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Game Pass now has over 25 million subscribers, across both Xbox and PC. The news was part of a statement from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer as the company acquires Activision Blizzard . Once the takeover deal closes, both new and old Activision Blizzard games will be added to the service, which will increase its value for money considerably. "We also announced today that Game Pass now has more than 25 million subscribers. As always, we look forward to continuing to add more value and more great games to Game Pass," says Spencer. Last year, Microsoft bought Bethesda parent company Zenimax for $7.5bn and swiftly added its biggest titles to Game Pass: The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Doom included. This was the biggest gaming acquisition in Microsoft's history, until Activision Blizzard for a staggering $68.7bn. Sony, meanwhile, are rumoured to be releasing their own Game Pass equivalent , codenamed Spartacus. Spencer even commented on the reports of Sony … [Read more...] about Xbox Game Pass now has over 25 million subscribers

Microsoft's $7.5bn deal to acquire ZeniMax has been approved in the US and EU. The acquisition required approval from the European Commission as well as the United States Securities and Exchange Commission before it could be completed. As we reported in February, Microsoft created a new subsidiary called Vault to merge with ZeniMax as part of its proposed takeover of the company. The use of the name Vault for this subsidiary is surely a nod to Bethesda's Fallout series, which contains a raft of vaults meant to protect people from nuclear destruction. (Spoilers: the vaults aren't always what they appear to be .) "The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of ZeniMax Media Inc. by Microsoft Corporation, both of the US," the European Commission said in a statement issued to Eurogamer. "The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, given the combined entity's limited market position … [Read more...] about Microsoft’s $7.5bn acquisition of ZeniMax approved in the US and EU

Yet more games have been confirmed for Xbox Game Pass, in what may well be one of the subscription's best months ever. Microsoft is yet to issue its customary blog post detailing this latest crop, but an image showing the selection is already live on Xbox.com . The brilliant Death's Door, released to critical acclaim last summer, headlines this latest round of additions. Eurogamer deemed the Zelda-like an "Essential" in our Death's Door review . There's no date yet for when this will be added, but we'll update when we have one. Windjammers 2, the fantasy sports sequel, is also listed. It will likely launch into Game Pass when it arrives later this week on Thursday, 20th January. (It's also coming to PlayStation, PC and Switch.) Hit rhythm series Taiko no Tatsuijin also turns up - no date for that one yet - as does canine photography game Pupperazzi (which launches 20th January). Earlier in the month, Ubisoft confirmed Rainbow Six Extraction would launch into Xbox Game … [Read more...] about Death’s Door, Windjammers 2 also headed to Xbox Game Pass

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has delivered an impassioned speech on the need for inclusivity within the games industry and discussed how Microsoft's gaming division has evolved over recent years. The talk - which is embedded below and well worth a watch - also offers a frank account of Spencer's first few months in his current role as Xbox chief following the troubled launch of Xbox One. "It was obvious Microsoft needed a reboot," Spencer admitted. "Morale had hit a low, we were all massively frustrated we kept missing big trends. In some ways, it felt like real innovation was impossible. And the in-fighting and fiefdoms were so famous, people made fun of it. Which would have been funny, if it hadn't been so true." Microsoft needed a refresh on how it communicated with its customers - but also how it communicated internally, too, Spencer continued: "Everything is changing - the way we relate to each other, to our partners and even to our competitors. The way we build teams, the way … [Read more...] about Xbox chief Phil Spencer: “Microsoft needed a reboot”

While the Xbox brought Microsoft into the gaming console market, the Xbox 360 is the system that really took it to the next level. Fondly remembered as one of the best game consoles of all time, the Xbox 360 had an absolutely massive library of excellent games. With more than 2,000 titles released for the platform over its roughly eight year lifecycle, whittling down the library to its best games wasn't an easy task. We're looking back at the Xbox 360's glory days with the 15 best Xbox 360 games of all time (in alphabetical order). Many of the games listed below are still playable today on Xbox One and Xbox Series X--some of them were even remastered with updated visuals and mechanics. For more modern Xbox recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox Series X games and best Xbox One games . Batman: Arkham Asylum 2009's Batman: Arkham Asylum was a watershed moment for Batman games and is regarded today as one of the best comic book games ever. Developed by … [Read more...] about Best Xbox 360 Games Of All Time

HORI has announced a new fight stick and PS5 controller that bring some fighting edge to the steadily growing field of third-party PS5 controllers. The Fighting Stick α for PlayStation 5 will launch at $199.99 and the Fighting Commander OCTA for PlayStation 5 will begin life at $59.99, though there's no word on when pre-orders will go live. In brief, the details are as follows: the Fighting Stick α is a customisable tournament-grade fighting stick "equipped with HORI's legendary HAYABUSA lever and HAYABUSA matte finished buttons", as well as interchangeable artowkr and programmable button profiles; and the Fighting Commander OCTA is "the ultimate controller for 2D fighting games" with a single analog stick and six face button layout, as well as an ergonomic, wired design, and customisation options galore too. There has long been an audience who prefer specialist fighting gear and controllers as opposed to 'normal' console gamepads, and this news will be music to those folks' … [Read more...] about The PS5 just got its first officially licensed fighting controllers