Timeline
Monday17th Jul 2023
News Microsoft Confirms Xbox Live Gold Is Being Replaced This September
With Xbox Game Pass Core
It's official! Microsoft has announced today that Xbox Live Gold is being replaced on September 14th with Xbox Game Pass Core, which will be available for £6.99 / $9.99 per-month or £49.99 / $59.99 per-year. Xbox Game Pass Core will come with online multiplayer access, exclusive member deals and access to a selection of...
Guide Microsoft Rewards & Xbox: How To Make 20,000 Points Per-Month
How to get Microsoft Rewards points fast
We know how amazing Microsoft Rewards is, but did you know that if you live in a certain region and you have access to all the MS Rewards benefits currently available, you can make over 20,000 Microsoft Rewards per-month? That's the equivalent of almost £20 / $20 worth of free Xbox credit every single...
News The Wandering Village Brings Its Highly-Rated City-Builder To Xbox Game Pass This Week
"Survive together in this hostile post-apocalyptic world"
We've got a few games arriving on Xbox Game Pass as part of the July 2023 lineup this week, and one of them is The Wandering Village, which actually launched in early access form (on PC) all the way back in September of 2022. Of course, that means we already know what people think about this...
News Xbox's Phil Spencer Seems Happy To Show Off About Playing Starfield Early
We can all see it, P3...
It feels like we've been waiting forever for Starfield to hit Xbox Game Pass, and even though the wait is almost over, it isn't stopping us from getting incredibly jealous of today's news that some of the folks working on the game are already well into their Starfield playthroughs. As spotted by Idle Sloth on Twitter,...
News Payday 3 Dev Says 'We Need You To Be Online' For Upcoming Xbox Game Pass Title
The game will seemingly be another 'always-online' release
Long-in-development co-op shooter Payday 3 was recently announced as an Xbox Game Pass launch title, which we're quite happy with considering the game feels well-suited to a service with lots of subscribers on day one. However, it does appear that you must be online to play any aspect of...
News Xbox 360 Call Of Duty Titles See Huge Player Spikes Following Server Update
The classics are still poppin'
Last week, we caught wind that the folks over at Activision and their various Call of Duty studios had made some positive changes to how the old Xbox 360 games were running online, so naturally, we went back and had a look to see how things were going. As it turned out, online matchmaking did seem to have improved (we...
News Xbox 'Game Pass Core' Reportedly Replacing Xbox Live Gold This September
Update: It's official!
Update: Microsoft has now officially confirmed that Xbox Live Gold will be replaced by Xbox Game Pass Core on September 14th, 2023. We've covered this story in more detail elsewhere on Pure Xbox: <related ids="152764"> Original story: There's been a surprising Xbox leak - seemingly revealing Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold...
Sunday16th Jul 2023
News Microsoft & Sony Sign Binding Agreement To Keep Call Of Duty On PlayStation
Phil Spencer confirms
Update: It's now been confirmed Microsoft has committed to a 10-year deal for Call of Duty on PlayStation. Sony has also confirmed this with Axios. "While Microsoft’s initial announcement doesn’t mention 10 years for Call of Duty on PlayStation, Kari Perez, head of global communications at Xbox, confirmed the 10-year
News Xbox Has Released A Minecraft 'Creeper' Themed Mini Fridge
Available now in the US
Back in 2021, Xbox made the Xbox Mini Fridge a reality by releasing it as an actual product to fans around the world. It's since released a revision, and now in an update, it's launched a brand-new Minecraft 'Creeper' themed mini fridge. This is based on the same enemy in Mojang's game that blows up and is now available...
News Halo Infinite Gameplay Animator Returns To 343 Industries
"I can't wait to share what I'm working on"
Halo studio 343 Industries has faced some difficult moments this year with layoffs and a number of big-name departures including head of creative Joseph Staten. It's raised questions about the future of Halo Infinite and also the franchise, but it seems the studio might already be on the road to recovery...
Saturday15th Jul 2023
News Three Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In August 2023 So Far
"Experience the mad and macabre for yourself"
There's still a little while to go until August, but we've already got three games confirmed for Xbox Game Pass next month! All three were featured as part of the recent [email protected] Showcase, so they're definitely locked in for August. These are three pretty big additions to Xbox Game Pass as well, with
Feature These 10+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (July 17-21)
Including four Game Pass titles!
Welcome to your new Xbox games roundup for July 17th to July 21st! Next week is highlighted by the arrival of four Xbox Game Pass titles (Techtonica, The Cave, Maquette and The Wandering Village), as well as the release of
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 15-16)
Any Exoprimal on Xbox Game Pass?
It's time for the weekend! There's plenty to enjoy on Xbox over the next couple of days including various new Xbox Game Pass titles, four Xbox Free Play Days additions, and a ridiculous number of deals in the Xbox Ultimate Game Sale! Here's what we're playing this weekend: Fraser
Reminder Three Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass Today (July 15)
Including this "gravity-defying" adventure
Today is the day for three Xbox Game Pass titles to leave the service, which includes the gravity-defying journey Exo One, children's adventure game Paw Patrol The Movie and roguelite classic Spelunky 2.
News Microsoft Activision Blizzard Acquisition Given Greenlight In US After FTC Loses (Again)
"This brings us another step closer to the finish line"
Following FTC's appeal of the previous court ruling permitting Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the US regulator has now lost again. The Federal Trade Commission was also seeking injunctive relief to prevent Microsoft from closing the deal but has been denied by the US Ninth...
Friday14th Jul 2023
News Major Nelson Announces His Departure From Xbox After 20 Years
"I have decided to take a step back"
Xbox's Major Nelson has today announced that he is leaving Xbox and Microsoft after over 20 years at the company, telling fans on social media that he intends to "take a step back and work on the next chapter of my career". In his message, Major Nelson (real name "Larry Hryb") thanked the "millions of gamers...
News 343's Master Chief Collection Modders Are Making The Halo 3 'E3 2006 Trailer' Playable
Can you BELIEVE it?!
Last week, we poured over 343's 'Digsite Deliveries' blog post that detailed loads of old, unreleased Halo content being added to the Master Chief Collection - and the team is now back and at it again. This new post, 'Digsite Discoveries', is showcasing even more old school Halo content being reworked for MCC on PC, and the team...
Talking Point Are You Looking Forward To The New Forza Motorsport This Year?
Hype around the game feels strangely subdued
Over the last couple of days, our racing game focus has been squarely on Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown with Nacon finally unveiling official gameplay, but don't forget there is another huge Xbox racer in the pipeline! Forza Motorsport makes its grand return on Xbox Series X|S later this year, and we...
News Fable's Narrative Lead Is Leaving The Project After 'Several Wonderful Years'
"I know it’s in good hands"
We've got some Fable news to share today, as the game's Narrative Lead, Anna Megill, has announced she will be departing the team this August, stating that "the time feels right for new challenges". Megill, who previously worked on the likes of Control and even Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, shared the news on social...
News Xbox Game Pass 'Friends & Family' Preview Closes Next Month
The program will be taking a break
Almost a year ago now, Microsoft began public testing for an Xbox Game Pass 'Friends & Family' plan in a few select countries, before rolling the preview program out to more regions earlier this year. Well, rather abruptly, the team has announced that the preview is closing down for now as Xbox "investigates"...
News All 80+ Backwards Compatible Games In The Xbox Ultimate Game Sale 2023
Original Xbox and Xbox 360 classics
The Xbox Ultimate Game Sale 2023 is officially underway, featuring discounts for over 700 games including a whole bunch of major AAA releases. You can even get some fantastic games for up to 90% off! <related ids="152665,152692"> As you'd expect, the Ultimate Game Sale also includes lots of backwards...
News Xbox Activision Blizzard Deal Officially Approved In Turkey Amidst Ongoing FTC Battle
Another win for Xbox
Although Microsoft seems to be getting closer to the final stage of acquiring Activision Blizzard in the US, it's still trying to pass the deal in other regions around the world, and is seeing success in most countries. The company is currently in the process of sorting out some issues relating to the deal with the UK's CMA,...
News 'EA Sports FC 24' Brings Lots Of Game Pass Benefits, Including A Month Of Free Membership
Here are all the Game Pass bonuses
Yesterday brought us the grand reveal of EA Sports FC 24; the company's first football game since its high-profile breakup with industry powerhouse FIFA. While the game itself looks pretty similar to last year's FIFA 23 on a first look, there are lots of notable Xbox Game Pass bonuses this year, including a free...
News 'Maquette' Makes Its Xbox Debut Next Week, And It's Coming To Game Pass
The first-person puzzler heads to the service soon
Annapurna Interactive has finally unveiled a release date for upcoming Game Pass title Maquette - a first-person puzzler that's been scheduled to hit Xbox consoles for months after being available on PlayStation since 2021. Thankfully, we haven't got to wait much longer for Maquette's
News Lots Of Games Reduced By 90% In The Xbox Ultimate Game Sale 2023
HUGE discounts for great games!
Looking for some cheap Xbox games during the Xbox Ultimate Game Sale 2023? There are over 700 games included in the Xbox Ultimate Game Sale right now, and that obviously means we've got a few titles that have been discounted by up to 90%, representing incredible deals on some truly great gam
News Exoprimal Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (July 14)
Take on hordes of Dinos is this Capcom shooter
The time has finally come! Arguably July's biggest Xbox Game Pass addition has arrived in the form of Exoprimal - a brand-new chaotic co-op shooter from veteran developer Capcom. We'll drop all the details on this new Game Pass title down below, including our very own video introducing players to the...
News UK CMA Delays Decision On Xbox ActiBlizz Deal Until August
The previous deadline was July 18th
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has announced today that it needs more time to decide on Xbox's latest proposal for the takeover of Activision Blizzard, pushing its deadline back from July 18th to August 29th, 2023. In an official filing on the UK Government website, it's mentioned that there's...
News Xbox's 'Biggest Content Drop In History' Sees Over 1400 Retro Games Arrive Next Week
As part of the cloud-based Antstream Arcade
We're getting a pretty huge new addition on Xbox next week in the form of Antstream Arcade, which is bringing over 1400 retro games to the platform as part of its cloud streaming service, including some PlayStation and Nintendo titles that will be playable on Xbox for the very first time. Launching on...
News Xbox Ultimate Game Sale 2023 Now Live, 700+ Games Discounted
The Summer Sale has arrived!
It's time for the Xbox Ultimate Game Sale 2023! This year's summer sale includes a list of over 700 discounted games, many of which are major AAA titles (including plenty of recent releases), so there's a lot to choose from. Below, we've included just some of the major highlights from the Xbox Ultimate Game Sale 2023...
Thursday13th Jul 2023
News EA Sports FC 24 Launches This September On Xbox One, Series X|S
With a discount for Game Pass members
EA has today pulled back the curtain on EA Sports FC 24, which will be replacing the FIFA series when it arrives on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S (along with PlayStation and PC) this September. This year's version promises gameplay improvements in the form of HyperMotionV technology, which uses...