Minecraft Ar
Minecraft Earth takes centre stage at Apple’s WWDC
Upcoming augmented reality game used to show off ARKit 3 capabilities
Company Profile
Microsoft
Website
www.microsoft.com
About
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services, and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential.
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Andy Lunique
Influencer Relations Manager
Agostino Simonetta
Director for global partnership management ID@Xbox
Satya Nadella
CEO
Brad Smith
President
Miguel Vicente
Audience Marketing Manager, Portugal
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Accolades
Articles featuring Microsoft
Build Me Up
Minecraft builds to 176 million copies sold worldwide
Estimated to be the second highest selling game of all time
Communication Error
Report: PlayStation team didn't know about Sony-Microsoft cloud technology deal
And there's numerous reasons why
Steve Go
AR game Minecraft Earth arrives on mobile this summer
Players can sign up to a closed beta now
10 Years Of Minecraft
Minecraft was the only top 250 grossing premium mobile game in 2018, showing it’s still going strong 10 years later
A look at the history and continued success of the blockbuster game
Big Deal
Microsoft and Sony set aside rivalry to team up on cloud gaming
PlayStation maker to use Azure data centres for cloud gaming; will also work with Microsoft on new developments
New Opportunities
SK Telecom partners with Microsoft on 5G, AI and cloud technologies
SK Telecom will adopt Microsoft 365 secure solution
Live
Gameloft is bringing Xbox Live support to three mobile games
Two Asphalt titles and Dragon Mania Legends are three of the first mobile games in Xbox Live’s lineup
Pokemon Go Competitor?
Microsoft digs up Minecraft AR teaser for mobile
More information will be revealed on May 17th
$$$
Xbox Live monthly active users dropped to 63m in last financial quarter
Revenue up five per cent for Microsoft's games business
Money Money Money
Newzoo: Tencent responsible for 15% of 2018's global games revenue
Chinese tech and entertainment giant saw close-to $20bn coming in last year
Electric Turn
Electric Square’s Forza Street takes franchise free-to-play and to mobile
Released on PC, coming to iOS and Android
Company Roundup
Meet 31 of the top most exciting Washington state games companies
Get a chance to meet with the state's finest at Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle on May 13th to 14th
Stadia Versus Xbox
Microsoft: Google has technology and community, but Stadia needs content to succeed
Xbox marketing boss Nichols is first Big M exec to weigh in on the platform
Data
UK games industry gender pay gap widens
Median hourly wage for women drops 4.78 per cent, mean figure down four per cent
Terms And Conditions
UK's Competition and Markets Authority investigating Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft over game subscriptions
“We are fully prepared to take action”
Play
A win for accessibility: Google Stadia will support the Xbox Adaptive Controller
Google's open approach to input opens the door for less able-bodied gamers
Xbox Live
GDC 2019: 4.28 billion game hours played over Xbox Live across platforms every month
64 million monthly active users
Stacked Up
Xbox Live comes to iOS and Android as Microsoft brings tools and services under Game Stack banner
PlayFab, DirectX, Azure, Simplygon, Mixer, Havok and more get brought closer together
Xbox On The Go
Microsoft’s xCloud streaming service lets you play Xbox One games on your smartphone
Public trials will begin this year
Error 404
Report: Forza Street in development for mobile
Turn10 Studios and Electric Square helming the project
Money, Money, Money
Streaming toolkit Lightstream raises $8 million in initial funding
Chicago firm has accrued $9.8 million overall to date
Warfare
Microsoft workers demand stricter ethics as HoloLens prepares to kill
Open letter calls for the cancellation of a recently-signed army IVAS contract
Enterprise Ar
Microsoft unveils $3,500 HoloLens 2 headset
Epic's Tim Sweeney praises tech giant's open approach to development
Diamonds Are Forever
Minecraft has its best year ever on mobile earning $110 million
Good news for Steve
Change Of Name
Microsoft Studios renames to Xbox Game Studios
"2019 is going to be a great year for Xbox gamers everywhere"
Cross-platform Xbox
Microsoft readying SDK for Xbox Live cross-play on mobile and Nintendo Switch
In part thanks to the Big M's acquisition of PlayFab in January 2018
Craft
Fortnite isn't top dog yet - Minecraft is now pushing 90 million monthly active users
The second-highest selling game of all time found an extra 20 million monthly users in 2018
R&d
Scotland set for $11.6m games research and development centre
Students also stand to benefit with work experience through InGame partnership
Code Kids
Microsoft puts $500k behind tech training for students of colour
Publisher enters partnership with Black Girls Code to improve STEM education
Beef
Nintendo and Microsoft dunk Sony on Twitter over Minecraft cross-play
Sony’s cross-play policy has been under public scrutiny since Fortnite launched on Switch
Augmented
Report: Microsoft plans to unveil Hololens 2 in late 2018
“Sydney” set to launch next year with a significantly lower price tag
Storm Closing In
Nintendo and Xbox go on the attack as Sony flounders on Fortnite cross-play controversy
Crackdown on cross-platform play continues to rile up players
Xbox Mobile
Microsoft building Xbox streaming service to bring console games to any device
Looks like Xbox games could be coming to mobile
Popping Up
Gears Pop blends Gears of War with Funko Pop for mobile
Gears Pop release date set for 2019 on Google Play and App Store
Microhub
Microsoft acquires GitHub for $7.5 billion
Announcement could be made as early as Monday, June 4th
Gender Pay Gap
UK games companies reveal gender pay gap
New figures show men earning more than women
Rumour Mill
Report: Microsoft considers EA acquisition
Deals for Valve and PUBG Corp also rumoured to be on the cards
Up In The Clouds
Microsoft acquires backend services provider PlayFab
Technology to complement computing giant's own Azure platform
More Minecraft
Minecraft cleared 144 million copies sold and 74 million MAUs in December 2017
Unclear how many sales come from mobile
Windows Phone Is Dead
Microsoft halts further development of Windows Phone features and hardware
Looks like the end of the line for OS and handsets for Windows 10 Mobile
London Continuum
Microsoft will deliver Windows Mixed Reality keynote at Develop:VR
Pete Daukintis and Mike Taulty to close the one-day conference and expo taking place on 9 November at Olympia
Mix It Up
Microsoft’s Mixer Create mobile app lets players stream games from their phones
Co-streaming also available across PC and console
Mix It Up
Microsoft launches Mixer Create to livestream games from mobile devices
Offers co-streaming and viewer interactivity
Acquisition News
Microsoft snaps up 3D optimisation tool Simplygon
Firm aims to make tech more accessible for studios
Life Thru A Hololens
HoloLens pre-orders open in Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and UK
Prices starting at £2,719
Mobile > Pc And Console
Mobile is the most popular platform for worldwide Minecraft players
Big lead in APAC, Middle East and Africa, noses in front in North America and Europe
Microsoft Streamline
Microsoft cuts 1,850 jobs as it "streamlines" mobile hardware business
Restructuring to cost company $950 million
Minecraft Enters China
NetEase bringing Minecraft to China on mobile and PC
World's biggest game meets world's biggest game market
Resurrection?
As Microsoft gives up, a Finnish startup attempts to reboot Nokia
Mobile business sold for $350 million