Latest news with #OfficialXboxPodcast
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Microsoft's AI Coach for Gamers Is Starting Tests Next Month
Xbox players will soon be getting an optional AI-powered gaming assistant to help them with game recommendations or to improve their skills, Microsoft revealed on the Official Xbox Podcast on Thursday. Announced last year, Copilot for Gaming is powered by Microsoft's AI assistant and is meant to help players save time and better experience games. This can include lessening the headache when downloading and updating titles or giving hints as to side quests they might miss out on. Copilot for Gaming will first hit mobile in April, and those interested can sign up for early access via the Xbox Insider program. It'll initially act as a second-screen companion via the Xbox mobile app. "It has to be personalized to you the way that you like to play and it should be able to help you get further in gaming, be your companion, and help connect you with families and communities," said Fatima Kardar, Xbox corporate vice president of Gaming AI on the podcast. For Kardar, who is fairly new to gaming, Copilot helps her with game recommendations, which is handy for someone not tuned into the latest releases. Jason Ronald, vice president of next generation at Xbox, added that Copilot can recommend the types of cars to drive in a racing game that better fits his play style, for example. In a demo shown during the podcast, Copilot assisted in Overwatch 2 by recommending which heroes to pick to counter others. Kardar notes that gaming is the only form of media that can leave people stuck. This is where Copilot can help gamers get through games. At the same time, she doesn't want Copilot for Gaming to be intrusive, meaning the AI will adapt itself to be personalized for how a player likes to play. Microsoft deferred to its blog post when asked for comment. The upcoming test is happening as Microsoft continues going all-in on AI. With the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, Microsoft made a multibillion-dollar deal with OpenAI. That deal led to the development of Copilot, Microsoft's AI assistant in Windows. We've since seen AI enter all parts of Microsoft's business, from PowerPoint to Azure. However, at the same time, the video game industry has been hit with layoffs throughout the last few years, including ones at Microsoft. Concerns have been raised of AI slowly replacing software developers. Last month, Microsoft revealed Muse, an AI model for gameplay ideation. Some developers are less keen on embracing it, however, suggesting that the technology is more of a cost-cutting measure than something developers are actually asking for. Xbox was careful to say that Copilot for Gaming would leave control to the player and any AI assistance would only be additive. The podcast also detailed that Xbox Play Anywhere, a program that allows gamers to pick up their games on either console or PC, has been expanded to include 1,000 titles. For more on AI in gaming, check out how developers are using the tech or how PlayStation is creating AI-generated characters in games.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fable is delayed until 2026, but Xbox Game Studios head says: "It's definitely worth the wait"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The Fable reboot, initially scheduled to release some time this year, has been delayed to 2026. "We are actually going to give Fable more time," Xbox Game Studios head Craig Duncan says in a new episode of the Official Xbox Podcast. "While I know that's not maybe the news people want to hear, what I want to assure people of is that it's definitely worth the wait." Playground, the Forza Horizon developer, has already made "quite frankly, the most beautifully realized version of Albion you've ever seen," the Xbox director continues. "I have unequivocal confidence in the Playground team. If you think about their history and legacy for Forza Horizon – the last two games critically acclaimed [...], award-winning, beautiful, played great." Xbox first revealed Fable in 2020, but it's been reticent about sharing more details about the action RPG – the first game to join the irreverent fantasy series in nearly two decades – since then. Fable didn't even get a full trailer until 2023, though Duncan shared fresh pre-alpha footage during his Official Xbox Podcast appearance, calming the sting of Fable's delay a little bit. The new clips show off Fable's lush, flower-spotted environments and dynamic sword combat, and Duncan adds that the game's quests, boss battles, and magic all "felt amazing" during his hands-on time. "Genuinely beautiful," he says, "It's very real. Everything you're seeing here is very playable. [...] Take my word for it." "There are no bigger fans of Fable as a franchise [than] the Playground team that are making it," Duncan continues. "It's a really fun balance between, what are the game tenets that are true to Fable? And what's some modern day reimagining of what is Playground Games' version of Fable?" Fable's reboot remains shrouded in mystery – but that's the most exciting thing about it.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Xbox has delayed its Fable reboot until 2026
Microsoft is delaying one of the major first-party games it had lined up for 2025. The company said during its big annual Xbox showcase last June that its Fable reboot would arrive this year. But that's no longer the case as Xbox has pushed back the fantasy RPG to 2026. "We previously announced the date for Fable as 2025. We are actually going to give Fable more time and it's going to ship in 2026 now," Craig Duncan, the new head of Xbox Game Studios, said on the latest edition of the Official Xbox Podcast. "While I know that's not maybe the news people want to hear, what I want to assure people of is that it's definitely worth the wait." The reboot, which is being developed by Forza Horizon studio Playground Games, was announced all the way back in 2020 and there have been a few teasers since then. While the delay might be disappointing to those who have been waiting for Fable — especially since it's been 15 years since the last mainline game in the series — Xbox can afford to give it a little more time. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Microsoft's games division has a pretty healthy slate for the coming months. Avowed only just came out, the promising South of Midnight is not too far away and then Doom: The Dark Ages and its ridiculous shield-saw is slated to arrive in May. The Outer Worlds 2 and Ninja Gaiden 4 are also on the docket for this year, and there are likely others in the pipeline (such as the inevitable annual Call of Duty entry). That's not to mention all the third-party titles coming to Game Pass and Microsoft selling more of its games on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. So Xbox is probably going to be okay while Playground keeps Fable simmering away. Duncan claims that the studio is crafting "the most beautifully realized version of Albion you've ever seen" but with its own spin and British humor. The Xbox Game Studios chief visited Playground to play some of Fable and see how things were going. Duncan brought back some new, early footage to show on the video version of the podcast, which you can see below starting at 15:55. Even the pre-alpha versions of these environments look very pretty, so here's hoping Playground makes good use of that extra time to make the most of the game.
