In February, we brought a preview of PC Game Pass to 40 new countries for the first time ever. The response was incredible. Thank you to all the players who jumped in to test the experience and help us shape the preview. New members looking to join PC Game Pass can head to PC Game Pass website to learn more about local pricing as well as how to sign up.

To celebrate the launch, new members will receive a special welcome offer for their first three months for a limited time. Those who were a part of our Insider Program will receive two free months of PC Game Pass membership, with no further action needed, as a thank you for helping us shape the experience and being one of the first PC Game Pass members in your country. This will be available directly in member's accounts in the coming days.

Explore a city turned supernatural in this free update including a new rogue-lite "The Spider's Thread" game mode, more side missions, new enemies, new skills, Photo Mode enhancements and more. Plus, Ghostwire: Tokyo is available now on Xbox Series X|S and Microsoft PC Store. Paranormal forces have taken over Tokyo, with nearly all the human populace vanishing in an instant.

The city's denizens have been replaced by beings from another world - yōkai, evil spirits, myths and urban legends brought to life. But now isn't the time to fear the unknown…face it in Ghostwire: Tokyo, now featuring the all-new Spider's Thread update! The Spider's Thread update, available now for all Ghostwire: Tokyo players, adds a new rogue-lite mode to the game on top of other additions to the base campaign, including new enemies, new skills, new areas to explore, new side missions, extended story cinematics, Photo Mode enhancements and more!

Bethesda tweeted out an information update directed at Xbox Series console owners - and it has caused a stir within the fanbase - Redfall will be locked to "Quality Mode" upon launch in early May. PC gaming enthusiasts will have plenty to laugh about with these newly announced graphical performance restrictions, set for the green team's pair of current generation consoles. The frame rate will be capped at a maximum of 30 frames per second on both Xbox Series X and S, under the "Quality" performance mode. The version tuned for Series X will be able to output at the 4K UHD resolution standard (3840 x 2160), and the pixel count will be reduced for Microsoft's weaker console offering, at 1440p QHD (2560 x 1440).

Bethesda states that a 60 frames per second "Performance Mode" for Xbox Series X|S will be added at a later (unspecified) date, presumably via an online patch issued through Xbox Live. No further details were provided regarding the decision to cap frame rates, all the more strange given that Redfall is due to launch very soon. Arkane Studios (the Austin, TX branch) declared last month that it was also working on a removal of the always online requirement for the game's single player element - again, no time period for release has been established for this reversal. Redfall has attracted mounds of controversy over the past two months - including Sony's attention through litigation.

The 40th anniversary of Warhammer has been filling us with nostalgia, and the new trailer for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is only making things better. This is a gloriously retro pulse-pounding first-person shooter, where you play a Space Marine one-man army gunning through pixelated heretic hordes. This awesome game lets you experience the ultimate homage to retro shooters, blending 80s-style visuals with fluid, modern FPS gameplay. And you won't have to wait long to play it - it's out on May 23rd!

Load up your Boltgun and plunge into battle headfirst! Experience a perfect blend of Warhammer 40,000, classic, frenetic FPS gameplay and the stylish visuals of your favourite 90's retro shooters. Play a battle-hardened Space Marine on a perilous mission across the galaxy, as they battle against the Chaos Space Marines and daemons of Chaos. In glorious boomer shooter style, unleash your devastating Space Marine arsenal as you blast through an explosion of sprites, pixels and blood. Run, jump and charge across huge levels to shoot, shred and slice the worst heretics across the galaxy!

Detectives, we have arrived! After much anticipation, Sherlock Holmes The Awakened has been released! Enjoy the Lovecraftian madness. We made this game during one heck of a time. We made it while our country is at war. We faced challenges such as constant power outages, irregular work schedules, air raids, evacuations, losing our homes, saying goodbyes to our loved ones (through immigration, or worse), and losing team members so that they could defend our country.

We worked from our homes, our office, and from underground bunkers or train stations. It was an enduring and unending nightmare. But with all this chaos around, working on The Awakened helped us maintain a little sense of normalcy. We truly gave it all - sweat, emotions, and spirit to the development of this game.

Who doesn't love more? Introducing the newest expansion to Xbox Elite Series 2 with Xbox Design Lab! There is an innate joy that comes with making something truly yours. Since fulfilling the top fan request last October by adding Xbox Elite Series 2 to Xbox Design Lab, we've been working hard to take things up a notch. We're thrilled to announce that a new range of colors are now available, giving you even more ways to make Xbox Elite Series 2 controllers your own.

You will now have the choice of 16 main colors for your top and back case, 12 colors for the ABXY buttons, 17 different accent colors for the paddles and D-pad, and 25 accent colors for the rest of the controller. With vibrant hues like Garnet Red, Glacier Blue, and Deep Pink, to a stealthier option like the new black-out ABXY buttons, there are literally billions of possibilities for personalizing our most advanced controller. Xbox Elite Series 2 with Xbox Design Lab includes customization options that are unique to the controller; options like adjusting the color of the thumbstick rings and base for a subtle pop of color, or metallic triggers and D-Pads that give the controller a premium feel.

Grab a friend and prepare to battle against another Duo when Gunfight returns in Season 03 of Call of Duty : Modern Warfare II, launching on April 12. In this round-based match, players must use randomly assigned Loadouts to overcome the opposition and secure the round win. And with just one life per round, every move counts. Whether you need to brush up on the returning mode or this is your first 2v2 duel, read on for the rules of engagement and tips for achieving victory. The world of Call of Duty : Modern Warfare II is in chaos with a global power struggle playing out in plain sight.

Gunfight 101
In Gunfight, two teams of two compete in a round-based match. There are no respawns and no health regeneration, and all players are assigned the same randomized Loadout at the start of each round. The assigned Loadout changes every two rounds, and you never know what you're going to get; you may be trading shots from afar with Sniper Rifles one round, then rushing in with Shotguns the next. Each Loadout includes a lethal and tactical equipment.

Sony is not happy about the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recent provisional approval of Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and has highlighted the apparent removal of a Microsoft-owned game from being developed on the PlayStation 5. According to legal documents submitted to the UK government, Sony has taken issue with the watchdog's sudden change in opinion - the CMA's position was highly critical at the start of the year - and suspects that Microsoft's expensive PR campaign and submitting of "new evidence" to international competition regulators have influenced a change in direction of rulings. Sony's statement bears down on the unfair nature of the bid's approval: "The CMA's reversal of its position on its consoles theory of harm is surprising, unprecedented, and irrational."

Japan's Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) was the latest anti-trust governing body to give the takeover a thumbs-up, almost two weeks ago - a dramatic turn of events given that it happened on Sony's home turf. The embattled electronics corporation has taken notice of fresh developments in the press, and proceeded to mention controversy surrounding the Redfall platform war. Harvey Smith, the game's creative director, let slip too many details during a promotion tour and seemingly admitted that the higher-ups at Microsoft's Xbox division had decided to can the PlayStation 5 version of Redfall in favor of keeping it exclusive to Xbox, Game Pass and PC. Arkane Studios, as part of the ZeniMax Media Group, was acquired by Microsoft in 2021 - and certain games, already in development, were later released on the PlayStation 5 as timed exclusives, Deathloop being a prime example of this.

EVERSPACE 2 1.0 Launches Today! - Pilots, brace for impact! Launch day is here! After more than five years of development, with over two years in Early Access, v1.0 is finally ready to download on Steam, GOG, and the Microsoft Windows Store! What a ride it's been… and we're not done yet! More on that below! We've put together an absolutely amazing EVERSPACE 2 PC Launch Trailer. Longtime EVERSPACE 2 players may spot new scenes in already-seen areas. Let's see if you catch them all.

With 1.0, we're adding the final chapter of the campaign, which lets you explore the new star system Khione, unlock tier 4 ships, find the best trading deals for commodities, and face new bosses, plus a whole host of other neat additions. But before you start a new game (strongly recommended) and delve in, let's stop for a moment and take a look back at the very beginning to appreciate just what an insane journey we've been together on. You can read the history behind the game here.

Overwatch 2 Season 4 launches April 11! Blossom onto the battlefield with our newest Support Hero Lifeweaver, progress through the Battle Pass to earn rewards including Mythic Galactic Emperor Sigma, and fight for your faction when The Watchers and The Infinite Empire clash in the Starwatch event! Explore Talantis, the first-ever map made in collaboration with the community. Enjoy major quality-of-life updates with a revamped Competitive experience.

Watch the trailer to see what to expect with this upcoming season, which brings the new Support Hero Lifeweaver, a new Battle Pass, the community-made map called Talantis, and more. Progress through the Battle Pass to earn rewards including Mythic Galactic Emperor Sigma, and fight for your faction when The Watchers and The Infinite Empire clash in the Starwatch event.

Explore the world of Ospolis and discover fabulous treasures in this comic book style FPS. The Explorator is a game inspired by oldschool FPS with a cell shading visual style, as an explorer you take your courage in both hands to set foot on the most dangerous island of the known world, Ospolis.

Legends say that the legendary city of Atlantis lies beneath this island, which has been suddenly overrun by goblins and monsters that have emerged from the bowels of the underground tunnels drilled by unwary explorers confident of finding this famous city. Explore mysterious counter-zones and brave dangers to discover priceless treasures buried beneath the ruins of Atlantis.

INTERCEPTOR: INTRODUCING UPDATE 4.2 - Venture to forsaken Sentinel worlds in update 4.2, INTERCEPTOR! Explore corrupted planets, fight a legion of challenging new robotic guardians, hijack their technology, steal their ships, harvest their resources, destroy their freighters, and much, much more! It's been lovely to watch our players enjoying what Fractal (our first No Man's Sky update of 2023) had to offer and it's been thrilling to watch you all cruising around in your shiny new Utopia Speeders and filling up your Wonders Catalogues with your latest discoveries.

Barely six weeks later and we are delighted to launch another major update for No Man's Sky, and it's one of our largest in recent memory. We're calling Interceptor, with a brand new class of incredibly varied Starship, a bunch of new gameplay features, new world variants and a ton of new content! The ever-present tyrants of universe enforcement, the Sentinels, have become prey to a corruption that is spreading through their factions. Only the bravest Travellers will dare venture to forsaken Sentinel worlds to investigate. Those that do, however, will find abandoned encampments to explore, intriguing crystals to harvest and, for the most persistent, the blueprints for a hitherto undiscovered Sentinel Interceptor starship which come in a huge variety of models.

The new Xbox Wireless Controller - Remix Special Edition is made partly from reclaimed CDs, water jugs… and other controllers' parts. We aspire to create a future of gaming in a world that we want to play in. Earth Day is just around the corner, and it provides all of us with a special opportunity to reflect on how we can improve our impact on the planet. To celebrate this year, we've created an Xbox controller that features recovered plastics with one-third of it made from regrind and reclaimed materials.

Mixing post-consumer recycled resins with regrind consisting of previously molded colored parts creates custom, earth-tone colors with subtle variations, swirling, markings, and texturing - giving each Remix Special Edition controller its own look and feel. We aspire to create a future of gaming in a world that we want to play in. Earth Day is just around the corner, and it provides all of us with a special opportunity to reflect on how we can improve our impact on the planet. To celebrate this year, we've created an Xbox controller that features recovered plastics with one-third of it made from regrind and reclaimed materials.

It appears that Western Digital is readying its own line of Xbox Series X|S Storage Expansion cards, and undercutting its big rival - Seagate - in a currently exclusive storage solution market. Word spread across several gaming communities over the past weekend about a new listing on Best Buy, now removed as of late April 2, for a 1 TB capacity WD_BLACK C50 Expansion Card with an asking price of $179.99. WD has offered official external storage solutions for the current generation of Xbox home games consoles, under its WD_BLACK range, but Microsoft granted exclusive manufacturing rights to Seagate for the proprietary Xbox Series X|S storage expansion card system. According to official site information and documentation, these expansion cards are effective in "delivering additional external memory while maintaining the same peak speed and performance as the console's internal SSD".

The Seagate range could have been a timed exclusive, and based on the now deleted Best Buy listing, Microsoft seems to have handed a license to WD. The 1 TB WD_BLACK C50 Expansion Card's pricing was a big talking point, due to it being substantially cheaper than the equivalent capacity Seagate model ($219.99) - a saving of forty dollars, which is an encouraging sign for gamers who have long complained that the Xbox proprietary expansion card offers bad value for money. Seagate's current crop of cards start at $139.99 (512 GB) and go up to $399.99 (2 TB).

Hello Sandstorm community! Welcome to Operation: Accolade, the update where we are privileged to bring you content inspired by the fantastic submissions we received to our mapping and cosmetic community contests! We want to acknowledge the work everyone put in by bringing their ideas to life in Insurgency: Sandstorm!! KUDOS to you! You all really brought in the thunder!

Also, we are reminiscing on Sandstorm's 4th birthday we recently celebrated on stream. 4 years is a big achievement, and we feel lucky to still be going strong after all these years. Of course, we can't forget about Insurgency's 9 year anniversary that happened back in January, too! We were joined on stream by some of the OG devs at New World who gave us the inside scoop on what development was like in those days. Without further ado, get ready to dive in and read what we have in store for Operation: Accolade!

In Path of Exile: Crucible, you'll learn about the ancient titans who once shaped the primordial surface of Wraeclast. If you're powerful enough, you will earn the ability to forge their power onto your weapons. Our April expansion introduces the Crucible challenge league, nine new Vaal Skills, Atlas Gateways, over ten new Unique Items and improvements to Breach, Abyss, Passive Tree Masteries, the Saboteur, the Pathfinder, Ruthless and much more!

In Path of Exile: Crucible, you'll learn about an ancient race of titans who once shaped the primordial surface of Wraeclast. In this league, you will earn the ability to forge their power onto your weapons.

Celebrate 10 Years Of Savant Ascent & check out our new game!
HERE WE GO! We couldn't let Savant - Ascent's 10 Year Anniversary go uncelebrated! Today, we are officially announcing Savant - Ascent Anniversary Edition, a complete remaster of the game! Check out the trailer for yourself and join the final ascent. More details below.

New Everything!
There are some huge upgrades! Not only will the game feature suped up versions of the original bosses, but NEW bosses will put you through some truly intense battles as you ascend!

Introducing the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 - Core, now in red and blue. We expanded the core version of the Xbox Elite Series 2 lineup to give gamers more options to play like a pro. Play in style with just the components you need to unleash your best game. The new, vibrant red and blue color schemes of the core version of Xbox Elite Series 2 are sure to make a statement amongst your friends while delivering key performance-focused benefits.

Turn on a dime with adjustable tension thumbsticks where inches are the difference. Make split seconds count with hair trigger locks and stay on target with wrap-around rubberized grips. Enjoy limitless customization with exclusive button mapping options to find your groove. Perfect your game day prep with assignable custom profiles so you can dominate regardless of playbook or sport.

HyperX, the gaming peripherals team at HP Inc. and brand leader in gaming and esports, today announced it is now shipping the HyperX Clutch Gladiate Wired Controller for Xbox. Designed for serious Xbox gamers, the new Clutch Gladiate delivers comfort and control for extended console gaming sessions.

"HyperX's range of Xbox accessories are designed to enhance the gaming experience for console players," said Aurelius Martinez, global category manager - cloud and console gaming, HyperX. "The new HyperX Clutch Gladiate brings players into the action and enables extended customization and control."

Microsoft has been quick to respond to a backlash from gamers who have been angered by reports of the company's prevention of a PlayStation 5 version of Redfall being developed by an internal studio - Arkane. The game's creative director, Harvey Smith, has been busy with press duties this week and might have slipped up by revealing too much about the Xbox Division's directives. In an interview with IGN France, Harvey stated that Microsoft held a policy of "no PlayStation 5" in the times following an acquisition of ZeniMax (parent group of Bethesda Softworks) in 2021. He elaborated on the regime change: "They came in and they said 'we're focusing on Xbox, PC and the Game Pass." Smith indicated that he embraced the decision since it was: "one less platform to worry about, one less complexity."

A Microsoft spokesperson provided a statement to Eurogamer: "We haven't pulled any games from PlayStation. In fact, we've expanded our footprint of games that we've shipped on Sony's PlayStation since our acquisition of ZeniMax, and the first two games we shipped after closing were PlayStation 5 exclusives. We did the same thing since our closing of Minecraft as we extended the reach of that franchise. All of the games that were available on PlayStation when we acquired ZeniMax in March 2021 are still available on PlayStation, and we have continued to do content updates on PlayStation and PC. We have always said that future decisions on whether to distribute ZeniMax games for other consoles will be made on a case-by-case basis."

What if you drastically changed the way that you play Forza Horizon 5? ESWAP X PRO CONTROLLER — the gold standard for professional gamepads - is heading to Mexico and sporting the colors of the game Forza Horizon 5. To celebrate the occasion, it includes a world-first feature: RACING WHEEL MODULE. Dubbed ESWAP XR PRO CONTROLLER FORZA HORIZON 5 EDITION, this gamepad provides next-level immersion and a truly exceptional racing experience. It's all about precision, speed and control!

A GAMEPAD CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FORZA HORIZON 5 DEVELOPER TURN 10
Officially licensed by both Forza Horizon 5 and Xbox, ESWAP XR PRO CONTROLLER FORZA HORIZON 5 EDITION is a true collector's-edition gamepad to be treasured. Customized with the official colors of Forza Horizon 5, you'll enjoy all of the precision and responsiveness that have made Thrustmaster's ESWAP X PRO CONTROLLER a worldwide smash hit.

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) regulatory body has today delivered its provisional approval of Microsoft's proposed purchase of the Activision Blizzard group, but has added that it will conduct further reviews into the topic of whether the buyout will have any detrimental effect on competition in the area of cloud gaming services: "where the CMA is continuing to carefully consider the responses provided in relation to the original provisional findings. The CMA's merger investigation continues, and it remains due to issue its final report by 26 April 2023."

The antitrust watchdog's stance looks to have changed in a significant way since February, when it declared that Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard had the potential to "harm U.K. gamers". New evidence has been presented to the CMA in recent weeks, and its members have moved to provisionally conclude that: "overall, the transaction will not result in a substantial lessening of competition in relation to console gaming in the UK."

Today Daedalic Entertainment and NACON announced that their highly anticipated adventure game, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, will release to PC, PlayStation, and Xbox on May 25th. A version for Nintendo Switch is planned for later this year.

Based on the beloved The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, the fantasy game takes players on an epic journey across Middle-earth, starring one of the lore's most compelling characters: Sméagol - *Gollum, Gollum*.

Microsoft is still deep into its negotiations with several international regulatory bodies regarding the buyout of Activision Blizzard, with a deadline looming it seems that tensions are rising. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) needs a lot of convincing since it regards the proposed takeover as a serious threat to Sony's ability to compete with Microsoft, with the ownership of the Call of Duty series being a main focus. Sony has expressed concern about the blockbuster franchise becoming a potential Xbox console exclusive in the future - Microsoft has pledged to continue development on PlayStation platforms for a proposed 10-year period, with no technological compromises and a promise to release all versions simultaneously on launch days.

In its latest testimony given to the UK's CMA, Microsoft has made a (slightly odd) suggestion that Sony should figure out a way to make its own answer to the Call of Duty series: "Microsoft considers that a period of 10 years is sufficient for Sony, as a leading publisher and console platform, to develop alternatives to Call of Duty.…The 10-year term will extend into the next console generation.… Moreover, the practical effect of the remedy will go beyond the 10-year period, since games downloaded in the final year of the remedy can continue to be played for the lifetime of that console (and beyond, with backwards compatibility)."

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solutions, launches the world's first "Designed for Xbox" projectors. The new X1-4K and short throw X2-4K LED projectors deliver buttery-smooth 4K UHD visuals on a large screen that is 100" combined with the theater-level sound from Harman Kardon speakers, making gaming more immersive and exciting than ever before.

"ViewSonic has been striving to innovate our solutions with a user-centric mindset and provide the utmost audiovisual enjoyment. Besides being the world's first projector brand to receive low blue light certification by TÜV SÜD for eye protection, we are now also introducing the first "Designed for Xbox" projector solution in the industry," said Dean Tsai, General Manager of Projector & LED Display Business Unit at ViewSonic. "We're pleased to partner with Microsoft to bring the best gaming experience to all Xbox gamers with our latest X series LED projectors. We will continue to innovate our projector solutions to elevate the home entertainment experience for all."