570°

Did Microsoft authorise unofficial references to the next Xbox?

Air tight non-disclosure agreements means that developers and publishers are not even allowed to acknowledge the existence of the next Xbox console. Yet since February at least three major publishers have directly alluded to their forthcoming games being released on Microsoft’s newest console. Are these accidents or have Microsoft authorised them to do this?

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handytips.info
Hands Up For Games4499d ago

Kinda struggling to get over the obviousness of this article. Like really struggling.

creeping judas4499d ago

I agree, I am wondering how you would authorize (correct spelling by the way author)a reference, whether unofficial or official?

Honest_gamer4499d ago

Well since the Americans speak a altered version of British English it is in fact authorise and the Americans changed it to authorize I guess you never thought oh maybe he isn't from america or anything like that.

Fishy Fingers4499d ago

Yeah the correct US spelling of an English word :/

BlmThug4499d ago

It is authorise, not your altered American spelling

guitarded774499d ago (Edited 4499d ago )

AMERICA F-YEAH!!! COMIN' AGAIN TO SAVE THE MOTHERF-N DAY!!!

Sorry, that's all I can think of when one of my American brethren make an Americentric comment. It's really not so much our fault as individuals. We have to learn everything about other cultures on our own, because we only get taught AMERICAN (F-YEAH!!!) history in grade school... and we barely get taught grammar. Our school system tends to focus on testing.

On topic: I can't wait for the MS reveal. I love reveals. If Commodore decided to come out with a 16-bit machine today... I'd be excited for the reveal.

mistertwoturbo4499d ago (Edited 4499d ago )

N4G is an American website, not a UK one. So here its Authorize. Otherwise, we'd have N4G.co.uk and you guys can Authorise all you want. Heck, even my automatic spellchecker on this little comment box is putting a red line under Authorise.

mistertwoturbo4499d ago (Edited 4499d ago )

Edit: double post

nukeitall4499d ago

Say what?

I speak american!

SmokeyMcBear4499d ago

actually N4G is based in europe.

sak5004499d ago (Edited 4499d ago )

@guitarded77

Sorry to burst your bubble regarding commodore's 16bit reveal but you missed it by few decades as it happened in late 80s. I was there and read all about it in the magazines. Eventually bought it replacing my C64.

@mistertwoturbo

Since when does a site's host country has anything to do with what software is in your computer. If i'm sitting somewhere in Asia or EU or any non US region will my going to US site change the dictionary/spell checker in my system? OR are we to automatically adhere to the laws of teh country where the site's been hosted? Use some cells in your brain..

pixelsword4499d ago (Edited 4499d ago )

That's being politically correct, not technically correct. I could be wrong, but that looks like an American site and writer so he's technically wrong. When you correct the other guy, that's just like him correcting someone who called soccer "football" on an American website and people chiding him for it. Unless the site is .co.uk or catering to Brits, the writer is technically wrong.

DragonKnight4499d ago

I love these English fights. So much ignorance flies around. For example, English wasn't invented by "the English" yet they love to state they speak the "proper version" of it. It's also funny to note that that's still technically incorrect as when British Imperialism led them to North America, the language that exists in the U.S. now was the language being spoken then, with time creating some "Americanisms". The New York "Bronx" accent is actually the more historical British accent and, as colonists left to return to Britannia, their accent changed.

In any event, I'm Canadian and we've been forced to alter some of our words to cater to French spelling so I don't give a damn which English is "correct" because it's all English and whether it's tyre or tire, authorise or authorize, it's all just semantics and misplaced patriotism.

shoddy4499d ago

Damn I hate nerdy grammar corrector.

They act like It's English class 24/7.

they wine at type o

Is it a crime that you are unable to speak English?

ravinash4499d ago

Thats the benefit of having a living language. constantly changing, borrowing form other languages, changing words and adapting.

Beside, it does not matter which country you come from. There is no terms of use in that site dictating which version of English you have to use.
Hell, I'm from New Zealand so we end up borrowing from both, mainly because we get a mix of American and British media.

Hitman07694499d ago

@guitarded77 lol this guys the man

NobodyImportant4499d ago (Edited 4499d ago )

DragonKnight - "English wasn't invented by "the English" yet they love to state they speak the "proper version" of it."

Surely if "the English" change their own language then that is their perogative. Seeing as it is "English" and they have branded their name on it.
French, Spanish, Portuguese have evolved over the years, so why not our language.

Maybe it would be easier if you branch off your "American" English and rename it "Americish" and then you can do what you like with your version of the language
;-)

SolidStoner4498d ago

de best ting iz thet ai kan understand yuu, an juu mii!!!!!! yay!!

DragonKnight4498d ago

@NobodyImportant: Yeah, it doesn't really work that way. You can't go around saying you speak a language the "correct" way under the assumption that the language comes from your country when it doesn't. That's quite arrogant and at the same time ignorant.

And, like I said, I'm Canadian not American, so I don't know why you'd come up with "Americish" as the implication that Canadians speak American English when Canada has French and English (as in the UK) founding fathers.

Shadow Flare4498d ago (Edited 4498d ago )

"The New York "Bronx" accent is actually the more historical British accent"

That is one of the funniest things I've read this year. I'm pretty sure William Shakespeare didn't speak like a New York taxi driver, but hey, I don't own a time machine, how would I know

"Romeo, oh Romeo, get your hot dogs here Romeo"

Oh, just FYI dragonknight, there's no such thing as a British accent. People who are British, don't call themselves British here. You're either English, Scottish or Welsh. So you have one of those accents, which are very different to each other. And even that's not fully accurate since there are like a hundred accents within those countries too. Liverpool, Manchester, London, Yorkshire, Somerset etc, etc all have very different accents.

But apparently we all sounded like New York hot dog sellers in ye olde day

Shadow Flare4498d ago (Edited 4498d ago )

Forgive me, I can't get over the sheer and utter bollocks of that statement dragonknight said:

" The New York "Bronx" accent is actually the more historical British accent and, as colonists left to return to Britannia, their accent changed."

That is one of the most incredible things I've read. Absolute rubbish.

Lets get this straight, from his statement apparently at the time when Britain colonised America, everyone in Britain sounded like Joey Tribiani's agent.

Then they came to America and left the New York accent with everyone

Then the colonists left America, went home to England, and...lost their accent, because....because....

a) everyone in Britain sounded American still?

b) they lost the accent because nobody spoke like an New York shoe shiner in the UK, at anytime ever? OR

c) did the colonists not have an American accent at all to begin with, because they were born in Britain?

DING!!!

I was born in England and live in England and have never ever heard that we spoke with American accents in the past. Never been taught that. The BBC subjects its viewers to a lot of period dramas and historical documentaries and not once have they ever shown the people speakin like Robert Di Nero in Taxi. Pride and Prejudice wouldn't quite have the same authenticity I suspect. Never ever seen that before

I don't know what back of a toilet door you learnt that from but it's rubbish. If you learnt that in university, ask for your money back.

+ Show (18) more repliesLast reply 4498d ago
Omni-Tool4499d ago (Edited 4499d ago )

I knew about next gen consoles were going to be coming out soon and games had to be in development for said consoles before the PS4 announcement from Sony.
Does MS really think we are that stupid? Or, is the author of this article that stupid?

LOGIC, MUTHA F**KA! DO YOU SPEAK IT?!

DragonKnight4499d ago

Handytips.info? What? Never heard of this site. Kinda screams hit mongering to me.

sdozzo4499d ago

All of you beat me to it. Haha.

Animal Mutha 764499d ago

So let me get this straight.

Now we have a rumour article that is discussing a rumour about Microsoft deliberately creating a rumour about the next Xbox that developers can allude to when speaking to the media so they can report it as a rumour?

For heaven's sake!

Oh and that's rumour as in the British English spelling - the correct way ;-)

Athonline4499d ago

Rumoursception! *Plays background music* Let's make a rumour, inside a rumour, inside a rumour... F*CK LOGIC! This reminds me South Park Inception episode xD

Back to the article: Companies sign an agreement. Even users in closed betas agreed to NDAs...

KillrateOmega4499d ago (Edited 4499d ago )

Begin playing the Inception horns!

SephirothX214499d ago

do do do do do do boo do do do do do do...

Jek_Porkins4499d ago

Nope, companies sign an agreement to keep things confidential. When Microsoft decides to show the world the next Xbox, we'll know.

Show all comments (48)
240°

‘I think Xbox hardware is dead’, says Microsoft gaming veteran

One of the founding members of the Xbox team has questioned Microsoft’s multiplatform gaming strategy, and said they believe the Xbox hardware business is effectively “dead"

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videogameschronicle.com
1d 8h ago Replies(3)
Goodguy011d 6h ago

Think that rumor that they'll still make a new console but at a profit at $1000 will be true though. The series consoles will remain their cheap alternative throughout next gen I would say. Keep in mind that game pass and pretty much going 3rd party is their main focus. They want to bring xbox everywhere.

1d 6h ago
GamerRN10h ago

If they don't maintain some kind of console presence, I think they will lose gamepass subscribers and just become a 3rd party publisher who eventually sells everything off

Cacabunga9h ago

Xbox games are releasing on all platforms. Who needs this hardware? PS or PC is all you need

Flewid6388h ago

I've never owned an Xbox in my life and I have GamePass.

thorstein6h ago

The only Xbox I owned was the 360. I have gamepass for my PC.

GamerRN2h ago

Majority of Gamepass users are currently on console...

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2h ago
crazyCoconuts8h ago

Even if they could get it down to $800 for a box that can run with comparable performance to a PS6 (at, say $200 cheaper) the population of people willing to buy such a thing would be so limited.
It would be the worst of both worlds.

1d 4h ago
Futureshark19h ago

A slow, painful and public death too.

Show all comments (62)
300°

Looming Xbox layoffs threaten Microsoft's reputation

Even as the company sets out to overhaul the very definition of Xbox, cuts at its studios risk creating a negative image reminiscent of EA's worst era

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gamesindustry.biz
Jingsing3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

I appreciate the article but this guy must be living in a delayed universe, The reputation was ruined 10+ years ago and hasn't recovered since. As such people have voted with their wallets and stopped buying Xbox products in large amounts.

YourMommySpoils2d ago

Their reputation was lost way before that. From the moment Microsoft said they entering the console business, we all knew it would be a downgrade.

Bathyj1d 15h ago (Edited 1d 15h ago )

That's not true at all the OG Xbox had drive and they had hunger and they wanted to accomplish something. It was a great console.

they didn't quite reach their goals and they gave up prematurely because they couldn't win. It was halfway through the Xbox 360 when kinect released and that was when they lost their way and we're a rudderless ship ever since

Agent751d 12h ago

In all fairness, Xbox had some great games with online play, Xbox 360 even better. Xbox consoles started to die with the Xbox One. Ditch consoles for the PC and PS.

YourMommySpoils1d 4h ago

@Bathyj hard to compute ay. Xbox was never better than a PC and that's all they ever were. A demo box. Doesn't get more true than that.

3d ago Replies(1)
isarai3d ago

What reputation is this threatening exactly? 😂

Lightning773d ago

Rumors of Turn 10 being either shut down or hit with massive lay offs is on the horizon.

The issue is MS will do something right only to do something very, very wrong. And they do this what seems calculative at this point. Doesn't matter what they do the Investors and leadership want more and more money an endless bottomless pit of purr insatiable greed. A company that acts like it's broke or hurting is what really, really infuriates me. They've surpassed apple again well over 3 trillion who acts like they're a million dollar company is fk stupid. Pivots and changes for no reason and can't do things for more than a year with out a pivot or changing their metrics.

Christopher2d ago

That would be really bad since Phil just hyped up next year as a big Forza year at Summer Game Fest.

1Victor2d ago

@christopher: “ That would be really bad since Phil just hyped up next year as a big Forza year at Summer Game Fest”
The key word big can be ether good or bad 🤷🏿only time can tell

DarXyde2d ago

First Forza being generated entirely via AI?

If any company would do it, it'd be them.

Nacho_Z1d 20h ago

Isn't the point that it's irrelevant how profitable MS is, the suits have decided it's time that the Xbox division started making them money. Hence the layoffs, the pivots.

hennessey861d 15h ago

That wouldn't surprise me, as motorsport has been heading down hill since the great number 4. Where as playground have consistently put out better games. I think the two studios will be merged under playground games banner.

2d ago Replies(2)
Show all comments (63)
660°

Microsoft planning “major” Xbox layoffs next week

The cuts are expected to be announced next week.

Microsoft is also planning thousands of job cuts that will impact other parts of it businesses

Read Full Story >>
theverge.com
6d ago Replies(1)
6d ago Replies(1)
Obscure_Observer6d ago

MFs has been beating their chests over great quarterly results and big profits to shareholders while firing people by the thousands just like Sony.

I wonder if at the top of those rumored layoffs they´ll also cancel upcoming or unannounced games while shutting down more studios as well.

6d ago
pwnmaster30006d ago

Always got to throw shade at Sony smh.
Yes we get it,
MS good Sony bad
MS bad Sony is also bad lmao

6d ago
Obscure_Observer6d ago

F* them both!

Just for the record, I don´t care about your victim complex crap either. Find someone else who cares.

blacktiger6d ago

He was talking about both. Why you getting offended when he's using both names

pwnmaster30006d ago (Edited 6d ago )

@Blacktiger

Im not offended , that’s just his formula lol
He can’t help help himself, he needs to bring Sony down when the topic involves MS.
Whether is good news for MS or bad, it some how leads to Sony doing bad lmao.
It’s actually hilarious.

InUrFoxHole6d ago

He's not wrong but im tracking what youre saying. In this case is should just be MS bad. Thats a lot of people fired

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 6d ago
Tacoboto6d ago

"just like Sony"

Gosh you're insufferable, not everything needs to be both-sides'd. Sony's had layoffs, but nothing like what Microsoft has been doing and is continuing to do.

CrimsonWing696d ago (Edited 6d ago )

I mean, no offense, but this is why you’re not some corporate business person running a major corporation. Big profits don’t mean jobs are safe. Do you understand why things like this happen:

Cutting jobs to maintain or increase profitability, especially in underperforming divisions like parts of Xbox like other gaming divisions.

Corporate restructuring and relocating resources for strategic stability in ever changing markets and consumer behaviors.

Investor expectations and optimizing operations to maintain investor confidence. Whatever boosts stock prices and improves future margins.

And there’s many other factors at play. It’s never as simple as business doing well, everyone’s safe. That’s just you not understanding at all how corporations work and have been working since the beginning. This isn’t something that’s specific to Xbox, you can bet your ass Sony and Nintendo do this and if it’s not clear by now, game development is not a stable job nor has it ever been for many. A lot of developers are contractors and guess what happens when a project is done?

Ganif6d ago

Nintendo said they have no plans for layoffs, and you can't seriously claim that the scale of Sony's layoffs most of which involved Bungie which is self managed as even close to the same scale as what Microsoft has done since they purchased Zenimax. And that significantly less layoffs would have happened if those publishers had stayed independent. Keep in mind that much of these layoffs have been due to redundancies specifically related to these buyouts.

CrimsonWing696d ago (Edited 6d ago )

@Ganif

Nintendo:

https://gamerant.com/ninten...

Sony:

https://gamerant.com/playst...

https://techxplore.com/news...

I don’t think it’s realistic to treat Sony’s layoffs as somehow outside the norm for the industry right now. Even if Bungie is self-managed, Sony’s cuts went far beyond that like Naughty Dog, Insomniac, London Studio being shut down completely, and multiple teams across the globe took hits. These weren’t just minor adjustments.

Nintendo, I had to look up and you’re right. They seem to be an outlier, but rest assured at some point it happens. And even then there’s been layoffs, albeit a smaller amount and contractors.

Would fewer layoffs have happened if studios from acquisitions stayed independent? Maybe. But even independents have been hit hard and look at what’s happened with Embracer’s fallout, or smaller devs like Digic, Roll7, or Volition. This isn’t just a “Microsoft problem” or strictly tied to acquisitions; it’s a broader correction happening across the whole industry, and unfortunately, layoffs are a big part of that process right now.

Ganif6d ago

From your article:

"According to reports, Nintendo of America restructured its testing operations, leading to layoffs of about 120 contractors, part of a strategy for global integration.

Nintendo of America, publisher of iconic franchises like Mario and Zelda, is shifting some contractors to full-time roles for better development integration."

Contractors are not employees, and even if you want to count them as that, it's 120 people vs around 7500 since Microsoft purchased Zenimax.

In an era of game industry layoffs, Nintendo is hiring more people
https://automaton-media.com...

Nintendo Announces 10 Percent Pay Raise For Devs Despite Lower Profits
https://kotaku.com/nintendo...

Nintendo CEO’s refusal to layoff staff goes viral following industry-wide cuts
"Satoru Iwata took pay cuts to ensure staff didn’t have to be let go"
https://www.nme.com/news/ga...

And as for Sony you're comparing less than 1000 total jobs to an estimated7500

Has the industry faced layoffs, yes, but that still doesn't account for the mass layoffs due to redundancies that was easily predictable, or that fact that at least 1/3 of Microsoft's layoffs and studio closures happened before the industry downturn.

thorstein6d ago (Edited 6d ago )

Take the L, Crimson.

People hate Nintendo, but Ganif proved why they deserve support.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 6d ago
-Foxtrot6d ago

It's like banging your head off a wall, he just can't help himself.

Microsoft can do no wrong, Sony sucks at everything and Nintendo is bigged up because it's less hassle than trying to defend Microsoft all the time

What's going to happen when Microsoft finally turn completely third party, then what?

anast6d ago

I enjoy Obscure. Obscure does good work.

crazyCoconuts6d ago

Did you know that the first n4g was designed to be a perfect human world? Where none suffered, where everyone would be happy. It was a disaster. No one would accept the program.

Tacoboto6d ago

I wouldn't be surprised at this point if anast and osbcure were both alts for the Admin.

We know how Obscure especially drums up additional comments and clicks with his spam-worthy remarks that somehow never get moderated

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 6d ago
Profchaos6d ago

Thats business present a strong front to your shareholders while your company burns around you.

Keep shareholders happy at all costs andnif not happy keep them numb to the reality of you organisation

Angyobangyo5d ago

" Just for the record, I don´t care about your victim complex crap either. Find someone else who cares. "

Just for the record, you clearly you do if you have to vent this hard.

TheExecutioner5d ago

Basically you think like kids when it come to choose between candy or chocolate.

Sonic18815d ago (Edited 5d ago )

Are you and Anast the same person?

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 5d ago
6d ago
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