Xbox | The Verge The Verge is about technology and how it makes us feel. Founded in 2011, we offer our audience everything from breaking news to reviews to award-winning features and investigations, on our site, in video, and in podcasts. 2026-10-08T18:15:08+00:00 https://www.theverge.com/rss/microsoft-xbox/index.xml https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/verge-rss-large_80b47e.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1 Tom Warren <![CDATA[Forza Horizon 6 is being delayed on PS5 to January 2027]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=989314 2026-10-08T14:15:08-04:00 2026-10-08T14:14:25-04:00 A screenshot from the video game Forza Horizon 6.

Playground Games first revealed earlier this year that Forza Horizon 6 would be arriving on PS5 in 2026, but the launch is now being pushed back. I reported last month that there would be a delay to early next year, and Forza Horizon 6 is now officially debuting on January 26th, 2027.

The delay means the PS5 version will now coincides with a new expansion for the game. Playground Games will also sell a Premium Edition of Forza Horizon 6 on PS5 that offers up to five days of early access ahead of January 26th.

Forza Horizon 6 first debuted on Xbox and PC on May 15th, and the new expansion will also be available to these platforms in January …

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]]> Jay Peters Tom Warren <![CDATA[Xbox is launching a new film and TV division]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=1007602 2026-10-08T08:01:12-04:00 2026-10-08T08:01:12-04:00 Screenshot from A Minecraft Movie featuring Jack Black in a bright blue t-shirt.
Jack Black in A Minecraft Movie. | Image: Warner Bros.

Xbox is launching a new division, called "XP," that's dedicated to Xbox experiences that aren't video games, including films and TV adaptations, consumer products, live events, and partnerships with creators and brands. Different teams at Xbox already do this work, but it will all now fall under the centralized XP division.

XP formalizes four "investment areas," according to a blog post by Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball:

XBOX PICTURES: Bringing our worlds and characters to new audiences through film, television, and other forms of linear storytelling.

XBOX PRODUCTS: Creating products that are authentic to the fandom that al …

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]]> Tom Warren <![CDATA[Xbox has secured GTA 6 streaming rights]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=1005859 2026-10-07T01:35:38-04:00 2026-10-06T18:12:27-04:00

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma told employees that Microsoft is getting ready to do something around Grand Theft Auto VI that "no other platform holder is doing" during an employee all-hands this morning. According to sources familiar with Microsoft's plans, Sharma's brief teaser was actually about Xbox managing to land a deal for game streaming rights for Grand Theft Auto VI.

The deal will mean Xbox Cloud Gaming can stream Grand Theft Auto VI to players at launch, but it's not clear how long the agreement will be in place. Rockstar Games still hasn't announced a PC version of Grand Theft Auto VI, and a streaming deal would normally also allow Xbox t …

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]]> Andrew Webster <![CDATA[Gears of War: E-Day is a great game launching at a terrible time]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=1002768 2026-10-01T09:26:57-04:00 2026-10-01T09:00:00-04:00 A screenshot from the video game Gears of War: E-Day.

There are few blockbuster games that are as confident as Gears of War: E-Day. A prequel to one of Xbox's most transformative titles, E-Day knows exactly what it wants to be: a brutal, tense, and self-aware action game, one that is stronger because it doesn't deviate from that premise. Twenty years since the original Gears of War, there's still nothing like its particular brand of up-close cover shooter gameplay, and E-Day shows that it still hits hard two decades later. As Xbox moves into a messy new era focused on its biggest franchises, E-Day could be an early glimpse at the future of the platform. But it's also launching during one of the …

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]]> Tom Warren <![CDATA[‘Xbox is not for sale’ says Microsoft’s gaming chief]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=1002736 2026-09-30T12:48:52-04:00 2026-09-30T12:24:30-04:00 Asha Sharma on a background of green Xbox logos.
Asha Sharma. | Image: The Verge, Microsoft

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has denied reports that Microsoft is considering selling off its Xbox business. The Information reported in June that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood had been considering spinning out Xbox entirely, and then reported earlier this month that both execs have "more recently supported Sharma's plans to overhaul the unit."

"Xbox is not for sale," says Sharma in an interview with The New York Times. "We will do whatever it takes to set the company up for success, and we will look at the right partnerships, the right operating model and everything needed to achieve that."

It appears that Nadella and Hood have fav …

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]]> Tom Warren <![CDATA[Xbox’s Mythic Achievements are here and they’re just like PlayStation Platinum trophies]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=1002099 2026-09-29T12:17:16-04:00 2026-09-29T12:17:01-04:00

Microsoft is officially announcing its new Xbox Mythic Achievements today, and they're already available for Xbox Insiders to test. Mythic Achievements work a lot like Sony's PlayStation Platinum trophies and are unlocked once you've earned every original achievement for a game.

"Mythic Achievements have already been added to eligible games you completed in the past, including Xbox 360 titles," says the Xbox team. "The next time you visit your profile, you may discover that some of your favorite games have already reached Mythic status."

Xbox profiles will soon include a new gaming tab that lets you track Gamerscore milestones and Mythic A …

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]]> Tom Warren <![CDATA[The Xbox reset gets ugly]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=999919 2026-09-24T13:30:45-04:00 2026-09-24T12:00:00-04:00 Vector collage of the Xbox logo.

It feels like Xbox has been in a permanent state of turmoil for at least two years now, and this week is no different. Microsoft cut 268 jobs across its gaming division this week, shuffled major studios and franchises around, and continued its Xbox "reset."

Layoffs have become a way of life for Xbox employees, after Microsoft started cutting thousands in early 2024 and hasn't slowed down. The turmoil was particularly apparent when Microsoft started shutting down game studios, and the painful layoffs have had a lasting impact on morale, according to current and former Xbox employees I've been speaking to this week.

At the same time, Xbox h …

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]]> Tom Warren <![CDATA[Xbox’s Mythic Achievements sound like PlayStation’s Platinum trophy]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=999404 2026-09-23T13:08:47-04:00 2026-09-23T11:45:11-04:00 Vector illustration of the Xbox logo.

Xbox appears to be ready to launch its own version of PlayStation's platinum trophies. A new update to the Xbox PC app has revealed Mythic Achievements, which according to data in the app will appear once a player completes all the Achievements in a game.

Mythic Achievements appear on screen with a unique unlock sound, and players will reportedly be able to track them through the Xbox dashboard. Xbox players will also be able to display their Mythic count on their profiles. Some Xbox Insider testers have already started spotting references to Mythic Achievements in early versions of the Xbox dashboard.

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]]> Andrew Webster <![CDATA[Xbox is barely Xbox anymore]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=998758 2026-09-22T13:08:15-04:00 2026-09-22T10:50:00-04:00 The upper part of the Xbox Series X placed against a black background.

Xbox has become a shell of its former self - and things are only getting worse. As part of its planned cuts impacting around 3,200 workers, the company announced today more changes that will further dilute the brand. Studios are being consolidated, others are on the brink of being closed altogether, and Xbox's most iconic franchise, Halo, is being moved to a new developer. The future of Xbox looks more uncertain than ever.

Today's news includes "eliminating 268 roles across Halo Studios, other first-party studios, and the [Xbox Game Studios] management and central functions layer." But there is also plenty of reorganization happening, parti …

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]]> Tom Warren <![CDATA[Xbox is merging its Forza developers into a single studio]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=998592 2026-09-22T11:47:45-04:00 2026-09-22T10:01:17-04:00 A screenshot from the video game Forza Horizon 6.

Microsoft is uniting its two Forza developers into a single studio today, as part of a massive restructuring of Xbox. Playground Games, which develops Forza Horizon, and Turn 10 Studios, creators of Forza Motorsport, are merging together to focus on Forza Horizon and Fable.

"Playground and Turn 10 will come together as one studio focused on the Forza and Fable franchises," explains Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty in a memo. "These two studios have been technological, creative, and franchise partners for over a decade, and today's changes will formally move their work into one team."

The closure of Turn 10 Studios leaves big unanswere …

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