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Featured

Xbox Showcase Won’t Have Next-Gen Helix News

The upcoming Xbox Games Showcase on June 7 will not feature announcements about the Project Helix console. Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty said on the latest Xbox Podcast that Microsoft also won't share much about the company's broad strategy plans for its future under the leadership of Xbox CEO Asha Sharma. Instead, the Xbox Games Showcase will be all about games . "We really want to focus on the teams and on the games. This is not going to be a place where we talk about strategy broadly. There are certainly some strategic things out there and some things we want to bring clarity to. But the focus here is on the games," he said. "For the long term, we want to make the right decisions, not fast decisions. There won't be Helix news. Helix will not be in this showcase. We want to get everything about that right." Booty said Xbox will provide answers to "broader strategic questions" and the Helix console at some point later. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwYglyND1EA&rco=1 The Xbox Games Showcase takes place on Sunday, June 7, with an Xbox Direct event immediately following that will focus on Gears of War: E-Day. One of the games confirmed for the Xbox Games Showcase is the Fable reboot, which has been delayed to February 2027. Booty said Microsoft will have "some really cool stuff to show for Fable" at the showcase. Fable was going to be developer Playground's second big release for 2026, following the successful launch of Forza Horizon 6. Another big game that Microsoft has on tap for 2026 is Halo: Campaign Evolved, which will bring the Halo series to PlayStation for the first time.

gamespot.com
Off The Grid Targets October Full Release

Off The Grid Targets October Full Release

After six years of active development, we are taking Off The Grid into full release. Six years of work will converge into one five-month sprint. Since its launch, Off The Grid has been continuously polished and refined based on community feedback. Every patch has been shaped by what players asked for. From June to October, we will release several major updates to take Off The Grid to new highs and line it up alongside the most successful games of all time. The early-access phase ends in October, on Off The Grid's 2-year anniversary, with the full release of the game. Here’s what you can expect to evolve and change over the coming months. Phase 01 – June Foundation, Performance, & Social The foundation of the release cycle: platform-wide performance gains, OpenSea marketplace polish, the start of a deeper gameplay rework, and a stronger social and squad layer that drives session-over-session retention. Look for an FPS Uplift (+50-80% Across Platforms), OpenSea Product Page Redesign, Weapon Balance & Deep Progression Rework, and Squad Rework / Social System Improvements. Phase 02 – July Legendary Weapons, Marketplace 2.0, & Onboarding First wave of Legendary Weapons goes live alongside the full in-game Off The Grid Marketplace 2.0 rebuild, the redesigned onboarding tutorial, and in-match proximity chat. Phase 03 – August HUD & Game-Feel Pass Sharpen what the player sees and hears in every match, a clearer HUD, stronger combat feedback, more readable moment-to-moment gameplay. Beyond HUD Updates, expect visual & audio gameplay feedback, and a brand-new onboarding tutorial. Phase 04 – September Anti-Cheat & Mainnet Migration Layered security goes live, and every remaining testnet user is moved onto mainnet, closing the on-chain gap before the public release. Find newly implemented proprietary AI Anti-Cheat alongside Easy Anti-Cheat, along with migration from the testnet to the mainnet. Phase 05 – October Public Release, 2-Year Anniversary Off The Grid graduates from Ear

gameinformer.com

Microsoft delays Fable (again) to avoid GTA VI

Microsoft has delayed its upcoming Fable reboot once again. The game was set to launch in autumn 2026, but Microsoft now says that Fable will come out in February 2027. However, it will show a "new look" at the game at its Xbox Games Showcase on June 7th. "​​This is year is packed with incredible games for XBOX players to enjoy, from Halo: Campaign Evolved, Gears of War: E-Day and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 to Control Resonant, Star Wars: Galactic Racer and Grand Theft Auto VI," Microsoft says on the Xbox account on X. "In order to plan our game launches through the holidays, in a way that works best for players, we're moving Fable to Fe … Read the full story at The Verge.

theverge.com
Fable Has Been Delayed To February 2027

Fable Has Been Delayed To February 2027

Fable has officially been delayed to February 2027, Xbox has confirmed. Originally scheduled to release in late 2026, the next game from Forza Horizon 6 developer Playground Games has instead been shifted to Q1 2027. Talking about the delay, Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty explained that while Xbox is confident with how Fable is shaping up, it wants to give the game a "window" to shine all on its own. "We're excited about where the game is. We want to make sure that the game has a window of its own, so we are going to move it from this fall to February," Booty said in the Xbox podcast. While he didn't outright mention it, Booty's comments do suggest that Microsoft wants to avoid competing with Grand Theft Auto 6, which launches on November 19. Fable originally had a nebulous release date of Fall 2026, but signs of a possible delay cropped up earlier this year when Playground stopped signing off messages to fans with a Fall 2026 release date at the end. https://youtu.be/BwYglyND1EA "In order to plan our game launches through the holidays, in a way that works best for players, we’re moving Fable to February 2027 so it can have the dedicated moment it deserves," Xbox added in a social media post. Fable steering clear of GTA 6--which Booty described as one of the "biggest entertainment moments" of the year--makes sense when you also factor in Xbox's tentpole game for the year, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. Launching on October 22, Modern Warfare 4 should have enough breathing room to avoid direct competition with GTA 6, and the game is only coming to Xbox Game Pass a year after launch. Call of Duty games are usually one of the best sellers of the year, but last year's Black Ops 7 was the worst-performing Call of Duty game since 2008. Microsoft hasn't revealed concrete dates yet for Halo: Campaign Evolved and Gears of War: E-Day, but it's likely that more details on those games will be revealed at next month's Xbox June Showcase. The Not-E3 Guide To Summer Game F

gamespot.com

Fable Delayed To February 2027

Xbox has delayed Fable to February 2027. It revealed this in a post on X, explaining that it is delaying Playground Games' upcoming reboot of the storied Xbox franchise to give it "the dedicated moment it deserves" amid a packed rest of the year. Playground just launched its latest racer, Forza Horizon 6, earlier this month, and it seems the team will get more time to work on Fable now. Xbox has plenty of other 2026 releases, though, to fill the Fable-sized void, including Minecraft Dungeons II, Halo: Campaign Evolved, Gears of War: E-Day, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, which just got revealed yesterday. That's not to mention the industry specter that is Grand Theft Auto VI, which is set to launch in November as well. "In order to plan our game launches through the holidays, in a way that works best for players, we're moving Fable to February 2027 so it can have the dedicated moment it deserves," the post reads. "We're excited to be giving players a major new look at Fable, as well as our broader lineup, at Xbox Games Showcase on June 7." As that post mentions, Xbox is expected to highlight upcoming releases like Fable, Halo: Campaign Evolved, and more alongside the usual surprise announcements that these Summer Game Fest-timed showcases feature. Game Informer's video crew will livestream their reactions to the showcase when it airs on Sunday, June 7, at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. Be sure to bookmark Game Informer's 2026 Summer Showcase Schedule to stay up to date on when each presentation airs. Fable will launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC sometime in February of next year. Do you think delaying Fable to 2027 is the right call? Let us know in the comments below!

gameinformer.com

Modern Warfare 4’s DMZ Map Might’ve Been Teased In Call Of Duty’s Latest Video

Call of Duty's latest video "From The Ward" is a documentary showing a behind-the-scenes look at Infinity Ward's development of Modern Warfare 4, and one scene could be teasing a first look at the game's DMZ map. DMZ was originally introduced with the reboot of Modern Warfare 2, bringing the elements of an extraction shooter to Call of Duty as the game's third mode. DMZ also took place on the same maps used for Warzone, so it's possible the map image shown below will be used for both modes in Modern Warfare 4. Zooming in on the right side of the developer's monitor reveals a map highlighted with various levels of difficulty or "heat zones," similar to what we've seen in the past with DMZ, MWZ, and even Black Ops 7's sandbox-style Endgame mode. The map is seemingly codenamed as "Tumen." The design features way less water than Endgame's Avalon map, but it's hard to determine how big this map will be in comparison. We've learned about Modern Warfare 4's multiplayer and campaign, but Activision is saving DMZ's full reveal for June 7. So far, the publisher has described DMZ as having "changing weather, dynamic military objectives, and hostile forces." Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2. Unfortunately, this means the old generation of consoles are losing support, and Warzone will also no longer be playable on PS4 and Xbox One after the start of the game's first season. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 preorders are live now, and Activision has also confirmed a "Loyalty" discount that allows players to get 10% off the game's Vault edition. Unfortunately, due to Xbox's recent changes to Game Pass, Modern Warfare 4 will not be available for subscribers on launch day.

gamespot.com

The Witcher 3’s Songs Of The Past Expansion Was Supposed To Release Sooner

The Witcher 3's upcoming expansion, Songs of the Past, was originally targeted to release this year, but developer CD Projekt Red pushed it to 2027. During an earnings call, CD Projekt's joint-CEO Michal Nowakowski said there was a "moment" when the Polish studio envisioned releasing Songs of the Past in 2026, but it was decided that shifting to 2027 would allow for "the best possible result." "We had a moment where our plans assumed that Songs of the Past would be released this year, but we decided, together with the dev team, that the game would be released in 2027 to achieve the best possible result from the consumers’ standpoint, which, in the end, is the ultimate thing that matters," he said. Another CD Projekt executive, Piotr Nielubowicz, said while Songs of the Past shifted to 2027, the company still has other unannounced projects coming this year. "We have some other content currently at an advanced production phase--and while obviously not on the same scale as the expansion, we still plan to release it this year," he said. Songs of the Past is an expansion--don't call it DLC--that has players suiting up as Geralt of Rivia once more on a new adventure. Not much is known about the story and the content, but during a recent livestream, social media manager Laura Beitzel said the expansion will be "aligned with" The Witcher 3's previous expansions, Blood and Wine and Hearts of Stone, in terms of size and scope. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4asecMMnP4E Fans have theorized that Songs of the Past will connect in some way to The Witcher 4. One leading theory is that the new sword seen in the key art for Songs of the Past will eventually go to Ciri, the main character in The Witcher 4. That remains to be seen, but community manager Amelia Korzycka said during the stream that the new sword is "very important" for the story. "You will get to know it when the game comes out,” Korzycka said, as reported by Kotaku. During the earnings call, Nielubowicz said Songs of

gamespot.com

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Cosmetics Will Feel “Authentic” To Series, Devs Claim

Call of Duty fans have the same several questions every time a new entry is revealed, and one fairly contentious one involves the inclusion of crossover skins that break away from the franchise’s milsim aesthetic. If we take the word of Modern Warfare 4 developer Infinity Ward, the upcoming game will commit to authenticity. Emphasizing that "every aspect" of Modern Warfare 4 is "anchored in the game's narrative," an X post from Infinity Ward reads: "Every feature, every decision needs to feel authentic to what Modern Warfare is, and that includes cosmetics and collabs. We're committed to keeping it grounded and transparent, and we want to hear from you on what you'd like to see in our game." In response to an X post lamenting the infamous Nicki Minaj skin in Modern Warfare 2, the Infinity Ward account replied: "Nah, no Nicki," before asking the user what they wanted to see in the game. When a different user replied (presumably jokingly) with a request for Beavis and Butthead (who showed up in Black Ops 6), the Infinity Ward account simply retorted: "Nope!" https://twitter.com/InfinityWard/status/2060108836116349291?s=20 Of course, fans will recall that Activision made the same promise with last year’s Call of Duty entry, Black Ops 7. Developers Treyarch and Raven Software went back on their planned feature to carry over Black Ops 6 skins to 7, saying that "Black Ops 7 needs to feel authentic to Call of Duty and its setting." It took only months for Black Ops 7 to incorporate a crossover severely out of place from the game’s futuristic battleground, with content based on the film Half-Baked and a skin modeled after noted transphobe Dave Chappelle. From what we’ve seen of Modern Warfare 4 so far, it certainly looks like a gritty, grounded milsim. The game, set to launch on October 23, could very well change with updates and post-release content, but it’ll at least sport several improvements to the Modern Warfare formula.

gamespot.com

Call Of Duty: MW4 Features A “Different Version” Of Captain Price

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 brings back the popular and fan-favorite character Captain Price, played by Barry Sloane, but for the events of MW4, he's a changed man. Spoilers for the Modern Warfare series follow below. At the end of the campaign for 2023's Modern Warfare 3, Price kills General Shepherd, and that's something that Price "can't really come back from," according to MW4 narrative director Jeff Negus. He said in an Xbox Wire interview that Price in MW4 will be "a different version" of the character based on his choice to murder Shepherd in MW3. "We get to forge a new path for him, and see what happens when he’s now in different conflicts --how does this version of Price resolve that conflict?" Negus said. MW4's campaign follows multiple storylines, one being a group of young South Korean soldiers and the other following "a vengeful Captain Price" who is waging a "personal war from the shadows as he stays one step ahead of those hunting him." Eventually, the two stories will connect. "As Price's off-book mission collides with the forces behind the invasion, the war spreads beyond anyone's control," reads a line from MW4's story description. The MW4 story description goes on to describe Price as an "operator-turned-outlaw" who is now working "outside the system he once served." "A hunt for revenge draws Price toward a weapon powerful enough to shift the balance of power, setting in motion a conflict far greater than he ever anticipated," the game's description continues. "Forced into uneasy alliances and illicit operations, Price is pulled deeper into consequences he can no longer escape." MW4 launches on October 23 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. It's also coming to Nintendo Switch 2 at launch, with Activision's Digital Legends studio building the game's native edition for Switch 2.

gamespot.com

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