Xbox backlash grows as developer claims ‘they don’t care’

Enotria: The Last Song, a Soulslike game inspired by Italian folklore, is set to release on 17th September for PS5 and PC. However, Xbox players will have to wait – perhaps indefinitely – due to platform submission issues and what the developer claims is a lack of support from Microsoft.

Jacky Greco, CEO of Jyamma Games, the studio behind Enotria, said: "We’ve Xbox Series X/S version ready, but we can’t proceed with submission and release. I spent a lot of money porting...

3 September 2024 | Gaming

Microsoft to launch web-based mobile app store in July

At the Bloomberg Technology Summit, Microsoft’s President of Xbox, Sarah Bond, declared that the company is set to launch its new mobile store this July. This long-discussed move aims to establish an alternative to dominant marketplaces like the App Store and Play Store.

Unlike traditional approaches, Microsoft plans to roll out its mobile game store via the web, rather than as a native application. This strategy allows the company to circumvent restrictive app store policies...

10 May 2024 | Android

Xbox and Inworld AI forge game-changing alliance

Xbox has unveiled a partnership with Inworld AI aimed at transforming game development using AI-powered tools.

In a blog post, Haiyan Zhang, General Manager of Gaming AI at Xbox, reflected on the evolution of gaming AI from the days of Ms Pac-Man to the present. Zhang highlighted the transformative potential of modern AI in creating living worlds, dynamic narratives, and intricate characters.

While traditional rule-based AI set the foundation, the integration of Large...

6 November 2023 | Artificial Intelligence

Sony accused of ‘blatant anti-competitive conduct’

Congress has raised concerns about Sony's monopoly on the gaming market in Japan, calling for an investigation into the firm's alleged "exclusionary conduct."

Senator Maria Cantwell told a Senate Finance Committee hearing: “Sony controls a monopoly of 98 percent of the high-end game market, yet Japan's government has allowed Sony to engage in blatant anti-competitive conduct through exclusive deals and payments to game publishers.”

Cantwell called on US Trade...

28 March 2023 | Gaming

Microsoft intends to launch a mobile app store

Microsoft is planning to launch a mobile app store that will compete against the App Store and Play Store.

According to Microsoft’s Xbox head Phil Spencer, Microsoft will take advantage of an upcoming EU law that will break up the monopoly held by the two major smartphone platform holders.

"We want to be in a position to offer Xbox and content from both us and our third-party partners across any screen where somebody would want to play," Spencer told the...

21 March 2023 | Android

Project Moorcraft: Xbox will pay game developers to publish demos

Xbox has unveiled Project Moorcraft, an initiative to boost the demos available on Game Pass while helping developers to earn some bucks.

This month is when game developers and fans usually flock to the E3 Expo to see the latest game reveals and platform updates and get their hands on early previews of upcoming titles.

E3 was put on hold during the pandemic and all the major gaming players switched to virtual events for their big reveals. Unfortunately, that meant lining...

9 June 2022 | Gaming

The Coalition celebrates Unreal Engine 5’s release with impressive demo

Game studio The Coalition has celebrated Epic’s launch of Unreal Engine 5 with an impressive tech demo.

The demo shows off Unreal Engine 5’s most exciting new features, including Nanite and Lumen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qbffi8abOg

Nanite is Unreal Engine 5's virtualised geometry system. According to Kate Rayner, Technical Director at The Coalition, Nanite allows for over 100x the detail that was previously possible.

“Our artists can create...

6 April 2022 | Development Tools

Unity says PSVR2 takes VR gaming ‘to a whole new level’

Unity held a ‘Building Next-Gen Games for PSVR2’ session at this year’s Game Developers Conference and the company appears to be as excited as many developers about the upcoming VR hardware.

"PSVR2 takes VR gaming to a whole new level, enabling a greater sense of presence and allowing players to immerse themselves into game worlds like never before", says Bria Williams, Senior Product Manager at Unity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ2bCnX5Sh0

The original...

1 April 2022 | Gaming

Microsoft says developers have earned $2.5B through ID@Xbox

According to Microsoft, game developers have made a fair chunk of change through its ID@Xbox program.

ID@Xbox is the gaming brand’s program to support independent developers and has been used to publish titles including Dead by Daylight, Warframe, SMITE, Dead Cells, Spelunky 2, The Long Dark, Kerbal Space Program, Human Fall Flat, Overcooked, Grim Dawn, Outer Wilds, and thousands of others.

Needless to say, ID@Xbox has been rather successful. The program has enabled...

29 March 2022 | Gaming

Microsoft sets out to woo regulators with ‘Open App Store Principles’

Microsoft is getting ahead of potential new laws governing app stores by announcing its Open App Store Principles.

Last week, Developer reported on Apple’s latest fight against such legislation after the company sent a letter to US lawmakers urging them to reject S. 2710—a bill that would force Apple to open its notorious “walled garden” and enable the sideloading of apps.

Microsoft has managed to avoid being the focus of high-profile antitrust investigations in...

10 February 2022 | App Stores