As we touched on last week, there are now over 1000 developers utilizing Xbox Play Anywhere (XPA) for their games, bringing their amazing experiences to players across a variety of devices they own. If you've never heard of XPA before, let us give you a refresher: when you buy a digital game that supports XPA through the Xbox Store or the Windows Store, it's available to play on your Xbox console, Windows 10/11 PC, and supported handheld gaming devices at no additional cost. Even better, your progression comes with you across all platforms.

While the benefits of XPA for players are clear, we wanted to show you how developers have embraced this feature for their games. At this year's annual ID@Xbox Showcase event at GDC, we chatted with the teams behind upcoming XPA games Clair Obsur: Expedition 33, Detective Dotson, and Towerborne to learn more about what influenced their decision to implement this feature and what benefits it may hold for their gaming communities.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon X platform is hitting more road obstacles as the platform matures. First, it was low sales in the third quarter of 2024, and now it is the latest flag from the world's largest online retailer—Amazon. According to Windows Central, Amazon has flagged Microsoft's Surface Laptop 7 AI PC with the "Frequently Returned Item" flag. Being pretty much self-explanatory, the flag marks items "with the highest return rates for their product category." Presumably, Amazon's algorithm has weighted out return rates of AI PCs, and it turns out that Qualcomm Snapdragon X-powered Surface Laptop 7 has not stuck with consumers for long. Amazon's return policy allows product returns 30 days after receiving an item, and it seems like customers aren't pleased with it.

However, the laptop currently maintains a 4.2/5-star rating based on 360 ratings. 12% of these are one-star and 71% are five-star ratings. A sudden spike in returns may be boosted by Microsoft updating the Surface Laptop 7 with an Intel Core Ultra series of processors, so customers are returning their Arm-based laptops for x86 variants. We need more data to make further conclusions. As a reminder, despite sequential growth of 180% in Q3 2024, Snapdragon X-powered devices represent less than 1.5% of the Windows market, according to research from Canalys. Qualcomm sold around 720,000 Snapdragon X devices, accounting for only 0.8% of all PCs sold in Q3 2024. We are waiting for new data to compare to the rest of the ecosystem.

At Xbox, our mission is clear: bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet. We believe that gamers should be able to play the games they want, with the people they want, anywhere they want. Central to this vision is empowering game creators to deliver exceptional content across all platforms seamlessly. Our goal is simple: to make every screen in the world an Xbox.

Since the original Xbox debuted as the first game console equipped with a built-in hard drive, this kernel of innovation has been at the core of our identity. With Xbox Live, we reshaped multiplayer gaming, establishing an industry standard for online connectivity, community building, and digital distribution. Furthering our commitment to accessibility and choice, Xbox Game Pass introduced a subscription model that redefined how players discover and engage with games, creating new opportunities for developers to connect with audiences worldwide. Since our earliest explorations in the console space, we're proud to have led the way in ensuring that hardware and services can best meet the changing needs of the gaming audience.

Microsoft's DirectX Raytracing (DXR) 1.2 announcement at GDC 2025 introduces two technical innovations that address fundamental ray tracing performance bottlenecks. Opacity micromaps (OMM) reduce the computational overhead in alpha-tested geometry by storing pre-computed opacity data, eliminating redundant ray-geometry intersection tests. Shader execution reordering (SER) tackles the inherent GPU inefficiency caused by incoherent ray behavior by dynamically grouping shader invocations with similar execution paths, minimizing thread divergence that has historically plagued ray tracing workloads. The real-world implications extend beyond Microsoft's claimed 2.3x OMM and 2x SER performance improvements. Both techniques are shifting development from brute-force computational approaches toward more intelligent resource management. Notably, both features require specific hardware support.

Hardware vendors' implementation timelines remain undefined despite NVIDIA's announced support across RTX GPUs, raising questions about broader ecosystem adoption rates. Microsoft's Shader Model 6.9 introduces cooperative vectors. This hardware acceleration architecture drastically improves matrix computation performance, enabling a 10x speedup in neural texture compression while reducing memory footprint by up to 75% compared to traditional methods. It bridges the gap between conventional rendering and neural rendering, with Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA already demonstrating implementations that combine path tracing with neural denoising algorithms, potentially making computationally intensive graphics accessible on mid-range consumer hardware by late 2025. While the technical merit of these advancements is clear, the April 2025 preview release timeline for the Agility SDK means developers face at least several months before these features can be meaningfully implemented in production environments.

With GDC kicking off, our team is in San Francisco to celebrate with independent developers who continue to inspire us every day with their ambition, creativity, and passion. In the past year alone, ID@Xbox has seen over 1,000 games launch, including fan favorites like Balatro, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, and Phasmophobia, bringing new experiences to console and PC communities. Since ID@Xbox was launched in 2013, more than $5 billion have been paid to independent developers from all over the world. We're also proud to offer developers the ability to use our platform to maximize the opportunity to reach an audience across multiple screens.

As announced last week, over 1,000 titles are now supporting Xbox Play Anywhere (XPA). When players purchase an XPA game, they can play on Xbox and Windows 10/11 PCs at no additional cost, bringing their saves, progress and achievements across devices. This means players can access their favorite games in more places which has led to these titles getting 20% more play time. Today, Xbox offers more places than ever to play independent games: Xbox consoles, gaming PCs, and laptops, Windows handhelds like the ASUS ROG Ally X or Legion Go, mobile phones, tablets, Samsung and Amazon FireSticks enabled by the Cloud - all of these are an Xbox, and all a potential home for your next favorite ID@Xbox title like Another Crab's Treasure, Neva, and Animal Well.

Accessibility is a fundamental right for people with disabilities and makes technology easier for everyone. We see this reflected in how customers are using Microsoft technologies around the world. Copilot for Microsoft 365 is unlocking workplace productivity like never before, more than 10 million people use Edge each month to have the web Read Aloud, over 1 million people use Immersive Reader to make webpages easier to read and partners like Tobii Dynavox and Special Olympics are bringing AI to people with disabilities globally. And these are just some of the highlights of what we shared today! Here's a quick summary of the new accessibility products, features and programs announced at the 2025 Ability Summit.

What's new in 2025?
We announced that the Xbox Adaptive Joystick is now available for purchase exclusively at Microsoft Store. With more than 429 million players with disabilities worldwide, we know each player has unique needs and preferences for how they choose to play. The Xbox Adaptive Joystick is a singular, wired controller primarily designed to meet the needs of players with limited mobility. Its versatility helps players seamlessly incorporate it into their existing gaming setups. Built with the Gaming and Disability community who inform the development of Xbox products from the beginning. The joystick joins our family of adaptive accessories including the mouse, pen, adaptive kit and Xbox Adaptive Controller. For more details visit Xbox Support.

TrendForce reveals that the combined revenue of the world's top 10 IC design houses reached approximately US$249.8 billion in 2024, marking a 49% YoY increase. The booming AI industry has fueled growth across the semiconductor sector, with NVIDIA leading the charge, posting an astonishing 125% revenue growth, widening its lead over competitors, and solidifying its dominance in the IC industry.

Looking ahead to 2025, advancements in semiconductor manufacturing will further enhance AI computing power, with LLMs continuing to emerge. Open-source models like DeepSeek could lower AI adoption costs, accelerating AI penetration from servers to personal devices. This shift positions edge AI devices as the next major growth driver for the semiconductor industry.

This morning on The Official Xbox Podcast, Xbox Corporate Vice President of Gaming AI, Fatima Kardar joined Vice President of Next Generation, Jason Ronald to reveal exciting AI-powered updates that are coming directly to Xbox players, to help you save time, find new games you're likely to love, or even to help ease you back into a game you may have stepped away from.

Copilot for Gaming Asset
On the podcast, Kardar introduced Copilot for Gaming, which Xbox Insiders can get an early preview of on mobile soon. This AI-driven sidekick is designed to be your personalized gaming companion, helping you get to your favorite games faster, coaching you to improve your skills, and connecting you better with your friends and communities. Copilot for Gaming will be there when you need it but out of the way if you don't.

NVIDIA today announced ahead of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) groundbreaking enhancements to NVIDIA RTX neural rendering technologies. NVIDIA has partnered with Microsoft to bring neural shading support to the Microsoft DirectX preview in April, giving developers access to AI Tensor Cores in NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs to accelerate neural networks from within a game's graphics pipeline. Neural shading represents a revolution in graphics programming, combining AI with traditional rendering to dramatically boost frame rates, enhance image quality and reduce system resource usage.

"Microsoft is adding cooperative vector support to DirectX and HLSL, starting with a preview this April," said Shawn Hargreaves, Direct3D development manager at Microsoft. "This will advance the future of graphics programming by enabling neural rendering across the gaming industry. Unlocking Tensor Cores on NVIDIA RTX will allow developers to fully leverage RTX Neural Shaders for richer, more immersive experiences on Windows."

Not that long ago, an Xbox executive claimed that an Xbox handheld gaming device is still in the prototyping stage, with a launch expected to take place sometime in the next two to three years. There is no denying that the handheld segment is an incredibly lucrative space, boosted by the impressive performance and efficiency gains made by the chip giants in recent years. Microsoft clearly intends to take a piece of the pie, and as a recent report by Windows Central pointed out, the first Xbox-branded handheld is in development and may even see the light of day as early as the third or fourth quarter of this year. Now, a fresh report by The Verge has revealed that Microsoft might be collaborating with ASUS in order to bring the handheld gaming device to market.

This is quite interesting, considering that ASUS is one of the most well-known players in the handheld segment, thanks to its ROG Ally lineup. But the conflict of interest shouldn't be much of a hassle - Lenovo is also a major player in the segment, and did not hesitate teaming up with Valve to bring the first third-party SteamOS handheld to the market. Microsoft is likely targeting something similar, intending to combine Xbox and Windows platforms in order to improve the experience for developers and players alike, allowing better inter-compatibility of games between handheld, PC, and console platforms. Essentially, the handheld will reportedly feature an Xbox-like interface, but will be powered by Windows underneath. The aforementioned late-2025 launch timeline is still in place, but considering the very nature of early reports, accept this information with a grain of salt.

Microsoft launched its Majorana 1 chip—the world's first quantum processor powered by a Topological Core architecture—last month. The company's debuting of its Majorana design was celebrated as a significant milestone—in 2023, an ambitious roadmap was published by Microsoft's research department. At the time, a tall Majorana particle-based task was set: the building of a proprietary quantum supercomputer within a decade. Returning to the present day; outside parties have criticized Microsoft's February announcements. The Register published an investigative piece earlier today, based on quotes from key players specializing in the field of Quantum studies. Many propose a theoretical existence of Majorana particles, while Microsoft R&D employees have claimed detection and utilization. The Register referred back to recent history: "(Microsoft) made big claims about Majorana particles before, but it didn't end well: in 2021 Redmond's researchers retracted a 2018 paper in which they claimed to have detected the particles."

As pointed out by Microsoft researcher Chetan Nayak; their latest paper was actually authored last March 2024, but only made public in recent weeks. Further details of progress are expected next week, at the American Physical Society (APS) 2025 Joint March Meeting. The Register has compiled quotes from vocal critics; starting with Henry Legg—a lecturer in theoretical physics at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. The noted scholar believes—as divulged in a scientific online comment—that Microsoft's claimed Quantum breakthrough: "is not reliable and must be revisited." Similarly, collaborators from Germany's Forschungszentrum Jülich institute and the University of Pittsburgh, USA released a joint video statement. (Respectively) Experimental physicist Vincent Mourik and by Professor Sergey Frolov outlined: "distractions caused by unreliable scientific claims from Microsoft Quantum."

In an exclusive report, Windows Central has claimed that Microsoft is collaborating with an unnamed "PC gaming OEM" on an Xbox handheld console. Jez Corden has heard from several insiders; they reckon that a "later in 2025" launch is possible, if development goes smoothly enough. A leak from Winter 2024 indicated that Microsoft's gaming division was "targeting a handheld gaming experience," but Phil Spencer has freely disclosed his ambitions for his team's portable project. Last November, he confirmed that something was in pipeline—with a view to take on very visible competition: Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go. The latest Windows Central investigative piece divulges some unprecedented details about: "codename 'Keenan,' this gaming handheld will look unmistakably 'Xbox' we're told, complete with an official Xbox guide button, and Xbox design sensibilities. Given that this is a partner device, similar to Lenovo's SteamOS partnership with Valve, I expect this handheld to be more PC-oriented. Keenan is almost definitely running full Windows, putting the Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass front and center, alongside the ability to install things like Steam."

Based on inside track knowledge, Corden anticipates operating system innovations: "I expect the handheld will test new Windows 11 'device aware' capabilities, while reducing third-party OEM bloatware that are typical of devices like the Lenovo Legion Go and ASUS ROG Ally. I expect Microsoft will leverage widgets on the Xbox Game Bar on PC for controlling things like TDP and fan speed, while hopefully having a more streamlined OS experience for controller use. Of course, existing PC gaming OEMs will benefit from these efforts as well—but the research will also help with Microsoft's further-out plans." Almost a month and a half ago, Spencer outlined a sort of wishlist for "innovative" future Xbox hardware—given that Sony is rumored to be devising a "standalone PlayStation handheld," he was likely envisioning next-gen home consoles. Windows Central's sources have provided additional insights into potential Xbox Series X|S successors.

Microsoft is currently testing a completely reimagined version of its Copilot app for Windows 11—a significant departure from the previous web-based model towards a fully native interface. This preview, exclusively available to Windows Insiders, introduces a modern interface that mirrors the design principles of Windows 11, featuring refined elements such as mica blur effects, built-in context menus, and an optimized sidebar for managing chat sessions. Built on Microsoft's native UI framework, the updated app offers faster launch times and smoother interactions while delivering a cohesive visual experience. Although the core functionalities remain unchanged—allowing users to engage in text chats, utilize Copilot Voice, and access saved conversations—the redesign emphasizes enhanced visual appeal and usability.

A dedicated "new chat" button and a well-organized sidebar work together to simplify navigation and encourage more frequent use of AI-driven features. The update also preserves key settings like launching Copilot at startup and activating it via the Alt+Spacebar shortcut. This rollout follows last week's unexpected launch of a native Copilot app for macOS, which was odd given Microsoft's longstanding focus on Windows. With this update, Microsoft appears starts an era of offering a consistent experience across platforms, besides its core Office suite. The preview, identified as version 1.25023.106.0 and available through the Microsoft Store, invites Windows Insiders to test the new design—while a public release is anticipated pending further feedback.

For those of us who joined us for the ID@Xbox Showcase at IGN Fan Fest, how's your poker game going? For everyone else, this is your "in case you missed it" announce that we shadow dropped Balatro into Game Pass—now you have another game to add to your install list. For now, we have Mullets, Monster Trains, and (33) Immortals (sound it out with me, it works), so let's get to everything else that's coming soon!

Available Today—Monster Train (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard
Returning to the Game Pas library, Monster Train brings a new strategic layer to roguelike deckbuilding, with three vertical playing fields to defend. Hell has frozen over and only you can protect the final burning pyre from the forces of heaven and restore the inferno.

As we gear up for the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2025, we couldn't be more excited to meet up with our friends and colleagues in the industry and explore the many incredible new opportunities that await. This year, GDC takes place from March 17-21 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California. We'll host partner meetings, participate in conference sessions, and sponsor events like the IGF Awards and the ESA Foundation's Nite to Unite. Attendees that come by the Xbox Lounge in Moscone South will have a chance to see the latest Xbox experience on PC, join a Q&A with an Xbox development expert, and learn about the opportunities and benefits of building with Xbox across PC, Cloud and Console.

Xbox is expanding to any screen on any device, making it easier for anyone to play with the friends they want - whether they choose to play with Xbox console, PC, Smart TV or mobile. At GDC, we're inviting game developers to go behind the scenes to better understand what it means for Xbox to be playable on any screen. We're committed to empowering game developers to tap into that opportunity by building cross-capable games that take advantage of Xbox across devices. Our presence will reveal the many ways game developers can reach more players with Xbox and showcase success stories of developers who are maximizing the opportunity.

Xbox has pushed back the launch of its awaited Fable remake, instead of coming out in 2025, it's now set to hit shelves in 2026. Craig Duncan, who took charge of Xbox Game Studios, broke this news on the latest episode of the Official Xbox Podcast. Playground Games, the team behind Forza Horizon, has the job of making the new Fable game as they told us about it back in 2020.

"We previously announced the date for Fable as 2025. We are actually going to give Fable more time, and it's going to ship in 2026 now," Duncan explained. "While I know that's not maybe the news people want to hear, what I want to assure people of is that it's definitely worth the wait." On the podcast, Duncan showed us some early game footage. He said it's "the prettiest version of Albion you've ever laid eyes on". Even though it's taking longer for Fable to be released, Microsoft's game branch looks strong with big games coming soon such as South of Midnight Doom: The Dark Ages (out in May), The Outer Worlds 2, and Ninja Gaiden 4.Xbox podcast follows:

In nearly every corner of our lives, the buzz about AI is impossible to ignore. It's destined to revolutionize how we work, learn, and play. For those of us immersed in the world of gaming—whether as players or creators—the question isn't just how AI will change the game, but how it will ignite new possibilities.

At Xbox, we're all about using AI to make things better (and more fun!) for players and game creators. We want to bring more games to more people around the world and always stay true to the creative vision and artistry of game developers. We believe generative AI can boost this creativity and open up new possibilities. We're excited to announce a generative AI breakthrough, published today in the journal Nature and announced by Microsoft Research, that shows this potential to open up new possibilities—including the opportunity to make older games accessible to future generations of players across new devices and in new ways.

Microsoft has launched Majorana 1, the world's first quantum processor powered by a Topological Core architecture, marking a significant step toward fault-tolerant, utility-scale quantum computing. The chip leverages tetron qubits—topological qubits built on Majorana zero modes (MZMs)—to achieve stability and scalability, with a roadmap to one million qubits, a threshold critical for solving industrial challenges like microplastic degradation and self-healing materials. At the heart of Majorana 1 lies a superconductor-semiconductor heterostructure combining indium arsenide and aluminium. This "topoconductor" material enables precise control of MZMs, exotic quantum particles that encode information non-locally, inherently resisting noise and errors. The design, detailed in the latest paper, arranges MZMs in H-shaped nanowires, forming two-sided tetrons that suppress errors exponentially via three factors: topological gap-to-temperature ratio, wire length-to-coherence length, and high-fidelity microwave readout. Microsoft claims that thopoconductor can "create an entirely new state of matter - not a solid, liquid or gas but a topological state."

Unlike conventional qubits requiring analog tuning, Microsoft's architecture uses digital voltage pulses for error-resistant, measurement-based operations. This approach simplifies scaling, with the current chip housing eight tetrons and supporting protocols for quantum error detection, such as the Hastings-Haah Floquet codes and ladder codes outlined in Microsoft's technical roadmap. These codes rely on single- and two-qubit Pauli measurements, native to tetrons, to detect and correct errors without complex gate sequences. DARPA's US2QC program validated that Microsoft's topology-first strategy minimizes overhead, enabling a future million-qubit system compact enough to fit in Azure datacenters. The chip's quantum capacitance measurement system detects parity shifts in microseconds, achieving a signal-to-noise ratio critical for fault tolerance. Applications span designing catalysts to break down pollutants, optimizing enzymes for agriculture, and simulating novel materials. Microsoft aims to merge quantum, AI, and high-performance computing into Azure, accelerating discoveries once deemed decades away. Majorana 1 proves that topological qubits—once a high-risk bet—are now the cornerstone of scalable quantum systems.

The wait is finally over—Avowed, Obsidian Entertainment's highly anticipated fantasy RPG has officially launched! Step into the breathtaking Living Lands, a wild and mysterious island located in the Pillars of Eternity world of Eora, and embark on a journey filled with danger, discovery, and adventure. Play today on Xbox Series X|S, the Xbox app for Windows PC, Battle.net, Steam, and cloud, to experience Obsidian's latest RPG adventure. Also available on Game Pass!

A Land in Turmoil
The Living Lands is a frontier unlike any other. This rugged and untamed island has become a haven for exiles, dreamers, and adventurers seeking a fresh start. Its vibrant regions and scattered settlements pulse with life, each hiding untold stories and ancient secrets waiting to be uncovered. But this land of promise is fraught with peril. The Dreamscourge, a devastating soul-plague, is driving settlers to madness and turning them against one another. The very land itself resists colonization, haunted by echoes of lives long past. As an envoy chosen by a foreign emperor and blessed by a mysterious god, you are thrust into the heart of this chaos. With divine powers at your fingertips and the will to shape your own destiny, you'll confront ancient threats, unravel mysteries, and decide the fate of the Living Lands. Will you unite its people or watch as their struggles tear them apart? The choices you make will define the future of the Living Lands—and the person you become.

For those of you that have been exploring the Living Lands in Avowed, thank you for taking a break to check out the latest Game Pass news! We have some exciting new reveals and exclusive Perks to tease your install buttons. Also, mark your calendars and check out the ID@Xbox Showcase during IGN Fan Fest 2025 on Monday, February 24 at 10am PT for even more Game Pass announcements. Let's get to the games!

Available Today
Avowed (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) - February 18. Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one! Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger. Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment. Check out Xbox Wire for Starting Tips to Help You on Your Adventure in the Living Lands.

People are using AI more and more at home, at work, in school, and everywhere in between. According to the most recent Microsoft Global Online Safety Survey, there has been a global increase in active generative AI users. Our findings showed that in 2024, 51% of people are users or experimenters of generative AI compared to 38% in 2023. Generation Z continues to drive this adoption with 64% of young adults reporting ever using the technology. That means it's up to us - especially those of us who work in technology and gaming - to make sure that young people have the support they need to navigate the world of AI safely while also fostering their curiosity and creativity in exploring these new technologies.

That's why, for Safer Internet Day 2025, Minecraft Education is releasing a new installment in the CyberSafe series where players can explore the risks and opportunities of AI use through fun, game-based challenges. In each instance, players are tasked with articulating guidelines for how to use AI safely and responsibly. Welcome to CyberSafe AI: Dig Deeper, available free on the Minecraft Marketplace and in Minecraft Education!

AI PC capabilities have evolved rapidly in the two years since AMD introduced the first x86 AI PC CPUs at CES 2023. New neural processing units have debuted, pushing available performance from a peak of 10 AI TOPS at the launch of the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor to peak 50+ TOPS on the latest AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 300 Series processors. A wide range of software and hardware companies have announced various AI development plans or brought AI-infused products to market, while major operating system vendors like Microsoft are actively working to integrate AI into the operating system via its Copilot+ PC capabilities. AMD is on the forefront of those efforts and is working closely with Microsoft to deliver Copilot+ for Ryzen AI and Ryzen AI PRO PCs.

In the report "The Year of the AI PC is 2025," Forrester lays out its argument for why this year is likely to bring significant changes for AI PCs. Forrester defines the term "AI PC" to mean any system "embedded with an AI chip and algorithms specifically designed to improve the experience of AI workloads across the computer processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), and neural processing unit (NPU)." This includes AMD products, as well as competing products made by both x86 and non-x86 CPU manufacturers. 2025 represents a turning point for these efforts, both in terms of hardware and software, and this Forrester report is an excellent deep dive into why AI PCs represent the future for enterprise computing.

The more I learn about the Living Lands of Avowed, an island ripe with riches, mystery, and magic, the more it feels like it's the Wild West of Eora. A frontier full of adventurers, mercenaries, and thieves, all looking to stake a claim—as a player, that's exactly where I want to be. It projects this unique, early-modern period look and feel where it's not quite medieval, but sophisticated enough that society is utilizing things like gunpowder and blast furnaces, with cultures developing their own distinct means of survival - much like moments in the history of our world. In talking with the team at Obsidian, I learned that all of this is intentional in its design, giving us a look at what a new frontier would look like if it were a first-person fantasy role-playing game. Borrowing elements from our world also helps to inform the "rules" Obsidian follows for crafting a player experience within the Living Lands, turning the dials just enough to give us something wholly unique, where souls are real and gods exist - but not necessarily in a way that we think of them.

"When you're informed by those two basic facts, it guides a lot about both the kind of content you develop and the tone and flavor you give it," explains Game Director Carrie Patel. "The flow of souls, the presence and existence of that energy, is key and core to life continuing in Eora in a way that will resonate with players who have been through Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. We have a traditional pantheon in the world of Pillars, and you will get glimpses of some of these gods in Avowed." This all feeds into the various cultures you will encounter along the way—what's important to them (like their gods) is what gives life to the game. The Aedyrans, for example, are a nation that heavily values the ideas of rightful rule, leadership, and order—and now they're plopped into the greatest frontier of Eora. What would it look like as they start to try and blend in with the locals? It may be a small change in their outfit or adapting to how they choose to live. This "Wild West" attracts all sorts, and rigidity may not blend very well with what's required to survive the Living Lands.

2024 was a year for Age of Empires and Age of Mythology players shaped by your passion, creativity, and epic moments. Thanks to your dedication, it's been an incredible year not just for the community, but for the franchise as a whole. Together, we've had an incredible year. We kicked things off with the New Year, New Age showcase, crowned champions at Red Bull Wololo: El Reinado, connected with many of you at Gamescom, and celebrated the launches of Age of Mythology: Retold and Age of Empires Mobile. Along the way, we expanded the franchise in new ways and welcomed over 10 million new players—reaching an incredible milestone of 60 million Age of Empires players worldwide. Our players continue to influence the many ways in which the franchise moves forward. Today we're thrilled to start 2025 by unveiling what's ahead. Settle in, because we've got a lot to share!

Immortal Pillars Expansion Launches March 4, Pre-Order Now
For Age of Mythology: Retold players, the wait is almost over! After revealing the Immortal Pillars expansion for Age of Mythology: Retold at Tokyo Game Show, we're excited to announce it will launch on March 4th—and pre-orders are live now! Packed with brand-new content, this expansion introduces the Chinese pantheon, alongside stunning new maps, myth units, and gameplay features. Check out some highlights of all the exciting content here! As a reminder, if you already own the Age of Mythology: Retold Premium Edition, Immortal Pillars is yours at no additional cost—jump in and play on day one!

Welcome back, friends! Happy to be here with more news, games, and updates. Speaking of news, we had lots of it in the 2025 Developer_Direct—with a little "everything you see is coming to Game Pass" spice. Here's what you missed (watch the presentation below, after the jump)! So many games to look forward to, plus a few surprise "you can play them right now" messages. Now let's get to even more games for Game Pass!

Available Today—Far Cry New Dawn (Cloud, Console, and PC)—February 4
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard
Dive into a transformed, vibrant, post-apocalyptic Hope County, Montana, 17 years after a global nuclear catastrophe. Lead the fight against the Highwaymen as they seek to take over the last remaining resources.