Episode 286 | "You Had Me At Halo"

This week was perhaps a sobering moment for Xbox fans. On the back of some fantastic game releases, Xbox made a move that we've arguably known was coming for a long time, but one that still feels pretty surreal. Let's get into it in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 286!First, let's chat games we can play right now! Following Double Fine's Keeper, this week saw the continued onslaught from Microsoft's first party publishing arm, with two new releases becoming available. On Monday we saw the return of a classic action franchise in Ninja Gaiden 4, and friends, it's bloody great. We also saw the release (in Early Access for Premium buyers at least) of Obsidian's The Outer Worlds 2, putting you in the shoes of a commander of the Earth Directorate to save the outer worlds once again. Both games reviewed super well across the board, so get stuck in! Outside of lovely video reviews, our team also pushed reviews for Painkiller, Hot Wheels: Let's Race, Fast and Furious: Arcade Edition, Bounty Star, Plants VS Zombies: Replanted and PowerWash Simulator 2. Phew! Now let's talk about the biggest news. Halo Campaign Evolved was announced, and yes - it's coming to PlayStation. Plenty of die-hard Xbox fans are certainly in their feels right now, and we get it. We talk through all of that, in addition to the crazy reporting that Microsoft's CFO is pushing the Xbox division to target a whopping 30% margin, which is way outside of industry norms. All this and more to listen in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 286! As always, if you value what we do, consider supporting us directly on Patreon. Just head to patreon.com/xboxera to make a difference and keep your favourite independent Xbox-focused publication alive – for now, at least!