Microsoft is reportedly considering bringing the Gears of War franchise to PlayStation. That’s according to Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb, who was elaborating on recent claims thatMicrosoftis working on a new initiative to release moreXbox-exclusive games on other console platforms. Over the weekend it was claimed thatBethesda’sStarfieldand its upcomingIndiana Jones and the Great Circlecould be released for PS5, in addition to previously rumouredHi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves ports. Update5th Feb 2024 / 8:53 pm Microsoft will share details about its “vision for the future of Xbox” next week....

Microsoft is planning to release a redesigned Xbox Series X console, codenamed ‘Brooklin’, with a new design and controller. That’s according to court documents published overnight, as part ofMicrosoft’s recent legal battle with the FTC, which have seemingly been unredacted by mistake. The docs include slides showing details and even images of the “Xbox Series Xrefresh”, which the docs state will include “more internal storage, faster Wi-Fi, reduced power, a more immersive controller and a beautiful design”....

Minecraft is now available to play through the Xbox Game Pass subscription service. Launched in mid-2017,Microsoft’sNetflix-style service offers unlimited access to almost 200Xbox OneandXbox 360games, including new first-party titles when they launch, for $9.99/£7.99 per month. Minecraft’s arrival onXboxGame Pass follows hot on the heels of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided,What Remains of Edith Finch, The Walking Dead: Michonne, Vampyr, Operencia: The Stolen Sun, and Marvel vs.CapcomInfinite, all of which have joined the service over the past two weeks....

Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer and zombies will be released this week. Following the early access to the game which saw players who pre-ordered the game have access to the single-player portion of the game, themultiplayerandzombiesmodes have yet to be released. AlthoughModern Warfare3 officially launches on Novemeber 10, the multiplayer and zombies modes will roll out at different times across the world, depending on your region. So if you’re curious to find out whenCall of Duty Modern Warfare 3mulitplayer and zombies releases, check out our guide below....

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has topped the UK physical game charts, but it’s failed to hit the launch weekend sales numbers that its predecessor did. According to GfK chart data (viaGamesIndustry.biz), Activsion’s latest FPS went straight into the charts at number one, but physical sales were down 25% compared to those ofModern Warfare2 last year. The game is currently on track to be the lowest-rated entry in the series, with early Metacritic scores from both critics and users coming in much lower than usual....

More details have emerged following VGC’s exclusive report revealing that Nintendo will releaseMario Switch Remastersto celebrate the series’ 35th anniversary. VGC can now confirm that among the Mario titles set to appear on Switch are 1996’s Super Mario 64, 2002’s Super Mario Sunshine and 2007’s Super Mario Galaxy. One person with knowledge ofNintendo’s plans said that the re-releases were being treated as a special anniversary collection of games, rather than standard digital ports....

The first batch of Mortal Kombat 1 DLC fighters appears to have been leaked. Following itsannouncement on Thursday,Mortal Kombat 1is now available to pre-order. As previously confirmed, two of the game’s three editions include a Kombat Pack offering early access to six new playable characters, among other features. The identities of these characters have now seemingly been revealed ahead of schedule by anAmazonItaly product listing. The DLC fighters will be Quan Chi, Omni Man, Ermac, Takeda, Peacemaker and Homelander....

NetherRealm Studios has released a new Mortal Kombat update for current-gen consoles and PC. The latestupdate(we’ve republished the full patch notes below) arrived on Tuesday forXbox Series X/S,PS5andPC, introducing a number of gameplay fixes and character specific adjustments. WhileNetherRealmdeveloped the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of the game, the PC andNintendo Switchversions have been handled byQLOCand Shiver Entertainment /Saber Interactiverespectively. The latter has come in for some stinging criticism from reviewers, withIGNcalling it “a poor quality port of a great game that’s all around aggravating to play”, andNintendo Lifeadvising players who can play the game on other platforms to “stay away from this one for now”....

Five senior developers at EA’s Criterion have left the studio following the launch of Need for Speed Unbound. GI.Bizreports that Matt Webster, VP and GM ofCriterion, executive producer Pete Lake, head of studio development Alan McDairmant, head of content Steve Uphill and senior technical director Andrei Shires have left to “explore new opportunities outside ofEA.” All departing members of the team have worked with Criterion for more than a decade, with Matt Webster remaining at EA for over 23 years....

Major streamers ‘Ninja’ and ‘Shroud’ reportedly received payouts in the tens of millions followingMicrosoft’s decision to close Mixerand release them from their exclusivity contracts. The pair – real names Tyler Blevins and Michael Grzesiek – are also said to have turned down an “insane offer” to move toFacebookGaming, which is where Mixer’s members and sites will be migrated to next month. That’s according to esports consultantRod Breslau, who cited sources claiming “Facebook offered an insane offer at almost double for the original Mixer contracts of Ninja and Shroud but Loaded/Ninja/Shroud said no and forced Mixer to buy them out....

Nintendo has changed the main artwork for Princess Peach Showtime, to make Peach look less happy. As spotted by Twitter accountNo Context Super Mario, the main art for the game, which also features on the cover, has tweaked Peach’s face twice. The central illustration of Peach, which shows her reaching forwards out of the image, has had her facial expression changed from cheery to somewhat more confident. Meanwhile, another illustration of Peach in her Kung Fu Peach power-up outfit, has had her facial expression changed from happy to angry....

Nintendo has shared a first look at the Switch 2 home screen, and it initially appears to be similar to that of the original Switch. During a look at theSwitch2 console’s accessibility options,Nintendoshowed the home screen of the Switch 2. The screen shows aMario Kart Worldicon, as well as various icons at the bottom. While it’s yet to be confirmed what all of these icons represent, the presence of GameChat, eShop,Controller and System Settings icons means at least most of the features are self-explanatory....

The record for the most valuable video game of all time has reportedly been smashed again, by a sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. (NES) which sold for $2 million this week. The unopened copy of the 1985 NES game was purchased by an anonymous buyer via collectibles siteRally, it announced on Friday, which represents a near-20-times increase since July 2020, when another sealed Mario Bros. copysold for $114,000, which was claimed as a record at the time....