AlexanderTheGreat

It's been two years since Mafia developer Hangar 13 confirmed it was working on a new entry in its open-world crime series, and the time has finally come for it to be revealed to the world. It's called Mafia: The Old Country and is heading to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC next year.

While 2016's Mafia 3 shunted the series forward in time to the late 60s (the first two games spanned the 1930s, 40s, and 50s between them), The Old Country is going backward, presenting players with a "gritty mob story set in the brutal underworld of 1900s Sicily."

"Fight to survive in this dangerous and unforgiving era," teases the scant bit of blurb accompanying today's teaser trailer, "with action brought to life by the authentic realism and rich storytelling that the critically acclaimed Mafia series is known for."

In the aftermath of rumours about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle coming to PS5 next year, former Xbox exec Major Nelson has defended Microsoft's Phil Spencer on the recent strategy change over at Xbox.

With Indiana Jones potentially being the next big Xbox-developed game to launch on other console platforms, fans have begun questioning Xbox's leadership - and the decisions that Phil & co. are taking right now. Major Nelson has responded to one of these questions on Twitter, simply stating that Phil is "running a business" for Microsoft, that's all.

I'm a huge proponent of all games being multiplatform. But I'm worried only Xbox is going to do it, then stop making hardware, and leave all of us die hard Xbox veterans with 15+ year accounts hanging out to dry because"business"...

It's back!

Today's Gamescom Opening Night Live pre-show kicked things off with a bang - it was announced that a brand-new game in the Sniper Elite series known as Sniper Elite: Resistance will be coming to Xbox Game Pass in 2025!

You can get a look at the debut trailer up above, and we'll throw more details down below.

Shattered Space, the highly anticipated upcoming DLC for Bethesda's Starfield, will officially be releasing on September 30.

The announcement was made today at gamescom Opening Night Live, where it was also revealed that a new vehicle, the Rev-8, will be made available in a free update tonight. We got to see the vehicle in action in footage unveiled at gamescom, showing off some fun world exploration.

Shattered Space, too, got a brief tease in the footage, although it didn't show too much outside of a darker tone, with much of the focus begin on the Rev-8.

Shattered Space got its first trailer back in June during the Xbox Games Showcase, and it'll focus on a mysterious new faction called House Va'Ruun. "Investigate a frightening cosmic threat, explore a new planet, and find unique weapons, spacesuits, and gear in this all-new adventure," Starfield's official website explains in a page dedicated to the Shattered Space expansion.

Bethesda confirmed it was working on the story expansion in 2023, but we've been waiting for a release date since then. It's set to arrive both on Xbox and PC.

We gave Starfield a 7/10 when we reviewed it last year, writing at the time that it "has a lot of forces working against it, but eventually the allure of its expansive roleplaying quests and respectable combat make its gravitational pull difficult to resist."

Maybe it's true, maybe it's not.

The big Xbox story on social media right now relates to the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and it concerns a rumour that's been shared by content creator NateTheHate - who says the game is going to PS5 in 2025.

Specifically, it's mentioned that Indiana Jones will launch for Xbox and PC at some point this December, while the PS5 version will arrive in the first half of next year. Here's a look at the tweet that's causing all the fuss:

Read the full article on purexbox.com

We've got a bit more of a wait now until we can head to medieval Europe for the Kingdom Come: Deliverance II achievements, as Warhorse Studios has confirmed that Kingdom Come: Deliverance II has been delayed from its 2024 release window until February 11, 2025 to give it a bit more time. Given all the major releases and upcoming Game Pass games, this delay will also no doubt give players a bit of breathing room...m

We have a few ideas in mind.

The Xbox Store (or the "Microsoft Store" if you want to call it that) is a place that we're constantly browsing on a near-daily basis here at Pure Xbox, and it's obviously a crucial part of the console (and PC) experience for all players.

This is the place you go to buy new games, buy them on discount, check out the Free Play Days offerings every week, subscribe to the likes of Xbox Game Pass and Ubisoft+, download apps, look for free-to-play titles, and so much more.

There are a few surprising scores though.

Yes, we all know the score — Black Myth: Wukong was originally announced to be launching day one on Xbox before it got delayed indefinitely for Microsoft's consoles — and the release date is now just four days away for other platforms.

As we're so close, the first reviews have gone live today across the web, and unexpectedly they're pretty impressive on the whole. There are a few surprising scores as well though, with some not so keen on what it has to offer.

BioWare and publisher Electronic Arts debuted a new trailer on Thursday announcing that Dragon Age: The Veilguard will be released on Oct. 31. The Veilguard will be released on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. Pre-orders are open now for standard and deluxe editions of the game, BioWare said.

The new trailer appears to be largely cinematic and shows Rook and companions heading off on an adventure to take on the Elven gods. It also includes some glimpses of combat, romance, and the big bads. And yes, there are dragons.

“As a character-driven RPG, Dragon Age: The Veilguard offers a crafted experience woven from the threads of rich storytelling and fantasy worldbuilding the franchise is known for,“ BioWare wrote in a news release. “In this bold, heroic adventure, players will experience expansive and dynamic stories that navigate love, loss and complex choices that affect relationships and the fate of each member of the Veilguard. In true Dragon Age fashion, these bonds of fellowship are the foundation upon which Rook’s journey is built, and it will be up to the player to determine how their personal story unfolds.”

On Wednesday, when BioWare announced the release date for the, well, release date, it also showed a roadmap for new reveals for The Veilguard. For the months of August, September, and beyond, BioWare will share new details about the game, be it full weeks worth of content on combat and companions, a developer Q&A, or a monthlong showcase on IGN.

It’s been 10 years since Dragon Age: Inquisition, so fans of the franchise are eager to see more from their favorite world. So far, BioWare has shown the companions that players will join on the journey — and given press a sneak peek at the first hour of Veilguard. Some version of the game began development in 2015, according to Kotaku, before staff was pulled off the project to work on Mass Effect: Andromeda. That team got back to work on Dragon Age after Andromeda shipped in 2017, Kotaku reported. That version of Dragon Age was scrapped in 2017, and a small number of developers started work on a new version of Dragon Age 4.

Through all of this, BioWare has faced several controversies, including 50 layoffs and a legal push for “adequate severance.” The studio also came under fire when Veilguard QA workers, contracted under Keywords Studios, were laid off. Staff turnover has reportedly been high, too: creative director Mike Laidlaw left 2017, producer Mark Darrah and general manager Casey Hudson left in 2020 (Darrah later returned in a consultant role), and writer Mary Kirby was laid off with 49 others in 2023.

Though The Veilguard’s first trailer left some players unimpressed, its gameplay impressed those who got an early look at the first hour. And with BioWare’s slate of announcement and reveals, it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of The Veilguard in the months to come.