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"This is us. This is our story.".

We're now just a month away from the highly-anticipated release of Stalker 2 on Xbox Game Pass, and as we approach its November 20th release date, Xbox and GSC Game World have unveiled a feature-length documentary about it.

With the dev team being based in Ukraine, much has been said about the difficulties they've faced throughout Stalker 2's journey, and this new documentary is described as being "one of the most heart-wrenching 'making-of' films ever made"...

In 2024, when a new game is announced, you can usually count on it to be released on PC, PlayStation, and possibly Switch. But it’s become a bit less of a guarantee that new games or ports will land on Xbox consoles, and it seems Microsoft is aware of this and is asking devs why...

Starfield: Shattered Space is coming on Monday, September 30th 2024. Here is The Starfield Shattered Space download size on Xbox consoles.starfield shattered space download sizeThe pre-load is 14.9gb total in size on Xbox consoles.

Blizzard is reportedly making a third attempt at developing a StarCraft shooter, with former Far Cry executive producer Dan Hay, who joined Blizzard in 2022, leading the charge.

Hot on the heels of Microsoft’s announcement that StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection hit the Game Pass subscription service in November, it has emerged that Blizzard is also working on a StarCraft shooter.

Word comes from Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier while speaking to IGN’s Podcast Unlocked, below, about his new book, PLAY NICE: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment. Hay’s StarCraft shooter is mentioned in the book, and IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey asked Schreier if it’s likely to actually come out.

“If it’s not canceled!” Schreier replied. “This is Blizzard after all. Their history with StarCraft shooters is not good.

“Yes, that is a project that as far as I know is in development, or at least as of the time that I wrote this book was in development. They are working on a StarCraft shooter, StarCraft is not dead at Blizzard.

“The goal of the book isn’t to get a bunch of scoops about upcoming things. That wasn’t the purpose of this book at all, it was very much to tell a story and focus on stuff that had happened. But this felt like such an interesting and useful nugget to include because it really just shows you that Blizzard cannot quit StarCraft shooters.”

That’s a reference to Blizzard’s infamous attempt to release a StarCraft shooter in the past as part of a bid to expand the StarCraft franchise beyond its real-time strategy origins. StarCraft Ghost, announced in 2002, was going to be a tactical-action console game in which you played as a deadly Ghost operative in the employ of the Dominion, but it was canceled in 2006 after a series of delays.

A second attempt to make a StarCraft shooter, codenamed Ares, was canceled in 2019 so Blizzard could focus on Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. Ares was reportedly “like Battlefield in the StarCraft universe,” but, like Ghost, fell by the wayside.

Now, it’s a case of third time lucky for Blizzard, with this new StarCraft shooter in development. We don’t have any details at this time, but perhaps Phil Spencer’s StarCraft t-shirt he wore during Microsoft’s Tokyo Game Show 2024 broadcast was more than a simple reference to StarCraft hitting Game Pass.

As for Hay, he joined Ubisoft in 2011 to work on Far Cry 3, then became executive producer for the Far Cry brand, shipping Far Cry Blood Dragon, Far Cry 4 , and Far Cry Primal. Hay was creative director and executive producer on Far Cry 5, and executive director for Far Cry New Dawn and Far Cry 6, before joining Blizzard in 2022 as GM/VP.

California will soon require storefronts to make clear that purchasing digital content, including games, movies and music, does not mean you actually own it.

Developer DevilishGames this week announced that their tower defence title ‘Insectum – Epic Battles of Bugs’ will launch on the Nintendo Switch (Americas/EU&AUS), PlayStation, and Xbox consoles on the 27th of September. A PC Steam release is set for the 24th of October. Players will immerse themselves in the epic battles of “Insectum” and unleash …

Shortly after Microsoft and Square Enix confirmed the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series for Xbox Series X|S and PC, we picked up six Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Xbox achievement lists, one for each beloved RPG.

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series arrives with six Xbox achievement lists.

Available now on the Xbox store, the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster bundle includes all six games from Final Fantasy to Final Fantasy 6. Each of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters has been updated with enhanced visuals, a modernized UI, quality-of-life features, a rearranged soundtrack, and, of course, support for Xbox achievements. As you'll see below, each game has its own list of Xbox achievements worth a total of 1,000G.

The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster bundle is currently on sale for $59.99 / £51.99 /€59.99 on the Xbox store, and you can purchase each game separately

Including a bunch of new features.

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 is off to a great start on Xbox and beyond right now, and it's about to get even better with the arrival of the first major update! It's titled "Patch 3.0", and it's available today on Series X and Series S.

The biggest new features in this update include a new Hub Sparring Arena in the Battle Barge where you can engage in friendly PvP with your squad members, along with private lobbies for Operations. That last one should prove popular!

Man I wish I could afford this game, it looks fucking amazing!

Xbox has returned to Japan for the Tokyo Game Show, and this year, it's showing off a selection of games from third-party partners based primarily in Japan. With 2025 looking to be a big year for the company thanks to the arrival of games like Doom: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, and more, Xbox focused on the best of Japan. These games ranged from JRPGs to horror, fighting games based on beloved anime series, and interactive oddities that'll be coming to Xbox consoles and PC soon.

In case the livestream is took place at an hour that was way too early for you, you can check below for a recap of everything announced by Xbox.

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Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater:

The show kicked off with a fresh trailer for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, showing off the upgraded character models for The Boss, Revolver Ocelot, Colonel Volgin, and more.

Starcraft Remastered and Starcraft 2:

Strategy fans have another reason to smile, as Xbox boss Phil Spencer appeared to announce that Starcraft Remastered and Starcraft 2 will both be coming Game Pass.

Overwatch 2 is getting My Hero Academia skins:

My Hero Academia, a massively popular anime series about teenagers learning to be superheroes, is crossing over with Overwatch 2. Players of the hero-shooter can expect several skins from the anime series to appear in the game, based on characters like All Might, Uravity, Deku, and Himiko Toga.

Age of Mythology Retold: Immortal Pillars:

A new expansion for Age of Mythology, Immortal Pillars, was briefly announced, and like the main game, you can expect to see this launch day-one through Game Pass.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle"

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launches in December, and in a new trailer, Xbox showed off the archeologist's wits, fists, and whips in action. This trailer also featured the Japanese dub of the game, which sounds really great.

Tanuki: Pon's Summer:

Moving over to a cute game reveal, Xbox showed off Tanuki Pon's Summer. This adorable game puts you in the fur of a tanuki mailman who has one month to save up enough funds to restore an ancient shrine. How do you get those funds? By hopping on a BMX, delivering packages, competing in sports, and making some sushi to please the local townsfolk.

Threads of Time:

We're living in a golden age of HD-2D RPG games, as we got a new trailer for the enchanting Threads of Time, showing off the lush 2.5D gameplay, anime cutscenes, and more.

We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie:

Roll up, roll up, and get ready to enjoy a few rounds of the wonderfully weird We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie. It's available starting today through Game Pass for PC and Xbox consoles.

Metaphor ReFantazio:

Get ready to say goodbye to dozens of hours of your life when Metaphor ReFantazio arrives next month, as this new Tokyo Game Show trailer was a blast of style and substance. In case you missed it, a Metaphor ReFantazio demo is now available and progress carries over to the full game.

FragPunk:

FragPunk, an upcoming 5v5 hero-shooter, is getting a closed beta, and sign-ups are now available for it.

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land:

Ryza's story in the Atelier series may be over, but there are still a lot more stories to tell in this beloved JRPG series. The new Atelier Yumia gameplay trailer was a deep dive into what fans can expect from this game ahead of its March 21, 2025 release.

Asurajang Rumble:

A battle royale that packs a punch, Asurajang Rumble shined a spotlight on the game's varied cast of brawlers and their special combat skills in a new trailer.

Fallout 76:

In the best news to come out of the Wasteland since we found that old suit of functioning power armor, we can confirm that cats and dogs have survived the nuclear apocalypse and they haven't been horrifically mutated. This new Fallout 76 will let you adopt your own four-legged pals and it'll be added soon to the game.

Synduality: Echo of Ada:

PvPvE extraction shooter Synduality: Echoe of Ada has a release date locked in for January 2025, as well as a ton of different editions available to preorder.

Bleach: Rebirth of Souls:

Survival is nothing; winning is everything! The first new Bleach game in many years looks like a sharp experience featuring Ichigo Kurosaki and dozens of other characters from the hit manga and anime series. This new trailer saw Ichigo unleash his darker Hollow side in a Hueco Mundo battlefield.

Suikoden 1 and 2 Remastered:

Suikoden 1 and 2 Remastered has a release date of March 6, 2025, and in case you're wondering just how much of a difference several decades can make, a comparison trailer showed the glow-up between games.

All You Need Is Help:

We don't know how to describe All You Need Is Help, a multiplayer puzzle game that looks like Tetris mixed with goofy animals, so we're just going to move on to the next reveal.

The Starbites: Taste of Desert:

Mechs, anime-inspired visuals, and cool fashion that we wish we could add to our wardrobes. All that and more appeared in this video showing off more gameplay from The Starbites: Taste of Desert.

Slitterhead:

There's nothing more frightening than a well-executed horror game, and in a lengthy trailer, Slitterhead looks like it'll be the reason why we'll be sleeping with the lights on for a couple of years after we play it.

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake:

It's not long to go before the Dragon Quest 3 GD Remake launches on November 14, and if you're not quite sold yet on this HD-2D JRPG, the very lengthy gameplay video for it did a great job in showing off new graphical enhancements, gameplay changes, and more.

Trials of Mana and Legends of Mana:

In case your hunger for JRPGs still hasn't been satiated, you can look forward to Trials of Mana and Legends of Mana on Game Pass, playable starting today.

Final Fantasy 1-6 Pixel Remaster:

And for the final course, you can finish off your JRPG buffet with Final Fantasy 1-6 Pixel Remaster. This collection of NES and SNES-era games are now available for Xbox Series X|S and PC.

StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection are heading to Xbox's PC Game Pass subscription on 5th November.

•Paladin’s Passage (September 17): "Embark on an epic journey in this challenging 2.5D precision platformer with over 100 hand-crafted dungeons filled with monsters."

•Star Wars Jedi: Survivor for Xbox One (September 17): "The story of Cal Kestis continues in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor™, a third person galaxy-spanning action-adventure game from Respawn Entertainment, developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games."

•The Plucky Squire (September 17): "The Plucky Squire follows the magical adventures of Jot and his friends – storybook characters who discover a three-dimensional world outside the pages of their book."

•Train Sim World 5" (September 17): "The Rails are Yours in Train Sim World 5! Take on new challenges and new roles as you master the tracks and trains of iconic cities across 3 new routes."

•World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing 24 (September 17): "iRacing presents the Official Game of The World of Outlaws, featuring the World of Outlaws Sprint Car, Late Models and Super DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds, as well as 8 additional series including the all-new Micro Sprints, and many others."

•A Night on the Farm (September 18): "A Night on the Farm is an atmospheric retro-inspired horror adventure with unpredictable plot twists and deep lore to discover."

•Cozy Designer (September 18): "Position furniture and objects however you prefer and decorate 60 incredibly cozy environments. Without right or wrong, the only limit is your imagination."

•Dark Elven Legacy (September 18): "You are Elynar, the strongest archer in the Kingdom, who must face terrible creatures in the Great Dark Forest. Shoot with your bow, use a special power, or obtain power-ups during the game to fight various types of enemies."

•Elasto Mania II (September 18): "The long-awaited sequel is still a 2D enduro simulator with a nostalgic feel, but it’s also about giving you more bang for your buck than ever, with more challenges, extra collectibles, updated physics and new graphics."

•Hidden Cats in Berlin (September 18): "Take a little pleasant trip through a big and lovely illustration! Start with monochrome scenery and fill it with color! Kick back, relax, and find all the cats to reveal the final, colorful landscape."

•Keylocker (September 18): "Keylocker is a Cyberpunk turn-based rhythm JRPG. Play as the singer and songwriter, B0B0. Fuel your moves with the electric power of music on this unforgiving planet by using real-time execution of moves in rhythm game style!"

•The Last Shot (September 18): "The Last Shot is a platforming adventure game set in a war-ravaged diesel-punk world. Militaristic cities fight endlessly with massive weaponry, all striving to be the last one standing."

•Andromeda Survivors(September 19): "Prepare yourself for an epic journey in Andromeda Survivors, a casual game with rogue-lite elements that will challenge your skills and strategy!"

•Atama (September 19): "Use psychic powers in Atama to see through the eyes of your pursuers to avoid detection as you investigate a cursed rural Japanese village."

•Between Horizons (September 19): "Between Horizons is a modern 2.5D pixel art adventure that brings a branching narrative into a semi-open world."

•Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - Reforged (September 19): "Step out onto the streets of Paris in “Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged”, a substantially enhanced version of the multi-award winning, all-time classic adventure."

•Byte the Bullet (September 19): "Get into my infected computer and restore every virus-ridden system by recovering game attributes like color or save functions."

•Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster (September 19): "More than just a remaster, this Deluxe Remaster is a full graphical overhaul of the first game in zombie-slaughtering action game series "Dead Rising."

•DROS (September 19): "DROS is a dark fantasy adventure where you’ll swap between a small gooey creature and her human bounty hunter shell."

•pureya (September 19): "Simple arcade games are great, but they can get boring quickly. What if they changed every 10 seconds? Pureya is a collection of arcade minigames that play with just 2 buttons."

•The House of Da Vinci 3 (September 19): "The grand finale to The House of Da Vinci trilogy is here! Solve numerous new puzzles and mind benders and explore new mystifying locations of ravishing beauty."

•EA SPORTS FC™ 25 Ultimate Edition (September 20): "Pre-Order EA SPORTS FC™ 25 Ultimate Edition by 26 Sept to receive: Up to 7 Days Early Access, start playing on 20 Sept.

•Home Safety Hotline (September 20): "Home Safety Hotline is an analog horror inspired telephone operator simulator where you answer incoming callers' questions about what's inside their home."

•Matchbox™ Driving Adventures (September 20): "Ready to get behind the wheel for the thrill of a lifetime? Then gear up for Matchbox™ Driving Adventures! The Chief of the Matchbox Adventure Squad heard you’re the best driver around, and now they need your help taking on epic missions."

•MindSeize (September 20): "Transfer your mind into a MAG and set out to an epic Action-Adventure with Sci-Fi setting! Aiming to save your daughter, an even bigger threat emerges..."

•Paper Plane Arena - Lost Places (September 20): "Paper Plane Arena is an interactive game experience that is designed to ease your mind and have fun popping innocent balloons."

•Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2 (September 20): "After a run in with Huggy Wuggy and freeing Poppy, you must descend deeper into the Playtime Co. toy factory. Challenging puzzles and horrific toys await. Grapple, swing, and power your way to safety."

•Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3 (September 20): "A decrepit orphanage known as Playcare sits beneath the once magical toy factory. You must make your way through this haunted place, solving new puzzles and avoiding the nightmares that lurk within the dark."

•The Karate Kid: Street Rumble (September 20): "Sweeping across iconic locations of the first three classic The Karate Kid movies from the 1980s, you’ll step out of the dojo and into the streets of the West Valley and Okinawa as you battle waves of enemies in this pixel art, side-scrolling, beat ‘em up adventure."

•They Came From the Sky 2 (September 20): "They Came From the Sky 2 is a fast paced arcade game wherein you take the role of one of the giant alien robot. The game offers infinite replayability, over 20 types of enemies, and 50 hidden artifacts to discover."

•Welcome to Empyreum (September 20): "This exciting cooperative party game for up to 4 players immerses you in the fascinating and wild universe of Hotel Empyreum."

When the Xbox One launched, Microsoft switched up the console's friending features to mimic a social media-style experience, allowing players to follow each other. Now it looks like Microsoft is rolling back the changes a bit, and while followers will be staying, Xbox Insiders can now trial a new Xbox friend request feature.

As announced on Xbox Wire, Alpha Skip-Ahead Insiders are now testing new social features, namely friend requests. Xbox says you can still follow other players, but becoming friends is now a "Two-way, invite-approved relationship, giving you more control and flexibility."

With this new update, you'll be able to manage friend requests from within the "People tab" on Xbox consoles, PC, and the Xbox app on mobile, where you'll be able to send, accept, and delete requests. New privacy and notification settings give you control over who can send you friend requests or follow your account, as well as the notifications you receive from those actions.

The feature has only just rolled out to Alpha Skip-Ahead Xbox Insiders, so there's no telling when we'll see it arrive for all players. Last month's Xbox update added installation improvements, new controller customization options, and more.