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CultureMorning CheckpointNew TMNT Game Announced, Rust Servers Wiped Out By Fire, Microsoft Officially Buys Bethesda And More
This week on Morning Checkpoint we find out what secrets still lurk in Bloodborne, learn how much money Roblox is worth to Wall Street, check out a new trailer for Outriders, eat a bad burger (again) and hear horror stories from game devs who worked through the recent winter storm. Great Kotaku Content From The…
By Zack Zwiezen -
CultureXbox FPS Boost Coming Soon To Fallout 4 And Other Old Bethesda Games [Update: Now Available]
After launching the FPS Boost feature in February with a handful of games, Microsoft has announced that five more games, all from Bethesda, will soon be enjoying FPS Boost support. This news comes from the latest episode of The Official Xbox Podcast. In its opening section, Xbox Live’s Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb and Xbox senior…
By Zack Zwiezen -
Tips & GuidesSo, Which Bethesda Game Pass Game Should You Play First?
Starting today, you can play a bunch of Bethesda-published games on Game Pass, thanks to Microsoft and ZeniMax’s recent marriage. Some were previously available. Many are new. However you slice it, if you’re a member of Microsoft’s games-on-demand service, you now have 20 largely excellent games at your fingertips. You obviously cannot play all of…
By Ari Notis -
CultureRoblox Goes Public, Wall Street Decides It’s Worth Six Bethesdas
The Roblox Corporation, maker of the online game creation platform Roblox, went public yesterday, selling shares in the company on the New York Stock Exchange for the first time since it was founded back in 2004. It ended the day trading at just under $70, giving it a valuation of $45 billion, or approximately six…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureSTALKER 2 Might Get Mod Support On Xbox
STALKER developer GSC Game World is currently investigating the possibility of including mod support for the upcoming sequel on Xbox Series X/S. These details first came to light on Russian podcast “Не занесли,” the most recent episode of which included an interview with GSC Game World public relations manager Zakhar Bocharov. According to translations by…
By Ian Walker -
CultureDozens Of Rust Servers Wiped Out In Data Center Fire
A fire that broke out overnight in Strasbourg, France destroyed one of OVHcloud’s data centers and damaged a second, Reuters reports. The French government and Centre Pompidou, which houses a public information library and modern art museum, had their data affected by the fires, as did Facepunch Studios, maker of the online survival game Rust…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureMicrosoft Confirms Some Future Bethesda Games Will Be Exclusive To Xbox And PC [Update]
Microsoft’s $7.5 billion acquisition of Bethesda Software parent company, Zenimax Media, is complete, the company announced today. While the full ramifications of the deal will play out in the months and years to come, Xbox boss Phil Spencer did confirm one thing: some of Bethesda’s future games will be exclusive to Microsoft’s platforms. “With the…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureRegulators Approve Microsoft’s $7.5 Billion Acquisition Of Bethesda Parent Company Zenimax Media
Microsoft’s $7.5 billion purchase of Zenimax Media, parent company of Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and Doom maker Bethesda, has cleared another set of hurdles, winning approval to proceed from both the European Commission and US Securities and Exchange Commissions “The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, given the combined entity’s limited…
By Ethan Gach -
CulturePSA: The Witcher 3 Is Leaving Game Pass
The cycle of Game Pass continues unabated. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will depart Microsoft’s games-on-demand service on March 15. This is usually the point where I’d say something trite like, “If you haven’t played this tremendous open-world masterpiece, which many consider one of the best games of all time, be sure to check it…
By Ari Notis -
OpinionSorry PS5, Xbox Series X Has Unexpectedly Become My Preferred Console
I started this new generation of game consoles with the expectation that I would be playing most games on the PS5, like how I played most stuff on PS4 last gen. But nearly five months later, I’m spending most of my time on the Xbox Series X and now I feel bad, like I’m ignoring…
By Zack Zwiezen -
CultureReport: Elden Ring Has Pages
Fans of Elden Ring, the joint collaboration between Dark Souls maker FromSoftware and Game of Thrones writer George R. R. Martin, have been desperate for confirmation that the game is still real and will eventually come out. It now sounds like they have an answer: according to a new report by VGC, trailer footage of…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureXbox Live Has Been Down For Over 5 Hours (Update: It’s Back)
Update (9:47 p.m. ET, 02/25/2021): Shortly after Kotaku first reported on Xbox Live’s outage, the service appears to be back up and running. You’re welcome! Our original story follows below. Trying to get some gaming in this lovely Thursday night? Well, if you’re on Xbox, that’s too bad, because various functions of Xbox Live have…
By Ian Walker -
OpinionImpressionsXbox’s New ‘FPS Boost’ Feature Is The Real Deal
Yesterday Microsoft released FPS Boost, a new backward-compatibility feature for the Xbox Series X and S. FPS Boost will…well boost the framerate dramatically in specific, older games when you play them on a next-gen Xbox. After playing around with FPS Boost a bit I’m excited and impressed. This could be a big change in the…
By Zack Zwiezen -
CultureNew Xbox Backward-Compatibility Feature Improves Framerates On Select Games
Microsoft announced today that it is further improving Xbox Series X/S enhancements to backward-compatible games with a new feature known as Xbox FPS Boost, which does exactly what it says on the tin. “With certain titles, we can make the experience even better, all with no work required by the developer, and no update needed…
By Ian Walker -
CultureNew Microsoft Program Could Help Devs Make Games More Accessible
Microsoft is starting a new program that will allow developers to send in Xbox and PC games to be evaluated by a team of accessibility experts, the company announced today. “Where issues are found, they are noted with reproduction steps, screenshots, and other information to help the developer understand what aspect of a given experience…
By Ian Walker -
CultureMicrosoft Announces The All-New Xbox Wireless Headset
Behold the new official Xbox Wireless Headset, a sleek and stylish-looking set of ear cups packed with fancy features like voice isolation and supporting spatial audio technology like Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos, and DTS Headphone: X. It’s even got auto-mute, which can be toggled on or off but should probably just be left on. On…
By Mike Fahey -
CultureMetro Exodus‘s Free Upgrade Adds 4K Textures And Lots Of Ray Tracing
Last year 4A Games promised us that 2019’s Metro Exodus would be receiving a free next-gen upgrade, for both Microsoft and PlayStation’s new boxes, as well as the series’ home, PC. Today they’ve revealed just how next-gen it’s going to be. Look, I could just pretend for you that I know what a “Fully Ray…
By John Walker -
CultureForza Horizon 4 Is Coming To Steam In March
Microsoft’s gorgeous British countryside racer Forza Horizon 4 is coming to Steam on March 9, the company announced today. It marks the latest in a long line of first-party Microsoft games coming to rival platforms, and the first time a Forza game has ever appeared on Valve’s storefront. The Steam version of Forza Horizon 4…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureFinal Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age Is Finally Headed To Xbox Game Pass
Remember all those Final Fantasy games Microsoft promised back in 2019 were coming to Xbox Game Pass? Another one is finally about to show up. Microsoft announced this morning that Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age is headed to the Netflix-style subscription service on console and PC, on February 11. Long story short, Microsoft announced…
By Ethan Gach
