Blizzard announced a slate of new titles at BlizzCon 2026, including Diablo 5, a StarCraft open‑world shooter, a new World of Warcraft game and a Warcraft III campaign, with some releases slated as far as 2030. A week later, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier confirmed that layoffs at Blizzard are “imminent,” despite the studio’s recent showcase. Microsoft’s Xbox division is undergoing a second wave of cuts, having already eliminated 2,680 jobs and merged or closed several studios such as Ninja Theory and [...]

LG Chairman Koo Kwang‑mo met Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at the Redmond headquarters on Jan. 21 to formalize an AI alliance that will extend the two firms’ existing partnership. The agreement calls for LG to supply cooling, power and IT infrastructure for Microsoft’s expanding AI data centers, beginning with large‑scale cooling solutions and later “prefab” modular facilities. In return, Microsoft will provide its global cloud and data‑center platforms to accelerate AI transformation across LG’s affiliates, including the rollout of [...]

Microsoft Corp announced plans to double its Taiwan data‑center footprint from two to four sites, adding capacity primarily in the north to meet surging demand and mitigate single‑point‑failure risks. General manager Sean Pien said demand has outstripped supply for the past two to three years and will continue for a similar horizon, stressing shortages not only of GPUs and CPUs but also of power and rack space. The first Azure phase launched in Taoyuan in 2024, and the [...]

Microsoft announced at its AI Infrastructure Summit that the newly launched India South Central region in Hyderabad is now operational, offering AI‑ready infrastructure and a three‑zone resilient architecture designed to scale with demand. The datacenter aligns with MeitY guidelines, supporting India’s DPDP data‑protection framework and security directives from RBI and CERT‑In, while employing high‑efficiency mechanical cooling that achieves effectively zero water usage. Microsoft highlighted its broader India cloud footprint, noting it serves over 10 million Indians with AI [...]

Microsoft announced a modest update to its Mixed Reality (MR) platform, introducing a handful of core functionalities that many users assumed were already available. The rollout includes native support for hand tracking, a simplified onboarding wizard for new headsets, and basic spatial audio presets integrated into Windows 11. Developers can now access a streamlined API that consolidates previously fragmented MR toolkits, enabling quicker prototyping of holographic apps. The update also adds a unified settings pane within the [...]

Microsoft filed a U.S. patent on September 3 describing a “context aware” ad system that triggers advertisements during in‑game downtime, such as loading screens or mission completions. The system pauses gameplay, displays ads in segments, and allocates ad‑free time credits to players. When credits expire, promoted content appears. The patent aligns with Microsoft’s ongoing experiments with ad‑supported Xbox cloud gaming and a rumored cheaper, ad‑backed Game Pass tier, signaling a potential shift in its subscription strategy. [...]

Microsoft announced that famed developer Hideo Kojima will produce two new titles as Xbox exclusives, positioning him as a key driver for the company’s next‑generation strategy. The move follows Kojima’s departure from PlayStation, where he was reportedly let go over salary‑cap concerns. Xbox showcased the partnership at the Tokyo Game Show, highlighting the potential to attract Kojima’s fanbase and bolster the brand’s prestige. The exclusives are part of a broader lineup that includes Elder Scrolls 6, Obsidian’s Fallout sequel, and [...]