Xbox Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Xbox head of research and design Chris Novak has left the company after nearly 20 years.Novak shared a message on his LinkedIn page yesterday (April 19) where he announced that he was leaving his position at Xbox (thanks, VGC). “I have resigned from Xbox and from Microsoft, and my last day is today, the 19th,” wrote Novak.

Certain Affinity has highlighted Xbox development experience in a job listing, after it was reported the studio is working on an exclusive for the console.The job requirement was spotted by Klobrille on Twitter (thanks, VGC), who shared the Certain Affinity job listing for a senior graphics engineer. Under the requirements, it’s stated that whoever fills the role must have “development experience on Xbox consoles,” as the studio also says it is “working on our own new original IP.”This follows a report from earlier in the year that claimed Certain Affinity was working on a Monster Hunter-inspired Xbox-exclusive title.

A fundraising effort by video game Fortnite and Microsoft’s Xbox has generated $144 million for organizations seeking to help Ukraine.

Microsoft is apparently working on a group family pass for Xbox Game Pass, as the subscription service currently only offers individual memberships.As outlined in a Windows Central article from yesterday (March 31), trusted sources have said that a family plan – where one account can pay more to share Xbox Game Pass across a household’s accounts – is in the works and set to release sometime this year.The higher payment tier will apparently grant access to Xbox Game Pass for five different players, and be “far cheaper” than paying for each Xbox Game Pass account separately. Currently, Xbox Game Pass retails at £7.99 a month for console and PC, or £10.99 for Game Pass Ultimate, which includes game streaming and extra perks.This means that at present a regular subscription would cost five players £39.95, or Ultimate subscribers £54.95 a month.

Xbox Live Games with Gold have been announced, and there will be two modern titles – along with two Xbox 360 games – on offer.First up is Another Sight and Outpost Kaloki X, which will both be available for Xbox Live members from April 1. Another Sight is going to be part of the service for the whole of the month, right up until April 30, and is a steampunk fantasy platform game.Outpost Kaloki X was originally available on Xbox 360 and PC back in September 2004, and is a city building title.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorThe Game Audio Network Guild today announced its 20th annual G.A.N.G. Awards nominees with 27 categories in music, sound design, dialogue and more.

Xbox has announced that it has paid indie developers billions in royalties from its ID@Xbox program.Independent Developers @ Xbox (ID@Xbox) is a scheme that Microsoft started in 2014 that allows indie studios to self-publish their games on the Xbox ecosystem of platforms.The announcement of shared royalties comes from Chris Charla, who was director of ID@Xbox until 2018 and is now a partner of content creation and programs at the company.“Since the program’s inception, independent developers have earned more than $2.5 billion [£1.89 billion] in royalties, and total revenue generated by ID@Xbox partners on Xbox almost doubled over the last three years. These are staggering numbers, and it speaks to the power of independent developers,” wrote Charla in a post on Xbox Wire.Charla adds that because of the scheme, indie developers have been able to give Microsoft direct feedback regarding its back-end publishing, which has allowed developers to more easily ship their games on both console and PC.“We’ve also paid developers and publishers across Xbox hundreds of millions of dollars in Game Pass license fees,” adds Charla, although no specific figure was given here.Despite apparently having over 3,000 indie games on Xbox, Charla notes that one area the team needs to improve on is discoverability and making it easier for players to find games they may end up really enjoying.Earlier in the month an ID@Xbox showcase was also live-streamed and showed off plenty of games coming to Game Pass in the near future.

Halo was once supposed to put Xbox on the map as a place for original scripted programming. Instead, the adaptation of the popular video game is helping to establish another digital platform, Paramount+. According to the Paramount streamer, Halo has set a new record as the service’s most-watched series premiere globally in its first 24 hours of release, topping the previous high mark established by Yellowstone prequel 1883 in December.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorEpic Games, after announcing Sunday that it was donating all proceeds from its popular “Fortnite” game toward humanitarian relief for people affected by Russia’s war on Ukraine, said Monday it has already raised $36 million for the effort.According to Epic, “Fortnite” proceeds from March 20-April 3, 2022 will go toward Ukraine relief. In addition, Microsoft’s Xbox is joining the effort and will commit net proceeds from all sales of “Fortnite” content on Microsoft Store during the time period.Epic said the money is going to four organizations: UNICEF; the U.N.’s World Food Programme; UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency; and Direct Relief, a nongovernmental organization that says it has deployed more than 48 tons of medical aid to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s war.

Fortnite developer Epic Games announced it would donate all profits from purchases made between March 20 and April 3 to humanitarian relief for people affected by the war in Ukraine, and Xbox is now following suit with the same decision.Announced via Twitter, Xbox says it is “joining Epic in support of the people of Ukraine by contributing net proceeds for Fortnite during this time”.Xbox is joining Epic in support of the people of Ukraine by contributing net proceeds for Fortnite during this time. https://t.co/ZWEauUpFei— Xbox (@Xbox) March 20, 2022This isn’t the only way Xbox is trying to help out, as the company is also highlighting UNICEF‘s emergency response efforts in Ukraine on the console dashboard.

Pablo Schreiber didn’t have a TV, let alone a video game system. So it wasn’t really until the 43-year-old actor was hired to star in “Halo” — Paramount Plus’ upcoming adaptation of Microsoft’s crown jewel Xbox franchise — that Schreiber sat down to play as the genetically engineered super soldier he’d been hired to embody: Petty Officer John-117, aka Master Chief.“I quickly realized just how new I was to this medium,” Schreiber tells Variety.

The Initiative, the studio working on a reboot of Perfect Dark, is facing significantly high turnover and issues with slow progress.As reported by VGC, as many as half of Perfect Dark‘s core development team have quit The Initiative over the last year.VGC reports that this includes “most” of The Initiative’s senior design team. Last week, it was discovered that Dan Neuburger – game director at The Initiative – was one of the senior members that left.Departures include two senior system designers, a lead level designer, two senior writers, a design director, and more.The report claims that from speaking to several senior developers, “a lack of creative autonomy and slow development progress” were attributed to this departure.

Xbox Game Pass additions have been confirmed, with titles such as Crusader Kings 3, Shredders, and Weird West all making their way to the service this month.As detailed in a blog shared by Xbox today (March 15), Xbox Game Pass users will be able to play an additional eight games via the subscription-based service in March.On March 17, snowboarding game Shredders will be added to Xbox Game Pass along with The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos, which is a “story-driven hybrid between a deck-building roguelike and an RPG”. Both games will be available on PC, Cloud and Console.The next two games to join the service – Tainted Grail: Conquest and Zero Escape: The Nonary Games – will be added on March 22.

Coffee Stain Studios, the publisher behind hits like Valheim and Satisfactory, is donating £207,000 ($250,000) to charities that are aiming to provide aid to those affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.In a statement posted on both Twitter and Instagram, the studio said that “Right now, millions of innocent people are suffering as a report of the needless, senseless war in Ukraine. Our hearts go out to all who have been affected.”Coffee Stain explained it would be donating the money to support the important work of Save the Children and the Red Cross, which is providing aid to people affected in Ukraine.

Manchester City will host the second Manchester derby of the season on Sunday afternoon, as Manchester United visit the Etihad in the Premier League.

Manchester United will be looking to win their third league game in a row on Saturday as they host relegation-threatened Watford in the Premier League.

Gran Turismo 7 will soon be launching worldwide on PS4 and PS5 and will stand as Sony 's competitor to the popular Forza Horizon series on Xbox and PC.

Many people will be hearing these words for the first time, but a brand new game is releasing day and date via PlayStation Now, the service that some think will eventually turn into Sony’s very own attempt at an Xbox Game Pass competitor. It’s not an exclusive title, either, and it’s a Devolver Digital published title.

Many players are probably excited to get stuck into Elden Ring right away and if you have pre-ordered the game there is a way to ensure you can play as soon as possible.

Manchester United face historic rivals Leeds United on Sunday, as the Reds look for another crucial three points in the top four race.

It’s been a very busy week for ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ developer CD Projekt RED, as a surprise live stream announcement not only ended up bringing all the info on the latest 1.5 patch for the game, but ended with the release of the new-console version of the game, a free upgrade for those who bought it on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. But it seems since the 1.5 update there have been issues on PS4 and PC.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment Writer“Halo” has been renewed for a second season by Paramount Plus, in advance of the series premiere of the long-anticipated video game adaptation on March 24.

Master Chief will stay locked and loaded for Paramount+, which has renewed Halo for a second season. The renewal was unveiled during a ViacomCBS presentation on Tuesday.

Manchester United will look to bounce back from their draw against Burnley and break into the top four this weekend, as they host Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday.

EA has declined to disclose sales figures for Battlefield 2042, with the company describing the sales as “disappointing.”Battlefield 2042 has widely been regarded as a disappointment by fans and critics alike. And EA’s most recent investor call (as transcribed by SeekingAlpha) suggests that that has resulted in the game not performing well.

Wilson Chapman editorMaster Chief is finally gearing up for action.Paramount Plus has unveiled the official trailer for its highly anticipated science fiction series “Halo.” The first look footage also revealed a premiere date of March 24.Based on Xbox Game Studios’ best-selling series of first-person shooter video games, “Halo” is set in the 26th century and focuses on the adventures of Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber), a cybernetically enhanced super-soldier known as a Spartan that defends humanity under the orders of the United Nations Space Command. While plot details of the live-action series are being kept under wraps, most games in the “Halo” franchise focus on the UNSC’s war with an alien theocracy known as the Covenant.

Promising youngster Charlie Savage has been added to the Manchester United squad on FIFA 22 in the latest update, after making his first-team debut earlier this season.

Hot on the heels of the announcement that Microsoft is acquiring Activision Blizzard, there were many questions about anti-competition laws, and more specifically, what this record breaking deal would mean for hugely popular franchises like ‘Call of Duty’ While PlayStation came out saying it would expect Xbox to honour deals in place, we really had no idea what that actually meant… until now.

The popularity of the Xbox Series S/X and One means that they're constantly receiving new and updated games.

Manchester City have the chance to go 14 points clear at the top of the Premier League table, when they face Southampton on Saturday.

Manchester United take on West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday in what could be a huge game for the Reds' top four hopes.

While it's come as a bit of a shock to the industry that Microsoft has acquired Activision Blizzard for over $60 billion, one of the main concerns is how the company's library of games will be affected.

Microsoft‘s acquisition of Activision Blizzard apparently came about due to the misconduct allegations against the latter.A new report from Bloomberg has detailed some of the behind the scenes actions that are said to have taken place regarding the Activision Blizzard acquisition. According to the report, when the news broke of misconduct allegations at Activision Blizzard from The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft Corp.

Xbox owners are having a great time this month as Game Pass has kicked off with titles like ‘Mass Effect Legendary Edition’, ‘Spelunky 2’, new horde alien shooter ‘The Anacrusis’, a release date entry to the service for ‘Nobody Saves the World’, and even ‘Rainbow Six Extraction’ is joining Game Pass on January 20th when it comes out. Speaking to IGN, Xbox boss Phill Spencer addressed the rumours that PlayStation might even be following suit with their own similar setup.

Microsoft is set to snap up Call of Duty company Activision Blizzard in what will be the largest deal struck in the video gaming industry.

Microsoft is buying the gaming company Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, gaining access to blockbuster games like “Call of Duty" and ”Candy Crush."The all-cash deal will let Microsoft, maker of the Xbox gaming system, accelerate mobile gaming and provide building blocks for the metaverse, or a virtual environment.The announcement Tuesday arrives with Activision still in turmoil over allegations of misconduct and unequal pay.Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in a conference call with investors “the culture of our organization is my number one priority” and that “it’s critical for Activision Blizzard to drive forward on its” commitments to improve its workplace culture.Activision disclosed last year it was being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission over complaints of workplace discrimination.Activision CEO Bobby Kotick will retain his role, and he and his team will maintain their focus on driving efforts to further strengthen the Santa Monica, California, company’s culture and accelerate business growth.The deal Tuesday follows Microsoft's $7.5 billion acquisition last year of ZeniMax Media, the parent company of video game publisher Bethesda Softworks, which is behind popular video games The Elder Scrolls, Doom and Fallout.Microsoft said in both cases that the deals will help beef up its Xbox Game Pass game subscription service.