Tag: Microsoft - Page 3
Random No, Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Isn't Coming To Microsoft's HoloLens
"Introducing the Robber Run Again!"
A listing for Zelda: Breath of the Wild has hit the Microsoft store, but before you assume that Nintendo has lost its marbles and gone multi-platform, we should point out that it's bogus. While the listing shows the original box art and uses that famous title, the actual game in question doesn't look like...
News Minecraft Was The Most-Viewed Game On YouTube In 2019
Fortnite takes out second spot
The open-world sandbox game Minecraft has had another strong year of support from its developer and playerbase, and to top it off, it's been recognised as the most-watched game on YouTube in 2019, with 100.2 billion views. Since its official launch in 2011, the game has been released on just about every platform at...
Congratulations Microsoft
Microsoft has had a tough time in Japan on the video game front. The latest iteration of its Xbox system shifts a handful of units per week within the region and the company's first-party offerings often struggle to appeal to Japanese players. While it's not going so well for the Xbox or its library of games, one...
News No, Playtonic Games Isn't Making A New Banjo-Kazooie Or Joining Microsoft
Playtonic shares official statement
Over the past few days, you may have stumbled across rumours and speculation suggesting that Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic Games is either working on a new Banjo-Kazooie title, or that it has been acquired by Microsoft. Neither of these things are true. The rumours appear to have started soon after it was...
News Microsoft Focused On Launching Ori Sequel Exclusively On Xbox One And PC
Could we still see a Switch release in the future?
Following the recent announcement of Ori And The Blind Forest for the Nintendo Switch, there have been requests for the sequel to also make the transition across to the hybrid system in the future. So, what are the chances of this actually happening? Microsoft previously stated it had no plans to...
Random Sakurai Tells Nintendo Fans To Check Out The Original Banjo-Kazooie On Xbox One
Seriously.
During the special Banjo-Kazooie presentation today, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai explained how Microsoft was more than happy for the bear and bird to join Nintendo's all-star brawler. Sakurai himself was "extremely grateful" and also noted how Rare welcomed the idea with open arms. With the iconic duo now...
News Microsoft Has "No Plans" To Bring More First-Party Exclusives To Other Consoles
Ouch!
Current relations between Nintendo and Microsoft appear to be better than ever, but there's a chance Ori And The Blind Forest might be the last Xbox title published on the Nintendo Switch. In a statement provided to GamesIndustry.biz yesterday, Microsoft played down the idea of more games from Xbox Studios coming across to other consoles...
News Conker's Creator Doesn't Think There Would Be As Much Noise For Other Rare IP On Switch
The bear and bird are the favourites
Conker’s creator, Chris Seaver, recently shared his thoughts about Banjo-Kazooie being announced as a playable DLC fighter for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Switch. While he believes it was a “significant” moment, he doesn't think there would be as much interest in the return of other Rare IP: It is...
News New Microsoft Controller Patent Sure Does Remind Us Of The Nintendo Switch
It's all about those "removable input modules"
While they're taking two very different approaches when it comes to meeting the needs of their respective audiences, it would seem that Microsoft and Nintendo are thinking along the same lines on certain hardware features. A new patent filed by Microsoft last month hints at a controller setup which...
Random Gears 5 Achievement Tips Hat To Retired Nintendo Of America President
"My Body Is Ready"
Despite being competitors within the video game industry, Nintendo's North American branch maintains healthy relations with Microsoft's Xbox division. In recent times, the two parties have united to get certain games published on the Switch and Banjo-Kazooie featured as a DLC fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Now, Xbox Game...
News Banjo-Kazooie Composer Grant Kirkhope Doesn't Know If There's A Market For A New Game
"I just don't know"
Around the time of E3 2019, when it was revealed Banjo-Kazooie would be added as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the composer of the bear and bird's original Nintendo 64 outing spoke with VGC about the possibility of a new entry in the series. In a more recent interview with the same website, the one and only...
News Sony Doesn't See Nintendo As A Major Rival, More Worried About Microsoft Next Generation
And the potential threat of Google
The Wallstreet Journal has published a detailed report about Sony's next-generation PlayStation. According to the source, the company's aim is to target hardcore gamers and double down on big exclusives and publishers. In regards to market competition, a Sony representative explained how Microsoft was seen as its...
News Nintendo, Sony And Microsoft Band Together To Fight Tariffs On Video Game Consoles
United as one
If you keep up with global politics or happen to live in North America, you might have heard about recently proposed tariffs on Chinese goods by the Trump administration. In a rare display – Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft have joined forces (in a seven-page letter) to warn the American government about the impacts this could...
News Phantasy Star Online 2 "Will End Up On All Platforms" Eventually
No longer a fantasy?
When Phantasy Star Online 2 was announced for North America during the Xbox conference, it left a lot of western fans of the series wondering if the game would also be released on other platforms locally. Now, based on a comment made by Phil Spencer during an interview on Giant Bombcast, it has seemingly been confirmed the game...
News Phil Spencer Says Microsoft Had No Problem With Banjo-Kazooie Appearing In Smash Bros. Ultimate
The two companies are on "great" terms
Following the official reveal of Banjo-Kazooie as a DLC fighter for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer caught up with Kotaku to discuss how exactly the Microsoft and Rare-owned character was able to make an appearance in the popular Nintendo fighter. According to Spencer, the story isn't as...
News Nintendo's Bill Trinen Talks About Indie Collaborations, Microsoft Partnership And More
But lips are sealed when it comes to BotW 2
Nintendo's E3, and specifically the games and reveals that were showcased during the Direct, have left us with more questions than we could ever have anticipated. From new partnership deals to high profile releases, the next few months feel like they're about to be hugely exciting for fans of the company...
News Original Banjo-Kazooie Team "Pleased" About Duo's Return, But Unsure A New Game "Would Sell"
Also doubts about Rare's interest
In the same VGC interview featuring the former Rare composer Grant Kirkhope, Steve Mayles and Chris Sunderland shared their own thoughts about Banjo-Kazooie being added as a DLC fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Steven Mayles, the original character designer of the bird and bear, said he was "pleased" to see...
News Grant Kirkhope Explains How He Got To Compose Banjo-Kazooie Music For Smash Bros. Ultimate
The Mario + Rabbids creative director got in contact
Not long after Banjo-Kazooie was revealed for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate during Nintendo's E3 2019 Direct presentation, VGC reached out to the composer, Grant Kirkhope, to hear his side of the story and find out what it was like create music for Nintendo's all-star fighting game. It all started...
Video Nintendo's E3 Direct Went From Pedestrian To Perfection
Getting Jiggy with it
When things first kicked off with Nintendo's Direct this year, I personally wasn't bubbling with excitement. For my sins, Dragon Quest isn't a series that has really gripped me in the past, and feeling that that was the big announcement for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate took the wind out of my sails. Oh how naïve I was. The last...
News Microsoft Details Xbox E3 Schedule, Lists Nintendo Direct As A Place You "Need To Be"
Well, this could be interesting...
Following on from the utterly bizarre scenes yesterday, where it was rumoured that Miyamoto would appear during Microsoft's E3 presentation (spoiler: he didn't), the official Xbox Twitter account has now given a nod to Nintendo's Direct taking place tomorrow. The tweet shows "where you need to be for #XboxE3" and...
Rumour Shigeru Miyamoto Will Be On-Stage During Microsoft’s E3 Briefing (Spoiler Alert: He Wasn't)
We got our hopes up then
Update: Well, that was a nice enough E3 presser. We saw some of Microsoft's new games, got a little bit of hype for Project Scarlett and saw in-engine footage of the new Halo. But Miyamoto? Nope. Nintendo wasn't even mentioned once. So much for that. Original Story: Microsoft and Nintendo have been getting pretty friendly...
Random Xbox's Major Nelson Seemingly Confirms The Next DLC Character For Dragon Ball FighterZ
Say what?
Earlier this week, Arc System Works and Bandai Namco released the latest update for the superb brawler, Dragon Ball FighterZ. Alongside this, was the launch of the new paid DLC fighter Goku , based on the much-younger looking version featured in the Dragon Ball GT anime series. Now, in a completely unexpected reveal, the last fighter for...
News Astral Chain Has No Link To Axed Xbox One Project Scalebound
"It's all in your imagination"
In a recent interview with VGC, Platinum Games' studio head, Atushi Inaba, was asked if the upcoming Switch exclusive Astral Chain had been influenced by the previously cancelled Xbox One title, Scalebound. There are supposedly no similarities between the two games: "I can’t go in to detail about how the different...
Rumour Forza Street Source Code Suggests A Switch Release Has Been Given The Green Light
Racing ahead
A few weeks ago, Forza fans got a surprise when the Windows 10 game Miami Street by Electric Square was rebranded Forza Street. While the free-to-play game is only accessible on the Microsoft Store at the moment, it will soon be made available on Android and iOS devices. There’s now a rumour suggesting this new entry in the Forza...
Random Minecraft's Creator Won't Be Invited To The Game's Anniversary Celebrations
Erasing history
The original creator of the survival crafting game Minecraft will be excluded from the title's 10-year anniversary celebrations due to his "comments and opinions" on social media, according to Microsoft. Since Marcus "Notch" Persson sold Minecraft to Microsoft for $2.5 billion back in 2014, the tech giant has released the game on as...
News Nintendo, Sony And Microsoft All Under Investigation Over Online Gaming Services
"We are fully prepared to take action"
Gaming giants Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft are all currently under investigation in the UK over fears that their online subscription services are unfair. The Competition and Markets Authority (a non-ministerial department of the UK government which has the power to enforce competition and consumer law) says...
Random Halo's Twitter Account Wants Master Chief To Finish The Fight In Smash Bros. Ultimate
Spartan-117 reporting for duty
In case you missed it, Twitter has a verified account to talk about video games. Yesterday, it asked users of the platform what character they would invite to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate if they could pick anyone. While it's hard not to chuckle at the requests for Goku, Shrek and Spider-Man, some users took it a little...
News Security Researcher Avoids Prison After Hacking Into Nintendo's Network
And Microsoft's servers
Nintendo and Microsoft are once again making headlines together, but this time around it's not exactly what you might expect. 24-year-old security researcher Zammis Clark – also known as Slipstream or Raylee online – has pleaded guilty in London's Crown Court to hacking into Nintendo and Microsoft networks. The former...
News Microsoft Asked The Studio Behind Cuphead To Bring The Game To Switch
An active approach
When Cuphead was revealed during the recent Nindie Direct presentation, it somewhat confirmed rumours about Microsoft bringing a selection of Xbox exclusives to the Nintendo Switch. As surreal as it might be, it's got many people wondering how such an idea came about in the first place. According to Daniel Bloodworth fr
News Expect More Xbox Live-Enabled Games To Come To Switch Over The Next Year
Cuphead is just the beginning
Last week, Microsoft's Gaming Cloud Chief Kareem Choudhry said the technology giant had no specific Xbox Live announcements for the Switch right now. Despite this, the company has somehow touched on the subject again at the 2019 Game Developers Conference, currently taking place in San Francisco. According to a tweet...
News Cuphead Is Coming To Nintendo Switch, Along With Xbox Achievements
Thanks, Microsoft!
It has been confirmed that the critically-acclaimed 2D platformer Cuphead is coming to Nintendo Switch. The news was the headline of today's Nindies Direct broadcast, which made a point of thanking Microsoft for making the port a possibility. Cuphead was previously a Microsoft exclusive. Studio MDHR Co-Director Chad Moldenhauer...
News Microsoft Has No "Specific" Xbox Live Announcements For Switch Right Now
Not completely ruled out
Since February, there have been a series of rumours suggesting Microsoft would be bringing its Xbox applications, subscription services, and video games to the Nintendo Switch. While the tech giant has already been quite busy this week with the reveal of the Halo Master Chief Collection for PC and its streaming service...
Rumour Looks Like Xbox Game Pass Might Not Be Coming To Switch After All
Well, that was short-lived
For the past couple of weeks, rumours surrounding the possibility of Microsoft bringing the Xbox Game Pass to Nintendo Switch have been sneaking their way around the internet, devilishly teasing fans with the idea of playing Xbox games on Nintendo's machine. Xbox head, Phil Spencer, even added fuel to the fire recently...
News Microsoft Eager To "Bring Game Pass To Any Device" People Want To Play On
So, Nintendo Switch?
If recent rumours are to be believed, Microsoft intends to bring its Xbox Game Pass service to the Nintendo Switch and multiple other platforms. During an interview at the start of this month with GeekWire, the head of Xbox Phil Spencer opened up about the company's plans to push cross-device play, with the Game Pass subscript
Random Multiple Nintendo Characters Appear In Mixer Banner On Xbox One Dashboard
Not what you might expect
Earlier this week, a Twitter user spotted Marina from Splatoon 2 on the Xbox One dashboard within the Mixer section. As you may or may not be aware, Mixer is a Microsoft-owned live-streaming platform for all types of video games across multiple platforms. The timing of it was definitely odd, coming off the recent onslaught...
Random Is That Marina From Splatoon 2 On The Xbox One Dashboard?
What the...
An Xbox One user who goes by the Twitter handle DumbDeadDoodles has allegedly spotted the Splatoon 2 character Marina hidden on a banner within the 'Mixer' section of the Xbox One dashboard. As crazy as it sounds, other Xbox users posted images of their own dashboards, showing the exact same banner. Take a look at the right side of the...
Talking Point Nintendo And Microsoft Working Together Isn't As Crazy As You Think
Dogs + cats living together = ?
The whispers that Microsoft is preparing to launch games and services on Switch are, in some ways, too fantastical to believe; a dream-come-true for fanboys-and-girls of a certain age. The rumoured deal suggests that the company is planning not only to launch Xbox Live and Game Pass integration, but also to publish...
News Ori And The Blind Forest For Switch Spotted In UK Wholesale Database
More than a rumour?
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past week, you will have no doubt heard about the ongoing rumours regarding a possible partnership between Microsoft and Nintendo. According to multiple sources, Microsoft has plans to bring an Xbox App, Game Pass, cloud technology and even some Xbox exclusives to the Nintendo...
Rumour French Gaming Website Suggests Cuphead Could Come To Switch
Nintendo and Microsoft collaboration rumours persist
Further to last night's rumours suggesting that Microsoft is planning to bring an Xbox app, Project X Cloud and its Game Pass service to Switch, more details have come to light regarding the possible cross-pollination. French gaming website Jeuxvideo has extra details regarding the potential...
News Sony And Microsoft's Gaming Bosses React To Reggie's Retirement
"Great leader, industry partner and friend"
It's fair to say that the news that Reggie Fils-Aime – who has been Nintendo of America president since 2006 and joined the company itself in 2003 – would be retiring in April caught plenty of people off-guard. He's certainly one of the industry's most recognisable characters and his willingness to...
Rumour Microsoft Plans To Bring Xbox App And Game Pass To Nintendo Switch
Ori and Project xCloud also expected
At the start of this month, it was discovered Microsoft would be discussing its plans to make Xbox Live compatible with mobile platforms and the Nintendo Switch at this year's Game Developers Conference. Now, in today's update, Direct-Feed Games – known for its strong track record when it comes to rumours –...
Video Don't Get Your Hopes Up About Project H.A.M.M.E.R. Or Scalebound Making A Comeback
"Very unlikely" to return
Earlier this week, we reported a rumour about Nintendo's plans to revive a "dead and buried" game. This rumour stems from a comment made by Game Informer's Senior Editor Imran Khan on last week's Kinda Funny Games show. According to the source, Nintendo has intentions of reviving a certain project, even though it was...
News Microsoft Eager To Expand Xbox Live Cross-Platform Gaming On Switch
Beyond Minecraft
The upcoming schedule for this year’s Game Developers Conference – taking place between the 18th and 22nd of March – has revealed how Microsoft will be discussing its plans to expand Xbox Live support to Android, iOS and the Nintendo Switch. It wants cross-platform play to go beyond the insanely popular crafting-survival game...
News Damon Baker Joins The Xbox Team
"The future looks amazing!"
At the end of last year, Damon Baker announced he would be leaving Nintendo after more than 12 years to pursue a new opportunity in 2019. He started out at the company in 2006 as the global manager of brand licensing and became head of third-party marketing and communications after three years, until taking up the head of...
Random Microsoft Really Digs Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Is Steve joining the battle?
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fans have apparently lost their minds after Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass Twitter account reached out to Nintendo of America’s Twitter account on National Compliment Day. Microsoft’s social account sent a single tweet in Nintendo's direction, revealing its love for the ultimate Smash Bros...
News Sequel To Minecraft Doesn't "Make Sense" According To Microsoft's Helen Chiang
It would fracture the community
When games are successful, naturally sequels are expected. The insanely popular Minecraft appears to be taking a different approach. When Microsoft forked out a whopping $2.5 billion for the franchise in 2014, analysts expected the company would quickly churn out a sequel to make it a worthwhile transaction. It's now...
News Shots Are Fired In This New Minecraft Cross-Play Trailer
Your move, Sony
Nintendo and Microsoft are leading the cross-play revolution on consoles, but it's Sony's decision to remain out of this multi-platform party that has gained the most column inches of late. Not only has the company blocked cross-play on key titles like Rocket League and Fortnite, it has taken measure
Talking Point Could Sony Or Microsoft Release Their Own Nintendo Switch-Style Hybrids?
Digital Foundry pops the question, and comes up with some amazing data
Some of the Nintendo Life team were lucky enough to pop down to sunny Brighton a few weeks back, base of Gamer Network - the group of gaming sites with which Nintendo Life and Push Square are affiliated. While we were down there dodging vegan food stalls and resisting the urge to...
Soapbox With Microsoft Playing Ball, It’s Finally Time For Banjo-Kazooie To Return To Nintendo
And we know just the studio that could pull it off...
Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on hot topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In today's article, editor Dom tackles a subject very close to his heart - his rabid love for a certain seminal platformer from Rare, and...
Rumour Get That Pinch Of Salt Ready, Apparently Microsoft Is Preparing To Buy Electronic Arts
Keep a straight face
While the Switch and PlayStation 4 continue to sell robustly, over in the land of Xbox things aren't looking quite as rosy. Even the most ardent supporter of Microsoft's console hardware would admit that there's a serious shortage of quality first-party exclusive games on the machine right now and that's only going to hold the...