Category: Xbox News

Starting at 6:00 p.m. PST today, members of the Xbox One Preview Beta & Delta Ring will begin receiving the latest 1907 Xbox One system update (Build: 19H1_RELEASE_XBOX_DEV_1907\18362.5047.190628-1920).

DETAILS:

• OS version released: 19H1_RELEASE_XBOX_DEV_1907\18362.5047.190628-1920
• Available: 2:00PM PDT 6/30/19
• Mandatory Date/Time: 3:00 AM PDT 7/1/19

Fixes:

 

Home

• Fixed an issue where the background artwork for a game would not be displayed on the Home screen.

 

System

• Stability fixes to the system.

 

Known Issues:

 

Profile Color

• Sometimes users may encounter the incorrect Profile color when powering on the console.

Starting at 6:00 p.m. PST today, members of the Xbox One Preview Alpha Ring will begin receiving the latest 1907 Xbox One system update (Build: 19H1_RELEASE_XBOX_DEV_1907\18362.5047.190628-1920).

DETAILS:

• OS version released: 19H1_RELEASE_XBOX_DEV_1907\18362.5047.190628-1920
• Available: 6:00PM PDT 6/29/19
• Mandatory Date/Time: 3:00 AM PDT 6/30/19

Fixes:

 

Home

• Fixed an issue where the background artwork for a game would not be displayed on the Home screen.

 

System

• Stability fixes to the system.

 

Known Issues:

 

Profile Color

• Sometimes users may encounter the incorrect Profile color when powering on the console.

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!

Welcome to Etherborn, a Game Where the Entire World is at Your Feet
Hello, Xbox Wire fans! My name is Samuel, and I’m one of the members of Altered Matter – a small studio that’s located in sunny Barcelona, Spain. I want to tell you a little bit about our game Etherborn, a project that we’ve worked on for the last four years of our lives… Read more

Star Trek Online Adds Captain and Commander to the Ranks in Rise of Discovery Update
Turning the ideals of Starfleet on its head and manipulating his own crew, Jason Isaacs’ Captain Gabriel Lorca was one of the most interesting characters to ever appear in a Star Trek television show. The mystery of Lorca’s character was central to the arc of the first season…. Read more

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Emerges from the Shadows on Xbox One
It was May, 2015 when veteran game developer Kogi “Iga” Igarashi took a leap of faith and launched his concept for a new game on Kickstarter. Four years later, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night triumphantly makes its debut as a side-scrolling breakout hit. The journey…. Read more

E3 2019: The Creature in the Well is a Weird, Cool Riff on Pinball
You’d think that pinball and the basic mechanics of hack and slash gameplay would be completely incompatible, but The Creature in the Well is here to prove that a hybrid of the two only takes a little imagination. The artfully-rendered title, from a developer pair… Read more

Bandicoots, Start Your Engines! Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Available Now on Xbox One
It’s a survival of the fastest! Fully remastered to take advantage of the latest game graphics and physics, but still exhibiting the gameplay fans of Crash have loved for over 20 years, Crash Bandicoot is back and burning rubber starting now on Xbox One… Read more

Anyone Can Drive in Monster Jam Steel Titans on Xbox One
The backbone of the Monster Jam fan community is largely comprised of families. Moms and Dads bring their kids to live event shows across the globe and are always looking for ways to extend that Monster Jam family experience beyond the stadium. As a long-time developer… Read more

Read Part One of the Origin Story of The Sinking City’s Hero
Hi, everyone! We’re thrilled to finally launch The Sinking City on Xbox One and we have prepared something special for you today. The Sinking City is a game of investigation and adventure taking place in a fictional world inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft…. Read more

NFL Great Marshawn Lynch and NBA’s Lonzo Ball to Play Fortnite on Xbox Sessions
Calling all Fortnite fans and sports fanatics! Former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch and NBA point guard Lonzo Ball will join us for the next episode of Xbox Sessions. The superstar athletes will go head-to-head in Fortnite today, June 27 at 4:00 p.m. PDT on the Xbox Mixer… Read more

Free Play Days – theHunter: Call of the Wild
Do you hear that? It’s the sound of the wild, calling out to you to step into a majestic world full of wildlife and big-game hunting opportunities. Through this weekend, Xbox Live Gold members can heed the call and play theHunter: Call of the Wild. Immerse yourself… Read more

Brave the Depths of The Labyrinth, Now Available on Roblox for Xbox One
The world of The Labyrinth is, quite fittingly, full of twists and turns. You’ll never know what to expect the next time you and your friends step foot inside its mind-bending, ever-changing web of unforgiving traps, bloodthirsty monsters, elaborate puzzles, and dead ends… Read more

“Imagine Dragons’” Dan Reynolds to Compete in LOVELOUD Xbox Game Pass Challenge for LGBTQ+ Charities
You may know Dan Reynolds best for commanding the stage as the lead singer of “Imagine Dragons,” but he is also a passionate advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. In 2017, Dan founded the LOVELOUD Foundation to help ignite and progress the relevant and vital… Read more

Tune-In Tomorrow to ELEAGUE Gears Summer Series: The Bonds and Betrayals of Brotherhood Episode 3
Stemming from Xbox’s partnership with ELEAGUE, the six-part docu series focused on the stories and players behind the world of Gears Esports on TBS aired its second episode last week. In Episode 2 of The Bonds & Betrayals of Brotherhood, the primary professional… Read more

Here’s Everything We Revealed Today on the ID@Xbox Game Pass Showcase
The second ID@Xbox Game Pass showcase is a wrap! In case you couldn’t watch today, you can find the video on demand (VOD) above. But if you want the TLDR, don’t worry – we have you covered with this episode recap. In addition to announcing more games coming… Read more

Tune in for the Next ID@Xbox Game Pass Showcase
The next ID@Xbox Game Pass showcase is just around the corner! Tune in Thursday, June 27 at 9:00 a.m. PDT on the Xbox YouTube channel to hear about great games coming to Xbox Game Pass from independent developers. In this second showcase… Read more

E3 2019: Hands-on with the Ultimate First-Person Shooter, Doom: Eternal
I imagine the planning meeting for Doom: Eternal went something like this, with the following notes scribbled on id Software’s whiteboard: “Keep everything that works.” “Add new multiplayer mode.” “Let’s have a grapple hook… no…. let’s call it a Meathook!” “Taco Tuesday this week?” “Ooh, let’s add wall-climbing and double-dash abilities.” And in big bold letters… Read more

Explosive Growth in Trove with Going Green Update, Live Now on Xbox One
Ready your green thumb for Trove’s brand-new gardening update! In Going Green, there’s new seeds to sow, crops to harvest, and rewards to reap. Gardening is bigger and better than ever! New vegetable and alchemy plants bring variety to any garden. Before you can reap what… Read more

Crackdown 3 Free Flying High Campaign Update Available Now
Welcome back, Agents! Last month, we gave you Crackdown 3’s Keys to the City, providing a deep menu of Campaign tools and cheats to unleash unprecedented havoc, alongside a new vanity progression system for Wrecking Zone. Today, we’re excited to announce… Read more

The Nonsense Dance of Destruction in BackSlash, Available Now on Xbox One
I’m pretty sure the first prototype of BackSlash was born under impulses of feverish dreams. Overpowered and warlike kung-fu sorcerers clashing faster and faster until one falls. This is the very first “concept art” that was made for the game a few years back… Read more

E3 2019: Battletoads Revives Cartoonish Brawling
The original Battletoads, developed by Rare, arrived in 1991 to enthrall gamers. Now the three toads — Pimple, Rash, and Zitz — have been revived by Diala Studios and Rare for a new three-player beat ‘em up, available soon with Xbox Game Pass, that looks to… Read more

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for July 3 to July 5
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 more

Ready your green thumb for Trove‘s brand-new gardening update! In Going Green, there’s new seeds to sow, crops to harvest, and rewards to reap. Gardening is bigger and better than ever!

New vegetable and alchemy plants bring variety to any garden. Before you can reap what you’ve sown, you’ll need to give them tender loving care in the form of sunshine and water.

New vegetable plants like Qubbage, Unicorn Chard, and Totter Tates can be used to craft new consumable food. When you’re all full, you can also use vegetables to craft cosmetics, allies, and mounts

Along with the tasty vegetables, there are now alchemy plants which yield more material resources like Gem Dust to help power up your Gems, coveted Chaos Chests to expand your ever-growing collection of allies and mounts, or even Golden Watering Cans to let your garden grow faster!

While you walk through your farm gathering all these new goodies, you may also find something a little strange – Bobble Pod Seeds! Bobble Pods are a new type of piñata – throw them down and you and your closest seven friends can get some excellent rewards! You’ve got a chance to get different types of recipes and seeds, watering cans to let you farm faster, and possibly even a Ridable Bobble Pod to call your very own.

If you’re in seek of new sidekicks, Ally Habitats are the thing for you! Plant these homes to attract new allies, companions that wander at your side and grant various stats. These homes must be planted in Club Worlds, but their neighborhood is a generous one. When a new ally emerges from an Ally Habitat, anyone with sufficiently high Gardening skill who visits your club world can take one of them home.

No update in Trove would be complete without a shiny new dragon to earn and Going Green is no exception. Kahramet, Warden of the Fields, is here to start the summer right! You can craft this beauty with Blossoming Dragon Egg fragments, which can be found in those trusty, tricksy Bobble Pods.

Along with the Growing Green update comes Season 2 of Bomber Royale, complete with new rewards and maps, plus a host of other small changes to improve your game!

Trove is available as a free to play title on Xbox One on the Microsoft Store. Click here for additional details.

Starting at 2:00 p.m. PST today, members of the Xbox One Preview Beta Ring will begin receiving the latest 1907 Xbox One system update (Build: 19H1_RELEASE_XBOX_DEV_1907\18362.5039.190621-1520).

DETAILS:

• OS version released: 19H1_RELEASE_XBOX_DEV_1907\18362.5039.190621-1520
• Available: 2:00PM PDT 6/26/19
• Mandatory Date/Time: 3:00 AM PDT 6/27/19

Fixes:

 

System

• Stability fixes to the system.
• Various Localization fixes.

 

My Games and Apps

• Performance fixes to My Games and Apps.

Known Issues:

Audio

• Headsets are not being assigned to the users profiles and not working correctly. 

Profile Color

• Sometimes users may encounter the incorrect Profile color when powering on the console.

The next ID@Xbox Game Pass showcase is just around the corner! Tune in Thursday, June 27 at 9:00 a.m. PDT on the Xbox YouTube channel to hear about great games coming to Xbox Game Pass from independent developers.

In this second showcase, you’ll get more announcements and looks at gameplay from titles we showed E3 2019 such as Star Renegades, Dead Static Drive, and Unto the End. We also caught up with some of the developers who are excited to share more about their games with you. This includes Bloober Team on Blair Witch, Thunder Lotus Games on Spiritfarer, and more!

At this year’s E3, we launched Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta) and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Xbox Game Pass continues to get even better with a great game library on console and now on PC — it has never been a better time to discover your next favorite game with Xbox Game Pass. And for fans of games from independent developers, there is plenty to play now and plenty to look forward to! If you haven’t joined yet but are interested, find the right plan for you by clicking here.

For all the latest news and announcements, make sure to follow @XboxGamePass on Twitter and Instagram. For news about PC gaming, follow our new PC Twitter handle @XboxGamePassPC.

And with our Xbox Game Pass mobile app, install games anytime, anywhere to your Xbox One and get notified on what new games are added!

Hello, Xbox Wire fans! My name is Samuel, and I’m one of the members of Altered Matter – a small studio that’s located in sunny Barcelona, Spain. I want to tell you a little bit about our game Etherborn, a project that we’ve worked on for the last four years of our lives.

Etherborn is an exploration-platformer in which you explore a gravity-shifting world. Here, gravity works in a totally different way to what we are used to. It’s not static – it moves with you, changing the environment around you. Imagine yourself standing next to a wall. You take a few steps forward and suddenly that wall becomes the floor, and the whole world around you has changed position entirely. Because of this ever-shifting gravity, you will find yourself walking across a bridge while glued to its side, circling around the side of a column, and running under a waterfall whose stream is going up towards the sky.

The environmental puzzles that we prepared are a backdrop to a story that we want to tell. In Etherborn, you are a voiceless being that has just been born into a world where a bodiless voice is waiting for you. You don’t know who or what this voice is, but you feel that the two of you are meant to meet. And as you take your first steps, the journey begins and the world around you starts to flip. You will come across bridges suspended in air, ever-changing structures in the clouds, and lands filled with mysteries.

Etherborn is coming to Xbox One on July 18. Seeing our game so close to release sends slight shivers of excitement down our spines. We’ve been playing games our entire lives, and now with Etherborn, we’ve tried our best to create something unique and new.

We hope that this post gave you a decent glimpse into the world of Etherborn. We will be sharing more news as we get closer to release, so if you want to see more, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Our history began in November 2014 in Saint-Petersburg when three young people who never worked on a video game before and never even met each other has decided to participate in their first game jam. That’s how the initial Ovivo team was formed.

Over the course of just one night we made our first prototype: a black and white game which we called… Black and White Game. It was a great experience for us and we had a lot of fun working on it. But we were pleased even more when our friends tried our game and really liked it! We won that game jam and came up with the current name for the game — Ovivo. It sounds nice and is also a palindrome.

This victory gave us the confidence to continue working on Ovivo. But we didn’t have any resources to bring our ideas to life. At that time we didn’t think we could find a publisher so we have decided to test our luck and take part in Imagine Cup by Microsoft —   an international competition where the first place prize was a project development grant. We couldn’t even imagine that in half-year we will become the winners of Imagine Cup 2015.

Thanks to this victory we were able to make the game as we wanted — independently from a publisher and being limited only by our own imagination. We have released the game on multiple platforms and now we are proud to release Ovivo on Xbox One. We hope that you’ll get the same pleasure as we did when we were working on the game. It was a journey of its own creating this game and we hope the game will be not less of a journey for you!

Ovivo is available for pre-order on Xbox One via the Microsoft Store and will be available on July 2, 2019. Click here for additional pre-order details.

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!

Creating a Sanctuary in Jurassic World Evolution
After the amazing reaction to the first Jurassic World Evolution story expansion – Secrets of Dr Wu – we knew we wanted to do more and give players new ways to experience the game. We knew we wanted to tell more stories, and we knew we wanted to try something new… Read more

Pack Your Bags and Get Ready for the ID@Xbox Explore and Discover Sale
Now that school is coming to an end and the dust has settled from E3 it’s the perfect time to go on an adventure! The ID@Xbox team are here to help scratch that exploration itch. We went on a quest through our content to find some of the best adventure games… Read more

A Parent’s Guide: The Best Xbox Game Pass Titles to Play With Your Kids this Summer
School’s out for summer! That’s a refrain that your kids likely will be singing for a couple of days, right before they launch into “We’re bored!” or “It’s too hot to go outside!” Trust us, we get it: you’ve got them signed up for summer camps and fun activities galore… Read more

Play, Watch, and Earn Epic Rewards in the New Overwatch Event, Baptiste’s Reunion Challenge
Group up and dive in to earn epic cosmetic rewards inspired by the newest Overwatch hero. Baptiste’s Reunion Challenge gives you the chance to unlock rewards by racking up wins in Overwatch or tuning in to some of your favorite streamers. During this limited time event… Read more

Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass: Resident Evil Revelations, Goat Simulator, and More
Hey, Xbox Game Pass friends! E3 has come to a close and we’re still buzzing here like a kid with a king-sized candy bar. We’ve launched Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta), brought over 100 new games to the Xbox Game Pass library across console and PC, and got called breathtaking… Read more

Citizens of Space Brings the Future of RPG Gameplay to Xbox One
The Earth is missing and it’s up to you, the Ambassador of Earth, to recruit Citizens from around the galaxy to aid you in your fight to get it back! For the development of Citizens of Space, we wanted to capture the same tone and humor of the previous game in the series… Read more

Neverwinter: Undermountain Brings Iconic Dungeons & Dragons Campaign to Life
As we were designing an expansion for Neverwinter, we needed a huge space for players to progress to level 80 with a new cap increase. Where better to do so than in the biggest dungeon in the Forgotten Realms? With that idea in mind, Wizards of the Coast’s “Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage”… Read more

A Look at Ghost Face, Dead by Daylight’s Latest Addition is Available Now on Xbox One
Lurking in the shroud of night, Dead by Daylight’s Ghost Face is a natural stalker who likes to study his victims before striking. For this new killer, we decided to have a bit of fun. This time, it’s you that will be playing hide and seek with the survivors. The power of Ghost Face is… Read more

E3 2019: Lie, Sneak, and Blast Your Way to Success in The Outer Worlds
Thanks to a development history that includes titles like Pillars of Eternity and Neverwinter Nights 2, a new game from Obsidian Entertainment is automatically an event. Specifically, when it looks like it might be a continuation of the designs seen in Obsidian’s Fallout New Vegas… Read more

Vigor Update 0.9: Aid is Coming in July to Xbox One
Waiting… waiting never changes. After a burst of new information about the upcoming Summer Release, there’s been next to no news from our side. Indeed, we prepared a handful of minor updates – including the addition of Random Duos – yet there was nothing major on the horizon… Read more

Journey Through Generations of Sonic the Hedgehog Games with the Anniversary Sale
June 23, 2019 marks Sonic the Hedgehog’s 28th birthday and now’s the best time to journey through one of the most iconic gaming franchises from the start with the original Sonic the Hedgehog and end with Team Sonic Racing, the latest Sonic game. To celebrate, we’re launching… Read more

Tune-In Tomorrow to ELEAGUE Gears Summer Series: The Bonds and Betrayals of Brotherhood Episode 2
Stemming from Xbox’s partnership with ELEAGUE, the first episode of the six-part docu series focused on the stories and players behind the world of Gears Esports aired on TBS last week. This premiere episode introduced a diverse set of Gears of War pro… Read more

EA Sports NHL 20 Launches September 13 with Auston Matthews as Global Cover Star
Auston Matthews’ journey to the cover of NHL 20 has been anything but conventional. The Arizona native forged his own unique path to NHL superstardom and became the first Toronto Maple Leafs player to grace the cover of EA Sports NHL. Auston Matthews consistently… Read more

A New Master for Minion Masters with an Inside Look at Morellia
It was a wild couple of months of preparations to release Minion Masters and bring it to Xbox One. That means we can sit back and relax, right? Nope, that’s not the BetaDwarf way. We have too much stuff we want to show you. We wanted to add something very special… Read more

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for June 25 to 28
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

E3 2019: Scavengers is a Tornado of Compelling Competitive Survival
Scavengers is a 4-player team-based survival shooter that is billed by developer Midwinter Entertainment as “co-opetition.” That’s a made-up term that actually captures the spirit of the game, even if it doesn’t begin to hint at what makes it unique. Scavengers imagines an Earth that has been plunged into frigid cold thanks to the destruction of the Moon… Read more

Scavengers is a 4-player team-based survival shooter that is billed by developer Midwinter Entertainment as “co-opetition.” That’s a made-up term that actually captures the spirit of the game, even if it doesn’t begin to hint at what makes it unique. Scavengers imagines an Earth that has been plunged into frigid cold thanks to the destruction of the Moon. Much of humanity has taken refuge on a space station, run by a less-than-reliable AI, orbiting our old planet. You’re one of a four-person crew sent down to the surface, with orders to collect materials that might help build a future for humanity.

Sounds easy, right? Unfortunately, there are feral settlers on the planet, and hungry animals, and mutated beasts. Oh, and giant storms whirl through the map. They’ll freeze you to death within a minute. While some competitive shooters allow players to camp in a safe spot for long stretches, that’s not an option in Scavengers. This game is about moving quickly and quick thinking on the run, with a reliance on communication and flexible teamwork.

Scrounge to Survive

Matches progress in three rough phases. While the phases aren’t actually hard-wired into gameplay, they do help communicate how it all works. You arrive on planet with no survival supplies of any kind. So phase one is scavenging and, if possible, leveling up to unlock new crafting options. Phase two occupies the time to scope out the nearby area and seek the supplies that are your specific mission goals.

Along the way, you may encounter local resistance, and/or other teams. Those teams have the same objectives you do. While the developers note that teams could elect to work together to reach their goals more quickly, in practice… that might not be how it will work out. So, you’ve got multiple teams scrambling for limited resources, facing quite a few obstacles. On top of it all, there’s a ticking clock. Matches end with a dropship arriving to carry players and materials back to the station, and you need to be on it. That’s phase three. Maybe you’ll get that far; the dropship arrival zone becomes a chaotic endgame as teams and mobs converge.

Cooperate or Die

Scavengers features several character classes. The E3 demo featured only four — melee, sniper, shotgunner, and healing support — but many more will be available at launch. Each can build a unique weapon, and each has a special with a couple of activation criteria and a cooldown timer. Strategic use of specials can compound their benefits. The shotgunner, for example, can project a dome shield, which protects against incoming fire and offers safety from storms. The healer can project a large healing aura. Together, they create a refuge from many of the game’s dangers, which saved my team more than once.

All the perks specific to each character require crafting. You’ll scrounge basic weapons, break them down for parts, and build new stuff. After leveling up you’ll be able to craft your class-specific weapon. The crafting system is fairly robust, but primarily handled through one well laid-out screen. Since building stuff is technically handled by a small drone that accompanies each player, you can even craft while on the run. Items can be given to teammates from within the inventory screen, even over distance.

Above All Else, Stay Warm

You’ll pretty much always be on the run, too. Between the time limit, the demands of objectives — which generate the points you’ll need to win — and the storms, there’s no chance to just sit around and let most players in the match kill one another. Those storms, by the way, aren’t a simple PUBG or Fortnite concept, where a single dervish shrinks around the players. There can be three or four on the map at once. I got squeezed by two powerful tornados at one point, and with few supplies to fend off the cold, I was a popsicle. But with enough supplies you could also dash right into the storm, to use it as cover or to mask an escape.

Scavengers throws a lot of detail at players very quickly, and very little of it is optional. For every danger, there’s a counter. You’ll need to eat but can stave off hunger by consuming meat scavenged from animals. But that meat might be infected. Cook it first, at one of the fires placed around the map, or inject a craftable remedy to kill the infection. The amount of options is imposing at first, but none of it feels like filler.

The E3 build is still very early, and full launch details are still being determined. The game’s potential is huge, however. My playthrough felt like I barely scratched the surface of the game’s tactical and strategic options.