Xbox and Inworld AI forge game-changing alliance

Xbox has unveiled a partnership with Inworld AI aimed at transforming game development using AI-powered tools.

In a blog post, Haiyan Zhang, General Manager of Gaming AI at Xbox, reflected on the evolution of gaming AI from the days of Ms Pac-Man to the present. Zhang highlighted the transformative potential of modern AI in creating living worlds, dynamic narratives, and intricate characters.

While traditional rule-based AI set the foundation, the integration of Large...

6 November 2023 | Artificial Intelligence

Sony accused of ‘blatant anti-competitive conduct’

Congress has raised concerns about Sony's monopoly on the gaming market in Japan, calling for an investigation into the firm's alleged "exclusionary conduct."

Senator Maria Cantwell told a Senate Finance Committee hearing: “Sony controls a monopoly of 98 percent of the high-end game market, yet Japan's government has allowed Sony to engage in blatant anti-competitive conduct through exclusive deals and payments to game publishers.”

Cantwell called on US Trade...

28 March 2023 | Gaming

Microsoft intends to launch a mobile app store

Microsoft is planning to launch a mobile app store that will compete against the App Store and Play Store.

According to Microsoft’s Xbox head Phil Spencer, Microsoft will take advantage of an upcoming EU law that will break up the monopoly held by the two major smartphone platform holders.

"We want to be in a position to offer Xbox and content from both us and our third-party partners across any screen where somebody would want to play," Spencer told the...

21 March 2023 | Android

Project Moorcraft: Xbox will pay game developers to publish demos

Xbox has unveiled Project Moorcraft, an initiative to boost the demos available on Game Pass while helping developers to earn some bucks.

This month is when game developers and fans usually flock to the E3 Expo to see the latest game reveals and platform updates and get their hands on early previews of upcoming titles.

E3 was put on hold during the pandemic and all the major gaming players switched to virtual events for their big reveals. Unfortunately, that meant lining...

9 June 2022 | Gaming

The Coalition celebrates Unreal Engine 5’s release with impressive demo

Game studio The Coalition has celebrated Epic’s launch of Unreal Engine 5 with an impressive tech demo.

The demo shows off Unreal Engine 5’s most exciting new features, including Nanite and Lumen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qbffi8abOg

Nanite is Unreal Engine 5's virtualised geometry system. According to Kate Rayner, Technical Director at The Coalition, Nanite allows for over 100x the detail that was previously possible.

“Our artists can create...

6 April 2022 | Development Tools

Unity says PSVR2 takes VR gaming ‘to a whole new level’

Unity held a ‘Building Next-Gen Games for PSVR2’ session at this year’s Game Developers Conference and the company appears to be as excited as many developers about the upcoming VR hardware.

"PSVR2 takes VR gaming to a whole new level, enabling a greater sense of presence and allowing players to immerse themselves into game worlds like never before", says Bria Williams, Senior Product Manager at Unity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ2bCnX5Sh0

The original...

1 April 2022 | Gaming

Microsoft says developers have earned $2.5B through ID@Xbox

According to Microsoft, game developers have made a fair chunk of change through its ID@Xbox program.

ID@Xbox is the gaming brand’s program to support independent developers and has been used to publish titles including Dead by Daylight, Warframe, SMITE, Dead Cells, Spelunky 2, The Long Dark, Kerbal Space Program, Human Fall Flat, Overcooked, Grim Dawn, Outer Wilds, and thousands of others.

Needless to say, ID@Xbox has been rather successful. The program has enabled...

29 March 2022 | Gaming

Microsoft sets out to woo regulators with ‘Open App Store Principles’

Microsoft is getting ahead of potential new laws governing app stores by announcing its Open App Store Principles.

Last week, Developer reported on Apple’s latest fight against such legislation after the company sent a letter to US lawmakers urging them to reject S. 2710—a bill that would force Apple to open its notorious “walled garden” and enable the sideloading of apps.

Microsoft has managed to avoid being the focus of high-profile antitrust investigations in...

10 February 2022 | App Stores

Developers claim that PlayStation is particularly difficult to work with

Independent game developers have bemoaned the difficulty of working with PlayStation over Xbox and Nintendo.

Iain Garner of independent game publisher Neon Doctrine recently posted a tirade on Twitter where he suggested that getting prominent promotion on the store of a “very successful console” that “does not have Games Pass” (i.e not Xbox, and presumably meaning PlayStation) costs at least $25,000.

Video game publication Kotaku first published the story and...

2 July 2021 | Gaming

Xbox sets out its vision to bring ‘gaming to everyone’

Ahead of its E3 2021 showcase with recent acquisition Bethesda, the Xbox team has set out its vision to bring “gaming to everyone”.

Enabling everyone to enjoy gaming has become an increased focus for Xbox in recent years – whether that’s through delivering groundbreaking accessibility devices and features to help those with limited mobility, a cheaper console with next-gen performance, new finance options like All Access, or the flexibility to play anywhere with cloud...

11 June 2021 | Developer