Faeria

Farming Simulator 17

Human Fall Flat

Infinifactory

Metro: Last Light Redux

My Friend Pedro

Pathologic 2

Phoenix Point

Pillars of Eternity: Hero Edition

Ticket to Ride

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
(Game Preview)

Patch Notes Update

Check out the latest PC Community Update video where we share some updates on the progress we’ve made since launching the Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta). There’s a variety of new features and functionality available in the Xbox (Beta) app:

• View and edit your profile, including new themes and backgrounds from 15 different games and franchises including Gears 5, Forza, and more
• View your achievements, and set unlocked achievement art as your PC desktop background
• Easily search for a specific game in your achievement history
• View other gamer profiles, see the games they’ve played, and their achievement history
• View achievements for supported games in the Microsoft Store

Xbox Game Pass Quests

The best part about Quests is that you were going to play the games
anyway – now you’re getting the chance to earn some points for it! This month
earn any achievement on PC and get 100 points! See eligible games here.

If you’re looking for the latest new additions to the Xbox Game Pass for Console library, click here.

We’ll keep the news
coming, including updates to the Xbox (Beta) app and games coming to Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta), so stay tuned on Twitter
for all of that, plus cat memes. If you haven’t tried Xbox Game Pass for PC
(Beta) yet, don’t forget you can try your first month for $1!

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!

PvZ: Battle for Neighborville’s First 2020 Festival is Snow Joke
The future is now, Neighborvillians! It’s 2020 and, while we all assumed that robots would have taken over the world by now, the only artificial intelligence running rampant these days are those pesky zombies. So, grab your friends and juice up those electric roller skates as the battle for brainz rages on in Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville!

Infiltrate and Eliminate in Silent Assassin, Now Available on Roblox for Xbox One
Silent Assassin, the hit stealth action game on Roblox, has been unleashed on Xbox One! Blending fast-paced, cat-and-mouse style combat with the unpredictable antics of a frenetic multiplayer shooter, this is one unique thriller nobody should miss out on.

Available Today with Xbox Game Pass for Console: Grand Theft Auto V
You know us at Xbox Game Pass, we like to make memes and jokes about our games. I am sitting here giggling to myself about something Trevor Phillips said in Grand Theft Auto V, and then realized that there is no possible way I could repeat that out loud without getting in trouble. I am productivity personified, and here to tell you that GTA V is available today with Xbox Game Pass for Console!            

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for January 8 to 10
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 change).

Free Play Days – DiRT Rally 2.0
Free Play Days is back this weekend with another exciting game for you to play! Carve your way through the competition in DiRT Rally 2.0. Featuring iconic locations in New Zealand, Argentina, Spain, Portugal, Australia and the USA, develop your team and cars and rely on instinct in the most immersive off-road experience yet.

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 change).

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Regions of Ruin – January 8

A 2D side-scrolling RPG with town-building where you are
introduced to an open world that progressively challenges your hero and
settlement the further you delve into the vast continent where kingdoms have
risen and fallen, settlements have been laid to waste and overrun by warring
groups, and great mysteries lay hidden and waiting to be unearthed – assuming
you can defeat their jealous guardians.

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Animal Friends Adventure – January 8

Xbox One X Enhanced – Something terrible has occurred in Panda Land. Mysterious disappearances are happening. Mystical beasts and strange creatures are appearing. Trouble is brewing in every corne. Super Panda must once again go and rescue his beloved lands from the ancient nemesis once thought defeated. This time, he brought his crew to help.

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Dragon Sinker: Descendants of Legend – January 8

Xbox Play Anywhere – Set out in search of the legendary weapons to free the world from the rule of Wyrmvarg! Employing 8-bit graphics and sound, Dragon Sinker brings a visual and audio feast to the table of hungry gamers starving for the nostalgia of RPG classics with plenty of subquests for the hero to tackle and secret dungeons to explore.

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In-Vert – January 8

In his quest to find a long-lost friend, our hero has to
conquer two universes at once, relentlessly switching between two dimensions.
Be prepared for some tough puzzles, jumping sequences and retro graphics like
you’ve never seen before in this hardcore platformer.

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Paperbound Brawlers – January 10

Mind-bending gravity mechanics in a platforming brawler for
up to four local players. Featuring characters and arenas from classic books, Paperbound
Brawlers combines platforming, twitchy combat, and gravity control in a
competitive couch multiplayer environment. This is an enhanced version of the fan
favorite multiplayer party game Paperbound.

You know us at Xbox Game Pass, we like to make memes and jokes about our games. I am sitting here giggling to myself about something Trevor Phillips said in Grand Theft Auto V, and then realized that there is no possible way I could repeat that out loud without getting in trouble. I am productivity personified, and here to tell you that GTA V is available today with Xbox Game Pass for Console!             

Welcome to Los Santos and Blaine County, where the great
outdoors meets shopping, glamour, and so much more… Jump in the lives of a
retired bank robber, a terrifying psychopath, and a young street hustler while
pulling off heists and essentially causing all sorts of mayhem.

For those of you with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or Xbox Live
Gold, you’ll also have access to Grand Theft Auto Online, a dynamic and
persistent online world for up to 30 players. Since coming to Xbox One, GTA
Online has received 25 updates which allow players to become CEO of a
business, own a nightclub, or visit The Diamond Casino & Resort.

The latest update released on December 12 challenges players
to pull off the most sophisticated and daring robbery the city of Los Santos
has ever seen in The Diamond Casino Heist. This is all in addition to allowing
you to customize your appearance, change your stats, customize your cars, find
your friends and become scooter brothers, take part in jobs, missions, and
activities to earn reputation and cash. Rise through the criminal ranks and
pull off the heists of your life.

Don’t forget: with your Xbox Game Pass membership, you get up to 10% off on any purchase of the Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack or Shark Cash Cards to fancy-up your cars, buy new real estate, or even a helicopter! (Pro tip: Best way to get those high value targets trying to hide from you on top of a tall building.) You can also use your membership to save up to 20% on a purchase of the base game from the Microsoft Store.

Tune in to the brand new iFruit Radio Station that launched
with The Diamond Casino Heist update for Grand Theft Auto Online, and
follow us on Twitter and Instagram – we’ll share the
best that Los Santos has to offer. Don’t forget, if you want to start your own
crew with your friends in Grand Theft Auto Online, they can snag their
first three months of Xbox Game Pass
Ultimate for $1 right now! The deal ends on January 6, so jump on it now.

The future is now, Neighborvillians! It’s 2020 and, while we all assumed that robots would have taken over the world by now, the only artificial intelligence running rampant these days are those pesky zombies. So, grab your friends and juice up those electric roller skates as the battle for brainz rages on in Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville!

With a new year here, fresh as a downy blanket
of just-fallen snow, crisp as a frozen leaf of iceberg lettuce, orange as a
fledgling rubber construction cone straight off the Z-Tech factory line, we’re
bringing you a brand-new festival event to match: Snow Day.

Wander Giddy Park where the frosty snowdrifts
are beginning to thaw. Work your way through the Snow Day Prize Map, using
Prize Bulbs, and score epic hats, Victory Slabs, Punchers, emojis and more.
Pick up chase items as you go, like the Cowmooflage Commander costume for Foot
Soldier at the mid-way point, Legendary Millennium Dragon costume for
Snapdragon at 100% completion, and the Snapdragon Legendary Century Dragon
costume when you take a single path to the end of the map.

How do you earn Prize Bulbs? Get them by earning XP as you play any mode. You can also complete daily and character challenges to earn more. Once you’ve picked up your Prize Bulbs, access the Snow Day Prize Map by visiting Wing-Ding to the right of the multiplayer portal.

Curious what the rest of 2020 will bring? We’ve consulted Rose, our time-traveling enchantress from another era (who also smells fantastic, btw), and she’s uncovered a mystical glimpse into your future! Here’s what’s coming up over the next three months:

Rose also told us what will happen over the next 300 years, but we’ll save that prediction for another time. For now, enjoy Snow Day and be sure to stick around for more news from PvZ: Battle for Neighborville as the decade proceeds.

Stay up to date with Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville by following them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Silent Assassin, the hit stealth action game on Roblox, has been unleashed on Xbox One! Blending fast-paced, cat-and-mouse style combat with the unpredictable antics of a frenetic multiplayer shooter, this is one unique thriller nobody should miss out on.

In Silent Assassin, players are randomly assigned one of three roles
at the start of each round. There’s the titular assassin, whose quick feet and
cloaking ability allows them to outmaneuver any foe. They have two objectives:
stab the target, then escape from the scene of the crime. The target,
meanwhile, must avoid the assassin and survive at all costs—which, admittedly,
is easier said than done. They’re not entirely defenseless, though. Everyone
else is a guard who comes fully equipped with an arsenal of firearms to help
them protect the target and eliminate the assassin. But watch your back—if the
assassin gets to you first, you’re knocked out of the round!

Define Your Gameplay Style

The more you play, the
better the rewards. Players can use the coins they receive at the end of each
round to obtain more weapons, perks, and gear, opening new and exciting
opportunities for different gameplay tactics. Assassins, for example, can
unlock smoke grenades and flashbangs, while guards can earn defensive gadgets
like tripwires and teleport pads. Devise your own strategies and become a
master assassin or the ultimate mercenary.

Three Unique PvP Game Modes

• Standard: This
  is the default game mode in Silent
  Assassin.
• Free-for-All: It’s
  every player for themselves! Eliminate as many opponents as you can.
• Infection:
  Players are split up into two different teams: the survivors and the infected.
  Group up and outlast the zombie horde or infect as many players as you can.

Silent Assassin was created by community developer
TypicalType, who learned how to code from building his own games on Roblox. He designed Silent Assassin with controllers in mind, making small adjustments
to refine the experience on Xbox One. With brisk three-minute rounds and
easy-to-learn controls, it’s the perfect pick-up-and-play game for just about
anybody. Fans worldwide can play Silent
Assassin on Roblox in English,
Spanish, German, French, Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, Simplified Chinese,
Traditional Chinese, and Japanese.

Whether you’re stalking
your prey through the dark, claustrophobic streets of Florence or keeping a
watchful eye amidst the starry backdrop of Orbital Station, Silent Assassin has a ton of fun, varied
maps to keep you and your friends engaged. Sharpen your blade and get ready to
pounce into a nefarious world where your next target could just be your last.

Jump into Roblox on Xbox One and play Silent Assassin for free now!

For your convenience, we typically compile the top stories
of each week, along with Major Nelson’s video recap, into a feature we call
This Week on Xbox.

With the year – and indeed the 2010s – drawing to a close, we’ve broadened our look back to include the entirety of 2019. The 12 stories below, one from each month this year, are a collection of informative highlights, announcements, and wrap-ups from some of our biggest events of the year, as well as a few fun features that we loved putting together for you in 2019 on Xbox Wire.

Thanks for reading and we can’t wait to share more stories with you in 2020.

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January

Mixer Embers Available Now
The first phase of Season 2 launched in November 2018, and it’s been phenomenal to see the Mixer community’s response. From launching fun Stickers and Effects to communities rallying around their favorite streamers’ Sparks milestones, we’ve had a blast seeing the community interact in new ways, and we appreciate all the valuable feedback you’ve given us so far…Read more

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February

Welcome (Back) Aboard – 5 Ways Sea of Thieves has Evolved Since Launch
When’s the last time you’ve teamed up with a few privateering pals and set sail in Sea of Thieves? If you’ve taken a break from the breakers, you may be surprised at how much more you’ll find floating around the game these days. Rare has continually updated Sea of Thieves (over 30 times in less than a year!), including 4 major, game-altering expansions, delivered for free… Read more

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March

Inside Xbox March Episode News Recap
Today, on our March episode of Inside Xbox, we made a big announcement about one of the world’s most popular games coming to Xbox Game Pass, revealed some major news regarding Halo: The Master Chief Collection, unveiled some of our plans for E3 2019, introduced a gorgeous new controller, shared info on new modes coming to State of Decay 2, and much more… Read more

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April

Introducing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Coming Later this Year
In June 2017, we launched Xbox Game Pass – with the goal of empowering gamers all over the world to discover their next favorite game. We also wanted to use Xbox Game Pass as a platform for developers to introduce their amazing games to millions of new people. From the beginning, the service was built based on input from gamers and we’re always listening to fan feedback… Read more  

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May

Our Approach to PC Gaming
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… Read more

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June

Everything We Announced at the Xbox E3 2019 Briefing
Today, Xbox showcased a blockbuster lineup of 60 anticipated games for both console and PC in its Xbox E3 Briefing and shared a glimpse of the future with Project Scarlett, which launches alongside Halo Infinite in 2020. Headlined by the biggest game of 2019, Gears 5, along with over 30 games premiering with Xbox Game Pass, the Xbox E3 Briefing delivered 11 world premieres… Read more

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July

How to Get the Most Out of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
This year has seen a number of big Xbox announcements, from our new approach to PC Gaming to all of the news we shared onstage at E3. For many of us, however, the most exciting news was that we created a brand-new membership plan that would benefit gamers in a huge variety of ways. Called Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, this program combines Xbox Game Pass for Console… Read more

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August

Inside Xbox gamescom News Recap
Today, on a special gamescom episode of Inside Xbox broadcast live from Cologne, Germany, we gave fans a closer look at some of the year’s biggest upcoming games, revealed new titles coming to Xbox Game Pass, showed off some new enhancements to Age of Empires II DE, pulled the curtain back on new accessories, and much more. For a full recap, read on below or watch… Read more

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September

Gears 5 breaks records as biggest launch for any Xbox Game Studios game this generation
Thanks to the incredible support from our fans, Gears 5 kicked off the Holiday season strong – attracting over three million players in its opening weekend and setting new records for Xbox Game Pass with the biggest launch week of any Xbox Game Studios title this generation. The performance easily doubled the first week’s debut of Gears of War 4 and made Gears 5 the most-played… Read more

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October

Xbox Console Streaming (Preview) Available Now
Today, we at Team Xbox are excited to talk about Xbox Console Streaming, our new system feature that lets you play your Xbox One games from your console on a mobile device. If you’re an Xbox Insider in the Alpha and Alpha Skip-Ahead rings in the US and UK, you can now try a preview of Xbox Console Streaming. You’ll be able to play your owned and installed Xbox One games… Read more

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November

Everything We Announced at X019
X019 kicked off with the biggest episode of Inside Xbox ever, celebrating all things Xbox with an incredible slate of news, including over ten Xbox Game Studios games on stage, three brand new games revealed from Xbox Game Studios, and four more world premiere titles from developers around the world. Inside Xbox was also home to big news from Xbox Game Pass .. Read more

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December

Power Your Dreams with Xbox Series X, Available Holiday 2020
For eighteen years and three console generations, the Xbox community has shown us the power both games and fun can have on all of us. As we enter a new generation of gaming, we see a future where you’re instantly absorbed in your games – where worlds are even more lifelike, immersive, responsive and surprising – and where you are at the center of your gaming experience… Read more

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!

The Telltale Batman Shadows Edition is Available Now on Xbox One
The Telltale Batman Shadows Edition is a darker take on the original two seasons of Batman: The Telltale Series. Rare dashes of color accentuate a universe that has been plunged into black and white creating a grimmer version of Gotham, ready to be experienced…

Xbox Sessions: Actor John Boyega Tests His Jedi Skills in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Making his way across the galaxy to our studio, we sat down with talented actor John Boyega to catch up on one of the world’s most iconic franchises and play the brand-new, action-adventure game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order in the latest episode of Xbox Sessions…

Coming to Xbox Game Pass for Console: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Untitled Goose Game, Pillars of Eternity, and More
I’m going to start with this deal, because your friends will thank you when you tell them: If they haven’t tried Xbox Game Pass Ultimate yet, they can get 3 months membership for just $1. Tell them to sign up before this expires, so you can talk about, make memes…

World War Z Introduces Explosive New Special Zombie: The Bomber
World War Z released in April this year and it’s been a pleasure to produce regular updates ever since, adding new maps, game modes, weapons, skills, cosmetics, and more. Our next update is set to release in December and features the long-awaited Horde Mode Z and…

Class is in Session with The Sims 4 Discover University
Welcome to The Sims 4 Discover University Expansion Pack, now available on Xbox One! Now that you’ve signed up for classes in the city of Britechester, it’s time to learn about all the opportunities of university life. After all, college is about more than…

Overcooked! 2 – Winter Wonderland Update Available Today on Xbox One
Feliz Navidad cooking fans! It’s time for the final Overcooked! 2 update of 2019, and it’s a very Christmassy one! We’ve had a jam-packed year of exciting content, which has been great to work on. I want to thank the fantastic team who’ve worked hard to create…

Xbox Shares the Must-Know Holiday Gaming Tips for Parents
With the holidays right around the corner, we know that many kids and teens have a specific game, gaming console or controller on their wish lists. As parents, we know some of you may be very familiar with gaming while others may feel out of the loop…

Vigor Introduces Battle Pass with Update 1.2: Preppers
Update 1.1: Bridges was an interesting ride for everyone. The Buried Caches became a focal point of encounters for many Outlanders, a brand-new map challenged inexperienced and veteran players alike, and the introduction of weight influence was…

New Games with Gold for January 2020
In January on Xbox One, sneak and plunder as a goblin thief in the fantasy stealth game Styx: Shards of Darkness and then don the cape and cowl to become the Dark Knight in Batman: The Telltale Series. On Xbox 360, and Xbox One via Backward Compatibility…

Free Play Days – Valkyria Chronicles 4, Puyo Puyo Champions, and Goat Simulator
Jump in and brace for all the fun that awaits you in this weekend’s Free Play Day event!Free Play Days is back this weekend with more fun games for you to play! Engage in a strategic, turn-based RPG with a beautiful hand-drawn visual style…

Xbox Sessions: Ninja Teaches the Legend, Mark Hamill, the Ways of a Fortnite Master
To cap off 2019, we teamed together a legendary entertainment icon with one of the most recognizable faces of today’s gaming generation as they spread holiday cheer around the island in Fortnite. For the first time ever, Mark Hamill met Ninja in the latest…

The Countdown to the Holidays is On: Get Amazing Last-Minute Deals from Xbox
It’s hard to believe but 2019 is coming to end and the holidays are almost here – have you finished your holiday shopping yet? If the answer is no, fear not! Xbox is offering incredible deals on Xbox One consoles, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate memberships, Xbox Game Studios…

Borderlands 3’s First Campaign Add-on Out Now, See the New Launch Trailer Here
Handsome Jack may be dead, but his legacy (and his army of deadly Loader Bots) lives on aboard his glitzy/deadly space station casino, The Handsome Jackpot. So, for all you Vault Hunters who’ve missed Hyperion’s egomaniacal CEO, we have some…

Holidays are Here in World of Warships: Legends
World of Warships: Legends is celebrating the holidays with a bang! Players can build and sail the mighty Yamato, participate in the Last Battleship campaign to earn the Jean Bart, and experience better battles through a second wave of player-driven content…

Update 1.4 Available Now for Stardew Valley on Xbox One
With the free Stardew Valley 1.4 update now available on Xbox One, I wanted to take this opportunity to share a little about its unique development history. I started working on what would become Stardew Valley in the Fall of 2011. I had never released a game before…

Trove Snowfest: Flamotrons, Horned Rumpfus, and Troval Warming
Trovians, Qubesly is desperate for your help to preserve the glittering, glistening world of ice necessary to make Trove’s Snowfest the beautiful event it is. Come help him fight Troval Warming through a seven-quest two-week adventure chain…

Bleeding Edge Tears into 2020 with Closed Beta Beginning on February 14
What a year it’s been for Bleeding Edge. Before our reveal during the Xbox E3 2019 Briefing, no one outside our studio knew our fast and frenetic 4v4 team brawler even existed! It’s been an absolute…

Defiance 2050: Survive the Winter
Snow has come to the New Frontier, and it has brought some fearsome enemies with it… You grab your gear and hop in your Duni Shetarru AWD for a normal day of hunting Arkfalls for some new tech to sell. As you drive along, you start to notice a new terraforming…

How to Master Every Battlefield V Soldier Class on Wake Island
These are exciting times here at Dice! We’ve just released our reimagining of one of the most (oh, all right, the most) classic map in Battlefield history: Wake Island. Battlefield veterans will remember…

Building the World of Conan Chop Chop, Coming to Xbox One February 25, 2020
88 years after Robert E. Howard introduced Conan the Barbarian to the world, the ferocious hero is due to take on his most remarkable challenge yet. We are proud to announce February 25, 2020 as…

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator Available Today with Xbox Game Pass
In 2016 we took a break from working on our physics-based platformer Clustertruck and went to a game-jam in a Swedish castle for seven days. A game-jam is a friendly game-developer competition where you are typically given a theme to make a game…

Celebrate the Best of 2019 with It’s Quiz Time’s End of the Year Update
What an eventful year 2019 has been! We’ve had black holes, a royal baby, recording-breaking superhero movies, and even more politics than we thought we could handle. At Snap Finger Click, we’re excited to celebrate the end of the decade with a brand…

Happy Fortnite Winterfest
Greetings, Xbox community! Before we drop into a new year of Fortnite, there’s still plenty of holiday cheer spreading across the Island. The fun begins with Winterfest. Between now and January 7, every time you fire up Fortnite on your Xbox One…

Skyforge: Rock and Metal Expansion Now Available on Xbox One
Something of great value to the Draconids is buried in the rocky crust of Terra, and these cold-blooded fiends will stop at nothing to get it out. An army of lizards, giant laser drills, and an extinction-level planetary threat… the odds sound about even, wouldn’t you say…

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for December 24 to 27
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…

A Heavy Dose of the ’90s in Cardpocalypse, Now on Xbox One
Talk to any kid in the early ’90s and the ’90s absolutely sucked! There was a hole in the ozone layer, war was popping up all over the globe, they had lost the voice of our generation in Kurt Cobain, and parents were just the worst…

Since July 2018, our development team has talked about giving Warframe players something different than the tried-and-true procedurally generated corridor shooters and open-world expansions they have become used to. They have wanted to expand Warframe’s gameplay into real-time, ship-to-ship space combat.

With
that first Railjack demo shown at TennoCon one-and-a-half years ago,
they turned a wild, nearly impossible dream they once had with our original
third-person action-adventure, Dark Sector, into a reality. Empyrean,
available now on Xbox One, is just that. Warframe players now have the
keys to a powerful battleship and dares them to fly into fast-paced, all-out
battleship combat.

Starting
with three gorgeous new space environments, Earth, Saturn, and Veil Proxima, Warframe
players must build a Dry Dock and the Railjack battleship, rally together their
clan, and launch into the wild unknown of deep space. In these all new
tilesets, Tenno (players’ names in game) will crash head-on into hostile
Grineer forces in next-level, team-oriented cooperative play.

This
first stage of Empyrean is designed as a real, honest-to-goodness
cooperative experience. Solo players will still
be able to enjoy Empyrean, but the difficulty and progression is
balanced around two-, three-, and four-player crews. Come 2020, we’ll bring
enhanced solo capabilities and even more surprises!

Starting
today, Empyrean will be an intense rush for both new and veteran Xbox
One players. By shooting waves of opponent Fighters and Crewships from the
pilot seat or gunner positions, we hope to capture some of those early
Millenium Falcon moments from “Star Wars: A New Hope.” You might just
reflexively yell to your teammates, “Don’t get cocky kid!” 

Blasting like a bullet from the Archwing Cannon into enemy vessels to commandeer or destroy their ships might feel a touch like our version of those powerful action scenes from “Captain Marvel.”

Before and during each fight, players will experience Empyrean’s new on-board ship systems. Starting with simple Railjack aesthetics like giving your ship a name, selecting colors or skins, and moving on to constructing weapons, armor and actual ship powers, players will uncover deep, rich systems designed to fulfill their space ninja — and now, space pirate — power fantasies. 

All
of this, while working together to take down enemy ships, putting out fires,
welding holes in the hull, boarding enemy craft, being boarded by enemy craft,
and more, create a unique urgency and gameplay tension totally new to Warframe. 

Over the holidays with family and friends around, there is nothing quite like a great cooperative experience, so we think you’re going to love Empyrean. So, give it a shot. Warframe is free and available now on Xbox One via the Microsoft Store. And don’t forget to visit our forums to start a conversation and let us know what you think!

Greetings, Xbox
community!

Before we drop into a new year of Fortnite, there’s still plenty of holiday cheer spreading across the Island.

The fun begins with Winterfest. Between now and January 7, every time you fire up Fortnite on your Xbox One you’ll have a chance to unwrap free rewards in the Winterfest Lodge. In total you will be able to open 14 presents, including two outfits, two gliders, two pickaxes, two wraps, one emote, and more. The Lodge also features a special stocking where you’ll receive daily challenges that reward you with prizes and XP.

Outside of the Lodge,
you can showcase your holiday style with the upcoming chill new outfits with the
Polar Legends Pack available on December 23. The pack includes:

• Codename E.L.F. outfit* (with selectable Minty Style)
• The Devourer outfit (with built-in Emote)
• Frozen Nog Ops outfit
• Frozen Fish Stick outfit

The end of the year also
marks the perfect time to celebrate all things Star Wars, including the release
of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” Your favorite characters — including
both Kylo Ren and Zorii Bliss — are available in the Item Shop alongside Star
Wars-themed gliders, back blings, and emotes. Once in battle, be sure to grab a
blaster and your favorite legendary lightsabers made popular by Rey, Kylo Ren,
Luke Skywalker, and Mace Windu.

But there’s more! To
wrap-up the year, we’re also letting you jump in with some of the year’s most
popular LTM gameplay modes, including Zone Wars. You can also grab a friend and
be among the first to try our new split-screen mode in Duos and Squads.

Also, Save the World
Founder’s Packs are now 50% off until January 17. Save the World is a co-op,
looter-shooter, survival mode with hundreds of hours of content. Level-up your Commanders,
expand your collection of unique weapons, and build the perfect Hero loadout to
fight back the Husks!

From everyone at Epic
Games, we hope you have a wonderful holiday. Happy Winterfest!