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Xbox Has Limited Spots For A Free 'Once Human' Open Beta This Week

Update: The game's final beta goes live on Wednesday night.Fancy playing something new this week? Xbox has just opened up registrations for a free Once Human closed beta on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, which is taking place from March 26th through to April 8th.This is an open-world supernatural survival game that released on Steam back in 2024, and has a "Mostly Positive" average based on over 80,000 user ratings. The full console version is planned to release later in 2026 for Xbox and PS5, and this closed beta will give players a taste of what to expect from the free-to-play multiplayer experience.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Ori Creator Shares His Take On The Future Of Xbox's First-Party Strategy

"It still looks like Xbox is sitting on an absolute goldmine".It's no surprise that multiple people in the industry are sharing their thoughts about the state of Xbox Game Studios and Xbox's other first-party teams, as the rumours have been flying around about potential job cuts and studio closures.One of those people is the head of Moon Studios, Thomas Mahler, who delivered two Xbox console exclusives in Ori And The Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps before they later released on Nintendo Switch as well.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Xbox CSO Shuts Down Rumour About Exclusives, Insists They'll Happen Every Year

It had been suggested they might "reverse course".There have been many rumours floating around about Xbox over the past 24 hours, with most of them centred around potential studio closures, but another one has related to exclusives and how Xbox might "reverse course" on them.Windows Central editor Jez Corden took to social media earlier today to state that the rumour was "fanfic", and that "exclusive games is a foundation of the strategy for post memory crisis".Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Eight Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Late June 2026

Here's what's leaving soon.Microsoft has revealed the next eight games leaving Xbox Game Pass in late June 2026, with all of these being highlighted as "leaving soon" on the official Xbox Wire website.There are some big departures in here, including two Tomb Raider games (Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition and Rise of the Tomb Raider), popular shooter Payday 2, and a couple of addictive favourites in Slay The Spire and Unpacking.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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These Seven Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass, Including A COD Surprise (June 16 - July 6)

Microsoft reveals the latest batch.Microsoft has today revealed the second official roundup of Xbox Game Pass titles for June 2026, with seven games joining the service from June 16 - July 6, including a surprise COD addition in the form of Call of Duty: Vanguard.Bizarrely, we already had Shift at Midnight down for June 17th and Age of Empires Mobile: PC Edition for June 25th on our Game Pass guide, but they weren't mentioned in today's roundup. We'll keep an eye on the situation for those.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Full List Of Xbox Achievements Revealed For Halo: Campaign Evolved

"Enjoy the hunt!".We're now just a little over a month away from the release of Halo: Campaign Evolved in late July, so it's no surprise that the Xbox achievements have officially surfaced for it, as shared by the team over at Halo Waypoint.In terms of the most lucrative achievements here, there's one for completing the campaign on each difficulty setting, ramping up in gamerscore the higher you go (10-40G). There's also one for completing an entire Remixed campaign without dying once (40G), one for finding all Skulls and Terminals (50G), one for completing the campaign with LASO enabled (50G), and one for completing every single achievement in the game (50G).Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Forza Horizon 6 Update Now Live On Xbox & PC, Free Car Being Given To All Players

It's the "Series 2" update.In the midst of everything that was going on last night in regards to potential Xbox studio closures, the folks over at Playground Games unveiled the "Series 2" update for Forza Horizon 6, which includes some quite significant tweaks.Looking at the patch notes, arguably the most notable thing here is that they've "improved" the difficulty balancing and adjusted how Driveatars behave at the start of races. A common complaint since launch is that the AI has been too challenging and aggressive, so it'll be interesting to see if these tweaks prove popular with FH6 fans at large.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Double Fine Reacts To Xbox Closure Rumours With Single Emoji

Racks up 400,000+ views in the process.Last night was crazy, wasn't it?! All sorts of rumours and reports were flying around about potential Xbox studio closures, with some of the affected companies including Compulsion Games, Ninja Theory and Double Fine.Nobody said anything from Compulsion or Ninja Theory last night, but we did hear from Double Fine - literally in the form of a single emoji on social media, posted across X/Twitter and BlueSky.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Report: Multiple Xbox Studios In 'Active Negotiations' With Microsoft To Avoid Closure

Including Double Fine, Ninja Theory & more.Today has been absolutely dominated by reports that one or more Xbox studios could be closed soon by Microsoft, and Bloomberg is now reporting that at least three are in active negotiations with Microsoft over their futures.The outlet names Compulsion Games (which was already rumoured to be shutting down), Double Fine (Psychonauts, Keeper, Kiln) and Ninja Theory (Hellblade) as these studios, with several others also "at risk of being shuttered". It was previously rumoured earlier today that Arkane could be in trouble as well.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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The First Review Is In For The Adventures Of Elliot: The Millennium Tales

Famitsu gets ahead of the main embargo.Arguably the biggest new Xbox release this week is Square Enix's The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, and while we've still got a few days until its June 18th release, the first review has officially arrived for it.This is coming from the Japanese outlet Famitsu, which has given the game a 34/40 rating. We haven't found a transcript of the review itself yet, but the score has been doing the rounds on social media.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Compulsion Games, Ninja Theory & Others Might Be Getting Shut Down By Xbox

Update: Negotiations seemingly taking place.Just a few minutes ago, we reported on a rumour that suggested Xbox could be closing two studios in 2026, with one of them being Compulsion Games - the studio behind We Happy Few and South of Midnight.The folks over at Kotaku are also now reporting that Compulsion Games is set to be shut down, with the outlet stating it's "unclear" how many people will be impacted, although the studio potentially employs over 100 workers right now.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Compulsion Games Might Be Shut Down By Xbox, Says Report

Update: Source says they're in negotiations with Microsoft.Just a few minutes ago, we reported on a rumour that suggested Xbox could be closing two studios in 2026, with one of them being Compulsion Games - the studio behind We Happy Few and South of Midnight.The folks over at Kotaku are also now reporting that Compulsion Games is set to be shut down, with the outlet stating it's "unclear" how many people will be impacted, although the studio potentially employs over 100 workers right now.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Compulsion Games Might Be Getting Shut Down By Xbox, Says Report

PureXbox

Compulsion Games Is Being Shut Down By Xbox, Says Report

Creator of We Happy Few and South of Midnight.Just a few minutes ago, we reported on a rumour that suggested Xbox could be closing two studios in 2026, with one of them being Compulsion Games - the studio behind We Happy Few and South of Midnight.The folks over at Kotaku are also now reporting that Compulsion Games is set to be shut down, with the outlet stating it's "unclear" how many people will be impacted, although the studio potentially employs over 100 workers right now.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Rumour: Journalist Suggests Two Xbox Studios Are 'At Risk Of Being Closed' In 2026

One said to be a complete shock.Back on Thursday, we covered a couple of reports from Bloomberg and The Verge that suggested Xbox could be in line for some major job cuts soon, and that a studio closure or "changes to the lineup" could be involved as well.<related ids="202467">Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Two Key Members Of Xbox Game Studios Are Stepping Down

"I’m proud to say we delivered many flawless launches".You can't go a day without some kind of big story in the world of Xbox right now!This latest one concerns the leadership at Xbox Game Studios, as boss Craig Duncan has announced that he's stepping down from his role, and Chief of Staff Louise O'Connor is doing the same thing.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Fable Developer Highlights The Pros & Cons Of Delaying To February 2027

"There was initially a little bit of disappointment".Amidst the craziness of the Xbox Games Showcase and all the other Xbox news that's been doing the rounds over the past couple of weeks, it was unfortunately confirmed that Fable was being delayed to February of 2027.Speaking to GamesRadar last week, Playground Games General Manager Ralph Fulton admitted that the delay caused "a little bit of disappointment" amongst the Fable development team, as they'd been fixated on a 2026 release.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Excited For Mistfall Hunter? It's Free To Play On Xbox For The Next Week

Ahead of its Xbox Game Pass release in July.Over the weekend, we highlighted a bunch of games that are already confirmed for Xbox Game Pass in July 2026, and one of them is Mistfall Hunter - a new PvPvE extraction ARPG releasing on July 29th.If you're intrigued about it and want to know more, we've got the perfect solution in the form of a Mistfall Hunter Open Beta that's literally just begun on the Microsoft Store for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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These Are The Top 10 Xbox Backwards Compatibility Requests After 750,000 Votes

For both the original Xbox and Xbox 360.Back at the start of May, we highlighted the top 10 Xbox backwards compatibility requests after 350,000 votes on the unofficial Xbox Game Preservation website - a website that's been vouched for by Xbox's Jason Ronald in the past.<related ids="200654">Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Multiple Football Games (Including A New Game Pass Title) Arrive On Xbox This Week

Got World Cup fever? Check out these new additions!How are you finding the World Cup so far?! Interested in playing some new football / soccer games on Xbox? Well, we've got a few new arrivals this week, including a new Xbox Game Pass addition that's been quietly revealed too.As mentioned in our "Games Coming to Xbox Next Week" roundup on Saturday, Copa City, Do You Really Know About Soccer? and Soccer Kid Collection are all releasing for the first time on Xbox this week.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Roundup: The Results From Our Xbox Games Showcase 2026 Predictions

They seemed like safe-ish bets, but we didn't do that well!As always, the staff here at Pure Xbox HQ published our prediction list for the Xbox Games Showcase a couple of weeks ago, and as always, we didn't get them 100% right. We're not psychics or mind-readers after all!Nevertheless, we thought we'd take a quick look at the ones that came true - 3/8 of them in the end. This also provides a chance for us to ask about your predictions and how they fared, so please tell us in the comments down below.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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10+ Games That Have Been Revealed For Xbox Game Pass In 2027 Already

Six months to go, and we've already got a stacked lineup!It's already been an amazing year for Xbox Game Pass, and we've been constantly updating our big Xbox Game Pass guide for 2026 with all the latest announcements, but now we're going to have to make a 2027 version ASAP as well!The past week has seen loads of games receive 2027 release dates for the Xbox Game Pass service, joining a few others that were confirmed earlier in the year. We've got the likes of Fable, Clockwork Revolution, Persona 4 Revival, Spyro: A Realm Beyond, Senua, State of Decay 3 and so many other great titles in here.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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'We Have To Turn This Into A Sustainable Business' - Microsoft CEO Discusses Future Of Xbox

Satya Nadella shares his thoughts.The big boss of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, recently appeared in a Hard Fork podcast event in San Francisco, and he was questioned a little bit about the future of Xbox and what the plans are going forward.Specifically, the first Xbox-related question was about Asha Sharma and Matt Booty's latest memo regarding the next 100 days of the business, and how they're essentially planning to "reset" and figure out new business models.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Roundup: Here's What The First Previews Are Saying About Stuntman: Hollywood

We've got some gameplay footage too.Last week's State of Play event included the reveal of Stuntman: Hollywood — the return of a series that hadn't existed since the Xbox 360 era — and the first hands-on previews have been going live this week.For those who aren't aware, Stuntman is a series where you drive fast vehicles in high-octane action sequences as a film director gives you instructions on what to do, and this latest entry is looking particularly ambitious!Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Six Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In July 2026 So Far

An early look at what's to come.As we always do around this time of the month, we're taking an early look today at what's ahead for July 2026's Xbox Game Pass selection, with six games currently scheduled to arrive next month.There are a couple of titles in here that don't have a specific release date yet, but they've still been announced for July, so we'll include them in the summary as well. Keep an eye out for more news on those games ASAP.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Feature: These 30+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (June 15-19)

Including at least three new Game Pass titles!Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for June 15-19! The big release of the next few days is Square Enix's The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, but don't forget about the likes of Copa City and Escape the Backrooms as well, along with three Xbox Game Pass titles (at least) highlighted by Denshattack! on the 17th.Here's what's coming to Xbox next week:Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 13-14)

Getting into the World Cup spirit?Welcome to the weekend! There's some great new content to enjoy on Xbox over the next couple of days, including a bunch of recent Xbox Game Pass titles and three Free Play Days additions, and if you happen to be in the World Cup mood like we are, don't forget about the likes of EA Sports FC 26, Football Manager 26 and other great footie games!Here's what we're playing on Xbox this weekend:Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Microsoft Has Considered 'Spinning Out Or Restructuring' Xbox, Claims Report

Potentially as a wholly-owned subsidiary.You can't have a quiet Friday night in the world of Xbox these days, can you?!Out of nowhere, the folks over at The Information are reporting today that Microsoft has considered "spinning out or restructuring" the Xbox brand, although it's not something that's said to be imminent. The report mentions how multiple options haven't been "ruled out", including turning Xbox into a wholly-owned subsidiary or creating a "joint venture with other partners".Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Xbox & Activision Reveal Campaign Early Access Details For Call Of Duty: MW4

Begin playing a week early!The folks over at Xbox and Activision have announced today that they're adding campaign early access to pre-orders of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, meaning you can start playing it on October 16, 2026.This specifically applies to the Standard Digital Edition or Vault Edition of the game across multiple platforms including Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Read the full article on purexbox.com

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Xbox CCO Explains Why Marvel's Blade & Elder Scrolls 6 Didn't Appear At The Showcase

Let's be honest, it's pretty self-explanatory.Following the Xbox Games Showcase this past Sunday, there was a bit of talk about Marvel's Blade and why Bethesda's new Xbox IP didn't appear at the event despite being announced a few years ago.Xbox's Chief Content Officer Matt Booty was asked about this in an interview with Variety (published on Wednesday), to which he explained that not everything can make it into the show, with "other beats coming up in the year".Read the full article on purexbox.com

PureXbox News

Xbox Has Limited Spots For A Free 'Once Human' Open Beta This Week

Ori Creator Shares His Take On The Future Of Xbox's First-Party Strategy

Xbox CSO Shuts Down Rumour About Exclusives, Insists They'll Happen Every Year

Eight Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Late June 2026

These Seven Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass, Including A COD Surprise (June 16 - July 6)

Full List Of Xbox Achievements Revealed For Halo: Campaign Evolved

Forza Horizon 6 Update Now Live On Xbox & PC, Free Car Being Given To All Players

Double Fine Reacts To Xbox Closure Rumours With Single Emoji

Report: Multiple Xbox Studios In 'Active Negotiations' With Microsoft To Avoid Closure

The First Review Is In For The Adventures Of Elliot: The Millennium Tales

Compulsion Games, Ninja Theory & Others Might Be Getting Shut Down By Xbox

Compulsion Games Might Be Shut Down By Xbox, Says Report

Compulsion Games Might Be Getting Shut Down By Xbox, Says Report

Compulsion Games Is Being Shut Down By Xbox, Says Report

Rumour: Journalist Suggests Two Xbox Studios Are 'At Risk Of Being Closed' In 2026

Two Key Members Of Xbox Game Studios Are Stepping Down

Fable Developer Highlights The Pros & Cons Of Delaying To February 2027

Excited For Mistfall Hunter? It's Free To Play On Xbox For The Next Week

These Are The Top 10 Xbox Backwards Compatibility Requests After 750,000 Votes

Multiple Football Games (Including A New Game Pass Title) Arrive On Xbox This Week

Roundup: The Results From Our Xbox Games Showcase 2026 Predictions

10+ Games That Have Been Revealed For Xbox Game Pass In 2027 Already

'We Have To Turn This Into A Sustainable Business' - Microsoft CEO Discusses Future Of Xbox

Roundup: Here's What The First Previews Are Saying About Stuntman: Hollywood

Six Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In July 2026 So Far

Feature: These 30+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (June 15-19)

Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 13-14)

Microsoft Has Considered 'Spinning Out Or Restructuring' Xbox, Claims Report

Xbox & Activision Reveal Campaign Early Access Details For Call Of Duty: MW4

Xbox CCO Explains Why Marvel's Blade & Elder Scrolls 6 Didn't Appear At The Showcase

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