Microsoft

I Met A Genuine Pirate Legend In Sea Of Thieves

This weekend, I sat down to play Sea of Thieves. As I sailed on my lonesome, passing time until my friends could log on, I returned to port and ran into another group of players. This type of encounter usually leads to disaster, but I was instead treated to a surprise: I had come face…

FTC Warns Nintendo, Microsoft, And Sony To Review Warranty Terms

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) gave Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony a 30-day window in to change their console warranty language to let consumers know they can make repairs or use third-party replacement products without voiding them. The FTC said in a press release on April 10 that various companies, including some in the video game…

Halo Online Fan Project Goes On Hold After Microsoft Intervenes 

A team of modders working to make the unreleased Halo Online playable have halted work after Microsoft contacted them in an effort to protect its intellectual property. Developed for the Russian market and based in the Halo 3 engine, Halo Online would have been only the third game in the series to be playable online…

Microsoft plans to let Xbox users link their Discord accounts in the future. This means Discord users on PC will be able to see if their friends are playing Xbox One games. There won’t be any direct communication beyond that between the two platforms but it’s a nice addition. 

Sea of Thieves Players Compete To See Who Can Find The Most Treasure

Finding a single treasure chest in the Xbox One pirate game Sea of Thieves can involve up to 30 minutes of sailing and riddle-solving. Sail longer, and players can stack their ship with loot. Some intrepid pirate crews are doing that, waging a treasure “arms” race as they cover their decks with hundreds of chests…

It Seems That Metal Gear Solid V and Vanquish Will Be Free For XBL Subscribers Next Month

An unlisted video on the official Xbox YouTube channel has appears to have revealed May’s Games with Gold lineup, so get ready to hit some home runs in Super Mega Baseball 2 and ride a horse in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. According to the video, May’s Games with Gold are: Xbox One…

Sea of Thieves, One Month Later

Sea of Thieves released one month ago, offering a massive ocean playground for cool player stories along with a frustrating lack of activities and grindy progression. Developer Rare has outlined new content plans for the future, but even without fancy new ships or expansions, the story of Sea of Thieves has as many ups and…

Modders Are Still Working On The Never-Released Halo Online Game

Halo Online is a free-to-play version of the popular shooter series that was only ever offered in a closed beta test in Russia in 2015. After years on ice, a mod that makes it playable the world over is getting a brand new version on April 20. A new trailer, first spotted by PC Gamer,…

Morrowind, Bioware & Star Wars Classics Coming To Xbox One Backwards Compatibility

Microsoft has just announced a new batch of original Xbox games coming to the Xbox One’s backwards compatibility feature, and there are some damn good ones on offer, including KOTOR, Morrowind, Jade Empire and the original Star Wars: Battlefront games. Here’s the full list of original Xbox games on the way: Hey, if you’ve never…

Sea Of Thieves: The Kotaku Review

Playing Sea of Thieves feels a bit like working in a theater before the set has been completely built. There’s plenty of space to goof around and a few swords in the wings to have mock fights with, but none of its quite ready for show time. A lack of features and polish has frustrated…

Sea Of Thieves Players Can’t Stop “Insta-Brigging” Each Other

Sometimes, you need to get a little rowdy when playing Sea of Thieves. But if you cause too much trouble, your crewmates might end up locking you in the brig. Or they might just lock you up for the hell of it. Many solo players joining crews are finding themselves instantly locked up without any…

This Week in the Business: No cursing like sailors on the Sea of Thieves 

STAT | 2 million – Number of Sea of Thieves players in the game’s first week of release. It is Microsoft’s fastest-selling first-party original IP since the Xbox One launched in 2013 QUOTE | “We’ve clarified that use of offensive language and fraudulent activity is prohibited. We’ve also clarified that violation… may result in suspensions…

Sea of Thieves Player Becomes First To Reach Max Rank But Not Everyone Is Impressed

Sea of Thieves is a grindy game where even high level quests can grant only a pittance of gold and reputation. One dedicated streamer has reached maximum reputation with the game’s three factions to become a pirate legend and unlock a secret hideout. There are three major factions in Sea of Thieves: the covetous Gold…

Sea of Thieves Gets Its First Wave Of Hackers

Being a pirate in Sea of Thieves sometimes means being an asshole, using whatever methods you can to kill your foes and plunder their loot. Some Sea of Thieves players are taking this to the next level by relying on hacks to conquer the high seas. As first noted by WIndows Central, Sea of Thieves…

Planned Sea of Thieves Death Tax Canceled After Community Outcry

Sea of Thieves is off to a rocky start; it’s a cool game but feels a bit like a beta. Developer Rare has been trying to address this by adding new features. One proposed feature, a sort of death tax, was met with immediate community disapproval, prompting Rare to quickly cancel the feature. There are…

Being A Sea of Thieves Pirate Sometimes Means Being An Asshole

Sea of Thieves is mostly about hunting down treasure with your friends, but every now and then things get ugly. In a game where everyone wants loot and crews can battle each other at the drop of the hat, the line between being a pirate and being a jerk feels razor-thin. There’s only a few…

Microsoft Executive Is Open To Putting Banjo In The New Smash Bros

Banjo and his partner Kazooie haven’t been in a Nintendo game since 2005’s Banjo-Pilot thanks to complicated intellectual property rigamarole that cropped up when Microsoft acquired Rare in 2002. With a new Smash Bros. coming to the Switch, there’s plenty of speculation about new fighters. Microsoft’s Executive Vice President of Gaming seems completely fine with…

Sea Of Thieves Servers Weren’t Prepared For So Many Players

It was anything but smooth sailing for yesterday’s global launch of Sea of Thieves, as the game’s servers struggled to keep up with a massive influx of new pirates. Players were plagued by problems connecting to the game, random disconnects, matchmaking errors and more. At one point, developers had to temporarily suspend new players joining…

Players Say Xbox Game Pass Glitch Is Stopping Them From Playing Some Games [UPDATE]

Xbox Game Pass is supposed to enable Xbox owners to play more games, not less. Unfortunately, over the last few days, some Xbox One owners have reported being unable to play certain games they own due to an error with Game Pass, a problem Microsoft has confirmed it’s looking into. Xbox Game Pass is a…

Microsoft is going to host a separate event at E3 this year. The Microsoft Theater where the company has its June 10 briefing will also have fan activities and game demos. There will still be a Mixer booth at the Los Angeles Convention Center though, so Microsoft isn’t abandoning the E3 show floor completely.