This Week on Xbox - March 16, 2018 Small Image

This Week on Xbox: March 16, 2018

We know you’re busy and might miss out on all the exciting things we’re talking about on Xbox Wire every week. If you’ve got a few minutes, we can help remedy that. We’ve pared down the past week’s news into one easy-to-digest article for all things Xbox! Or, if you’d rather watch than read, you can feast your eyes on our weekly video show above. Be sure to come back every Friday to find out what’s happening This Week on Xbox!

E3 2018: Microsoft Readies Biggest E3 Showing Ever
Since Xbox made its first appearance at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in 2000, Xbox has had a major presence at the show, delivering exclusive and powerful ways to let fans in on what we’re up to, and 2018 will be no different.  In fact, it will be our biggest showing ever. With the evolution of E3, now including fans and extended show hours, we saw an opportunity to create an entirely new show experience reaching E3 attendees and those that are following the show from afar.  With that, in collaboration with the Entertainment Software Association, the organizers of E3, we’re excited to announce that Xbox will be taking over the Microsoft Theater, a perfectly situated space… Read more

Surviving Mars Launches Today on Xbox One
We all like to think that we’ll see humans reach the surface of Mars soon – and we might even set up a colony within our lifetime. Science will keep on working on this challenge for a while, but thankfully, we can start living that dream in a more user-friendly way today. From all of us at Paradox Interactive and Haemimont Games, we are extremely proud to share our latest survival city-builder Surviving Mars with you today on the Xbox One family of devices. As of right now, you can journey to the Red Planet with your own copy of Surviving Mars, available to download and play immediately, starting at $39.99. If you want your colony to really have that new-world shine, you can also… Read more

GDC 2018 IDXbox Games Small

Announcing 18 New Games coming via the ID@Xbox Program
Our fifth GDC is just around the corner, and the ID@Xbox team can’t wait to descend on the Bay Area to chat with attendees, sit in on some interesting panels and showcase games from around the world to our fans. We’re excited to feature more than 50 games at the show that will be coming via the ID@Xbox program, including 18 newly announced titles, all of which will be joining us at either the Moscone Center Lobby Bar or at an exclusive press preview event during GDC. These newly announced games launching through the ID@Xbox program include 9 Monkeys of Shaolin, Apocalypse Cow, BackSlash, Can’t Drive This, Dead Ahead: Zombie Warfare, Exception, Flipping Death, Iris.Fall, Once Upon a… Read more

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds on Xbox Hits the 5 Million Player Mark!
This week we’re celebrating yet another milestone for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) on Xbox One: we have now passed 5M players! We’re very excited that the community continues to grow – reaching over 5 million players in less than 3 months is a major accomplishment and we’re happy so many of you are enjoying the game. We’ve also greatly appreciated all the feedback received from the community which is helping us create the best and most realistic Battle Royale experience. We just released the ninth optimization patch on March 2, which improved vehicle feedback, sound effects, matchmaking and more, and last week we shared our spring development roadmap with details on… Read more

Exercise Your Brain in the Amazing Indie Puzzle Sale
Who doesn’t love a good brain boost? As a gamer, there’s no satisfaction that quite rivals completing a difficult puzzle. Whether your preferred paradox entails exploring the mysteries of long forgotten ruins or trying to figure out how to destroy the world with a deadly plague, there should be something for you in the Amazing Indie Puzzle Sale. The sale has some of the best ID@Xbox puzzle games discounted by up to 75%. With Spring around the corner now’s the perfect time to clean out those brain cobwebs and add to your gaming collection with puzzlers like: The Sexy Brutale (50% off). Ever had to solve puzzles like your life depends on it…because now it does! The Sexy Brutale is a 3D… Read more

Get Pumped for the MLB Season with Custom R.B.I. Baseball 18 Opening Day Xbox One S Consoles
We’re celebrating the release of R.B.I. Baseball 18 for Xbox One on March 20 with the R.B.I. Baseball 18 Opening Day Xbox One S Sweepstakes! We’ve created 30 custom Xbox One S consoles and matching Xbox Wireless Controllers – one for every MLB team – to give away to 30 lucky Xbox fans in the U.S. and Canada. Each custom Xbox One S console will include a retail boxed copy of R.B.I. Baseball 18 for Xbox One. Enter now for your chance to win the custom Xbox One S console for your favorite MLB team at mlb.com/rbi18openingdaysweeps from now until 2:29 p.m. PT on April 13, 2018. Official rules can be found here. You can also pre-order R.B.I. Baseball 18 starting today! With R.B.I…. Read more

Shadow of the Tomb Raider Large Image

Shadow of the Tomb Raider Coming to Xbox One on September 14
Today, Square Enix announced that Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the next game in the beloved action-adventure series, will be coming to Xbox One and Windows PC on September 14, 2018. Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the third game and climactic finale in heroine Lara Croft’s origin trilogy, which began in 2013 with Tomb Raider and continued in 2015 with Rise of the Tomb Raider. You can watch the teaser trailer for the game above. Speaking of the previous games, if you haven’t had the chance to check out Lara’s most recent adventure, Rise of the Tomb Raider is currently available as part of Xbox Game Pass. Both Tomb Raider and Rise of the Tomb Raider are also available for purchase on the… Read more

Be More Pirate and Celebrate Sea of Thieves at Microsoft Store!
Ahoy! Grab your pirate crew and set sail at your local Microsoft Store to celebrate the launch of Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusive Sea of Thieves. Come aboard to a Microsoft Store near you on March 20 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., local time, and celebrate the free-roaming pirate life with your crew. Treasure will be awarded to those with the best pirate costumes. The first 200 attendees at the flagship Microsoft Store in New York and Sydney and 50 attendees across other store locations, starting at 5:30 p.m., will receive an exclusive Sea of Thieves poster! If you are in New York or Sydney, join us at the flagship Microsoft Store on Fifth Avenue or Sydney flagship Microsoft Store on Pitt… Read more

Planet Alpha Large Image

Announcing Adventure Game Planet Alpha
Planet Alpha is an adventure that takes place in a living alien world where you have the ability to control the day and night. It combines fast platforming, challenging puzzles and stealth moments with a unique art style to create an unforgettable experience. The Beginning The development of Planet Alpha was, and in many ways still is, a roller coaster and many things have changed since the game started as a spare time project of mine over four years ago: the name was swapped a couple of times, the gameplay went through a few iterations and best of all, we are now a small, but ambitious team working hard to create something special. But a few things always stayed the same, like… Read more

Gears Esports All Access Reality Series Announces Date and Time Change
Season 2 of Gears Pro Circuit is fully underway with two major open events already in the books and the Gears Pro Circuit Las Vegas Open only a few weeks away. Gears Pro Circuit All Access, the Mixer exclusive Gears of War Esports reality series, has been there from the beginning following the teams, players, rivalries and upsets. Beginning with the next episode on March 21st, All Access is now airing at 5:00pm PT/8:00pm ET moving from the previous starting time of 3:00 pm PT. Tune in next Wednesday to get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest LAN events. The series streams exclusively on Mixer.com/GearsofWar. Catch up on previous episodes on youtube.com/gearsofwar. Episode 1… Read more

Xbox One X Sea of Thieves Promotion Small Image

Buy Xbox One X, Get Sea of Thieves for a Limited Time
Games play best on Xbox One and there’s no better place to forge your adventurous pirate voyage than on a new Xbox One X console for the launch of Sea of Thieves! In celebration of its March 20 release, exclusively on Xbox One and Windows 10, we’re excited to offer a limited-time promotion at participating retailers where the purchase of a new Xbox One X, which retails for $499.99 USD, will come with a digital copy of Sea of Thieves. The promotion will be available in most Xbox One markets starting March 18 through March 24, but start and end dates will vary by market, so you’ll want to check with your local retailer for more information. If you’re looking for the best value in… Read more

Inside Xbox One X Enhanced: Burnout Paradise Remastered
Many of gaming’s most compelling stories come from those who’ve helped to create our favorite Xbox One games. In our Inside Xbox One X Enhanced series, these creators will share the behind-the-scenes accounts of the work involved in enhancing these epic games for Xbox One X, how they’ve helped chart the course of the world’s most powerful console, and what that means for the future of gaming. Today, we’ll be chatting with Chris Roberts, Creative Director at Stellar Entertainment, about enhancing Burnout Paradise Remastered for Xbox One X. What specifically is your development team doing to enhance Burnout Paradise Remastered for Xbox One X (textures, draw, framerate,… Read more

Sea of Thieves Cannon Large Image

Xbox Unveils World’s First Pirate Blaster in Attempt to Break Guinness World Records Title
Xbox fans, to celebrate the launch of our biggest new IP of the year, we are going all out! Everyone is invited to help Xbox celebrate the launch of Sea of Thieves on Xbox One and Windows 10 PC, a new shared-world adventure game that provides freedom, action, and excitement creating the quintessential pirate experience. Witness history as we try to break a Guinness World Records title with the Sea of Thieves Human Cannonball Launch. On Tuesday, March 13 at 10 a.m. PT, David “The Bullet” Smith will attempt to break a Guinness World Records title for the Greatest Distance Travelled as a Human Cannonball using the Xbox Pirate Blaster, a 12,000 lb, 34-foot long cannon that will accelerate… Read more

Xbox and David Smith Set a New Guinness World Records Title for a Human Cannonball
Did I just wake up from a crazy dream or did David “The Bullet” Smith really break his own Guinness World Records title for Greatest Distance Travelled as a Human Cannonball for the launch of Sea of Thieves?! Yesterday was such an incredible Xbox livestream event and we’re so happy you viewers at home were able to tune-in! David launched 195 ft through the air out of the Xbox Pirate Blaster, a 34 ft long cannon at Raymond James Stadium, breaking his old Guinness World Records title of 193.8 ft. The flight was a wild ride for David who was in the air for about five seconds before an impact stop on the landing airbag. On the Mixer Xbox Channel, all of the passion, comments, and use… Read more

Sea of Thieves Controls Feature Large Image

A Deep Dive on the Controls for Sea of Thieves on Xbox One and Windows 10
Sea of Thieves is just days away from us hitting the high seas of adventure on Xbox One and Windows 10. And as much fun as we’re looking to have, there are a few things we’ll need to remember as we’re running around looking for buried treasure, navigating giant swells on the high seas, and matching swords against skeletons and fellow pirates. To help, we’ve put together a one-stop guide that covers all the controls for Sea of Thieves on both Xbox One and Windows 10. Default Controller Layout Default Keyboard and Mouse Layout   On Land As you find yourself romping among the islands and looking for treasure, the controls are primarily designed for you to have quick… Read more

Survive with the State of Decay 2 Collector’s Edition
At Xbox, we focus on giving players a lot of choices to show their love for our franchises. Last week, we announced that State of Decay 2 will be launching on May 22, 2018 with both a Standard Edition and an Ultimate Edition (as well as a part of Xbox Game Pass). Today, we have something new to announce for the zombie survival fan: the State of Decay 2 Collector’s Edition. The Collector’s Edition includes an exclusive SteelBook® case, zombie mask, and “thumb-drive,” this collectible edition also includes a State of Decay 2 patch and a human brain SteelBook® stand. Fans can pre-order the Collector’s Edition today at their favorite retailer for $69.99. Please note, that State… Read more

Q.U.B.E. 2 Key Art Large Image

Q.U.B.E. 2: the Enthralling Puzzle Platformer is Back
Q.U.B.E. 2 is supporting the Xbox One X straight out of the box so we thought we’d share our experience on why the Xbox One X is the perfect way to experience the beautiful world of Q.U.B.E. 2. One of our major focuses when developing the game was to take the mundane cubes of the first game and craft beautiful and lush environments. Although the game looks great on Xbox One S, Xbox One X allowed us to drastically increase the graphical quality of lighting, particles, and environments. This gives players the opportunity to become fully immersed in the world that we, the developers, wanted to create, and significantly adds to a deeper gaming experience. In the prequel, Q.U.B.E.,… Read more

Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet Tips and Tricks
Hey Xbox Gamers, welcome to your first dive into Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet, or more accurately, the name of the game within the game: Gun Gale Online. For those familiar with the hit anime series, SWO: Fatal Bullet takes place at the start of the Phantom Bullet arc. You play as a newbie to GGO, recruited by your friend Kureha (Cure-rah-hey). After taking on your first quest, you stumble upon an extremely rare, newly implemented AI in the game: an ArFA-sys Type X, A.K.A., an artificial financial advisor system. This AI bonds to you immediately, becoming your (new) companion, leading you on quests as you and your new friends try to find more information on this mysterious NPC. So… Read more