Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has outlined her plan to "reset" the Xbox business, and it includes mass layoffs and selling off studios.
In her memo announcing the dramatic shakeup, Sharma also talked about what led to this moment, and one piece is that the Xbox business is "not healthy" due in part to big bets that have not paid off, like Xbox Game Pass.Xbox is undergoing a strategic "reset."She said Microsoft bet on things like Xbox Game Pass, releasing more titles on competing platforms, and a "broader
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New Xbox CEO Admits Game Pass Bet Has Not Worked Out
via gamespot.com
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Diablo 4’s Massive Mythic Item Changes Aren’t Finding Many Fans
via gamespot.com
Diablo 4 Season 14 dramatically reworked Mythic items in Blizzard's ARPG going forward, and judging from early feedback, it's a change that isn't going over well.Season of Death Awakening launched on June 30 and introduced what Blizzard coined Mythic Uniques 3.0, a new system where any of the game's hundreds of Unique items could be found (or turned into) even stronger Mythic versions. In theory, it would open up the game's endgame build options and give players more choices when it comes to out
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“Catastrophic Mismanagement” And AI Gambits Led To Mass Xbox Layoffs, Expert Says
via gamespot.com
Microsoft has announced sweeping layoffs and other dramatic changes resulting in 4,800 layoffs across the company, including 3,200 at Xbox specifically. What's led to this? According to one expert, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and his "catastrophic mismanagement" of the company is to blame.Ed Zitron, an author who specializes in covering the technology space and is the CEO of EZ Primary Research, offered a blistering take on Microsoft's management in response to the mass layoffs."Catastrophic mis
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Xbox CEO Reflects On Massive Cuts: “We Simply Spread Ourselves Too Thin”
via gamespot.com
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has shared new details on the significant changes at Xbox, including mass layoffs, studio spinoffs, and more.
In an interview with Fortune, Sharma said Microsoft undertook "a bunch of bets" years ago to help grow the business, including Game Pass, going multiplatform, and beefing up its studio base. These bets did not pay off, and in the process of pursuing these new ventures, "We inherently didn't focus on the core business," Sharma said.
"The number one measure of your str
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The Steam Machine’s Red Line Of Death Is Less Scary, And More Useful, Than You Might Think
via gamespot.com
With the Steam Machine starting to land in some lucky buyers hands, a few of the gremlins in Valve's compact living-room PC have started to surface. But while some might remind you of infamous hardware failures of old, many of them are smartly designed errors that you can, for the most part, resolve yourself.Last week, the Steam Machine subreddit was rocked with what the community described as the "Red Line of Death," a reference to the catastrophic Red Ring of Death that plagued early Xbox 360
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World Of Warcraft Just Got A Sequel To Its Most Literally Viral Moment
via gamespot.com
A deadly plague spread through World of Warcraft's Moonguard server over the weekend, making it the second time in WoW history a horrific virus has run uncontrolled through the game's populace.As broken down by Wowhead, the origin of the plague in question comes from a Dragonflight dungeon, Brackenhide Hollow. Within the dungeon, some enemies cast a spell called Withering Contagion, a disease that inflicts heavy nature- damage-over-time and spreads to all players within five yards. Whether
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Here’s What’s Going On With Marvel’s Blade And Its Developer Amid Xbox “Reset”
via gamespot.comMicrosoft is undergoing a major shakeup that involves mass layoffs, studio sell-offs, and other significant changes as part of a "reset" of the business.
While we have learned that Ninja Theory and Undead Labs are being sold off and Double Fine and Compulsion are going independent, we don't yet know what the future holds for Arkane Lyon and its long-in-development Blade game.The French studio is undergoing "consultation," but its fate has yet to be determined.There is a lot we still don't know,
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Xbox Layoffs “Heavily Impact” The Accessibility Team, Too
via gamespot.com
As part of the 1,600 people being let go by Xbox during its big reset on July 6, it appears that the company's Accessibility division has been hit pretty heavily as well.According to a July 6 Bluesky post, the senior user researcher for accessibility at ZeniMax Media, Elisabeth Whyte, shared that she was caught in the blast zone, too. Whyte also revealed that the "accessibility staff overall seems heavily impacted," with "multiple people on the Bethesda User Research Team" getting laid off.On Li
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Xbox CEO Admits Game Pass Has Not Worked Out, Reportedly Lost Millions Of Subscribers Since 2024
via gamespot.com
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has outlined her plan to "reset" the Xbox business, and it includes mass layoffs and selling off studios.
In her memo announcing the dramatic shakeup, Sharma also talked about what led to this moment, and one piece is that the Xbox business is "not healthy" due in part to big bets that have not paid off, like Xbox Game Pass.Xbox is undergoing a strategic "reset."She said Microsoft bet on things like Xbox Game Pass, releasing more titles on competing platforms, and a "broader
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Xbox Layoffs Hit Id Software And ZeniMax As Focus Shifts To Bigger Franchises
via gamespot.com
It's a bleak Monday for Xbox, as the division is losing five of its studios and approximately 20% of its workforce will be laid off throughout the current fiscal year. These changes, referred to as "the most significant restructure in Xbox history" by Xbox boss Asha Sharma, will impact every corner of the business, including Id Software and ZeniMax Online Studios. While the two developers aren't shutting down, reports claim that they will be losing large portions of their res
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No Announced Xbox Games Are Getting Axed In Microsoft Layoffs, Company Says
via gamespot.com
Microsoft has begun its big reset, cutting 1,600 jobs right now and another 1,600 in the next 12 months. Despite this massive restructuring, the company claimed that these moves don't involve canceling any already announced first-party games.
In a lengthy Xbox Wire blog post on July 6, Microsoft announced that some studios (such as Ninja Theory and Undead Labs) are being sold while others (like Arkane Studios) are still awaiting their fate. Tucked within the post was a line about the projects cu
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Switch 2 Systems With Swappable Batteries Coming This Year, But Not In The US
via gamespot.com
The Switch 2 is going to get a bit heavier in Europe, thanks to a consumer-friendly change required by European Union regulations. That's because the hybrid system will be sold with a swappable battery starting this fall. Nintendo of Europe has released new specifications on how Switch 2 and various accessories will be updated with user-replaceable batteries over the last half of 2026 and into 2027. Keep in mind that this isn't a recall or safety issue, so won't affect current owners.
The revise
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State Of Decay And Hellblade Devs Are Being Sold, But Buyers Remain Mysterious For Now
via gamespot.com
As part of Microsoft's restructuring announcement today for Xbox that is resulting in mass layoffs, the company also announced that it is selling off two of its development studios: Undead Labs and Ninja Theory.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said those two studios have "entered terms to join new ownership with funding" to help finish Senua (Ninja Theory) and State of Decay 3 (Undead Labs). Microsoft did not name the mystery buyers, however.
Senua is a brand-new Hellblade action game that was only just an
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Xbox Layoffs, Studio Closures, And Spin-Offs: Everything Announced Today
via gamespot.com
Despite promises of a reset, the unveiling of a fancy new logo, and a charm offensive for its new leadership, the news at Xbox has been getting increasingly worse throughout 2026. Between massive price increases for Xbox hardware--and possibly another one soon--the fluctuating price of Xbox Game Pass, and the cancellation of funding on several collaborative projects, it has been a tough time to be a fan of Xbox. Can the news get any worse? Yes, if you're an employee of the company--or a fan of i
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Xbox Layoffs, Studio Changes, And Spin-Offs: Everything Announced Today
via gamespot.com
Despite promises of a reset, the unveiling of a fancy new logo, and a charm offensive for its new leadership, the news at Xbox has been getting increasingly worse throughout 2026. Between massive price increases for Xbox hardware--and possibly another one soon--the fluctuating price of Xbox Game Pass, and the cancellation of funding on several collaborative projects, it has been a tough time to be a fan of Xbox. Can the news get any worse? Yes, if you're an employee of the company--or a fan of i
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Cyberpunk 2077 Just Hit Another Massive Sales Milestone
via gamespot.com
Sales of CD Projekt Red's 2020 RPG Cyberpunk 2077 continue to grow, as the game has now passed 40 million copies sold.
This counts copies sold through July 3, including sales of the base game and copies sold through the game's ultimate edition.
"Thank you all for helping us reach this amazing milestone," the developer said.The big new sales milestone came after Steam's latest sale saw the game's price fall down to $18, representing a discount of 70%. It's on sale for that price until July 9.
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After PS5 Disc Controversy, Microsoft Confirms Halo: Campaign Evolved Will Come On A Disc
via gamespot.com
Following Sony's announcement that it will no longer support physical game discs starting in 2028, Microsoft has confirmed that Halo: Campaign Evolved's physical editions will include discs, including on PS5. Microsoft's announcement likely doesn't have anything to do with Sony's, however.
In a Q&A, Microsoft said people who buy a copy of the game will get a physical game case and disc "so that you have tangible items to add to your collection." This applies to the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S ed
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$2.50 Steam Sale Has Everyone Smashing The Surveillance State
via gamespot.com
One of Ubisoft's most underrated games, Watch Dogs 2, is on a super steep sale on Steam right now. So steep, in fact, that it seems to have inspired a new crop of folks to trawl through the technocratic world of digitized San Francisco to put an end to the surveillance state at a time when we're all under some sort of surveillance IRL.Over on the game's Steam store page, you can pick Watch Dogs 2 for just $2.50 until Thursday, July 9. That's a 95% discount for a game that normally retails for $5
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Why Is Sony Killing Discs? It’s “All About Profitability And Control,” Expert Says
via gamespot.com
Sony recently announced that it will stop supporting PlayStation game discs in January 2028. Even though Sony continues to sell many millions of discs, the share of digital game sales continues to rise as physical falls, and Sony cited thisshift as the reason why it's going all-digital in the future. Now, Alinea Analytics analyst Rhys Elliott has weighed in with his thoughts on the matter, saying there is more to the story, and it's not necessarily a consumer-friendly decision."This is all about
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Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced Launch Times And Preload Schedule Revealed
via gamespot.com
A whole bunch of games are shipping out in July, but if you're in the mood for some treachery and leaps of faith on the high seas, then you're likely looking forward to Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced this month. Out on July 9, Ubisoft has revealed the official times for when you can expect to start playing, as well as the preload times in case you've preordered the game already.Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced - Standard Edition (PS5, Xbox Series X)$60 | Releases July 9 Preorder at Am
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Amazon Prime Members Get 12 Games For Free In July
via gamespot.com
The next batch of games for Amazon Luna has been revealed, and this July, you can look forward to superhero workplace drama, turn-based RPG action, and some escape room fun. In total, there will be 12 downloadable games for PC to check out, and five games to stream through Luna Standard.On the streaming side, the big draw for this month is Dispatch. One of the best games of 2025, the debut title from AdHoc Studio follows a down-on-his-luck superhero who takes up a desk job, where he's given cont
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Former PlayStation Exec Is Less Than Impressed With Steam Machine
via gamespot.com
The Steam Machine is slowly making its way into the wild, with some folks getting their hands on Valve's not-a-console console. One of those people is former SIE Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida, who called the device "meh" in some recent social media comments.Yoshida took to X on July 2 to give his early impressions of the Steam Machine. In a long post, he not only called its performance "meh," but he also said that it's "hard to recommend" because of its high price tag.
https://twitt
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Even The End Of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Isn’t Actually The End, Leak Suggests
via gamespot.com
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation wraps up a story years in the making when it launches in 2027, but beyond that? The Unknown Journey might continue a little longer, as one store listing for the game mentions an expansion pass.As seen on the Epic Games Store (via IGN), Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will have plenty of downloadable content and a "Story Expansion Pass" for purchase. It's not clear yet what these items are for--or if the titles are using placeholder text--but the Story Expansion Pass item do
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PlayStation’s Digital-Only Future Makes Sony’s Dynamic Pricing Harder To Ignore
via gamespot.com
With Sony officially ending disc production for PS5 games in 2028, hurtling us toward an all-digital future, it's worth remembering that the PlayStation maker recently introduced a new pricing model that is all the more worrying in the wake of this news.Back in March 2026, reports surfaced that PlayStation had unleashed dynamic pricing in various regions from Brazil to North America. This new model changed the prices you'd see on the PlayStation Store for a PS5 game depending on several factors,
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Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7, Diablo 4, And More Games Are Free On Xbox This Weekend
via gamespot.com
If you have some downtime over the 4th of July weekend and are looking for a game to play, Microsoft is bringing back its Free Play Days promotion, offering up sometop titles to play for the low, low price of $0.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's multiplayer and Zombies modes are free now through July 6, while Diablo IV is free through July 7. Demonschool and The Stone Madness have free two-hour trials now through July 5. None of these games require an Xbox Game Pass subscription during the free perio
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Why Resident Evil Movie Doesn’t Feature Familiar Characters
via gamespot.com
The new Resident Evil movie from Weapons and Barbarian director Zach Cregger does not feature characters from the games--why is that?
Cregger said in a new interview that it would be "inorganic" for his movie "try to shoehorn" legacy characters from Capcom's series into his film because it's a "self-contained story.""I have to put the story first and foremost," he said told Empire magazine, as reported by GamesRadar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_KDtokTO1c
Cregger's Resident Evil movie tells
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Nintendo Could Inherit The Physical Gaming Crown By Default
via gamespot.com
Sony plans to sell PlayStation games exclusively as digital products starting in 2028, and it's rumored that Microsoft will also adopt a digital-only approach with its next-gen Xbox Project Helix, a move that could leave Nintendo as the only console manufacturer that will still release games physically--at least for this current gaming generation.Speaking to VGC, Circana senior director and video game industry advisor Mat Piscatella commented on how he believes that both the PS6 and Project Heli
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Xbox May Shut Down Obsidian Entertainment, Too
via gamespot.com
As a massive layoff plan looms over Xbox's various subsidiaries, new reports suggest that the iconic RPG studio Obsidian Entertainment is on the chopping block, too.
According to a July 2 The Game Business report,it appears that Compulsion Games, Double Fine, Ninja Theory, and Undead Labs aren't the only studios Xbox is looking to offload. Obsidian Entertainment--the studio behind games like Avowed, Fallout: New Vegas, Grounded, The Outer Worlds, and more--may get cut loose as well.As The Game B
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Obsidian May Not Be On Xbox’s Chopping Block After All
via gamespot.com
Although Xbox is planning a massive layoff soon that may impact several of its subsidiaries, it appears the iconic RPG studio Obsidian Entertainment is safe.According to a July 2 Bluesky post by Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, Obsidian Entertainment is "not in negotiations to avoid shutting down." More details will become clearer on Monday, July 6--the day the impending layoffs will reportedly start, which appears to have begun with South of Midnight developer Compulsion Games--but for now, X
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Xbox Game Pass Is Removing A Lot Of Games Very Soon
via gamespot.com
Microsoft is removing more titles from Xbox Game Pass, and it looks like there could be a lot of removals for July. The "leaving soon" page on Xbox's website lists off 11 titles set for removal on July 15.
These include Golf With Your Friends, Stellaris, EA Sports FC 24, PowerWash Simulator, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. You can see the full list below, as relayed by PureXbox. While PowerWash Simulator is leaving, PowerWash Simulator 2 is still on Game Pass.This is expected to be the first of t
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