Unfortunately, the decision may have ultimately been cancelled due to objections from XBOX’s partners. According to Corden, Electronic Arts was the main culprit here, and that it “hated” the idea of a family plan for Game Pass. The plan itself would have given up to four users the ability to share a Game Pass subscription.

Corden has noted that the decision to cancel the family plan “wasn’t actually Microsoft’s fault.” He went on to say that, since EA’s presence on Game Pass has been the “bare minimum” on PC, and since it doesn’t release many games these days anyway, he wouldn’t mind seeing the company removed from the subscription service if it means getting things like a family plan.

“I was told EA, who is a long-term contractee within the Xbox Game Pass ecosystem, fully hated the idea,” wrote Corden. “It sucks because EA does the absolute bare minimum with its Game Pass involvement, refusing to put Xbox PC native versions with Play Anywhere or Xbox achievements out.”

“If the above is indeed true, I would like to see EA get kicked out of the Xbox Game Pass ecosystem in exchange for a revival of the Xbox Game Pass Family Plan, personally. EA barely releases games anymore anyway. EA shouldn’t be allowed to hold back Xbox customers, given how anemic its contributions have been.”

Interestingly, a family plan for Game Pass is among the top-5 most requested features that XBOX players have been asking for since the launch of the company’s new Player Voice feedback system. Other player requests include exclusive games, a renewed focus on backwards compatibility, fully free online multiplayer, and a separation of Achievements for base games and their DLCs.

A report from last month had indicated that the company is still trying some new things with the service, and is even toying with the idea of introducing a “pick your own plan” system that would give subscribers more options for the games and services they would actually want.

“A sort of ‘pick your own plan’ formula for Xbox Game Pass is on the cards, essentially, where users can effectively decide what packages of content they want to see as part of their plan,” wrote Corden last month. “Microsoft has leaked ‘Duet’ and ‘Triton’ codenames for Xbox Game Pass via its back-end APIs recently, suggesting that packages of services are in the plan’s future. Don’t want Xbox Cloud Gaming? Remove it and lower the price. No need for Fortnite Crew? Ditch it and add day one Xbox games. Perhaps you can roll in World of Warcraft or Minecraft Realms subscriptions instead, or even other benefits like Netflix, per rumors, or the long-awaited Xbox Game Pass Family Plan.”

Ball comes with quite an impressive resume, having worked with Amazon Studios and is the CEO of Epyllion, while also holding important positions in the investment sector. Those skills are sure to come in handy as he navigates a situation for the XBOX that he previously deemed quite frightening. However, as the brains behind the popular State of Video Gaming annual report and a well-known industry analyst, we think that he’s up to the challenge.

Meanwhile, Van Vliet has worked with Microsoft products like Azure and Teams, alongside gaming experience courtesy of Amazon. He’s also been involved with classics like Cut the Rope and Fruit Ninja in the past. He’ll be a part of streamlining XBOX’s product pipeline, a task that he might find enjoyable, thanks to Project Helix being quite an impressive piece of tech.

The appointment of Ball and Vliet follows several other leadership changes by CEO Asha Sharma in recent months, including Jared Palmer as VP of Xbox engineering, Jonathan McKay as the new Xbox head of Growth, Tim Allen as CVP of Xbox Design and more. Others like Jason Ronald now head up Project Helix and the “Xbox platform”, while Xbox’s CVP of gaming ecosystem organization, Kevin Gammill, has departed the company.

“We believe there’s going to be more change happening in the next couple of years than the 25 years that got us here,” he said. Richard went on to explain that XBOX is planning “a lot throughout the year” to celebrate its 25th anniversary as a console platform.

“There’s already been some announcements we’ve made, like bringing back our FanFest,” he said. “There’s lots of exciting things that we’re doing throughout the summer as well that we’ll be looking forward to share more about.”

As for what these celebrations will entail, Richard noted that it won’t revolve too much around XBOX looking at its past. Rather, the company is looking to set itself up for its next 25 years.

“If you think about what’s going on in the industry, in terms of how player behavior is shifting, players are playing across different devices, they’re accessing games in different ways, free-to-play, premium, subscription, business models are all changing,” he said.

“We’re going to keep meeting players where they are. The world continues to evolve and change, and we’re going to make sure Xbox is a great place for developers and players.”

Under the leadership of new CEO Asha Sharma, XBOX has made quite a few major moves, affecting consumers at large with the price decrease for Game Pass, as well as behind-the-scenes decisions with a major shake-up in its leadership structure. The latter happened earlier this month and involved the appointment of Jared Palmer as the new VP of Xbox Engineering, and Tim Allen as the CVP of Xbox Design, among many other appointments.

A few executives who were already part of the XBOX divisions have been reassigned to new roles. This includes VP of Xbox gaming devices and ecosystems, Jason Ronald, who is now “accountable for Project Helix and the Xbox platform”. The moves have also involved some executives stepping down, including former CVP of gaming ecosystem organization Kevin Gammill. CVP of Xbox devices and ecosystems, Roanne Sones, on the other hand, is taking a leave of absence for now and will be returning to the company as an advisor.

“Xbox needs to move faster, deepen our connection with the community, and address friction for both players and developers,” said Sharma in her announcement. “Today, we promoted leaders who helped build Xbox, while also bringing in new voices to help push us forward. This balance is important as we get the business back on track.”

“As part of this shift, you’ll see us begin to retire features that don’t align with where we’re headed. We will begin winding down Copilot on mobile and will stop development of Copilot on console.”

When providing feedback, you can now track when it’s seen, and even receive updates on whether your suggestions will be a part of the games you’re playing. Of course, there’s no guarantee that the powers that be at Microsoft will implement your feedback, be it now or later, but it’s definitely nice to know that somebody’s listening to our bright ideas, isn’t it?

It replaces the Xbox Cloud Gaming portal and works pretty well with XBOX Insider Hub. It’s also launching as a feature that will evolve based on the results it generates, so expect quite a few changes before it finds its final form, not unlike the years-long journey that Project xCloud underwent.

As far as initiatives go, this sounds more promising than whatever the recent rebrand from Xbox to XBOX was meant to accomplish. Interestingly, a short trip to the portal indicates exclusives to be the most popular topic, followed by backwards compatibility and free multiplayer.

This occurred after a poll on Twitter that asked, “Xbox or XBOX?” 64.8 percent voted in favor of the latter, seemingly unaware that it meant another rebranding. The official Twitter profile and Sharma’s LinkedIn have since reflected this change.

Unnecessary? Probably, but it garnered plenty of attention, much like other changes since she took over as CEO for the gaming division from the now-retired Phil Spencer. These include a new logo that pays homage to the OG Xbox, a new console start-up animation in a similar vein, and various improvements like toggles for Quick Resume.

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass also saw some surprising price drops, even if it meant future Call of Duty titles wouldn’t be available on day one. Of course, there have been plenty of high-level changes, including the appointment of three executives from the CoreAI division (which Sharma previously headed).

Several individuals have also been shifted – for example, Jason Ronald is now in charge of next-gen console Project Helix, while CVP of gaming ecosystem organisation Kevin Gammill resigned. CVP of Xbox devices and ecosystems, Roanne Sones, has also left her position but will return as an advisor.

Regardless, time will tell if this new rebranding sticks for longer than a month, so stay tuned for updates.

One of the biggest changes that seems to be coming with the Xbox Elite Controller Series 3 is the existence of scroll wheels along its bottom edge. While details about this addition are currently unknown, some have begun speculating that it might be a way for the controller to be usable for games that instead focus on mouse input, like strategy games. The battery in the new controller also seems to be removable and chargeable, and there also seems to be a switch that might let players change controller modes.

Aside from this, the Series 3 Elite Controller will seemingly see little change when it comes to its core layout, with Xbox’s iconic asymmetrical analogue stick placement still being visible. The Xbox Guide button has three buttons, which will likely be analogous to the existing Xbox controller in terms of functionality.

It is worth noting that the Xbox Elite Controller series is targeted towards “hardcore” gamers who tend to prefer the modularity and customizability that the controllers have typically offered. The Series 2, for instance, allowed users to switch out the analogue sticks and even the D-pad to different styles.

Interestingly, the alleged Xbox Elite Controller Series 3 isn’t the only Xbox peripheral to have been leaked. Technoblog has also posted pictures and details about a new Xbox controller dedicated to cloud gaming. The controller, sporting a more rectangular shape than its contemporaries, will include a rechargeable 500 mAh battery and can connect to Wi-Fi over 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. It will also be capable of Bluetooth connectivity, and players who would prefer a wired controller can make use of its USB-C port.

Along with this, it will also include all of the buttons that you might want on a controller, including bumpers, triggers, a D-pad, and a dedicated pairing button. This button will allow users to switch between a “Local” mode and a “Cloud” mode. Users will also need to make use of the Xbox mobile app to pair the controller when using Cloud mode.

Rumors of these new controllers had popped up last year, with references in xCloud files to hardware dubbed “sebile” and “actium” being discovered. The former seemingly referenced the cloud gaming controller, while the latter was believed to be a new Xbox Elite controller. At the time, the report also noted that these controllers would be compatible with Xbox’s next-generation console hardware and would also include enhanced haptics, similar to what we see in the PS5’s DualSense controller.

No details about how much these new controllers will cost, or even when they might be officially unveiled, have been revealed so far.

However, there’s also a new system update for Xbox Insiders that brings a nifty new feature to the table, and it’s one Achievement hunters are sure to love. Your Gamerscore now unlocks a badge that’s indicative of your total score and the bracket it falls under, with tiers getting more valuable the higher your overall score.

Five million’s the upper limit as of now, although it may not be long before we see a few players break the 10 million mark. It doesn’t have a release date for live servers, but it should land sometime in the near future.

It’s a nice little addition that looks consistent with the rebranding effort, especially following the renaming of Microsoft Gaming to Xbox after CEO Asha Sharma took over the reins in February this year. And while Xbox isn’t out of the woods yet, these small but significant steps towards reviving the brand’s fortunes have us feeling strangely optimistic. Of course, a new crop of consoles that could revive the fierce rivalry of modern gaming’s early days doesn’t hurt either.

While no details about Project Saluki have been revealed, Corden posits that it might start offering games through the subscription service that have been officially verified by China’s regulatory bodies. Along with this, keeping in line with the kinds of games that have seen success in the region, there is also expected to be a larger emphasis on in-game currencies and other forms of microtransactions.

As for the rest of the world, Xbox is also seemingly working on a new feature codenamed Positron. While details are scarce, there are indications that it might be Microsoft’s way to offer digital copies of games that players already own physical copies of. As the report notes, this could be a larger push for Xbox to go all-in on digital games only. Currently, the company only offers digital-only options through the Xbox Series S, with the larger and more powerful Xbox Series X still including a disc drive.

Xbox’s desire to go fully digital might come down to the fact that Microsoft isn’t part of the Blu-Ray consortium, and because of this, it has to pay licensing costs to make use of the technology for its disc drives. Sony, on the other hand, is a member of the consortium and is able to include Blu-Ray disc drives in its consoles without having to pay licensing costs.

Microsoft’s desire to lean more heavily into digital-only games might also come down to the fact that it has been focusing quite a bit of its effort on pushing Game Pass as one of its main consumer-facing services. This report, alongside the company’s other moves, might indicate that the next-generation console, Project Helix, might not offer any SKUs with disc drives at all, and the company will instead go all-in on digital. Interestingly, the company’s other major source of gaming income—gaming PCs—has seen disc drives essentially disappear over the last decade with the rise of Steam, with even modern PC cabinets lacking any room for an internal disc drive.

A recent report had indicated that Xbox has been exploring a number of new options for Game Pass. Among these is a “pick your own plan” option that would allow subscribers to opt out of services typically part of Game Pass that they might not use. This would include things like Minecraft Realms or Fortnite Crew. The idea would also open up new ways for the company to bundle its subscription costs, like including World of Warcraft play time as part of Game Pass, for instance.

Another rumored new plan for Game Pass involves a brand new tier that only includes first-party games published under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella. Datamines have indicated that this would include titles like DOOM Eternal and Grounded, among many others.

The companies have also confirmed that, in the future, Game Pass subscribers will also get Discord Nitro benefits as part of the partnership. These benefits include 250 Discord Orbs every month, 1.2x extra Orbs when completing Quests, and automatically-applied Discord Shop discounts.

“For years, Xbox and Discord have worked together to make it easier to connect, chat, and play together across devices. From bringing Discord voice to Xbox consoles to enabling live streaming directly to your Discord friends, we’ve been focused on meeting players where they already are and making gaming more social along the way,” wrote Xbox in its announcement.

“We’re teaming up again as we continue to make Game Pass more flexible for players, bringing new benefits to both Xbox Game Pass and Discord communities.”

Interestingly, the idea of bundling Game Pass benefits with other subscription services is far from a new one. Back in March, Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters had spoken about his conversations with Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and how this could lead to a potential partnership between the two companies. While no official announcement has been made, Peters hinted that we could see Game Pass benefits bundled in with a Netflix subscription, and vice versa.

“You would have to do it in a way that works for the consumer and works for both companies, and frankly, I think Microsoft’s still trying to figure out how to make the Game Pass bundle work for Microsoft,” said Peters. “But what I like about Asha’s thinking is, it’s all about, ‘How do we do more?’ And it’s already been exciting to watch.”

In the meantime, rumors have also been going around of a potential new Game Pass subscription tier that would only include first-party games published under the Xbox Game Studios label. Dataminers had discovered references to this tier, codenamed Triton, along with a list of games that includes DOOM 64, Psychonauts, Retro Classics, DOOM Eternal, Dishonored 2, Fable Anniversary, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, Gears 5, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Wars 2, Hellblade, Ori and the Blind Forest, State of Decay 2, and The Elder Scrolls Online.

Sharma had also spoken about the value offered by Game Pass and how its price is too high. “Game Pass is central to gaming value on Xbox,” reads an internal memo penned by Sharma. “It’s also clear that the current model isn’t the final one. Short term, Game Pass has become too expensive for players, so we need a better value equation. Long term, we will evolve Game Pass into a more flexible system, which will take time to test and learn around.”

More recent reports have also indicated that we might see a “Pick Your Own Plan” system coming to Game Pass subscriptions, giving users more options to opt in and out of benefits that they don’t use.

The official partnership announcement can be seen in a video clip uploaded to social media platforms by the official Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide account. The Mexican wrestling company was acquired by WWE in 2025 and has been turned into its subsidiary. The video clip hypes the upcoming show by showcasing some of the pro-wrestlers part of the event, before a final splash screen shows the logo for Gears of War: E-Day under the graphic for the show itself.

While a sponsorship is far from direct confirmation of a game’s release date, it is worth noting that only games that have been released tend to sponsor events like this, since the marketing reach of shows like Triplemania 34 would be a huge boon for Microsoft and developer The Coalition to reach markets outside of the US.

In the meantime, more details about Gears of War: E-Day are slated to be revealed during a Direct slated for June 7th. Set to take place over the course of 30 minutes, the Direct is expected to showcase some of the early story moments from the game, gameplay elements, and the release date.

“I’ll say that we’ve got the Gears Direct coming, and after seeing that, we’ve probably got like a full 30 minutes, which is really great,” said Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty about the upcoming Direct last month. “And I don’t know. I just love everybody in that studio, the work they’re doing. I’m excited about the game, and we’re going to have a fantastic, full 30 minutes of stuff to see.”

Not too many details about Gears of War: E-Day have been revealed so far, aside from the fact that it will be a prequel to the entire franchise, using Emergence Day as its main setting. This also means that the Locust will be returning as the primary antagonists of the game, and Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago will be the protagonists.

The Coalition has also referred to the title as its “most ambitious game yet.” The studio has also confirmed that it is “entirely built from scratch in Unreal Engine 5.”

“This is a return to our roots as Marcus and Dom face the Locust for the first time ever. It’s the best place to jump into the Gears universe, and we can’t wait to share more next year.”

Gears of War: E-Day is coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. For more thoughts on the upcoming game, check out what former franchise game designer Cliff Bleszinski has said about it, including the fact that going back to fighting the Locust is a step in the right direction for the series.