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Image: Microsoft

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is arriving on Xbox and PC on November 12th. The next installment in the legendary franchise will include hot air balloon trips, aerial firefighting, and much more.
During the Xbox Games Showcase, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 developer Asobo showed off commercial flight, air ambulances, and even aerial advertising. Asobo has been working on adding a variety of new planes to the game, and you’ll even be able to fly as part of a search and rescue team, or help with agricultural aviation and aerial firefighting. Asobo has also been working on additions like air racing, skydive aviation, and even VIP chartered services.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 debuts on Xbox Series S / X and PC on November 19th.

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is arriving on Xbox and PC on November 12th. The next installment in the legendary franchise will include hot air balloon trips, aerial firefighting, and much more.

During the Xbox Games Showcase, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 developer Asobo showed off commercial flight, air ambulances, and even aerial advertising. Asobo has been working on adding a variety of new planes to the game, and you’ll even be able to fly as part of a search and rescue team, or help with agricultural aviation and aerial firefighting. Asobo has also been working on additions like air racing, skydive aviation, and even VIP chartered services.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 debuts on Xbox Series S / X and PC on November 19th.

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Image: Xbox Game Studios

Microsoft is officially putting a release window on Fable, which is now set to arrive at some point in 2025. After an initial trailer at last year’s Xbox summer showcase, today, we got to see some early gameplay, though the new footage was mostly focused on the characters and story of the fantasy game. Fable will be centered on a hero named Humphry, who “will be forced out of retirement when a mysterious figure from his past threatens Albion’s very existence.” It appears that choice will once again play a big part in the experience, though not a lot of hard details have been revealed about the game just yet.
Playground Games — best-known for the Forza Horizon series — is the developer behind this latest installment of Fable, which will be the first new Fable game in more than 14 years. Fable III debuted on Xbox 360 and PC in 2010.

Image: Xbox Game Studios

Microsoft is officially putting a release window on Fable, which is now set to arrive at some point in 2025. After an initial trailer at last year’s Xbox summer showcase, today, we got to see some early gameplay, though the new footage was mostly focused on the characters and story of the fantasy game. Fable will be centered on a hero named Humphry, who “will be forced out of retirement when a mysterious figure from his past threatens Albion’s very existence.” It appears that choice will once again play a big part in the experience, though not a lot of hard details have been revealed about the game just yet.

Playground Games — best-known for the Forza Horizon series — is the developer behind this latest installment of Fable, which will be the first new Fable game in more than 14 years. Fable III debuted on Xbox 360 and PC in 2010.

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Image: Microsoft

It’s been four years since we first found out that a new Perfect Dark game was on the way, and now Microsoft has revealed the first gameplay during the Xbox Games Showcase today.
The new Perfect Dark is a reboot of the original game, being developed by The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics. In the gameplay trailer we got a first look at Joanna Dark in a near-future Cairo setting. “Team Perfect Dark has pulled inspiration from elements of the first two games, but crafted an entirely new story and universe around them for this reboot,” says Xbox wire editor in chief Joe Skrebels.
Perfect Dark is the usual first-person secret agent shooter, and it will be a single-player experience with a set amount of missions. There will be choices in how you complete the missions, and there are gadgets available in the game as you’d expect. In the trailer there’s a tease of a gadget that analyzes NPC voices and creates deepfake ones to let you create distractions or bypass security systems.
Microsoft hasn’t provided a release date or window for Perfect Dark yet.

Image: Microsoft

It’s been four years since we first found out that a new Perfect Dark game was on the way, and now Microsoft has revealed the first gameplay during the Xbox Games Showcase today.

The new Perfect Dark is a reboot of the original game, being developed by The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics. In the gameplay trailer we got a first look at Joanna Dark in a near-future Cairo setting. “Team Perfect Dark has pulled inspiration from elements of the first two games, but crafted an entirely new story and universe around them for this reboot,” says Xbox wire editor in chief Joe Skrebels.

Perfect Dark is the usual first-person secret agent shooter, and it will be a single-player experience with a set amount of missions. There will be choices in how you complete the missions, and there are gadgets available in the game as you’d expect. In the trailer there’s a tease of a gadget that analyzes NPC voices and creates deepfake ones to let you create distractions or bypass security systems.

Microsoft hasn’t provided a release date or window for Perfect Dark yet.

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Image: Bethesda Softworks

The Fallout games have seen a big boost in popularity since the live-action TV series, and Fallout 76 is primed to take advantage of that with its next major expansion. It’s called Skyline Valley, and for the first time, it will actually expand the game’s map, introducing a new Shenandoah region in the south. Bethesda says that players will “investigate the cause of an electrical storm circling overhead and unveil the mystery around Vault 63 where they will meet its dwellers and discover a shocking new Ghoul type – The Lost.”
You can get a feel for the expansion in the trailer above, though it won’t be long before you can play it, as Skyline Valley launches on June 12th. The trailer also teased a much-requested feature coming to the game in early 2025: you’ll finally be able to play as a ghoul, though maybe not one quite as cool as The Ghoul.

Image: Bethesda Softworks

Image: Bethesda Softworks

The Fallout games have seen a big boost in popularity since the live-action TV series, and Fallout 76 is primed to take advantage of that with its next major expansion. It’s called Skyline Valley, and for the first time, it will actually expand the game’s map, introducing a new Shenandoah region in the south. Bethesda says that players will “investigate the cause of an electrical storm circling overhead and unveil the mystery around Vault 63 where they will meet its dwellers and discover a shocking new Ghoul type – The Lost.”

You can get a feel for the expansion in the trailer above, though it won’t be long before you can play it, as Skyline Valley launches on June 12th. The trailer also teased a much-requested feature coming to the game in early 2025: you’ll finally be able to play as a ghoul, though maybe not one quite as cool as The Ghoul.

Image: Bethesda Softworks

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Image: Bethesda Softworks

Bethesda’s sci-fi universe is about to get bigger. Bethesda has finally unveiled Shattered Space, the first major expansion for Starfield, which comes nearly a year after the open-world RPG debuted. Based on the first trailer, it has a much darker tone than the main Starfield campaign. No release date was revealed, but it’s coming sometime in 2024.
Here’s the official premise:
A mysterious power stirs in the city of Dazra on House Va’ruun’s hidden homeworld. Investigate a frightening cosmic threat, explore a new planet, and find unique weapons, spacesuits, and gear in this all-new adventure.
Additionally, Bethesda announced a new update was coming to the game today, with new gear and bounties.
Starfield was particularly notable as a rare new franchise from Bethesda, which is primarily known for the likes of Fallout (which was just turned into a hit show on Prime Video) and The Elder Scrolls (which has a sequel in development). Since it launched last August, Starfield has received a number of updates, but Shattered Space will be the first new story content for the game.

Image: Bethesda Softworks

Bethesda’s sci-fi universe is about to get bigger. Bethesda has finally unveiled Shattered Space, the first major expansion for Starfield, which comes nearly a year after the open-world RPG debuted. Based on the first trailer, it has a much darker tone than the main Starfield campaign. No release date was revealed, but it’s coming sometime in 2024.

Here’s the official premise:

A mysterious power stirs in the city of Dazra on House Va’ruun’s hidden homeworld. Investigate a frightening cosmic threat, explore a new planet, and find unique weapons, spacesuits, and gear in this all-new adventure.

Additionally, Bethesda announced a new update was coming to the game today, with new gear and bounties.

Starfield was particularly notable as a rare new franchise from Bethesda, which is primarily known for the likes of Fallout (which was just turned into a hit show on Prime Video) and The Elder Scrolls (which has a sequel in development). Since it launched last August, Starfield has received a number of updates, but Shattered Space will be the first new story content for the game.

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Image: Bethesda Softworks

The rumors were true: the next Doom is heading to a dark fantasy realm. At Xbox’s big June showcase event, id Software officially unveiled the next entry in the demonic shooter series, which is called Doom: The Dark Ages. As the name implies, it takes the franchise back to a medieval-like era, with the slayer killing enemies in a more fantasy realm. In that way, it seems to serve as a prequel of sorts. It still looks as gruesome and gory as ever, though. Also, you can fly on some kind of cyberpunk dragon.
The game is launching in 2025, and will be coming to Xbox (including Game Pass), PC, and PS5.
The franchise has taken a few years off, at least when it comes to mainline entries. id Software rebooted Doom in 2016 with a fast-paced return to form that was followed by an equally metal sequel called Doom Eternal in 2020. In fact, this will be the studio’s first game since Quake Champions launched in 2022.

Image: Bethesda Softworks

The rumors were true: the next Doom is heading to a dark fantasy realm. At Xbox’s big June showcase event, id Software officially unveiled the next entry in the demonic shooter series, which is called Doom: The Dark Ages. As the name implies, it takes the franchise back to a medieval-like era, with the slayer killing enemies in a more fantasy realm. In that way, it seems to serve as a prequel of sorts. It still looks as gruesome and gory as ever, though. Also, you can fly on some kind of cyberpunk dragon.

The game is launching in 2025, and will be coming to Xbox (including Game Pass), PC, and PS5.

The franchise has taken a few years off, at least when it comes to mainline entries. id Software rebooted Doom in 2016 with a fast-paced return to form that was followed by an equally metal sequel called Doom Eternal in 2020. In fact, this will be the studio’s first game since Quake Champions launched in 2022.

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Image: Activision

Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will debut on October 25th, according to an Xbox store listing. The next installment in the popular franchise will be set in the early ’90s, and it will launch day one on Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass subscription service. Developed by Treyarch and Raven Software, Black Ops 6 will include a new campaign, a multiplayer mode with 16 new maps at launch, and a new zombies experience.
The main campaign is set in the early 1990s after the end of the Cold War “and the rise of the United States as a single superpower,” according to the store listing. The campaign includes a focus on spy missions, but little else is shared on the store listing. Activision plans to detail Black Ops 6 fully after the Xbox Games Showcase today.

Image: Microsoft
The Black Ops 6 campaign.

The store listing all reveals some features of the multiplayer experience in Black Ops 6. It includes 16 new maps at launch, with 12 core 6vs6 maps and four strike maps that can be used in 2vs2 or 6vs6 modes. For Zombies fans, the round-based mode is returning with Black Ops 6 to deliver waves of the undead for players to fight their way through. There will also be two new Zombies maps at launch, according to the Xbox listing.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be available on Xbox One, Xbox Series S / X, PS4, PS5, and PC on October 25th. Xbox Game Pass subscribers will also get access on day one across PC and Xbox.

Image: Activision

Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will debut on October 25th, according to an Xbox store listing. The next installment in the popular franchise will be set in the early ’90s, and it will launch day one on Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass subscription service. Developed by Treyarch and Raven Software, Black Ops 6 will include a new campaign, a multiplayer mode with 16 new maps at launch, and a new zombies experience.

The main campaign is set in the early 1990s after the end of the Cold War “and the rise of the United States as a single superpower,” according to the store listing. The campaign includes a focus on spy missions, but little else is shared on the store listing. Activision plans to detail Black Ops 6 fully after the Xbox Games Showcase today.

Image: Microsoft
The Black Ops 6 campaign.

The store listing all reveals some features of the multiplayer experience in Black Ops 6. It includes 16 new maps at launch, with 12 core 6vs6 maps and four strike maps that can be used in 2vs2 or 6vs6 modes. For Zombies fans, the round-based mode is returning with Black Ops 6 to deliver waves of the undead for players to fight their way through. There will also be two new Zombies maps at launch, according to the Xbox listing.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be available on Xbox One, Xbox Series S / X, PS4, PS5, and PC on October 25th. Xbox Game Pass subscribers will also get access on day one across PC and Xbox.

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Image: Microsoft

Microsoft has a big summer showcase planned. Microsoft’s big Xbox game showcase is back for summer 2024. We’re expecting Microsoft to largely focus on its 2024 and 2025 game releases, alongside two big game announcements — new Doom and Gears of War installments. There could be more than 15 first-party Xbox games shown at this year’s showcase, more than in 2023. We might even see one or two Xbox games for PS5. Either way, expect a lot of news and release dates. You can keep up with everything right here.

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft has a big summer showcase planned.

Microsoft’s big Xbox game showcase is back for summer 2024. We’re expecting Microsoft to largely focus on its 2024 and 2025 game releases, alongside two big game announcements — new Doom and Gears of War installments. There could be more than 15 first-party Xbox games shown at this year’s showcase, more than in 2023. We might even see one or two Xbox games for PS5. Either way, expect a lot of news and release dates. You can keep up with everything right here.

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This could be you. | Image: Ikea

Corporate publicity stunts involving virtual reality are almost always bad, but Ikea’s new Roblox store feels especially silly. The company announced last week that it plans to pay 10 people £13.15 or €14.80 per hour to work in The Co-Worker Game, a virtual Ikea store in Roblox. The company is taking applications until June 16th, only from candidates in the UK or Ireland who are 18 or older.
Being paid to be an NPC. What a world. The virtual employees will carry out tasks like serving meatballs or helping people find fake furniture or other Ikea items. They can also “get promoted to move departments, just like in the real world.”

Image: Ikea

A look at Ikea’s Co-Worker Game virtual store.

I wouldn’t assume this is a real job, even if Ikea is paying real money for it. The website where you can apply says it’s a “limited contract.” The application asks you questions like “How do you feel about being turned into pixels?” or “If you were a pixelated IKEA furniture, which one would you be and why?”
Ikea says it requires an up-to-date CV, though it doesn’t ask for one upfront, and I couldn’t get past the form with my US-based phone number. (If one of our readers across the pond wants to give it a go and send us an update, I’d love to read about your experience.) The gig is open to applicants 18 and older who live in the UK or the Republic of Ireland, and it’s remote, so you can pull up your new Ikea gaming chair after you’re done playing around with Ikea’s virtual design tool and serve some virtual meatballs from the comfort of your own home.
If you apply and don’t get the callback, don’t you worry. The company says people who don’t get the job can also “work, explore, and experience” the Ikea Roblox store. And it says you can win Ikea-exclusive UGCs, Roblox’s term for user-created items or other content that exists within the game.
I’ll be very up-front, here. I have never played with anything made in Roblox. But few things sound less appealing to me than pretending to be a retail employee in a virtual version of a real-life furniture dealer. Other companies have tried their hand at hanging their brand out in VR — there’s the Walmart Discovered virtual store for buying digital items with Roblox’s in-game Robux currency, and Gucci has made Roblox environments, including Gucci town in 2022.
So that aspect of this is nothing new. And people — often kids — do make money in Roblox, something critics say is exploitative. But this is the first time I’m aware of that a company has offered to pay people real money to work in their Roblox world, and it’s weird, but also seems relatively harmless, and less obnoxious than NFTs.
The company says it’ll hold virtual interviews between June 14th and June 18th, and The Co-Worker Game launches on June 24th.

This could be you. | Image: Ikea

Corporate publicity stunts involving virtual reality are almost always bad, but Ikea’s new Roblox store feels especially silly. The company announced last week that it plans to pay 10 people £13.15 or €14.80 per hour to work in The Co-Worker Game, a virtual Ikea store in Roblox. The company is taking applications until June 16th, only from candidates in the UK or Ireland who are 18 or older.

Being paid to be an NPC. What a world. The virtual employees will carry out tasks like serving meatballs or helping people find fake furniture or other Ikea items. They can also “get promoted to move departments, just like in the real world.”

Image: Ikea

A look at Ikea’s Co-Worker Game virtual store.

I wouldn’t assume this is a real job, even if Ikea is paying real money for it. The website where you can apply says it’s a “limited contract.” The application asks you questions like “How do you feel about being turned into pixels?” or “If you were a pixelated IKEA furniture, which one would you be and why?”

Ikea says it requires an up-to-date CV, though it doesn’t ask for one upfront, and I couldn’t get past the form with my US-based phone number. (If one of our readers across the pond wants to give it a go and send us an update, I’d love to read about your experience.) The gig is open to applicants 18 and older who live in the UK or the Republic of Ireland, and it’s remote, so you can pull up your new Ikea gaming chair after you’re done playing around with Ikea’s virtual design tool and serve some virtual meatballs from the comfort of your own home.

If you apply and don’t get the callback, don’t you worry. The company says people who don’t get the job can also “work, explore, and experience” the Ikea Roblox store. And it says you can win Ikea-exclusive UGCs, Roblox’s term for user-created items or other content that exists within the game.

I’ll be very up-front, here. I have never played with anything made in Roblox. But few things sound less appealing to me than pretending to be a retail employee in a virtual version of a real-life furniture dealer. Other companies have tried their hand at hanging their brand out in VR — there’s the Walmart Discovered virtual store for buying digital items with Roblox’s in-game Robux currency, and Gucci has made Roblox environments, including Gucci town in 2022.

So that aspect of this is nothing new. And people — often kids — do make money in Roblox, something critics say is exploitative. But this is the first time I’m aware of that a company has offered to pay people real money to work in their Roblox world, and it’s weird, but also seems relatively harmless, and less obnoxious than NFTs.

The company says it’ll hold virtual interviews between June 14th and June 18th, and The Co-Worker Game launches on June 24th.

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Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is back with another Xbox Games Showcase this year, and this time around, there’s a Call of Duty direct straight after the main show. This is Microsoft’s first Xbox Games Showcase to feature games from across Activision, Blizzard, Bethesda, and Xbox Game Studios, as well as third-party titles.
I think this is going to be a big Xbox showcase, with a runtime that could approach the two-hour mark. Get ready for new game reveals, lots of release dates, and some potential surprises.
What time does the Xbox Games Showcase start?
The Xbox Games Showcase starts on Sunday, June 9th, at 1PM ET / 10AM PT / 6PM UK.
Where can I watch the Xbox Games Showcase?
Microsoft is streaming its big Xbox showcase live on YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook. You can also watch the showcase from the video embedded at the top of this article.
What should I expect?
I would expect to see more than 15 first-party Xbox games at this showcase. Microsoft has a busy fall ahead for Xbox, with Bethesda currently targeting September for its Starfield Shattered Space expansion, and Age of Mythology: Retold is tracking for an early September release, too.
I’m also expecting Activision to announce it’s launching Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on October 25th, and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 should follow in November. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is also expected to debut in December, according to sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans.
Among all of these big game releases, there are new seasons for Overwatch 2, Call of Duty, and Diablo IV. I’d expect we’ll also hear about Diablo IV’s Vessel of Hatred expansion, which is currently tracking for an early October release. World of Warcraft’s The War Within DLC is also due in late August, I understand.
Microsoft has also been considering putting Towerborne into an early access program later this year, and there’s still the question of when Avowed will launch. I heard a few months ago that Avowed was targeting a November release, so I’m hoping we’ll hear more about that during the Xbox showcase. We’re also still waiting to see if a long-rumored Gears of War collection will ever be confirmed.
Beyond what’s planned for 2024, I’m fully expecting Microsoft to announce two new games — the next installments for Doom and Gears of War. These will be the big announcements of the show, but there could be a bunch of third-party games, too.

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is back with another Xbox Games Showcase this year, and this time around, there’s a Call of Duty direct straight after the main show. This is Microsoft’s first Xbox Games Showcase to feature games from across Activision, Blizzard, Bethesda, and Xbox Game Studios, as well as third-party titles.

I think this is going to be a big Xbox showcase, with a runtime that could approach the two-hour mark. Get ready for new game reveals, lots of release dates, and some potential surprises.

What time does the Xbox Games Showcase start?

The Xbox Games Showcase starts on Sunday, June 9th, at 1PM ET / 10AM PT / 6PM UK.

Where can I watch the Xbox Games Showcase?

Microsoft is streaming its big Xbox showcase live on YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook. You can also watch the showcase from the video embedded at the top of this article.

What should I expect?

I would expect to see more than 15 first-party Xbox games at this showcase. Microsoft has a busy fall ahead for Xbox, with Bethesda currently targeting September for its Starfield Shattered Space expansion, and Age of Mythology: Retold is tracking for an early September release, too.

I’m also expecting Activision to announce it’s launching Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on October 25th, and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 should follow in November. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is also expected to debut in December, according to sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans.

Among all of these big game releases, there are new seasons for Overwatch 2, Call of Duty, and Diablo IV. I’d expect we’ll also hear about Diablo IV’s Vessel of Hatred expansion, which is currently tracking for an early October release. World of Warcraft’s The War Within DLC is also due in late August, I understand.

Microsoft has also been considering putting Towerborne into an early access program later this year, and there’s still the question of when Avowed will launch. I heard a few months ago that Avowed was targeting a November release, so I’m hoping we’ll hear more about that during the Xbox showcase. We’re also still waiting to see if a long-rumored Gears of War collection will ever be confirmed.

Beyond what’s planned for 2024, I’m fully expecting Microsoft to announce two new games — the next installments for Doom and Gears of War. These will be the big announcements of the show, but there could be a bunch of third-party games, too.

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