Tag: Xbox

“On your feet soldier, we are leaving.” – Captain Price

Today marks the official worldwide launch day for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on Xbox One, Infinity Ward’s epic re-imagining of the seminal first-person action franchise.

Prepare to go dark and dive into a gripping single-player Campaign, a tactical and challenging Special Ops experience, and an extremely replayable and frenetic Multiplayer.

Using an all-new engine that represents the largest technical leap in Call of Duty history, Infinity Ward brings a new level of authenticity through the most lifelike visuals to date, and it is all shown at the hallmark 60 frames per second to give players an ultra-immersive experience.

Modern Warfare also features crossplay for the first time in franchise history, allowing allowing players to compete with their friends regardless of what platform they have.

Campaign: The single-player experience within Modern Warfare engulfs you in a raw and gritty narrative, bringing unrivalled intensity and shining a light on the changing nature of modern war. You will play as three characters – Sgt. Kyle Garrick, CIA Agent Alex “Echo 1”, and Farah Karim, leader of the Urzikstan Liberation Force – in a covert battle for the global balance of power. Missions within the Campaign include a variety of differing playstyles, such as close quarter, stealth, and long-range combat scenarios. There are also multiple difficulty options, which fit a wide scope of players from those new to the franchise (Recruit) to seasoned experts (Veteran).

Multiplayer: The main online component of Modern Warfare offers a variety of incredibly fun and competitive modes with plenty of customization options. Go up against fellow Tier One Operators – or in other words, members of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare community – in live fire combat exercises, ranging from simple Free-for-All games to tactical objective modes, on a variety of maps based on locales within the Modern Warfare universe. Your Operator will enter Multiplayer maps complete with an ultra-customizable Loadout, tide-turning Field Upgrades, and Killstreaks, powerful rewards for taking down multiple enemies within one life. Rank up your soldier to unlock the full suite of Loadout options before continuing progression into Officer Ranks and earn experience for your weapons all the while to unlock Attachments and Weapon Perks to further customize within the expansive Gunsmith.

Special Ops: The co-operative mode of Modern Warfare continues the Campaign’s story through Operations, dynamic experiences where four-player strike-teams work together to stop a new global threat that thrives within the massive city of Verdansk, and its surrounding environments. Gather intel and tackle the mission however you and your strike-team see fit with all Operators, Loadouts, and Progress carried over from Multiplayer. Within Operations, you can choose a Role, classes that have powerful active and passive abilities, and three Munitions, boxes that will appear randomly on the map to aid in the task at hand when it matters most. Special Ops also includes Missions, one to four player challenges that will test your skills against the clock, ranking your performance on a three-star scale.

And that’s not all: Modern Warfare is scheduled to have live seasons post-launch featuring a load of new post-release content coming free for all players on all platforms simultaneously.

Download Call of Duty: Modern Warfare today from the Microsoft Store.

This time of year, our office starts to get into the Halloween getting-dark-early-so-let’s-hibernate-and-play-some-great-games kind of mood. Meanwhile, we’re prepping our pumpkin carving designs, curating our “most likely to make you scream” gaming playlists and debating what makes a game spooky. Like drinking with the devil, killer alien sharks, and the cold, dark vacuum of space — bonus points if you figured out what upcoming Xbox Game Pass titles I’m referring to.

One of them is The Outer Worlds, which is coming to Xbox Game Pass for Console and PC, and you can play it day one on October 25. Get ready by preloading it like… right about… now! Seriously, right now. Here’s the full list of games coming to Xbox Game Pass for Console in the near future:

October 23

Lonely Mountains: Downhill (Xbox Play Anywhere)

Just you, your bike, and a mountain. Take a thrilling ride down an unspoiled mountain landscape and make your way through thick forests, narrow trails and wild rivers. Race, jump, slide and try not to crash all the way from the peak to the valley.

Secret Neighbor

Follow-up to the fantastic Hello Neighbor, Secret Neighbor is a suspenseful multiplayer horror game where a group of kids try to rescue their friend from the neighbor’s creepy basement. Only problem is one of the kids is the Neighbor in disguise.

October 24

Minit

Minit is a peculiar little adventure played 60 seconds at a time. Journey outside the comfort of your home to help unusual folk, uncover countless secrets, and overcome dangerous foes, all in hopes of lifting a rather unfortunate curse that ends each day after just one minute.

October 25

The Outer Worlds (Xbox Game Pass for Console and PC)

A new single-player, first-person sci-fi RPG from Obsidian Entertainment and Private Division. Lost in transit while on a colonist ship bound for the furthest edge of the galaxy, you awake decades later only to find yourself in the midst of a deep conspiracy threatening to destroy the Halcyon colony. As you explore the furthest reaches of space and encounter various factions, all vying for power, the character you decide to become will determine how this player-driven story unfolds.

October 29

Afterparty

Milo and Lola are recently deceased best buds who suddenly find themselves staring down an eternity in Hell. But there’s a loophole: outdrink Satan and he’ll grant you re-entry to Earth. Control Milo and Lola with an intelligent conversation system that changes the story and your relationships based on every decision. Uncover their personality quirks and foggy history during the wild events of the night. Every step is up to you as you stumble through the underworld. Go on a hellish bender, uncover the mystery of your damnation, and drink Satan under the table.

October 31

LEGO Star Wars III

Laugh your way through an all-new story that takes you through 16 different systems and experience features like massive ground battles, boss fights, and multi-layered space combat. Expanded Force abilities, characters, environments, and over 20 story-based missions make this the most one of the most action-packed LEGO games.

November 7

Subnautica

You have crash-landed on an alien ocean world, and the only way to go is down. The ocean ranges from sun drenched shallow coral reefs to treacherous deep-sea trenches, lava fields, and bio-luminescent underwater rivers. Manage your oxygen supply as you explore kelp forests, plateaus, reefs, and winding cave systems. The water teems with life: Some of it helpful, much of it harmful.

Quests:

Starting November 1, play as some of the toughest, most daring femmes in games. Earn any achievement in the upcoming Fearless Femmes collection to earn 100 Rewards points. Whether you choose to explore the world as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider or live in fear in Alien: Isolation, we’ve got a game for you to play.

Game Updates and Events

In addition to the exciting and spooky games releasing for Console and Ultimate soon, we also wanted to share some sweet game updates you can take advantage of this month just by being an Xbox Game Pass member because why not?

• State of Decay 2: The Swine & Bovine Halloween costume pays gory tribute to the chain of restaurants dotting the abandoned landscapes of State of Decay 1 and 2. Players can unlock this new limited time outfit by playing State of Decay 2 between October 24 and October 31. You’ll be the horror of your friends! Happy Halloween, survivors.
• Gears 5: The day after Judgment Day is here. Play as Grace and the Rev-9 from Terminator Dark Fate before the theatrical release November 1. Use your Xbox Game Pass member discount to purchase the new Gears 5: Terminator Dark Fate Character pack, which became available October 16. You can also fight off a Horde of Terminators in the Gears 5: Terminator Dark Fate Horde event which runs through October 29.
• Minecraft: Celebrate the launch of Character Creator in Minecraft and Minecraft Earth with this free fashionable cape – the first of its kind on this platform! Download it today as it will only be available for a limited time!
• Rocket League: Things are a bit stranger this year in the annual Haunted Hallows in-game event. Now through November 11 you can earn candy corn while driving through the Upside Down unlocking themed items and exclusive rewards. And yes, there are Golden Pumpkins to find.
• Ark: Survival Evolved: From October 22 to November 5, one of the most desired events in Ark will return: Fear Evolved 3! From spooky graves, infested pumpkin fields to zombie dodos you will find something for everybody. This event has been wished for by the fans again and again and these wishes have now been heard: Fear Evolved is coming back just in time for Halloween. There will be lots of new event items and event creatures from previous events.
• Black Desert: The divine beast Heilang is the loyal companion of Tamer, the newest character class in Black Deserton Xbox One. Available to play today as part of a free update, Tamer wields a Shortsword and Trinket, hunting enemies alongside her legendary protector. To fully understand the origin of Tamer and how to use her skills in combat, we’re sharing a peek inside her story.
• Human: Fall Flat: Free Human: Fall Flat – Ice content update releasing November 8 includes a new ice level with hidden, snowy mansion level ending. This update introduces exciting new winter mechanics which include ridable snowboards, use of shadows, melting ice, rolling big snowballs and two new pieces of music. Unlock four new achievements/trophies and find the hidden Easter Egg speech.

Did you go pre-install The Outer Worlds yet? Future you will be pleased with immediate playtime when the game drops on October 25, so get on it. Just sayin’. If you’ve got some spooky games that need to be added to our playlist, give us a shout on Twitter, or on Instagram. Download the mobile app, and you can see what other collections of games we’ve put together (not just spooky though that’s on the brain), and you can download directly to your console.  And since games are more fun when played with friends, or when you can talk to friends that have also played the same games,  let your friends know they can get their first month of Xbox Game Pass for only $1 and can jump in on the fun and spookiness with you this month.

Xbox and Taco Bell are teaming up for the third year in a row to give fans the chance to win the most craveable kit yet: an Xbox One X Eclipse Limited Edition Bundle. And with a winner every 10 minutes on average, this is also the largest Xbox console giveaway of the year.

What do you need to do to win, you ask? All you have to do is enjoy a Double Chalupa Box* starting tomorrow, October 17, through November 23 and follow the instructions on the box, or the instructions received through the free method of entry process, to enter the code and instantly see if you win. All winners will receive their bundle within 48 hours of completing registration and receipt of verification – taco-bout fast service.

The exclusive bundle includes a limited-edition Xbox One X Eclipse console featuring Taco Bell’s iconic ring noise when powered on; the all-new Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 which launches on November 4 – so lucky winners will get their hands on it early; and six months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which includes all the benefits of Xbox Live Gold, as well as access to a curated library of over 100 high-quality Console and PC games.

If that wasn’t enough, fans who order the Double Chalupa box online at ta.co or through the Taco Bell app for in-store pickup at participating Taco Bell restaurants will receive, while supplies last, a 14-day access code to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate making even more fans winners this year.

But wait, there’s more! Use the “What’s Your Taco Bell Gamertag” chart to spice up your gamer tag! Show it off on social media or if you’re feeling saucy, utilize your free gamertag change to show it off on Xbox Live. Read more about changing your gamer tag here and here.

*No purchase necessary. For complete rules, head to the promotion’s official page.

October has just arrived, and inevitably brings with it Halloween and the anticipation of gaming events given a certain graveyard twist. Sea of Thieves is set to continue this tradition with its next Monthly Content Update – Fort of the Damned, a challenging event arriving on Wednesday October 16th, echoing last year’s popular Festival of the Damned.

These are chilling times indeed, but thankfully many Sea of Thieves players will be sailing into October with hearts warmed by the pets introduced in our previous Monthly Content Update. September saw Smuggler’s Fortune throw open the doors to the Pirate Emporium, putting furry and feathered friends on sale for the first time.

A huge 98% of people who’ve spent Ancient Coins (Sea of Thieves’ new premium currency) so far have picked up a pet. Parrots have just pipped monkeys to the post as early Pirate Emporium favourites with 52.4% of sales, with the Parakeet the most popular pet breed overall, and Blue Moon Parakeet the most popular of these; of the monkeys, the White Beard Capuchin has been our players’ top pick.

Of course, all this variety in pets is nothing compared to the variety in pet names, so if you’re curious about what most people are calling their Sea of Thieves parrots and monkeys, here’s the current combined top 10:

1. Jack
2. Rafiki
3. Polly
4. Blue
5. Mango
6. George
7. Luna
8. Steve
9. Shadow
10. Bob

Disney-inspired monkey names have naturally proven popular, with Rafiki in second place and Abu very narrowly missing the top 10. There have also been 177 Jack Sparrows and 120 Barbossas, inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean – in fact, fans with a good memory might wonder if a certain iconic line is the reason why Jack took the number one spot.

Names inspired by Sea of Thieves developers and Rare’s rich gaming history also surfaced quickly. Antonio was sure to do well, following our Pirate Emporium preview stream and the monkey who stole the show by having a little incident on host Jon’s shoulder:

• 153 pets named Joe Neate
• 136 pets named Kazooie
• 70 pets called Antonio
• 70 pets called Donkey Kong

Names inspired by general pop culture proved similarly popular:

• 340 pets named Harambe (the gorilla)
• 248 pets named Winston (Overwatch)
• 233 pets named Marcel (Friends)
• 149 pets named Curious George (the character)
• 118 pets named Marty McFly (Back to the Future)
• 94 pets named Loki (Marvel’s Avengers/Norse mythology)
• 48 pets named Pidgey (Pokémon)

Pets seem to have captured the imagination of content creators too, something that we’re keen to embrace with programmes like the Sea of Thieves Creator Crew, also launched last month. Much-loved Twitter account @CanYouPetTheDog quickly gathered 68k likes (and counting) on a clip demonstrating how pets can be fired out of cannons. Meanwhile, popular Sea of Thieves content creator Captain Falcore produced a helpful guide to pets and all things Pirate Emporium, while honouring Antonio the monkey’s moment of glory – just like this fan-made T-shirt featured in Sea of Thieves’ thriving Design by Humans Fan Shop.

Fans are encouraged to keep sharing these fantastic screenshots and clips, with a new social competition aimed at showcasing the best! Submit your best pet pic or clip by tagging @SeaOfThieves on Twitter or @RareLtd on Instagram and including the hashtag #PetsOfThieves. Five winners will be chosen to win the Bird & Bear Collector’s Edition Figurehead and Sails! The competition is live now, running until 00:00 BST on October 16th. For more information, see the terms and conditions here.

Find out more about Fort of the Damned on the official Sea of Thieves website and social channels. Fort of the Damned is free for all players who bought Sea of Thieves on the Xbox One family of devices or on Windows 10 PC, or who have access to it as part of Xbox Game Pass. This update arrives on Wednesday October 16th and will bring new additions to the Pirate Emporium and Black Market too – pet fans should watch out for a spooky surprise!

New to Sea of Thieves? Join the adventure with Xbox Game Pass or on Xbox One and Windows 10 PC. If you haven’t tried Xbox Game Pass yet, join today to get your first month for $1 and get access to over 100 great games, with new titles being added all of the time. Prospective pirates can learn more at xbox.com/seaofthieves or visit SeaofThieves.com to embark on an epic journey with one of gaming’s most welcoming communities.

The new school year is well under way, and as families continue to balance homework and after school activities with screen time, Xbox is here to help. We’re continuously studying ways to improve children’s safety online and to give you, their parents or guardians, the tools to help ensure their wellbeing throughout their online interactions in the digital world.

Late last year, we detailed the many easy-to-use features built into your Microsoft account to give you peace of mind with family settings for screen time limits, purchase limits, content filters, and privacy settings.

Today, we’d like to share with you some of the additional steps we’ve taken to improve our existing family settings. We’re giving you more control over what your children see and interact with on the devices in your home, which is part of our commitment to make gaming a fun, inclusive, and safe experience for everyone. For us, that means offering tools that provide choice so families can create the right balance of screen time in their lives.

Improved Family Settings

We’ve updated our existing family settings to now include app and game limits to cap how much time your children can use specific apps or games. You can activate this feature across the devices tied to your child’s account, which is connected to your Microsoft family group. Creating a family group is an easy and important first step! The feature is currently available in preview release, and we are eager to hear your feedback so we can continue to refine the experience for your family.

For example, you can choose to set one hour of game time for Ark: Survival Evolved each day and two hours for Netflix. Prior to this, you could set broad screen time limits (three hours on Xbox One), whereas now you can determine what specific apps or games are playable or not playable within that timeframe. These app and game limits are shared across Xbox One, Windows 10, and Android via Microsoft Launcher devices and work on all child and teen accounts. You may be wondering about accessing websites through a browser. While the new app and game limits only apply to apps and games – which does not include the app’s website – you can choose to filter websites through the currently available family settings.

Meeting the Needs of Parents Today

In the past year, we’ve also updated family settings on Xbox to empower parents and guardians to enable or block their child’s access to play or communicate with players on other networks. You can modify this setting in supported games on any child or teen account (defaulted to off for child accounts). These features can be found under your Microsoft account on Windows 10 or Xbox One. Simply select the account you’d like to update, and then enable or block cross-play/cross-network communication.

These cross-play settings are currently available for Fortnite, Rocket League, Dauntless and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and we expect other games will enable them, as well.

We’ve also made it easier to set up a child account on Xbox One. You now only need to add your e-signature to provide consent for your child to have a Microsoft account — credit cards are no longer required for verification.

It’s important to us to continually update our family settings to ensure they fit the unique needs of families today.

Balancing Work and Play

Every Microsoft family account can choose to receive a weekly activity report — sent to both you and your child — which contains an overview of how much time was spent on apps, games, and websites. The activity reports provide transparency in how your children are engaging with Xbox One, Windows 10 devices and Android running with Microsoft Launcher and empower you to set limits and features that you feel are the best fit for your family.

When your child reaches the end of their screen time permitted for a specific app or game, they have the option to request additional time, which you can choose to allow or deny through your Microsoft account.

You know what’s best for your family; no technology can ever replace that. The right tools can help make parenting easier and family settings on Xbox does this by putting parents in control of what your children can access across the platform.

Everyone has a favorite gaming song. Say you’ve got iconic video game music playing while you’re hunting the elusive side-quests, or you’ve got another jam playing to keep you amped while you and your buddies decide where you’re going to drop – either way, listen to what makes your gaming more fun, and we’re going to make that even better.

Starting today and for a limited time only, gamers in the U.S. and U.K who join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta) for the first time will also receive 6 months of Spotify Premium. With all the benefits of Xbox Live Gold, access to a curated library of over 100 great games on console and PC, and millions of songs available on-demand on Spotify, new members will never run out of hits for their gaming playlists.

Let me point out the biggest deal here:  it’s only a $1 to upgrade to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate right now.  Already an Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass for Console member? When you upgrade to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $1, you convert your pre-paid time on Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate credit, AND you get 6 months of Spotify Premium on top of it. It’s the best dollar you’re going to spend.

Spotify is the most popular global audio streaming subscription service, giving you access to millions of songs and thousands of podcasts from artists and creators around the world. Spotify Premium offers unlimited access to over 50+ million songs, allowing you to play music without ads, and skip to your heart’s content. Can’t stress enough that part about ad-free music and unlimited skips. When you’re in the zone, the last thing you need is a break in your playlist!

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate wraps up all the benefits of Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta), and Xbox Game Pass for Console, including access to over 100 high-quality titles on console and PC. We’re adding new games all the time, including Xbox Game Studios titles the same day as their global release, so if you’ve been hype to check out our latest release Gears 5, now is the perfect time to dive in with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. With Xbox Live Gold included, you can get exclusive deals and discounts, and play together with friends on the most advanced multiplayer network.

Here’s the deal: To be able to take advantage of this offer you need to reside in the U.S. or the U.K and you must be a new Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or Xbox Game Pass for PC member. You also must be both eligible for, and new toe Spotify Premium. If you subscribed to either the Spotify Premium Service or Unlimited Service, or you’ve taken a trial or introductory offer previously, you’re unfortunately not eligible for this offer. Check out the terms and conditions here and here

So, I join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – then what? Your code for 6 months of Spotify Premium will be sent via email and the console or Xbox (Beta) app message center, following your purchase of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (this can take a few days). The codes must be redeemed at the Spotify website listed in the message or email. Then, it’s time to get gaming and start listening.

Want to learn more? You can learn more about Spotify and Spotify Premium over on their site, or hit up Xbox.com for complete details on Xbox Game Pass.

May the Force be with you! As unveiled during Disney’s Star Wars Triple Force Friday Global Reveal Livestream, we’re excited to announce the Xbox One X Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order bundle ($499.99 USD) and the Xbox One S Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order bundle ($299.99 USD) coming on November 15, both available for pre-order today! Get ready to feel the Force in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a new third-person action-adventure title from Respawn Entertainment.

This narrative-driven, single-player game puts you in the role of a Jedi Padawan who narrowly escaped the purge of Order 66 following the events of “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.” On a quest to rebuild the Jedi Order, you must pick up the pieces of your shattered past to complete your training, develop new powerful Force abilities, and master the art of the iconic lightsaber – all while staying one step ahead of the Empire and its deadly Inquisitors.

Along with an Xbox One console, each bundle comes packed with an Xbox Wireless Controller, a digital download of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Deluxe Edition, a 1-month trial of Xbox Game Pass and a 1-month trial of Xbox Live Gold. Additionally, both Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order bundles give you 1 month of EA Access, which lets you play EA games for a limited time before they’re released and get unlimited access to The Vault, a growing collection of EA’s best Xbox One games.

Xbox One is the only console system that plays the best games of the past, present and future with thousands of games available today – including over 200 exclusives and over 400 Xbox classics. If you’re playing on Xbox One X or Xbox One S, you can also enjoy the ultimate 4K entertainment experience with a built-in 4K UHD Blu-ray player, premium audio with Dolby Atmos support and the fastest, most reliable gaming network with Xbox Live.

Both the Xbox One X Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order bundle and Xbox One S Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order bundle are available for pre-order today. For more information on Xbox One or Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, visit xbox.com or a Microsoft Store near you or online, and be sure to keep up with the latest Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order news right here on Xbox Wire.

The galaxy awaits, young Padawan!

Our ID@Xbox Game Pass Fall 2019 showcase has concluded! If you didn’t have a chance to watch yet, you can find the video above. For those who are into the TLDR, we have you covered with the below recap!

Today, we announced more ID@Xbox games coming to Xbox Game Pass and shared some footage and gameplay of these great games from independent developers. We also sat down with some excited publishers that shared more about their games, which will be day one premieres.

13 ID@Xbox Games Announced for Xbox Game Pass Across Console and PC

We strive to bring a diverse, great set of games to Xbox Game Pass so that we can help you discover your next favorite game. Today, we’re excited to highlight these amazing independent developers and celebrate their creativity with even more players.

Xbox Game Pass for Console and Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta)

• Munchkin: In this digital adaptation of the popular board game, level up, kill monsters, and loot! Play with your friends (or enemies) in fun four-player action. Choose from four different races and classes, each with unique abilities.
• Lonely Mountains: Downhill: Race, jump, and slide down unspoiled mountain landscapes on your bike, through lush forests, narrow trails, and rivers. With the game’s custom physics, you’ll experience fun and responsive controls as you find your line down the mountain. Take the relaxing path or go cross country, it’s your choice!
• Demon’s Tilt: In this gorgeous tribute to ‘90s video pinball games, Demon’s Tilt brings many features that are sure to please both gamers and pinball enthusiasts. With an art style and effects reminiscent of classic bullet hell games, expect turbo-charged pinball action with shoot ‘em up elements as you defeat enemies and bosses and score huge jackpots.
• Genesis Noir: Set before, during, and after The Big Bang, Genesis Noir is an adventure game with a focus on exploration, simple interactions, and generative art. Stop the expansion of the universe and save your love. The game features beautiful, hand-drawn animations that blend visual storytelling and interaction.
  
• Minit: An adventure game played 60 seconds at a time. On your journey, help unusual folks, uncover secrets, defeat dangerous foes to end an unfortunate curse that ends each day after just one minute.
  
• The Talos Principle: You are tasked by your creator to solve complex puzzles as you explore a story of humanity, technology, and civilization. Choose your path in a non-linear world. And remember: your choices have consequences.
  
• Vambrace: Cold Soul: Immerse yourself in a story-driven, roguelike adventure. Journey with a memorable party of characters with unique powers to survive deadly encounters in a frozen landscape. Defeat the King of Shades, who has cursed the city of Icenaire and amassed an army of undead.

Xbox Game Pass for Console

• Yooka Laylee: As buddy do Yooka and Laylee, embark in an open-world platforming adventure. Equipped with special moves, overcome puzzles, enemies, and challenges, you must defeat Capital B and thwart his scheme to absorb the world’s books and convert them to profit.
• The Escapists 2: Escape from different prisons set in different environments, craft tools from everyday items, and train to fight in prison brawls. In this ultimate prison sandbox, you are in control of building your escape crew and how you organize your escape!

Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta)

• Cities: Skyline (Windows 10 Edition): Design, build, and manage the city of your dreams. In this award-winning and best-selling city management game, you’re in charge of everything from public services to civic policies.
• Dead by Daylight: Death is not an escape. Dead by Daylight is a 4 vs 1 multiplayer horror game, where one player takes on the role of the savage Killer, and the other four players are Survivors, who must escape the Killer without getting caught.
• The Red Strings Club: In this cyberpunk narrative experience, take on the role as a bartender and hacker to collect information and uncover secrets of a corporate program. Pull out all the stops and thwart a corporate conspiracy.
• State of Mind: Play as Richard Nolan, a journalist, and five other characters as you explore a deep, thrilling sci-fi story where dystopian reality and digital utopia are intertwined. Research and collect information to piece back together your past.

Interviews with Independent Developers

And thanks again to the teams behind these games. We had a chance to sit down with a few people who were excited to share more about their game.

• Lonely Mountains: Downhill
  • Andrew Stevens, Thunderful Games
• Demon’s Tilt
  • Ralph Barbagallo, FLARB
• Genesis Noir
  • Ashley Nicollette, Fellow Traveler

And don’t fret! These announces are just some of the great games coming. We’re always adding to the Xbox Game Pass game library so expect many more to come. As you wait for these games to become available, there are great games to play today with Xbox Game Pass for Console and Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta)! And if you haven’t yet joined, but are interested, find the right plan for you.

Thank you for tuning in today and we hoped you enjoyed the showcase! For all the latest and greatest ID@Xbox and Xbox Game Pass news, make sure to stay tuned to Xbox Wire and the below channels!

@XboxGamePass: Twitter / Instagram / Mobile App
@XboxGamePassPC: Twitter
@ID_Xbox: Twitter / YouTube

On Team Xbox, we put customer choice at the forefront of our decision making and regularly use community feedback to help guide the experiences we deliver to gamers. One piece of feedback we’ve heard loud and clear is that you’ve wanted more options for using digital assistants to interact with your Xbox.

Based on your feedback, we expanded our voice command capabilities with the release of the Xbox Skill for Alexa and Cortana last fall. We are excited to announce we’re further expanding our digital assistant capabilities on Xbox One with the Xbox Action for the Google Assistant. The new Xbox Action for the Google Assistant releases to public beta on Xbox One today and is available to all customers in English during the beta period. Google and Xbox are working together to expand language support before launching more broadly to the Xbox community later this fall.

With the release of the Xbox Action for the Google Assistant, you can now interact with your Xbox One in even more ways using just your voice, including the ability to turn your console on and off, launch games and apps, play and pause videos, and more, from the Google Assistant and Home-enabled devices, as well as the Google Assistant apps on iOS and Android.

Here’s how to get started with the beta:

1. Join our Google Group with the Google Account you intend to use
2. Sign into your Xbox
3. In the Google Home app for iOS or Android:
   1. Tap “+ Add”
   2. Tap “Set up device”
   3. Tap “Have something already set up?”
   4. Search for and select “[beta] Xbox”
4. Sign in with the Microsoft account you use on Xbox
5. Follow the instructions to link your Xbox and give it a device name

Once you’re all set up, here are a few actions you can try to get you started with controlling your Xbox One with Google Assistant:

• “Hey Google, play Gears 5 on Xbox.”
• “Hey Google, turn on Xbox.”
• “Hey Google, turn off Xbox.”
• “Hey Google, launch YouTube on Xbox.”
• “Hey Google, pause on Xbox.”
• “Hey Google, resume on Xbox.”
• “Hey Google, volume up on Xbox.”
• “Hey Google, take a screenshot on Xbox.”

You’ll notice the default device name for Xbox consoles is “Xbox”; however, you can change the device name for your smart home commands at any time in the Google Home and Assistant apps if you have more than one Xbox in your home. When triggering an action, just use the device name you set in your commands. For example, you would say, “Hey Google, turn on Basement Xbox.”

For a full list of commands, setup instructions, or for troubleshooting, please visit the Xbox Insider Subreddit.

Over the coming weeks as you begin to check out this feature, we’d love to hear from you so you can help us test and refine this new capability. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us shape the experience for all gamers on Xbox. We will also continue to improve on this experience following release and will be listening to your feedback to help determine how we expand our capabilities in the future.

Today, we welcome Gears 5 fans to Sera as Gears 5 officially releases around the world. Gears 5’s Early Access period began on Thursday at 9pm local time and has been has been a hit with critics, who have describe the game as “a spectacular return to form” and “the best Gears of War game yet.” In addition to buying the standard edition, you can also play it now with Xbox Game Pass. If you haven’t already joined Xbox Game Pass, you get your first two months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $2 (and if you are already an Xbox Game Pass for Console or Xbox Live Gold member, you can also upgrade your existing pre-paid months and still get two months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $2).

“Gears 5 is the culmination of an incredible journey after three years of passion and dedicated work by our studio team,” said Rod Fergusson, Studio Head at The Coalition. “We set out to challenge expectations for when fans play a new Gears of War game, and are proud to share Gears 5 with the world.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_Qi14S4Djw?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent&w=560&h=315]

 

Source of that really cool Breaker at the @XboxMexico #Gears5 #Gearsink event. pic.twitter.com/HiPbd9LD1N

— Rod Fergusson (@GearsViking) September 6, 2019

Let’s talk about last night. Wow. A big heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended #GearsInk and to everyone behind the scenes for making this event possible. Was an honour to be tattooed along side legends like @TheJohnDiMaggio and @LauraBaileyVO. Enjoy the game! pic.twitter.com/Ao1sMiS0V5

— Rahul Kohli (@RahulKohli13) September 5, 2019

100% keen to play this weekend 🙌🙌 @XboxANZ #GearsInk #Gears5 pic.twitter.com/dKruDNyVkD

— Ataraxy (@ataraxycreative) September 6, 2019

More from tonight’s #gears5 event #gearsink! pic.twitter.com/w45OmDyX0b

— Stephanie Panisello (@Steph_Panisello) September 5, 2019

That’s just the beginning – after today’s launch, we’ll continue to use Operations to evolve your Gears 5 Multiplayer Experience with free new modes, maps, characters, customization items and more. With all of this free content, plus a regular cadence of exclusive cosmetic items in the Gears 5 Store, we think this will be the most dynamic and exciting post-launch Gears has ever had. Speaking of bonus multiplayer items, remember to download and play by September 16 to unlock the Terminator Dark Fate Character Pack.

For more information on the Gears of War franchise, stay tuned to Xbox Wire or follow Gears on Twitter @gearsofwar.