Microsoft Minesweeper

Xbox chief technology officer Scott Van Vliet has laid out Microsoft's response to the licensing problem that left players unable to play their games

After regaining its independence from Microsoft, the veteran, esteemed game developer Double Fine has enacted a sweeping round of layoffs. Studio head Tim Schafer said the San Francisco-based studio laid off 23 people this week, which, according to reporter Jason Schreier, amounted to about 25% of the developer's total headcount. "As a small, tightly knit team, these actions are not taken lightly," Schafer said. "Only the survival of our studio would ever make us consider such a painful move." He added that the cuts were directly related to Double Fine regaining its independence from Microsoft

A new report claims that Microsoft is considering cancelling the upcoming Marvel's Blade game and closing its developer. According to The Verge, Microsoft is considering closing at least five studios, one of which is Arkane, the developer of the upcoming Blade game. The report said Blade was originally set to launch in 2026, but was delayed to late 2027 and is over budget. Earlier in June, a report said Marvel's Blade was not canceled, despite it being a no-show at the Xbox Games Showcase. The game was announced in 2023, but no gameplay footage has ever been released. https://www.youtube.com/w

It's not just you; the Xbox network--or parts of it, depending on when you read this--is down. After users across the globe began reporting issues with the Xbox Network, Xbox identified several issues affecting its online services today. At the time of writing, the following functions are still experiencing "major issues" on the Xbox network: Account and profile Store and subscriptions Games and gaming Apps and mobile These problems are widespread, and include an inability to sign into network services, disconnections, and missing games from the storefront. Xbox says that the problems have bee

If you wished for more pizazz at this year's Xbox Showcase, there's lots of it buried in an growing graveyard of cancelled Xbox games.