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Microsoft has released its latest earnings report, and among the takeaways are some new numbers and data points regarding the Xbox brand. In total, gaming revenue for Microsoft grew by 16%. Hardware sales saw the biggest surge, growing by 166% thanks to "continued demand" for the Xbox Series X and S consoles. Additionally, Xbox content and services revenue rose by 2%. Microsoft saw growth in Xbox Game Pass subscriptions during the period, though the company did not announce a new figure. The last time Microsoft announced a subscriber number was in January 2021 (18 million). More recently, Microsoft announced that Xbox Game Pass subscriber numbers did not grow by as much as it expected. The growth in Xbox content and services revenue was also positively affected by first-party games, but was offset by "declines from third-party titles," Microsoft said, though it did not name any titles outright. According to Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, Game Pass might have 30 million members--but Xbox boss Phil Spencer has pushed back on this. On an earnings call, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the Xbox division set records for monetization and engagement during the period. He added that growth is expected in the future with the launches of several key titles, including Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5, as well as the expansion of Xbox Cloud Gaming. Nadella also spoke about how many developers use Microsoft's Azure services, including Bungie and Krafton. Microsoft is a gigantic company and gaming is just one segment. Overall, Microsoft posted revenue of $45.3 billion (+22%) for the quarter ended September 30. In terms of income, Microsoft made a profit of $20.5 billion. Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently spoke about how Microsoft plans to acquire even more gaming studios in the future. "We're definitely not done," Spencer said. "There's no quota, no timeline where I have to go acquire studios by a certain time, but if we find a studio where we have a good fit... absolutely." Game Pass is poised for even more growth soon, Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite releasing over the next couple of months. View the full article

Gran Turismo 7 aims to be an extremely realistic racing game--and there'll be hundreds of cars to experience that realism in. According to a new video, the upcoming entry in the Gran Turismo series will feature over 400 cars. The teaser video posted by PlayStation shows off some of the stranger and unique vehicles in the game's collection. Producer Kazunori Yamauchi states that the studio is, in particular, trying to represent pockets of automotive history, which means that you'll be able to drive concept and historical vehicles from different eras in racing. In addition, the video has nice shots of some of these cars; you can watch it in the embed below. If you're curious about how Gran Turismo 7's 400+ cars stacks up against other racing games, it comes in somewhat lower than recent titles. Gran Turismo 6, for instance, boasted over 1,200 cars, while Forza Motorsport 7 featured more than 700. Of course, it's important to note that the comparisons aren't perfect, since Gran Turismo 7 is developer Polyphony's first title to come out on PS5 and development likely involves new challenges as a result. Gran Turismo 7 launches on March 4 for PS4 and PS5. Polyphony recently published another behind-the-scenes video talking about the elements of car appreciation represented in-game that don't involve driving, such as photography, customization, and collection. In addition, the studio revealed the bonuses you'll get if you preorder the game. View the full article

A major update for Doom Eternal has arrived, the primary component of which is the new Horde mode. This single-player mode will challenge you to think and act even faster than usual, as you're in a constant rush to eliminate your opposition without dying to maximize your score. But alongside simply laying waste to everything put in front of you are optional milestones that unlock corresponding rewards, all of which are new for Horde mode players. Below, we've put together a rundown on all of the available milestones and the rewards you can expect for each. These are all a mix of the usual types of cosmetics that Eternal players will be used to: titles, podiums, stances, intros, and other ways to help you customize your look both in the game's menus and when jumping into Battlemode with other players. Fortunately, many of these milestones are fairly straightforward and are the sorts of things you'll accomplish by playing Horde mode. Others will prove much trickier, requiring you to play on Nightmare difficulty, which is no joke. Some milestones also involve completing bounties, which are sets of optional objectives you'll be presented with during each Horde mode mission; they might involve getting different types of glory kills on specific enemies or destroying certain weakpoints. Again, you might do these just by playing, but if you're looking to complete all of these milestones, you'll want to pay careful attention to bounties as they come up (particularly gold ones) to ensure you're destroying the minions of Hell in the particular way you're asked. Alongside these milestones are a separate set of rewards that you'll earn just by reaching certain point thresholds. These don't need to be completed in a single run, so each time you play, you'll make progress toward them. There are two sets of master collection rewards to complete--Classic Doom 2 Marine and Biker Slayer--each consisting of more cosmetic items to customize yourself with. Let's Play Complete the first Horde mode mission Rewards: Baby Slayer icon (Deluxe) Kill Counter title (Deluxe) Blood Punchout Complete the first Horde mode mission on Nightmare Rewards: Tutorial Slayer skin (Special Edition) Reinvent the Weapon Wheel Re-collect all of the weapons on the weapon wheel Rewards: DoomGuy-in-the-Box icon (Deluxe) Company Man title (Deluxe) Weapon Lord Re-collect all of the weapons on the weapon wheel on Nightmare Rewards: Arcade Slayer skin (Special Edition) Game Over Beat Horde mode Rewards: Bad Bidet icon (Deluxe) Impending Doom icon (Deluxe) The Summoner title (Deluxe) Kill Screen Beat Horde mode on Nightmare Rewards: Golden Bounty Lord skin (Special Edition) Max Credits Complete Horde mode with 20 extra lives in your inventory Rewards: LAN Party podium (Special Edition) Screen Slayer icon (Deluxe) Time Attack Complete 5 bounties total Rewards: Tongue Tied (Deluxe) Score Attack Complete 35 bounties total Rewards: Tricky Devil icon (Deluxe) Axecutioner title (Deluxe) Skill Shot Complete 2 gold bounties total Rewards: Ebony Praetor skin (Special Edition) Ebony Praetor icon (Special Edition) Ebony title (Special Edition) Jackpot Complete 30 gold bounties total Rewards: Super Turbo Turkey Puncher 3 podium (Special Edition) Multifaceted title (Deluxe) Playing With Power Kill 20 demons with powerups total Rewards: Daisy Slayer icon (Deluxe) Onslaught Machine Kill 300 demons with powerups total Rewards: Holographic icon (Deluxe) Y'all Respawn Now, Y'Hear? icon (Deluxe) More Kill Madness Kill 5 demons with gold powerups total Rewards: Ivory Praetor skin (Special Edition) Ivory Preator icon (Special Edition) Ivory title (Special Edition) Score-cerer Kill 30 demons with gold powerups total Rewards: Scarlet Preator skin (Special Edition) Scarlet Preator icon (Special Edition) Scarlet title (Special Edition) Rich Get Richer Acquire 30 coins total Rewards: Lux weapon skin (Special Edition) Murder Magnate icon (Special Edition) Bajillionaire Acquire 400 coins total Rewards: Lux Slayer skin (Special Edition) Fancy Pants title (Special Edition) View the full article

Hot on the heels of Blizzard announcing an upcoming name change for Overwatch's McCree, the developer has announced that players can now change their BattleTags for free for a limited time. Normally, BattleTag changes cost $10, but you can now request a new name for no cost from now until November 5. Getting a new BattleTag just requires you to fill out this customer support form. Note, however, that this won't stack if you already possess a free name change and haven't used it. "As we introduce a new name, you might have the desire to do the same," the developer stated on its website, suggesting that this promotion is in conjunction with renaming McCree to Cole Cassidy. This change came about because he had previously been named after an ex-Blizzard employee who was forced to leave for his role in the ongoing Activision-Blizzard sexual harassment case. Activision Blizzard is in the midst of a lawsuit by the state of California, which alleges that the developer has a pattern of harassment and mistreatment of women. Blizzard is nonetheless still working on Overwatch 2, which is currently slated for a 2022 launch. View the full article

It seems like Ubisoft will send you an email about your lack of playtime in Far Cry 6 if you stop playing it. GamesIndustry.biz Managing Editor Brendan Sinclair first pointed this out in an email he received from Ubisoft, showing Far Cry 6's main protagonist, Anton Castillo, looking at him directly in the eyes. The message that came with the email was, "It was amusing watching you fail." "Hola, Rojas. I wanted to thank you for giving me free rein in Yara. Take it easy, and know that Yara is in capable hands," the message continues. This is referencing the game's main character, Dani Rojas, and their fight for the country of Yara. Further down, the message says, "Surely you can do better than this," with it ending with Sinclair's playtime in bold, showing that he only played three hours of Far Cry 6. Sinclair went on to explain his low playtime, saying that he didn't really enjoy the game. So if you are thinking about moving on from liberating Yara, then reconsider! Or else Ubisoft will email you and Castillo will take over Yara. He actually won't—you'll still be at the same time and place you left off of last time. In GameSpot's Far Cry 6 review, Phil Hornshaw said, "Far Cry 6 is often a fun game that feels like it's throwing everything at you, and if you want a heap of content, Far Cry 6 absolutely has you covered. In isolation, a lot of its elements are interesting ideas. Taken together, though, it feels like a lot of disparate things that keep taking your attention back to menus and map icons." Far Cry 6 is now available on PC, Google Stadia, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. View the full article

DICE's Battlefield series returns this November with Battlefield 2042, which takes players to the near future with a US and Russia proxy war raging and natural disasters everywhere. We got our hands on the beta and came away generally impressed. But if Battlefield specifically isn't your cup of tea, or if you want to try something else in a similar vein, we're rounding up 10 games that are similar to Battlefield that you might enjoy. For the purposes of this article, we're considering a number of Battlefield-like qualities such as enormous maps, chaotic battles, huge player counts, and vehicular combat. Battlefield is not the only show in town, and there are plenty of good, fun games like it that you might enjoy. Arma III ARMA IIIBohemia Interactive's Arma III bears a number of similarities to Battlefield. It features a massive, sprawling map and is also set in the near future. The game is stacked with a number of realistic-looking weapons and equipment, and it has a wide variety of vehicles, too. Another great thing about Arma III that keeps it fresh and interesting more than seven years after launch is its robust modding community that is seemingly always releasing new content. Read our Arma III review. See at Amazon Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Call of Duty: Modern WarfareIf you like Battlefield's trademark massive maps and huge player counts, 2019's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare might also appeal to you. In a first for the series, Modern Warfare's Ground War mode pushed the player cap to 32v32, which put it on par with Battlefield (until 2042, which upped the player count to 128 on new consoles and PC). Ground War is set on some of the biggest maps ever for Call of Duty and Call of Duty's best-in-class gunplay carries over successfully. Ground War also lets you drive a number of different armored vehicles, just like Battlefield. Read our Call of Duty: Modern Warfare review. See at Amazon Call of Duty: Warzone Call of Duty: WarzoneOne of Battlefield's biggest competitors in the FPS space is Activision's Call of Duty series, and the battle royale game Warzone may appeal to Battlefield fans. Warzone has a gigantic map, bigger than anything in Battlefield, featuring many different points of interest and locations to explore in a battle royale last-player-standing setting. There are plenty of vehicles and a great array of varied weapons, items, and equipment that contribute to creating the type of "watercooler" moments that Battlefield is known for. If the standard battle royale game type is not your thing, Warzone also has some modes featuring respawning, too. Read our Call of Duty: Warzone review. See on PlayStation Store Halo: The Master Chief Collection Halo: The Master Chief CollectionNot every mode in Halo might appeal to Battlefield fans, but there is one that could: Big Team Battle. Halo's largest game type drops players onto the franchise's biggest maps for a chaotic multiplayer experience that is less white-knuckle than standard Slayer and more social and wacky, where you can almost never predict what will happen. Whether you're playing a standard Slayer or objective-based mode like Capture the Flag, Halo's Big Team Battle mode offers some of the zaniest, most frenetic multiplayer the series has to offer. And with a variety of vehicles like Wraiths and Banshees to pilot, combined with excellent shooting and a vast arsenal of weapons and equipment, The Master Chief Collection could be a Battlefield fan's next fave. Read our Halo: The Master Chief Collection review. See at Amazon Hell Let Loose Hell Let LooseDeveloper Black Matter's World War II shooter Hell Let Loose invites players to duke it out in battles set in the Western Front at places like Carentan, Omaha Beach, and Foy. The game pits two teams of 50 in a battle for control of capture sectors set on sprawling maps. There is a meta game element, too, as each zone that is captured gives the capturing team a new resource to help capture the next. Hell Let Loose has 14 classes, including recon and assault variations, so players can select the operator that's best for them. The maps were created using aerial photography and satellite imagery, and the game runs on Unreal Engine 4. Unlike other modern shooters, kill/death ratio is not always the most important element in Hell Let Loose, as players are called on to work together to have the most success. See on Steam store PUBG PlayerUnknown's BattlegroundsIf you like Battlefield's large-scale combat, its huge arsenal of weapons, equipment, and vehicles, and its gigantic player counts, then PUBG is probably another game worth trying out. A battle royale game, PUBG drops players onto a giant map, and they try to to become the last person or team standing. Like Battlefield, the game requires skill, persistence, and strategy for success. Read our PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds review. See on Steam Squad SquadIf you're a fan of Battlefield's trademark large-scale multiplayer, you might enjoy Squad, the military shooter from developer Offworld Industries. The first-person shooter released in 2020 and puts a focus on team play and communication, with squads that work together and coordinate often having the most success. The 50v50 game has 20 multiplayer maps, vehicles, and a variety of vehicles to help you get around. There are a number of military factions to join, including the US Army, Russian Ground Forces, Canadian Armed Forces, the Middle Eastern Alliance, and the British Army, among others. See on Steam store Star Wars: Battlefront II Battlefront IIAlso developed by DICE, Star Wars: Battlefront II is a phenomenal sci-fi shooter featuring a huge roster of giant maps that successfully captures the feeling of being part of a giant Battlefield-like war. There are many different character classes to choose from, also like Battlefield, which allow you to play the game how you want and tailored to your style. DICE very clearly took lessons and feedback from Battlefield for Battlefront, and it turned out great. Read our Star Wars: Battlefront II review. See at Amazon Team Fortress 2 Team Fortress 2Valve's Team Fortress 2 might have released back in 2007, but the game is still thriving today and it's, simply put, a well-made team-based shooter that is a helluva lot of fun. The lighthearted, colorful shooter pits two teams against each other in objective-based game modes on a variety of maps. There are numerous character classes to choose from, including a sniper and an engineer, and teams that are successful usually work together and strategize to win. See on Steam Verdun Verdun2015's Verdun is a World War I shooter not unlike DICE's own Battlefield 1. The game supports 32v32 multiplayer matches set on maps based on real-world battlefields of the first World War in places like France and Belgium. The game aims for realism with its arsenal of authentic World War I weapons, clothing, and gear, and there are a variety of modes to try out. If you enjoy Verdun, there is a standalone expansion called Tannenberg, and a sequel, Isonzo, in the works. Read our Verdun review. See at Amazon View the full article

BlizzCon 2022, which was to take place in February and be a largely virtual event alongside small, in-person gatherings, has been cancelled. The decision comes amidst ongoing lawsuits and investigations alleging widespread sexual harassment and discrimination at Activision Blizzard. Blizzard says that the energy usually dedicated to putting on the yearly convention will instead be put towards "supporting our teams and progressing development of our games and experiences." With no BlizzCon for next year, Blizzard will also take the extra time to "reimagine" what the event could look like. "The first BlizzCon was held 16 years ago, and so much has changed in the time since--most notably, the multiple ways in which players and communities can come together and feel like they are a part of something bigger," Blizzard's statement reads. "Whatever the event looks like in the future, we also need to ensure that it feels as safe, welcoming, and inclusive as possible." New game announcements and updates are usually shared at each year's BlizzCon, but while there won't be a BlizzCon 2022, there will still be news on that front in the months ahead. "We have a lot of exciting upcoming news and releases to share with you," Blizzard's statement reads. "You'll continue hearing about those through our franchise channels, with the talented people on the BlizzCon team playing a part in supporting these efforts." Blizzard is currently in production on Diablo IV, Overwatch 2, and, presumably, the next World of Warcraft expansion. None of the titles mentioned above have an official release date. View the full article

Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries is finally sharing more details on the game's campaign, and this kicked off in a big way with a brand-new campaign demo on Monday (watch it again below). Another video focused on Escharum was released on Tuesday, and now even more insight on the campaign has come to light. In a blog post, 343 teased out more of what to expect from Halo Infinite's story. Set on Zeta Halo AKA Installation 07, Halo Infinite sees players tracking down the Banished across a variety of locations in an open-ended structure. But why have the Banished taken over Zeta Halo? And who is the new enemy, the Harbinger? These mysteries and more may be at the heart of Halo Infinite's story. "Our beloved old Installation 07 has always been rife with intrigue and importance within the larger Halo narrative, but if you think you can’t teach an old ring new tricks, you might be in for a surprise or two," 343 said. "The Banished have hold of the installation and are trying to make it their own, though to what end--and for what reason--remains unknown. One thing is certain: they aren't going down without a fight. And speaking of unknowns, we also got our first look at the Harbinger. We don't have a lot to say about this curious character at the moment, but I will give you this: They're definitely not a Prelate." Prelates are, according to Halo lore, supersoldiers that fight for the Covenant. One of the UNSC Forward Operating Bases that players must recover in Halo Infinite343 said it will have more to reveal about Halo Infinite's campaign and its "enigmatic narrative threads" in the lead-up to launch in December. A pair of new screenshots were released, too. Halo Infinite's campaign calls on players to travel through the map and clear out Banished enemies who have taken hold of UNSC bases. It appears players can move through the campaign at their own pace and go where they want to, as opposed to the more strictly linear campaigns of early games. 343 said, "Oh, and make sure you take back every UNSC Forward Operating Base you can. Rumor has it they have stories to tell..." A fresh look at Halo Infinite's campaignAfter a lengthy delay, Halo Infinite launches on December 8 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S through Game Pass. The multiplayer element is a free-to-play standalone game. There won't be campaign co-op until 2022, and Forge is coming after launch as well. View the full article

Call of Duty: Vanguard is less than two weeks from launch, and the Call of Duty Twitter account has shared a video of a Vanguard Zombies marketing tactic that is scaring people in real life. Perfect for the spooky season, realistic zombie heads were mounted to a huge display ahead of the recent worldwide reveal of Vanguard Zombies. Since then, these gory zombie heads have been scaring curious onlookers with random growls and surprise movement. Interestingly enough, this Zombies display was constructed in London. Some fans speculate that the display being chosen for London is hinting at a return of the popular London Docks multiplayer map from Call of Duty: WWII. It's also possible this is a tease for a future Zombies map location. However, this could just be timed with the recent announcement of Sledgehammer Games' new office opening in the UK. The UK-based office is located in Guildford, which is close enough for a commute from London. Currently, Vanguard's Zombies mode is confirmed to launch with the map Der Anfang, which is a new objective-based mode similar to Black Ops Cold War's Outbreak. Here are all the details from the big Zombies reveal. Call of Duty: Vanguard launches on November 5 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC. The new game will launch as Activision Blizzard faces a lawsuit from the state of California over alleged harassment and discrimination against women. View the full article

Battlefield 2042 will usher in a new era of warfare when it releases next month, and with it will come the franchise's first non-binary character, Emma "Sundance" Rosier. Fans noticed various descriptions for the character using they/them pronouns, prompting one fan to ask whether or not Sundance is non-binary. EA Dice community manager Adam Freeman responded, confirming Sundance does use they/them pronouns. Sundance is one of 10 unique Specialists in Battlefield 2042, which each come with their own special traits and abilities. Hailing from France, Sundance is an Assault-type Specialist and comes equipped with a handy wingsuit for quickly navigating the battlefield, alongside the ability to use smart explosives that track targets. EA recently revealed the remaining five Specialists players will be able to use in Battlefield 2042 at launch, with characters like the technology hacking Navin Rao from India, the shield-using Dozer from Mexico, the threat-assessing Ji-Soo Paik from South Korea, and the healing-focused Angel from Romania. A recent open beta for Battlefield 2042 saw fans complaining about the new Specialist system, with the main argument being that it doesn't seem to be a great replacement for the franchise's more traditional classes. The beta also suffered from numerous technical issues and bugs that had players frustrated. DICE has responded to many of those criticisms, citing the ways the game will be improved in time for launch in a detailed blog post. Battlefield 2042 releases November 19. Those who preorder the gold or ultimate editions of the game will be able to start playing a week early on November 12. View the full article