Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One app.

Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles. One news app.

The Latest Breaking News from Windows Central

Xbox's Backwards Compatibility Program and Cloud Gaming lead has been laid off from Microsoft after 37 years — "I wish the team nothing but success"

Microsoft's VP of Xbox Platform Kevin LaChapelle, who led the creation of Xbox Backwards Compatibility and Xbox Cloud Gaming, has been laid off.

Windows Central

IO Interactive regains full ownership of Project Fantasy from XBOX, but closes one of its studios

IO Interactive has regained full ownership of Project Fantasy after Xbox ended its funding partnership. The studio says development will continue independently, but it has also confirmed the closure of its Istanbul studio as part of broader restructuring.

Windows Central

How is id Software supposed to keep making DOOM after Xbox reportedly laid off half the studio?

Reported Xbox layoffs have reportedly affected around half of id Software, prompting concerns over the future of DOOM, the studio's acclaimed id Tech engine, and whether the legendary FPS developer can continue operating at the same level.

Windows Central

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Microsoft hit with class-action lawsuit over "unreasonable and excessive noise" from datacenter

Wisconsin residents have filed a class-action lawsuit against Microsoft, alleging its high-powered Fairwater AI datacenter emits a persistent, low-frequency "infrasound" hum. Microsoft claims its recent engineering efforts have fully resolved the issue.

Windows Central

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Sim Update 6 is on the way and you can already try it early

Sim Update 6 is the next big one heading to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and if you're impatient to try it out, there's good news for you.

Windows Central

"We've unbanned everyone affected by this bug" — Discord explains how over 8,000 users were banned, and why the platform had to scramble to undo the damage

Discord has explained a moderation bug that mistakenly banned hundreds of users after harmless grid-like images were incorrectly flagged as malicious. The company says more than 8,000 accounts were affected over recent months and that everyone impacted has now been reinstated.

Windows Central

Valve releases Windows PC drivers for Steam Machine — but official dual-boot support for SteamOS gaming is still missing

Valve has released official Windows drivers for Steam Machine, allowing owners to install Windows on the device. However, dual-boot support with SteamOS is still unavailable, leaving users to choose one operating system or the other.

Windows Central

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

"This should not be possible": How one indie game was refunded over 55,000 times on Steam — and the mystery behind it

The developer behind Paddle Paddle Paddle claims Steam users have refunded the game more than 55,000 times despite overwhelmingly positive reviews. The controversy has sparked renewed debate over whether Valve's two-hour refund policy is too generous for shorter games.

Windows Central

Xbox is refocusing on console spending that makes up 80% of its business — while stepping away from smaller game studios

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has revealed the company's renewed focus on its console business, which reportedly represents 80% of Xbox overall. As part of its wider restructuring, Microsoft is prioritizing consoles and major franchises while stepping away from smaller internal studios.

Windows Central

Windows 11 is accidentally wasting up to 500GB of your PC's storage

A bloated file is eating up dozens, or even hundreds, of gigabytes of storage on Windows 11 PCs. Microsoft has a fix ready to roll out, but users should be careful trying to manually delete the file in the meantime.

Windows Central

'State of Decay 3' has more wishlists on Steam than Xbox heavyweights 'Halo' and 'Gears of War' — a masterclass in Microsoft short-sightedness

State of Decay 3 was facing cancellation before Xbox thankfully found it a buyer — a buyer who will now reap the rewards of Microsoft's endless stupidity and impatience.

Windows Central

Windows 11 will soon be able to reinstall itself and your drivers without a USB drive via new 'Cloud Rebuild' recovery method

A new recovery option coming to Windows 11 will let you reinstall the OS and your drivers using the internet without a USB key, even when Windows itself is unbootable.

Windows Central

"Today is a difficult day": So far, Xbox's cuts haven't targeted Blizzard (for now) — President Johanna Faries emails staff

The World of Warcraft and Overwatch maker seems to have largely been spared from Xbox's broader cuts, although the future remains uncertain.

Windows Central

As Microsoft's Xbox layoffs wrack Bethesda, the dev's union voices frustration — "When will this cycle of cuts in pursuit of ever-greater profits end?"

As Microsoft's latest wave of mass layoffs hit Xbox, the union of Fallout and The Elder Scrolls dev Bethesda responds to the "stressful annual routine."

Windows Central

Get all your
news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One news app.

Windows Central

Microsoft should be jealous of what this file explorer just shipped

A third‑party file explorer just added Tree View, better multi‑pane controls, and cleaner navigation, once again beating Microsoft’s own File Explorer.

Windows Central

Report: Mass Xbox layoffs will impact Fallout and The Elder Scrolls devs Bethesda and ZeniMax "significantly" — they'll focus on their "biggest franchises" like DOOM

Microsoft's mass layoffs at Xbox have reportedly affected Bethesda and ZeniMax "significantly," though devs will still be able to work on their core IPs.

Windows Central

Xbox wants to entertain "more than a billion people each day" — and it’s restructuring the entire company to chase that goal

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has outlined a long-term ambition to reach one billion daily players as Microsoft restructures its gaming business. The goal would require unprecedented growth, raising questions about how Xbox plans to expand its global reach.

Windows Central

"Mojang ... will now report directly to me": Xbox CEO takes direct control of Minecraft to better compete with Roblox as Microsoft's huge gaming cuts hit

As Microsoft's mass Xbox layoffs come down, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma assumes direct oversight over Minecraft, Candy Crush, and its development teams.

Get all your
news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One news app.

Windows Central

Arkane’s Blade project is reportedly "running over budget", and the studio’s future at Xbox is now in question

Fresh reports claim Marvel's Blade is running over budget and has been delayed, while Microsoft reportedly works to secure Arkane's future amid its wider Xbox restructuring.

Windows Central

My plea to Xbox fans of the divested studios — put your money where your mouth is

Xbox's freed studios have a lifeline. Now I implore fans to put their money where their mouth is and buy their games.

Windows Central

I called this flight sim controller the coolest thing I’d ever seen for PC gaming — now it's coming to Xbox to fix its biggest downside

Honeycomb's Echo Aviation Controller adds Xbox support, delivering drift‑free sensors and deeper MSFS immersion while fixing its only real downside.

Windows Central

State of Decay 3 reportedly isn’t obligated to launch on Xbox Game Pass under new ownership

State of Decay 3 could have a very different future following Xbox's reported sale of Undead Labs. According to Game File, the game will not be contractually required to launch on Xbox Game Pass, raising questions about its eventual release strategy.

Windows Central

"AI is changing how work gets done": Microsoft insists 4,800 layoffs aren't because of AI, but points to a shifting workforce

Microsoft announced 4,800 layoffs, heavily impacting its Xbox and gaming-related divisions. While Microsoft's Amy Coleman clarified these roles are not being eliminated because of AI, her letter to employees emphasized how automation is fundamentally changing work.

Windows Central

Xbox hardware "is safe" from mass layoffs with a focus on innovation to reduce the material cost of Helix

Xbox hardware dodges mass cuts. Next-gen Project Helix is safe as engineers innovate to lower material costs.

Windows Central

Xbox's big "reset" cuts: Compulsion, Double Fine, Undead Labs, Ninja Theory to leave Xbox — 3,200 roles to be removed

Xbox's expected cuts have been revealed. It'll be the single biggest staff reduction event in the platform's history — although no announced projects have been cancelled, and no studios have been closed (so far).

1 … 8 9 10 11

People

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Organisations

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

Topics

Places

Fourteen days free

Download the app

One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.