Microsoft’s Xbox exclusives will come to Game Pass on launch day

To date, the Xbox Game Pass has been a tricky value proposition. While there have been a few recent hits, it frequently comes across as a clearinghouse for games whose best days are over. You'll have a better reason to subscribe going forward, though...

Microsoft taps ‘Minecraft’ leader to run its game studios

Now that Phil Spencer is managing Microsoft's broader game platform strategy, who's going to fill his shoes? Now we know: Microsoft has appointed Matt Booty, the overseer of the company's Minecraft teams, as the corporate VP of Microsoft Studios. H...

‘Gears of War 4’ makes cross-platform multiplayer official

Last December Microsoft tried out something it hadn't done in quite awhile: adversarial cross-platform multiplayer. For a single weekend, there was a test between folks playing against each other in Gears of War 4 on PC and Xbox One. Now, that's movi...

‘Gears of War 4’ will punish rage quitters

Rage quitting isn't just a problem in fighting games. There's a good chance you've played shooters where teammates drop the very second it looks like they'll lose, dooming your team to defeat. And The Coalition wants to do something about it in Gea...

‘Gears of War 4’ marks the holidays with snowball fights

Destiny and Overwatch don't have a lock on over-the-top holiday gaming modes. Gears of War 4 just got a 99-cent Gearsmas Pack that adds some cheer to a mostly grim and dark game. The centerpiece is a special multiplayer event, Snowball Fight, where...

Microsoft Research helped ‘Gears of War 4’ sound so good

Popping in and out of cover has been a hallmark of the Gears of War franchise since the first game came out in 2006. It hasn't changed much because it didn't need to. What's always been an issue though is how thin the game sounds -- a shortcoming of...

20-minute ‘Gears 4’ prologue playthrough looks very familiar

Even the most dedicated Gears of War fan might need a refresher course ahead of the franchise's fourth numbered sequel. And that's precisely what the new video from the developers at The Coalition is all about. What's more, it's direct feed footage o...

‘Gears of War 4’ Horde 3.0 trailer has a Run the Jewels twist

Gears of War 4 features Horde 3.0, an updated version of the series' classic five-player co-op mode, and today fans got the first taste of its gameplay with a bonus helping of hip hop courtesy of Run the Jewels. First, the gameplay: Horde 3.0 pits f...