Tag: Xbox

Xbox-Bethesda games showcase on June 13, 2021!

Xbox-Bethesda games showcase on June 13, 2021!

carlocarrasco

It has been more than two months since publisher Bethesda got integrated into Team Xbox as a result of Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media (Bethesda’s parent company). Since then, the executives of Bethesda and Xbox worked together and made declarations during a special event in which Xbox head Phil Spencer confirmed that there will be Bethesda-produced exclusive games coming to Xbox fans via platforms that have Xbox Game Pass (XGP).

And now, something more exciting is scheduled to happen next month! In fact, it will happen in just a few more weeks’ time!

It has been announced by Team Xbox that the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase will take place on June 13, 2021! It is a digital event that will be streamed worldwide.

The official cover image of the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase!

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Xbox.com article written by Xbox Games Marketing General Manager Aaron Greenberg. Some parts in boldface…

Today, we are thrilled to announce the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase will stream on Sunday, June 13 at 10:00 a.m. PT. The show will be focused on games from Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda, and many game creators from our partners around the world.

You’ve told us how excited you are about welcoming Bethesda into the Xbox family, so we know you’re going to want a front-row seat to the Xbox & Bethesda Games showcase – a 90-minute show packed with everything you want to know about the epic gaming lineup coming out of this partnership, the incredible games coming to Xbox this holiday, upcoming releases on Xbox Game Pass, and more.

You’ll be able to watch the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase in a variety of ways. Be sure to visit any of the links below before the show starts:

Wow! That announcement by Greenberg went straight to the point! This is something to delight the many, varied fans of Xbox and Bethesda. How exactly will be organized remains to be seen and this alone is interesting because in previous years, Team Xbox and Bethesda had their own separate showcase events which drew huge audiences (both physically and online). From this point on, the suspense leading to the official announcements truly begins.

The combined powers and talents of Xbox and Bethesda will be emphasized heavily on June 13, 2021.

Speaking of announcements, I hope that the following will happen at the 90-minute Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase…

  1. Starfield coming to Xbox consoles and PC this year (note: a 2022 release would not be surprising). Trailers and gameplay demonstration emphasizing Starfield’s concept and uniqueness would really excite the fans. Todd Howard should lead the presentation.
  2. Halo Infinite to be shown with trailers, in-depth gameplay demonstration and a November 2021 release date. Improvements on quality and overall design should be emphasized and help gamers forget the disappointing 2020 first unveiling of the game.
  3. Forza Horizon 5 with trailers, gameplay demonstration, the rumored Mexico setting and a 4th quarter of 2021 release date.
  4. Avowed with trailers and more details about its concept, game design and characters.
  5. The Outer Worlds sequel announcement.
  6. The rumored Hideo Kojima-Xbox partnership confirmed as real and with a game announcement.
  7. Fable update with details about its concept, gameplay and characters.
  8. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II update with gameplay footage, and a 2022 release date.
  9. Forza Motorsport franchise update with clarification as to what the next game could be called.
  10. Collaboration or special projects between Team Xbox and Konami, Capcom, Sega and other game publishers to ramp up Xbox-exclusive content as well as add more games to Xbox Game Pass.
  11. Psychonauts 2 unveiling.
  12. IO Interactive project exclusive to Xbox get unveiled.
  13. The Gunk (Xbox-exclusive) update with new gameplay footage shown. It only makes sense because the game is supposed to come out this year.
  14. Square Enix announcing more RPGs coming to Xbox Game Pass.
  15. Indiana Jones video game update with trailers and details about its concept and game design.
  16. Updates about Doom, Wolfenstein and other Bethesda game franchises.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What do you hope to see in the June 13 games showcase of Xbox-Bethesda? Are you eager to see Starfield, Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite as the must-have Xbox exclusives for late 2021 to early 2022? Are you hoping that Starfield will be released for Xbox consoles and PC this year? Are you hoping to see Bethesda also announce sequels to Doom, Wolfenstein and Dishonored franchises? Is 2022 considered too late a release for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II? If the rumored Hideo Kojima-Xbox partnership turned out to be real, what kind of games do you hope will be realized? Do you think the rumored projected of IO Interactive for Xbox will be revealed? Do you hope to see Konami digitally release its Suikoden RPGs on Xbox Game Pass and the Microsoft Store?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online. In closing this article, posted below are Xbox-related videos for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Xbox-exclusive Starfield in 2022?

Xbox-exclusive Starfield in 2022?

carlocarrasco

Like any Xbox fan, I am very excited about the future of Xbox gaming now that Bethesda’s acquisition has been completed and Xbox head Phil Spencer confirmed that exclusive games from the famous publisher (which has many talented developers) are coming.

Bethesda’s upcoming sci-fi role-playing game (RPG) Starfield has been heavily discussed by gamers recently and it has been speculated that it will be released in 2022. The ugly thing is that there are certain gamers and Xbox-haters out there – who previously denounced that Xbox-Bethesda deal – who kept ranting that Starfield will also be released on PlayStation 5 (PS5). Instead of acknowledging the fact that Bethesda is now owned by Microsoft, and instead of realizing the fact that Bethesda’s contracts with Sony is for two games (temporary PS5-exclusives) have NOTHING to do with Starfield, they just rant with their distorted perception of reality.

Even though not so much information has been released, public interest in Starfield has grown as it is the next high-profile game from Bethesda Softworks.

I like to repeat what I mentioned before – what Microsoft owns, Sony and Nintendo cannot have nor take away!

Going back to Starfield, the highly anticipated game from Bethesda is exclusive to Xbox and PC according to Jeff Grubb of GamesBeat. Grubb has a record of being a reliable insider in the video games industry.

With confidence, Jeff Grubb confirmed Starfield is exclusive to Xbox and PC. Now it’s up to Team Xbox to confirm it themselves. Grubb’s reputation now hangs in the balance.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from Video Games Chronicle. Some parts in bold.

Bethesda’s sci-fi RPG Starfield will be exclusive to Xbox and PC and thus won’t release for PlayStation 5, it’s been claimed.

That’s according to GamesBeat journalist Jeff Grubb, who wrote on Friday: “Starfield is exclusive to Xbox and PC. Period. This is me confirming that.”

Speaking in a live stream video, the prominent games industry reporter went on to state that he believed the title would appear at E3 next month and likely release in 2022.

Starfield is the next big RPG from the creator of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, originally announced in June 2018 with a teaser trailer, following which director Todd Howard said it was a game he’s wanted to make “for a very, very long time.”

As you can see above, Jeff Grubb was not hesitant in confirming the Xbox-exclusivity of Starfield. His reputation is at stake right now, and time cannot move fast enough for Team Xbox to confirm at the 2021 E3 online event the exclusivity to the whole world. On the side of PlayStation, SIE CEO Jim Ryan does not know if Starfield is coming to PS5. The fact Ryan does not know adds to the anticipation of Starfield’s Xbox-exclusivity.

On May 17, 2021, Jeff Grubb wrote a piece titled Why Starfield won’t be on PlayStation 5 and to put things in perspective, posted below are two excerpts with some parts in bold…

Excerpt 1

Microsoft has no plans to release Bethesda’s upcoming space role-playing adventure Starfield on Sony’s competing PlayStation 5 console. That shouldn’t surprise too many people after Xbox boss Phil Spencer said in March that Microsoft acquired Bethesda to add exclusives to Xbox Game Pass. But I’ve separately confirmed that this situation applies to Starfield through sources familiar with the decision.

But some people keep asking about Starfield on PS5 because they don’t have insight into Microsoft’s reasoning. While Sony or Nintendo would certainly keep new acquisitions locked to their platforms, Xbox has a history of playing nice. Minecraft, for example, is still getting full support on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. Microsoft even released the new Minecraft Dungeons game on PS5 and Switch. So why wouldn’t Microsoft do the same with Bethesda’s games?

The difference is that Minecraft is a platform unto itself with millions of active players and in-game transactions. And it’s platform like that thrives when it’s available everywhere.

I’ve asked Xbox for a statement, and I’ll update this story if the company decides to comment.

Starfield is most valuable to Microsoft as a means to grow Xbox Game Pass

Where Minecraft can exist as its own service, Starfield is about growing the Game Pass service. And even if Bethesda has ambitions to make massive, connected live-service games, it’s unlikely that anything will turn into the next Minecraft. So an effort like a blockbuster game release from the team that made The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is best if Microsoft treats it as an investment into a larger service.

Excerpt 2

Microsoft likely did investigate what its financials would look like if it made Bethesda games exclusive or not. In the end, it chose exclusivity. And yes, that means it will miss out on money from sales on PlayStation 5. But the point is that Microsoft doesn’t see that as losing money — it sees that as built in marketing for Game Pass. And then it also expects to offset many of those costs by building a deeper relationship with more players who then go on to play and buy even more games on Xbox platforms.So yes, Starfield is exclusive. And I would predict that Xbox would make this call for The Elder Scrolls VI and beyond.

As seen above, Jeff Grubb scored solidly on the points as to why Starfield is exclusive and why the logic behind Minecraft’s multiplatform availability cannot be applied to Starfield and other Bethesda franchises. It does not make sense to release Starfield on PS5, especially with Xbox Game Pass growing tremendously and offering its active subscribers the best deals in games. Bethesda games have already been added to XGP and Starfield will eventually add greater value to the service!

A leaked screenshot of what is supposed to be gameplay of Starfield.

As for the speculated 2022 release for Starfield, check out the details in the excerpt from the Windows Central Gaming article…

It seems that Starfield could be targeting a Q1 2022 release date, echoing similar rumors from across the net that the upcoming sci-fi RPG is closer than we might’ve otherwise expected.

The details come from an exchange between Grubb and Adeoye Jr, with Grubb confirming in a tweet prior speculation on Kinda Funny Games Cast that the game was targeting a Q1 2022 launch window.

There were some previous rumors earlier in the year that the game was targeting a Holiday 2021 launch window. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that the date got bumped slightly given the on-going pandemic.

Here is the related video for you to watch.

And here is Jeff Grubb’s related Tweet with others.

Can you wait for Starfield in 2022?

As much as I love to buy and start playing Starfield this coming holiday season, I just remembered that we are all still living in this COVID-19 (China Virus) pandemic and I can only speculate that the developers working on the sci-fi RPG have, most likely, not returned to working in their offices. Game development done at home is not the same as working in the main office. Knowing the reputation of Bethesda, they need a whole lot of time to not only complete their epic RPGs but also refine it to the best they could. The refinement will definitely include technical adjustments with the Creation engine. This pandemic is clearly hampering everyone from the consumers (who are struggling to buy Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X and PS5 consoles) to the people who make the video games.

As such, I would not be surprised if the Xbox-exclusive Starfield will be released in 2022. It could be released in the first quarter of 2022 but then Microsoft and Bethesda could decide to push it into the 2nd half of that same year. By 2022, there should be a lot more people owning units of Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X, not to mention at least 30,000,000 active subscribers on Xbox Game Pass.

If 2022 is indeed the planned year of release for Starfield, then Phil Spencer and Team Xbox should come up with something to boosting their lineup of new exclusive releases for the lucrative 4th quarter of this year. I speculate that Forza Horizon 5 and Halo: Infinite will be released in the 4th quarter which look strong but I think Team Xbox has to add a 3rd strong game with them. We will find out soon once Team Xbox makes the big announcements at the E3.

Before I end this article, let me ask you these questions: Are you looking forward to Starfield? Did the Xbox-Bethesda deal and the addition of Bethesda’s games into Xbox Game Pass convince you to subscribe? Did you buy an Xbox Series S or an Xbox Series X console because of the Xbox-Bethesda deal? Are you excited about Todd Howard’s ambition behind Starfield?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online. In ending this piece, here are some Xbox-related videos for you to enjoy!

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Classic game Zombies Ate My Neighbors plus sequel coming to Xbox on June 29, 2021!

Classic game Zombies Ate My Neighbors plus sequel coming to Xbox on June 29, 2021!

carlocarrasco

Yesterday, I learned about the most surprising news related to my personal interest of Xbox gaming. It’s not about the reported new game of Bethesda (which has been fully acquired by Microsoft) and not about The Coalition’s latest developments.

Rather it’s about a pretty notable game (plus its sequel) from the 1990s that I completely missed out on. The big surprise to me was that it will be released soon for Xbox One and Xbox Series S and X owners to enjoy.

That game is none other than Zombies Ate My Neighbors and its sequel Ghoul Patrol. Both games from the 1990s will be released for Xbox on June 29, 2021 for $14.99!

For those who are not familiar with either game, here is an excerpt from the Xbox.com article written by Ken Humphries (Senior Producer on the two games)…

Zombies Ate My Neighbors

The 2-player function is a popular feature of the game.

Hey, where’s that scary music coming from? Yikes! It’s Zombies Ate My Neighbors, where you appear in every demented horror flick ever to make you hurl ju-jubes.

What are Zeke and Julie, our two wholesome teenage stars doing in a 16-bit game like this?! Trying to save the nice neighbors, cheerleaders, and babies from a fate worse than polyester!

Who could put this slice of suburbia in such goose-pimply hysteria? Zombies, relentless chainsaw maniacs, mummies, evil dolls that just won’t die, lizard men, blobs, vampires, giant ants, martians, and more.

One of many levels in this game.

Will these crazy kids survive the night? Find your way through 55 horror-filled levels like a grocery store gone bad, a shopping mall awry, a mysterious island and your own back yard. Don’t miss “Weird Kids on the Block,” “Mars Needs Cheerleaders,” and “Dances w ith Werewolves.”

You can fend off the freaks with a virtual candy counter of weapons like uzi squirt guns, exploding soda pop, bazookas, weed wackers and ancient artifacts. Also grab power ups-o-rama like secret potions and bobo clown decoys. Does this game ever end?!

Ghoul Patrol

Nothing like facing an over-sized enemy in Ghoul Patrol.

Zeke and Julie, our intrepid teenagers, visit the Ghosts and Ghouls exhibit at the city library, where they find an old treasure chest containing an ancient spirit book. Naturally, they cannot resist reading it. Suddenly, a horrific snaggle-toothed spirit emerges.

Now, this snarling phantom and his dastardly minions are infesting Metropolis and slithering their way into the history books, where they plan to rewrite history with their spooky ways. Only you have the power to go back in time to de-spook an encyclopedia of zombified historic dudes.

Were you able to play this game back in the 1990s?

Terminate, with prejudice, using crossbows, ping-pong ball machine guns, Martian “Heatseeker” guns, and more.

Vaporize garbage can ghosts and ninja spirits, rescue bug-eyed librarians and wigged-out pirates, dodge flying books and adolescent-eating plants!

The features for Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol are as follows…

NEW FEATURES

• Save Feature: Quickly save your progress in either game and continue your adventure wherever and whenever you want

• Museum Features: Watch a video interview with one of the original Zombies’ developers or explore numerous galleries containing game art, previously unreleased concept images and marketing assets

• Soundtrack: Listen to the entire soundtracks for both games in the included music players

• 2 Player Mode: Play the game with two player local co-op

• Achievements: Track your game progress with a set of achievements covering both games

To put things in perspective, Zombies Ate My Neighbors was released in 1993 published by Konami (game developed by LucasArts) for the Super NES (SNES) and the Sega Genesis. It was not a big commercial success but it proved to be a hit with the critics of the time (plus the writers who published their reviews of it years later). Zombies Ate My Neighbors gained a cult following as it not only had enjoyable gameplay, its visual style was appealing, it had lots of visual elements related to pop culture (notably horror genre elements), a memorable soundtrack and more.

In a 2006 article published by IGN, Zombies Ate My Neighbors was described by Lucas M. Thomas as “a comical 16-bit template for the new Xbox 360 release, Dead Rising. And like that game, this one arms you with a pretty bizarre arsenal. Weed whackers, exploding soda cans and flying silverware all make an appearance to help you, or you and a friend, put a hurt on these living dead.”

Ghoul Patrol was released in 1994 for SNES, published back then by JVC (Japan Victor Company) with the development done by LucasArts. Like its predecessor, I never got to play it back decades ago. In addition, I never even saw a copy of the sequel at retail during those days.

As I never got to play Zombies Ate My Neighbors back decades ago, its upcoming release for Xbox is a very delightful surprise for me personally. I will order this (along with Ghoul Patrol) very soon.

If you are interested to order in advance Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol for your Xbox One or Xbox Series console, click here.

In ending this piece, posted below is a video retrospective on Zombies Ate My Neighbors published by GamerThumbTV plus a retro review by Cinemassacre. Be mindful of potential spoilers.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Xbox-Bethesda excitement intensifies as Phil Spencer emphasizes exclusive games plus key Bethesda games got added to Xbox Game Pass (XGP)

Xbox-Bethesda excitement intensifies as Phil Spencer emphasizes exclusive games plus key Bethesda games got added to Xbox Game Pass (XGP)

carlocarrasco

There is no denying that the completion of the most significant video gaming business deal of this modern age of and the integration of Bethesda into Team Xbox are leading to a brighter future in electronic entertainment not only for Xbox fans and PC gamers but also for all other people who can afford gaming.

Yesterday, the fusion between Bethesda and Team Xbox was emphasized even further as top executives from both sides took part in a roundtable meeting titled Bethesda joins Xbox which was shown worldwide online. The YouTube video has been posted below for your convenience and viewing pleasure.

Here are a few notable parts of the roundtable event. Firstly, and most notably, Xbox chief Phil Spencer cautiously spoke about the plans regarding exclusive games that Xbox fans have been eagerly wanting to find out (note: key portions in bold).

“We have games that exist on other platforms, and we’re going to support those games on the platforms they’re on. There are communities of players. We love those communities and will continue to invest in them. And even in the future, there might be things that have either contractual things, or legacy on different platforms, that we’ll go do. But if you’re an Xbox customer, the thing I want you to know is this is about delivering great exclusive games for you that ship on platforms where Game Pass exists, and that’s our goal, that’s why we are doing this,” Spencer said.

Even as Microsoft-controlled Bethesda has games and fan communities on other platforms that will be supported, Xbox customers are still priorities for them and Xbox Game Pass is a key factor as it has many millions of subscribers around the world who use Xbox One consoles, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X and Windows 10 PC.

While no titles were mentioned by Spencer, I am confident that Bethesda’s upcoming games like Starfield and Elder Scrolls VI will be released for Xbox Series consoles and Windows 10 PCs and be made available via Xbox Game Pass in the near future.

In my view, and in response to the whining of the PlayStation fanboys (who are agonizing over the Xbox-Bethesda deal) and of the people who hate Xbox spotted on social media, it does not make business sense for new Bethesda games (especially those made with big budgets for at least 3 years) to be released on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms since they are not connected with Xbox Game Pass.  If you look at Team Xbox closely, they are working hard to sell not only gaming hardware, software and DLCs, but also subscription services. In this case, Xbox Game Pass is essential and with 18 million subscribers already counted, the said subscription service is generating billions of Dollars of revenue for Team Xbox per year. Will Sony and Nintendo be willing to have Xbox Game Pass offered to their respective customers for the sake of availing new Bethesda hot new games? Unless something drastic happens, such a scenario won’t happen.

Going back to Spencer’s confirmation of exclusive games for Xbox customers, the integration of Bethesda into Team Xbox easily ensures that Xbox fans will not only have a lot of exclusive titles coming from the well-established publisher (and its many studios), they will also have a wide variety of the types of games from ALL the 23 Xbox Game Studios. The first-person shooter (FPS) genre exclusives to look forward to are Halo Infinite, the next Doom, the next Wolfenstein, the next Rage, the next Prey and so on. RPGs? Try Starfield, Elder Scrolls VI, Avowed, Fable, the next Fallout and the next The Outer Worlds.

Rest assured, Xbox fans have a whole lot of exclusive games to look forward to from Bethesda’s studios and the other Xbox Game Studios in the near future. These assured exclusive games should convince gamers to buy Xbox Series S or Xbox Series X, and then sign up immediately for Xbox Game Pass.

Going back to the media event, Todd Howard took note of the marvel of backward compatibility (itself a great, pro-gamer feature on Xbox) and described how awesome it is that old creations such as the RPG Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is not only playable (on current Xbox technology) but also nicely presented in 4K resolution showing how much life it still has all these years. In relation to that, Aaron Greenberg announced that Team Xbox is already working on providing FPS Boost (enhanced frame rates) on backward compatible games of Bethesda.

And then there is the other big announcement made during the roundtable event…Bethesda adding twenty games into Xbox Game Pass for subscribers to enjoy!

Specifically the games added into the said subscription service are: Dishonored Definitive Edition, Dishonored 2, Doom (1993), Doom II, Doom 3, Doom 64, Doom Eternal, Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Elder Scrolls Online, The Evil Within, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, Fallout: New Vegas, Prey, Rage 2, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, and Wolfenstein: Youngblood.

Those mentioned games are available on Xbox Game Pass now.

In ending this, posted below for your viewing pleasure are varied gaming-related videos…including one video about the March 17, 2021 release of the next DLC expansion for The Outer Worlds (developed by Obsidian Entertainment which itself worked on Fallout: New Vegas for Bethesda long ago).

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Bethesda finally integrated into Team Xbox!

Bethesda finally integrated into Team Xbox!

carlocarrasco

Welcome back fellow gamers, geeks and Xbox fans!

Finally, it has been accomplished and it is something truly worth celebrating and become more optimistic about the future of video games! Very recently, Microsoft announced that it has officially completed the $7.5 acquisition of ZeniMax media which effectively integrated Bethesda Softworks and its eight game studios (Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios) and their respective communities into Team Xbox! The completion was realized after getting approved by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and the regulators of the European Union (EU). Bethesda themselves posted a fine video about their legacy in gaming and the confirmation of becoming part of Team Xbox. Watch it below…

Bethesda and Xbox is a formidable combination!

To put things in perspective, below is an excerpt (note: key parts in bold) from the completion announcement written by Xbox chief Phil Spencer over at Xbox.com. Pay close attention…

Now that everything is official, we can begin working together to deliver more great games to everyone. At every step building toward this moment, I’ve been inspired and motivated by the creativity, insight, and community-first approach of the talented people at Bethesda. Our goal is to give these teams the best foundation for doing their greatest work and to learn from them as we continue to build Xbox into an inclusive platform for all players.

This is the next step in building an industry-leading first party studios team, a commitment we have to our Xbox community. With the addition of the Bethesda creative teams, gamers should know that Xbox consoles, PC, and Game Pass will be the best place to experience new Bethesda games, including some new titles in the future that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players.

As seen above, Phil Spencer led the welcoming of Bethesda into Team Xbox. This is clearly not a simple acquisition because Bethesda is a very big company complete with eight game developers (lots of very talented employees) and very well-established franchises of games such as The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Dishonored, Doom and more.

Speaking of Bethesda’s new games, Spencer made clear that the Xbox ecosystem is not just the definitive destination for the said games, it is indeed the best. Xbox consoles clearly includes the many millions of Xbox One consoles still in use as well as the growing number of Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X consoles. PC refers to Windows 10 while Game Pass refers to Xbox Game Pass (XGP) which is a highly successful paid subscription service which has reached 18 million subscribers worldwide. No surprise, PlayStation and Nintendo consoles were excluded. Microsoft, after all, has a stake in Bethesda while Sony and Nintendo do not.

As for Spencer’s line – some new titles in the future that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players – I believe he was referring to upcoming games divided between those that can be made only for the Xbox ecosystem (Xbox console owners and PC users), those that can be released on other platforms (note: Spencer mentioned before the case-by-case aspect) and those that are legally bound to be released on a different platform (note: Bethesda has two timed-exclusive games for PlayStation 5).

The way I see it, future games like Starfield and sequels such as The Elder Scrolls VI, Fallout 5, future Doom, future Dishonored and the like will be made Xbox-exclusive (geared more towards the Xbox Series consoles and PC) which makes business sense because Xbox consoles and Windows 10 PCs are what Xbox Game Pass subscribers use. The addition of Bethesda games into XGP will help the service attract even more subscribers from around the world! I also believe that games made with strong single-player gaming experiences in mind will be designated for Xbox and PC gamers.

Future Bethesda games that will cater more on multiplayer and on being a service (technically) can be made for multiple platforms, including the PlayStation and Nintendo consoles.

As such, Phil Spencer’s use of the words “some new titles” makes sense. In due time, I believe, Microsoft and Bethesda will make clear that the Xbox ecosystem is top priority for them and this means eventually locking out Sony and Nintendo consoles when it comes to most new Bethesda games. It should happen in the years to come.

The integration of Bethesda into Team Xbox does not necessarily mean that Microsoft will change the culture of the company to conform to its own. The tech giant will provide Bethesda funds and lots of technical support while respecting their culture. Pay close attention to Phil Spencer’s words in the excerpt below…

As we shared previously, it’s vitally important that Bethesda continues making games the way it always has. We look forward to empowering Bethesda’s creative teams to reach even more players around the world, helping make future Bethesda titles the biggest and most popular games in their history. Xbox and Bethesda have long shared a common vision for the future of gaming. Both as fans and as creators, Bethesda understands the potential of Xbox Game Pass.

The head of Xbox also took the opportunity to lead the honoring of the late Robert A. Altman, who founded Bethesda’s parent company ZeniMax Media. Read on below…

We would also like to honor the life and memory of my close friend Robert A. Altman, founder of ZeniMax Media. Robert believed deeply in the power of gaming and we are privileged to be able to continue his work by joining forces with the teams he built and led for many years.  I will miss the opportunity to work directly with him on the future of our combined teams but I know that his spirit will live on in the shared work we do and motivate us to make this partnership all he envisioned.

With the completion of the $7.5 billion deal, Team Xbox and Bethesda have officially started a brand-new chapter in the history of gaming. To say the least, Team Xbox’s years-old problem of lacking high-profile exclusive games has clearly been solved and Bethesda’s integration adds a ton of value as well as very rich intellectual properties into the Xbox Game Studios group whose other game developers include 343 Industries (Halo), Obsidian Entertainment (The Outer Worlds), The Coalition (Gears of War), Compulsion Games (We Happy Few), Double Fine Productions (Psychonauts), The Initiative (Perfect Dark), inXile Entertainment (Wasteland 3), Mojang Studios (Minecraft), Ninja Theory (Hellblade) and others. Each and every one of those game developers have new games in development and will be released exclusively on the Xbox ecosystem in the years to come. In effect, this makes Xbox Series consoles even more attractive for gamers and consumers in general. This also makes Team Xbox more competitive and even intimidating towards PlayStation and Nintendo when it comes to producing console-exclusive games.

Just what will PlayStation and Nintendo do to counter the Xbox Game Studios juggernaut now that Bethesda is part of it? Buy out Sega? Sony paying Square Enix a lot more money to secure their future games as PS5-exclusive? Sony reviving their White Knight Chronicles RPG franchise to combat Xbox RPGs from Bethesda, inXile and Obsidian? Will the troubled Sony fanboys demand PlayStation’s Jim Ryan to raise money so that the company will buy as many game studios as possible to beef up PS5 1st party games? Time will tell.

In ending this, posted below for your viewing pleasure are varied gaming-related videos including some video reviews of past Bethesda games for some fun nostalgia.  

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

What could happen with regards to rumored event related to Xbox-Bethesda deal

What could happen with regards to rumored event related to Xbox-Bethesda deal

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Things have been quiet for the past months following the megaton announcement that Microsoft is acquiring Bethesda (through parent company ZeniMax Media) for a staggering $7.5 billion. Since then, Team Xbox has gotten stronger as the deal means pushing their number of 1st party game studios to almost 25.

In recent times, Microsoft created a brand new subsidiary called Vault (a nod to the Fallout franchise) which will serve as a new and temporary home for ZeniMax. The acquisition of ZeniMax and all of Bethesda is up for review by the regulators of the European Union (EU).

In relation to this, Jeff Grub of GamesBeat said in a podcast that an event will be held in which Microsoft will share details about their plans for the future regarding Bethesda. It was stated that such an event might happen in the middle of March 2021. By that time, the EU’s decision on the Xbox-Bethesda deal should be known.

Here’s an excerpt from GamingBolt’s report…

Grubb says it might not be a dedicated Direct-style event, but fans should expect to hear about plenty of new information either way.

“Once the deal closes, they will talk about it in a big way,” Grubb said. “I don’t know if it will be a full Direct-style event, but they will make note of it, and they will talk about it extensively, and they will explain what it means to everybody… kind of talk about the immediate future for both companies becoming one in the future.”

Personally, I can imagine an Xbox-Bethesda event that will done in video format and shown online to many fans and gamers around the world. However, I imagine it to be totally different from the Xbox Games Showcase of July 2020. I don’t expect it to be a lengthy video but still it will be long enough and serve as a makeshift celebration of Microsoft acquiring a major game publisher in Bethesda which itself is a rare event in the business world of video games and computer gaming.

The way I see it, the Xbox-Bethesda event could happen with the following possibilities:

  1. Xbox head Phil Spencer will welcome viewers and confirm that the acquisition of Bethesda has finally been done and the planned projects will push through and ensure lots of fun stuff for Xbox fans, fans of Bethesda’s many game franchises and people who love to play games via Xbox consoles, Windows 10 PCs and laptops, and mobile devices.
  2. Microsoft and Bethesda’s extensive business relationship will be mentioned, if not highlighted.
  3. Starfield will be announced yet again but will be presented by Todd Howard and a video showing the first-ever gameplay footage. Howard or the video itself could announce Starfield as an Xbox-exclusive game with late 2021 release window.
  4. Bethesda games released on previous generations consoles (Xbox 360 and Xbox One most likely) will be confirmed enhanced with FPS Boost when played on Xbox Series S or Xbox Series X.
  5. More Bethesda games of the past and the future will be made available via Xbox Game Pass (XGP).
  6. Ghostwire: Tokyo Deathloop, the temporary exclusives on Sony’s PlayStation 5 (PS5) console, will come to Xbox Series consoles and Windows 10 PC with exclusive enhancements and features some time in late 2022 or early 2023. Xbox Game Pass listing will be confirmed.
  7. Other Xbox game studios such as Obsidian Entertainment, Playground Games, Ninja Theory, The Coalition and others could make an appearance and some of their upcoming games for Xbox Series consoles and PC may be previewed. If this happens, it will symbolize the unity of the teams under Xbox Game Studios.
  8. Most, if not all, new games of Bethesda will be announced as exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem which includes Xbox Series consoles (note: Xbox One could still be supported), Windows 10 PC, mobile devices and Xbox Game Pass subscribers. Meanwhile, old Bethesda games that were released on multiple platforms will still be made available.

I believe that it is inevitable that the new Bethesda games, including those that were in development before Microsoft even started negotiating with ZeniMax, will be made Xbox-exclusive for it is very clear that Team Xbox wants to make Xbox Game Pass attract many more millions of subscribers from around the world much like how the streaming services Netflix and Disney+ attracted so many millions of subscribers globally. XGP alone added a lot to Microsoft’s revenue as its base of subscribers reached 18 million. Making Bethesda’s new games exclusive will add tremendous value to XGP and Xbox LIVE as a whole. That being said, think about the exclusive content that helped Netflix and Disney+ attract so many millions of subscribers.

Making Bethesda Xbox-exclusive also means making the Xbox brand (and its game studios) even stronger than those on PlayStation and Nintendo. Microsoft knows that millions of gamers love playing single-player role-playing games (RPGs) and having Bethesda’s blockbuster RPG franchises like Fallout and The Elder Scrolls ensures big game sales through Xbox consoles and Windows 10 computers. Don’t forget that Team Xbox also has Obsidian Entertainment (which made the popular Fallout New Vegas for Bethesda) to provide such RPGs. Speaking of exclusives, whatever Japanese RPGs Sony could snatch as PS5 exclusives from Square Enix (Final Fantasy XVI for one), Team Xbox can literally fight back with exclusive Bethesda RPGs which are more than enough to make Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S more attractive consoles for anyone who loves role-playing the console way. I should state that Bethesda RPGs have a huge collective following among PC gamers.

As I noticed on social media over the past few months, a lot of PlayStation fanboys, haters of Xbox and some Nintendo fanboys are still feeling uneasy over the possibility of Bethesda games becoming Xbox-exclusive. They are afraid of getting locked out…meaning that none of the new Bethesda games will be released on their PS4, PS5 and Switch consoles.

More on exclusivity, Xbox chief Phil Spencer made things clear in an interview with Kotaku and below is an excerpt for you all…

“Is it possible to recoup a $7.5 billion investment if you don’t sell Elder Scrolls VI on the PlayStation?” I asked.

“Yes,” Spencer quickly replied.

Then he paused.

“I don’t want to be flip about that,” he added. “This deal was not done to take games away from another player base like that. Nowhere in the documentation that we put together was: ‘How do we keep other players from playing these games?’ We want more people to be able to play games, not fewer people to be able to go play games. But I’ll also say in the model—I’m just answering directly the question that you had—when I think about where people are going to be playing and the number of devices that we had, and we have xCloud and PC and Game Pass and our console base, I don’t have to go ship those games on any other platform other than the platforms that we support in order to kind of make the deal work for us. Whatever that means.”

No matter how the haters and opposing fanboys see it – including the Nintendo and PlayStation fanboys working as journalists – what Microsoft owns, Nintendo and Sony cannot touch nor steal. If they really want the new Bethesda games, they will need an Xbox Series console or a capable Windows 10 computer to buy those games and/or sign up for Xbox Game Pass (if they want to save money on new games).

As for those who insist that all new Bethesda games should be released on multiple platforms, they should slow down and look at PS5’s camp. Why is Final Fantasy XVI a PS5-exclusive? Is Square Enix better off releasing their new games only on Sony’s platform while you oppose Bethesda releasing games as Xbox-exclusive? Also, why would a Microsoft-owned Bethesda be obligated or be forced to release games on competing game consoles from Sony and Nintendo after all the $7.5 billion spent on the acquisition?

As for Minecraft remaining a multi-platform franchise, the case of Microsoft’s acquisition of its developer (Mojang) simply cannot be applied to the Xbox-Bethesda deal. Bethesda is a major publisher with almost ten game studios and a wide bunch of games from established game franchises.

The existing market of Xbox console owners combined with Windows 10 users is large enough to sell Bethesda games to. To say that Xbox-exclusivity of new games such as Starfield and sequels or spin-offs to Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Doom, Dishonored and other franchises won’t benefit paying consumers is nonsense.  

From this point on, we can only wait and see what happens next. Will the EU approve the acquisition of ZeniMax/Bethesda? Will the rumored Xbox-Bethesda event actually push through weeks from now? Tell me what you think.

In closing these, here are some relevant videos for your enjoyment and learning…

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

For more Xbox-related stuff, check out the Xbox Series Philippines Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/XboxOnePH

Frame-rate boost for backward compatible games on Xbox Series consoles has begun with five initial games!

Frame-rate boost for backward compatible games on Xbox Series consoles has begun with five initial games!

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Playing previous generation video games on your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S console is becoming a smoother experience as Team Xbox officially rolled out the FPS Boost enhancement for backward compatible games which gamers playing any of the five initial games – Far Cry 4, New Super Lucky’s Tale, Sniper Elite 4, UFC 4, and Watch Dogs 2 – can benefit from.

On Xbox.com, Senior Program Manager Paul Eng made the official announcement dated February 17, 2021. Below is an excerpt from the said article…

As we detailed in October, with the increased CPU, GPU and memory from our new consoles, all of your existing games look and play better. With certain titles, we can make the experience even better, all with no work required by the developer, and no update needed by the gamer. To that end, the backward compatibility team has developed FPS Boost, which employs a variety of new methods for nearly doubling (and in a few instances, quadrupling) the original framerate on select titles. Higher, steadier framerates make games visually smoother, resulting in more immersive gameplay. We partnered closely with developers to enhance the experience while maintaining the game’s original intent. And while not applicable to all games, these new techniques can push game engines to render more quickly for a buttery smooth experience beyond what the original game might have delivered due to the capabilities of the hardware at the time.

We’re excited to announce the first assortment of backward compatible titles that will support FPS Boost – available beginning today –  are Far Cry 4, New Super Lucky’s Tale, Sniper Elite 4, UFC 4, and Watch Dogs 2. We chose this initial collection of titles not only because they are popular among fans, but to highlight several different ways that FPS Boost can improve your experience. For example, New Super Lucky’s Tale can now run up to 120 frames per second (fps) and UFC 4 delivers improved framerate performance specifically on Xbox Series S and can now run at 60fps.

This is just the beginning. We will announce and release more titles featuring FPS Boost soon, as well roll out new menu icons and system settings in an upcoming system update. Starting this Spring, you can go into the “Manage Game” section for any title, where you’ll be presented with a new “Compatibility Options” button that will allow you to toggle FPS Boost (as well as Auto HDR) on or off. There will also be a new indicator informing you when a game is running with FPS Boost whenever you hit the Xbox Button on your controller. You decide how you want to play your favorite games, whether in its original form or with FPS Boost.

And FPS Boost doesn’t only benefit gamers who own these titles – you’ll be happy to hear that many of these upcoming FPS Boost games will be available in Xbox Game Pass.

As you can see in the above content, Team Xbox and its backward compatibility team are continuing to not only make as many past generation games playable on the Xbox Series consoles, but make the gameplay experience even better by means of improving the frame rates. With FPS Boost, the wholesome platform game New Super Lucky’s Tale can be played on Xbox Series S at more than three times higher than the frame rate of its Xbox One version. More than three times meaning up to 120 frames-per-second (120FPS) on the newer console!

And then there is another game from the initial five…Watch Dogs 2 from Ubisoft. I played and finished Watch Dogs 2 on my Xbox One back in early 2017 and while it was not great, it proved to be fun and satisfying enough. For the newcomers reading this, Watch Dogs 2 is an open-world game with San Francisco as its environment. To have that game upgraded to 60FPS is pretty impressive even though its resolution was not upgraded. Regardless of resolution, to have an open-world game run at sixty frames-per-second is a big achievement in itself. By today’s standards, 30FPS is no longer satisfying for me especially when it comes to open-world games.

As mentioned in the Xbox.com article, FPS Boost is just beginning and Team Xbox will reveal and release more games that will run with FPS Boost in the near future. I personally hope to see a variety of previous generation games run on Xbox Series consoles at 60FPS such as Lost Odyssey (the Final Fantasy game without the name), Saints Row 2 and Saints Row The Third to name a few.

It is great to see that Team Xbox continues to work hard to not only make backward compatible gaming even more accessible, but also justify all the investments gamers made with their collection of video games released on all Xbox console generations. That reminds me, this year 2021 will mark the 20th anniversary of Xbox itself.

In ending this, here are some selected YouTube videos related to FPS Boost for your learning and enjoyment. Colteastwood’s interview with Jason Ronald is a must-watch! Meanwhile, Zalker 87’s video is about a different yet highly relevant topic of discussion.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Wonder Woman 1984 4K Blu-ray combo set for March 30, 2021 release!

Wonder Woman 1984 4K Blu-ray combo set for March 30, 2021 release!

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Calling all fans of Wonder Woman, fans of superhero movies and all other geeks! Some great news for you all and it’s related to what I observed and wrote before.

It has officially been announced that Wonder Woman 1984 (starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine and Kristen Wiig) will be released in a 4K Blu-ray combo (4K Blu-ray with Blu-ray disc plus a digital copy) on March 30, 2021 and already orders for it are being accepted at Amazon.com Check out the image below.

Coming out on March 30, 2021! This early, orders for Wonder Woman 4K Blu-ray combo are being accepted at Amazon.com

Some relevant numbers about Wonder Woman 1984 4K Blu-ray combo below…

Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265

Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)

HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10

Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Audio

English: Dolby Atmos

English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)

Subtitles

English SDH, French, Spanish

Discs

4K Ultra HD

Blu-ray Disc

Two-disc set (1 BD-50)

Playback

4K Blu-ray: Region free

2K Blu-ray: Region A

If you are only planning to watch Wonder Woman 1984 in 1080p, there is also the Blu-ray disc version as well. You order it at Amazon now.

Going back to the 4K Blu-ray combo, I am very delighted over the confirmation that Wonder Woman 1984 will be presented in genuine, native 4K resolution. By comparison, the 4K Blu-ray of the 2017 Wonder Woman film was an upscaled 4K presentation (read: fake 4K).

Even though I still have not seen Wonder Woman 1984 and I deliberately avoided streaming and digital piracy of it, I went ahead ordering the 4K Blu-ray combo this early. Now the wait to watch it in the comfort of home truly begins!

Remember that 4K Blu-ray with native 4K visuals is much better than streaming!

For more Wonder Woman-related stuff, check out my recent retro comic book reviews as follows: post-Crisis Wonder Woman issues #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15 and #16.

Check out my retro movie review as well as my feature about the No Man’s Land scene of the 2017 movie.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

The Initiative’s first game is Perfect Dark!

The Initiative’s first game is Perfect Dark!

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Welcome back gamers! All the speculation about the first game being made by Xbox game studio The Initiative can finally be put to rest as it has been announced (during The Game Awards) that they are officially working on a new project simply titled Perfect Dark. Watch the video below and enjoy it.

For the newcomers reading this, The Initiative is a game studio that was established a few years ago to make high-quality video games for Xbox consoles and the Xbox ecosystem as a whole. While it took them two years to reveal their first project, The Initiative is very notable for having hired several high-profile talents. Previously I wrote about them hiring Lee Davis and Lauren Garcia from Sony’s acclaimed studio Naughty Dog.

The Initiative is one of the twenty-three game studios under the Xbox hierarchy. Right now there is pressure on Microsoft to release high-quality, exclusive games in 2021 and beyond so that the sales drive of the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X can be sustained. 2021 will indeed be a crucial year for the Xbox ecosystem because by then the gamers’ demand for 1st party games will be great and expectations of high-quality gaming experiences, art and technical performance of games running on the Xbox Series consoles are inevitable. Such trends will continue beyond 2021.

The above video of the first unveiling of Perfect Dark looks really good and slick, and clearly the developers are trying to give it a distinctive look. It should be noted that Joanna Dark’s face was not shown. There is passion within The Initiative on reinventing the Perfect Dark franchise. Watch the official developer interview video below.

As you can see in the above video, the team is really aiming high on making the new Perfect Dark. They also have the hardware and tools to help them realize the high ambitions they have for the game. That being said, it will be a few years before that new game will be released. More on the upcoming game, pay close attention to the words of The Initiative leader Darrell Gallagher posted at Xbox.com. Here’s an excerpt:

With Perfect Dark, we’re aiming to deliver a secret agent thriller set in a near-future world.

We have built the Perfect Dark team at The Initiative by bringing in some of the most talented game makers from around the industry who all share a passion for storytelling, world-building and creating memorable game experiences. With the full backing from Xbox Studios to re-imagine one of the best loved IPs from gaming history, we couldn’t be more excited to share some of our early ideas.

While I never got to play a Perfect Dark game in the past, I am looking forward to the new game starring Joanna Dark. I hope to see the new game have a third-person view with gameplay laced with stealth, shooting and exploration. I also hope it will also have some fast-paced sequences of driving or flying that would put gamers into the heat of action. If the developers decide to present it as a first-person shooter, that would be fine with me. It’s nice to see that Microsoft decided to revive the long-dormant PD franchise (which they inherited after acquiring Rare in the early 2000s) and have The Initiative lead the way creatively. Now that the unveiling has been done, only time will tell how the game’s development will turn out during this pandemic.

In ending this, posted below are some gaming-related videos for your enjoyment.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

For more Xbox-related stuff, check out the Xbox Series Philippines Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/XboxOnePH

Xbox Series consoles launch details revealed

Xbox Series consoles launch details revealed

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Very recently, Xbox head Phil Spencer announced through Twitter that the twin-launch of the premium Xbox Series X and budget-friendly Xbox Series S that took place on November 10 became the largest launch in the entire history of Xbox. While Spencer did not post any hardware sales numbers, he did confirm that the scope of the launch was wider in terms of having more countries than ever before.

Just days ago on Xbox.com, Gaming Experiences & Platforms CVP Liz Hamren revealed additional details related to the declared largest Xbox launch. Firstly, Hamren stated that the global launch happened across forty countries.

With regards to statistics covering the first 24 hours of the global launch of the Xbox Series consoles, Hamren confirmed the following:

A. More new consoles sold than any prior generation, with Xbox Series S adding the highest percentage of new players for any Xbox console at launch.

B. More games played, 3,594 in total, spanning four generations, setting a record for the most games ever played during an Xbox console launch.

C. Next gen means more ways to discover and play, 70 percent of Series X/S consoles are attached to new and existing Xbox Game Pass members.

Let’s start with item A above. Team Xbox’s declaration of selling more new consoles than any prior generation would translate into exceeding the 1,000,000+ Xbox One consoles sold on its launch day in 2013. How many units exactly of the new consoles got sold in the first 24 hours has yet to be revealed. Regardless, I am not surprised at all that the budget friendly Xbox Series S added the highest percentage of new players. At $299, with a very compact console size and with more gamers preferring to buy games and content digitally, Xbox Series S is really an irresistible next-generation console. It lacks the immense power of the Xbox Series X, but the Xbox Series S it still a beast in terms of performance especially with frame rates of 60FPS and 120FPS. The cheaper console can process graphics in 1080p and 1440p, and it is a fact that there are still many households around the world that don’t have 4K TVs. Remember, Xbox Series S and its premium counterpart are the only next-generation consoles with full hardware support for all the RDNA 2 capabilities.

Item B meanwhile emphasizes that within the first 24 hours of the launch of Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, the users of the mentioned consoles played 3,594 games collectively thanks to backward compatibility which is a feature that Team Xbox prioritizes while Sony and its PlayStation team don’t care much about even though most PS4 games are playable on PlayStation 5. The launch games are not spectacular and based on my observations, it is Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Watch Dogs: Legion that have been standing out among them for playing on the new Xbox Series consoles. It is no surprise that Xbox Series console owners took time to play many of the multi-generation Xbox legacy games on the new machines and enjoy them with the benefits of much shorter loading times, improved frame rates and the like. The old criticism that Xbox has no games or has not many games is not only meaningless but also pathetic.

Item C’s emphasis that 70% of Xbox Series consoles are attached to new and existing Xbox Game Pass members could mean that the paid subscription service have been used a lot more during the first 24 hours of launch. While there are no numbers revealed, I would not be surprised that more new subscribers signed up to take advantage of XGP’s benefits which are more evident on the new consoles.

With those available details, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are riding high on a wave of positivity and high activity. How fast Microsoft can replenish supplies of the new consoles around the world to meet the very high demand remains to be seen but it is safe to say that this new console generation is off to a strong start with what Team Xbox prepared. When it comes to the near future, 2021 will be the year when blockbuster games and Xbox-exclusive games will get released and eventually impact the gaming world.

In closing this article, here are some gaming-related videos for your enjoyment.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

For more Xbox-related stuff, check out the Xbox Series Philippines Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/XboxOnePH