Latest news with #XboxGamePass
CNET
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
Grounded 2 and These Other Games Are Coming to Xbox Game Pass Soon
The award-winning, quirky survival game Grounded is like the game version of the classic '80s comedy film, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. And on July 29, Xbox Game Pass subscribers can get early access to that game's sequel, Grounded 2. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a CNET Editors' Choice award pick, offers hundreds of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One and PC or mobile device for $20 a month. A subscription gives you access to a large library of games, with new titles, including Doom: The Dark Ages, added monthly, plus other benefits such as online multiplayer and deals on non-Game Pass titles. Here are the games Microsoft is bringing to Game Pass soon. You can also check out all the games the company added to the service recently, like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4. RoboCop: Rogue City Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play on July 17. Serve the public, protect the innocent and uphold the law as the cyborg RoboCop. You'll investigate crimes in Old Detroit before using your cyborg strength, cybernetic implants and arsenal of weapons to eradicate gangs from the area. This game is a whole new RoboCop story based on the film series, and Peter Weller, the original RoboCop himself, returns to voice the titular character. My Friendly Neighborhood Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on July 17. Something's going on with everyone's favorite Saturday morning puppet show, and it's up to you to figure out what in this survival horror game. You'll solve puzzles and use tools and improvised weapons to fend off your multicolored foes. So if you have anything against Barney or Big Bird, you can take out your feelings on them with this game. Back to the Dawn Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on July 18. This game is like if the series Prison Break took place in the Zootopia universe. You'll play as either a fox named Thomas or a black panther named Bob as they try to navigate the prison system and escape with their lives. With multiple escape routes and over 100 quests you can complete, you can replay this game numerous times and have a different experience each time. Abiotic Factor Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on July 22. Science meets violence in this 1990s-inspired sci-fi survival game. You and up to five other players can choose your areas of expertise, build your scientist and explore a massive, top-secret underground complex filled with artifacts and supernatural horrors that could tear you limb from limb. And remember, safety, security and secrecy are of the utmost importance… usually. Wheel World Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on July 23. If you want to take a nice, relaxing bike ride, this game is for you. Previously known as Ghost Bike, this game puts you behind the handlebars of one of the last ghost bikes around. These bikes can traverse between the lands of the living and the dead. You can explore these lands at your leisure while you race other riders and upgrade your ride with treasures you find along the way. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on July 24. This souls-like RPG is set during the final days of the Ming Dynasty. You play as an amnesiac pirate warrior named Wuchang on a quest to uncover the truth behind a world full of chaos. You'll fight monstrous creatures in forgotten temples and overgrown ruins, unlock new weapons and master devastating techniques in order to bring peace to yourself and others. Grounded 2 (game preview) Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on July 29. You've been shrunk to the size of an ant -- again -- and you'll have to survive the dangerous, miniature world. You'll fight spiders and wasps, craft weapons and homes and even ride on your own insect friends to get around. You'll unravel new mysteries along the way, but be careful. Something else is out there, and it hasn't forgotten about you. Farming Simulator 25 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play on Aug. 1. Farming isn't always as simple as games like Stardew Valley might make it out to be, but it can still be very rewarding. If you want a taste of what goes into building and maintaining your own farm, give Farming Simulator 25 a try. You'll grow diverse crops, raise different animals and with the weather-changing, ground-deforming atmosphere, you'll face all kinds of challenges along the way. Games leaving Game Pass on July 31 While Microsoft is adding those games to Game Pass soon, it's also removing three other games on July 31. So you still have some time to finish your campaign or complete any side quests before you have to buy these games separately. Gigantic: Rampage Edition Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess Turnip Boy Robs a Bank For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now, read our hands-on review of the gaming service and learn which Game Pass plan is right for you. You can also check out what to know about upcoming Xbox game price hikes.
Business Insider
14 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Microsoft (MSFT) Scores a Win on Sony's PlayStation With Forza Horizon 5
Microsoft (MSFT) stock was on the move Monday after the tech company's Xbox division scored a win on Sony's (SONY) PlayStation 5. Xbox released Forza Horizon 5, previously an exclusive to Xbox consoles and PC, on the PS5 last month. Since then, the game has reportedly sold 2 million units. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Make smarter investment decisions with TipRanks' Smart Investor Picks, delivered to your inbox every week. Considering Forza Horizon 5 came out in 2021, it's impressive that Xbox was able to squeeze another 2 million sales out of it with a PS5 release. Additionally, Xbox benefits from the quick revenue boost from these sales, as compared to the long-running but lower revenue it generates from its Xbox Game Pass subscription service. This also cements the viability of Xbox's current business model. Rather than focus on the release of exclusive games on its consoles, the company has focused on offering its games across multiple consoles, even those of its direct rivals. Doing so generates game sales from consumers who were unlikely to purchase an Xbox console but were still interested in the company's games. What This Means for Xbox While Xbox hasn't performed the best this console generation, lagging behind Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's (NTDOF) Switch and Switch 2, there's still a space for it in the current video game market. Its desire to bring Xbox games to all platforms has benefited it through this period, as has its various purchases of large studios, such as Activision Blizzard and Bethesda. If Xbox can build loyalty to its IPs across rival consoles, it could set the company up to return to an exclusive strategy. This would incentivize consumers to purchase its consoles to play their favorite titles. Is Microsoft Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold? Turning to Wall Street, the analysts' consensus rating for Microsoft is Strong Buy, based on 31 Buy and three Hold ratings over the past three months. With that comes an average MSFT stock price target of $533.70, representing a potential 6.11% upside for the shares.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
How hackers may have ‘forced' Microsoft-owned Activision to remove PC version of this Call of Duty game
Microsoft-owned game developer Activision has taken down the PC version of Call of Duty: WWII from the Microsoft Store . Last week, Activision took to the social media platform X (earlier Twitter) to announce that it was bringing the 2017 first-person shooter offline to investigate "reports of an issue," without initially specifying the problem. This version of the game had recently launched and was also available through Microsoft's gaming subscription service, Xbox Game Pass . According to a report by TechCrunch, this move came after hackers exploited a flaw that led to several players' computers being compromised. The report cited a person (who remained anonymous) with knowledge of Activision's response to claim that the company took the game offline due to ongoing hacks and is currently working on a fix. How Call of Duty WWII players were affected by this hacking Multiple players took to social media to report being hacked while playing the game. However, no direct connection between the incidents had been confirmed until now. In a post shared on X, a user wrote: 'I JUST GOT HACKED PLAYING WW2! EVERYONE DO NOT PLAY WW2 ON GAMEPASS!' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Brain tumor has left my son feeling miserable; please help! Donate For Health Donate Now Undo Meanwhile, a Reddit user wrote, 'The game is not safe to play on PC right now, there's an RCE exploit,' last week. The user referred to a type of security flaw known as remote code execution, which enables hackers to install malware that can effectively take control of the victim's device. As per the report, two sources familiar with the matter has noted that the game's publisher removed only the Microsoft Store and Game Pass versions of Call of Duty : WWII, as these editions were different from the Steam release and contained an outdated vulnerability that had already been patched in other versions of the game. Over the past two years, Activision has faced multiple hacking incidents, including a November 2024 exploit that misused the anti-cheat system to ban legitimate players, and earlier attacks involving infostealer malware. In 2023, a worm exploited an old unpatched bug in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. While some gaming companies have strengthened their cybersecurity and anti-cheat efforts, Activision has undergone several rounds of layoffs, impacting its cybersecurity teams. What Is Artificial Intelligence? Explained Simply With Real-Life Examples
Business Insider
7 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Veteran Game Developer Calls Microsoft's (MSFT) Xbox Game Pass ‘Unsustainable'
Microsoft (MSFT) may be putting a billion dollars a year into Xbox Game Pass, but one veteran game developer believes the model is 'unsustainable.' WolfEye Studios founder Raphaël Colantonio said as much in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Colantonio is also a founder and former president of Arkane Studios, which was acquired by Microsoft in its 2021 acquisition of Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax Media. Don't Miss TipRanks' Half-Year Sale Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Make smarter investment decisions with TipRanks' Smart Investor Picks, delivered to your inbox every week. Colantonio stressed that Xbox Game Pass has damaged the video game industry over the last decade and said it has done so due to Microsoft's near-infinite money it can pump into the service. He said the model can't 'co-exist with other models, they'll either kill everyone else, or give up.' Colantonio's post about Xbox Game Pass stirred up other developers who were critical of the model, including one from Larian Studios, the developer of Baldur's Gate 3 and the Divinity series. Publishing Director Michael Douse said Microsoft's infinite money plan never made sense. Microsoft Stock Movement and Analyst Updates Microsoft stock was down 0.55% on Tuesday, but is still up 17.89% year-to-date and 8.31% over the past 12 months. While criticism of Xbox Game Pass wasn't welcomed by shareholders, it's important to remember that Xbox is only a small part of Microsoft's business. Even so, the company likely won't want to lose money on Game Pass forever. If that happens for too long, it could turn investors against leadership. Michael Briest reiterated a Buy rating and $500 price target yesterday, only suggesting a 1% upside for the shares. Is Microsoft Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold? Turning to Wall Street, the analysts' consensus rating for Microsoft is Strong Buy, based on 30 Buy and four Hold ratings over the past three months. With that comes an average MSFT stock price target of $524.86, representing a potential 6.03% upside for the shares.
India Today
7 days ago
- India Today
Call of Duty title pulled from Microsoft Store after hackers exploit game to hijack PCs
Call of Duty: WWII has been taken off the Microsoft Store after several PC players reported a major security problem during online matches. According to many gamers, hackers were able to take control of their computers while they were playing the game. This issue started just days after the 2017 Call of Duty title was added to Xbox Game Pass on June 30. By July 5, the official Call of Duty updates account confirmed that the PC version had been removed from the store while they look into the makes this more serious is that players have shared videos showing what actually happened. In one clip, the game suddenly froze, and a command window opened by itself, followed by a message from the hacker saying they had taken over the system. Some players even said their computers shut down by force, while others had their desktop wallpapers changed to inappropriate images. This kind of hack is known as a remote code execution (RCE) attack, where someone can run commands on your PC without needing to be near believe the problem is linked to how older Call of Duty games work online. Instead of using dedicated servers, which are more secure, the game uses peer-to-peer (P2P) networking. That means one player's computer becomes the host of the match, making it easier for hackers to target others in the same session. This setup may save costs for the developers, but it also opens the door to serious risks, especially in games with known weaknesses. Players in the Call of Duty community have often warned others to stay away from older titles on PC for this very reason. And while hacking in multiplayer games isn't new, this time it goes beyond cheating — it's about taking control of someone's entire of now, there's no word on when Call of Duty: WWII will return to the Microsoft Store or what steps are being taken to fix the issue. Activision has not confirmed whether other versions of the game, like the one on Steam, are also there's an official update, it's best to avoid launching the game on PC, especially if you're using Game Pass or the Microsoft Store version. Players are advised to keep an eye on the official Activision channels for any new announcements.- Ends
