January 2: Jack Black joins the cast of Warner Bros' upcoming live-action Minecraft film.[1]
January 9: Xbox announces their second Developer_Direct will be held on January 18 and include in depth updates on Ara: History Untold, Avowed, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, and the Indiana Jones video game.[2]
January 10: Mojang announce that Minecraft Legends will not receive any more updates, as they take a step back from development on the game.[3][4]
The name of Bethesda's upcoming Indiana Jones game leaks, titled Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.[6]
January 12: A new trailer for the second season of Paramount's Halo television show is released.[7]
January 16: Four new Dynamic Backgrounds are made available on Xbox Series X|S consoles. Each one being based on a different sports game published by EA.[8]
January 18:
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is released on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
The Xbox Developer Direct is held, being livestreamed via YouTube and Twitch.[9]
Action role-playing game Avowed is given a release window of Fall 2024, with developers Obsidian Entertainment providing a deep-dive into it's gameplay.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is given a release date of May 21. More details on the game's story are also shown.
Square Enix make a surprise appearance, revealing Visions of Mana. The game is given a release date of Summer 2024, with additional gameplay and other behind-the-footage also being shown.
An overview and additional new pieces of gameplay footage are shown of PC game Ara: History Untold. Developed by Oxide Games, the game will release on Day One on PC Game Pass during Fall 2024.[10]
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is officially revealed. Taking place between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, the game will release on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Game Pass sometime in 2024. Thirteen minutes of gameplay was shown by developers MachineGames.
January 19:
A Cyberpunk 2077 Dynamic Background is made available on Xbox Series X|S consoles.[11]
Palworld is released on Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Game Pass[12]. The game reaches over two million players within its first twenty-four hours of being on sale.[13]
Microsoft lays off 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees, removing roughly eight percent of the 22,000 employees that are a part of the Microsoft Gaming division.[16]
Blizzard's survival game that was announced in 2022 is canceled due to development struggles relating to the game's engine[17][18][19]. In an internal letter to staff, head of Xbox Game StudiosMatt Booty, states that the company will shift some employees on to other Blizzard projects[20]. While a tweet from a visual effects artist that worked on the game states that the entire team was laid off, contradicting Booty's previous statement.[21][22]
January 26:
Xbox's physical game releases division is reportedly shut down following mass job layoffs.[23][24]
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is released on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Windows.[25]
Tekken 8 is released on Windows and Xbox Series X|S.[26]
January 31:
Xbox reveal six new Vapor styled faceplate options for use in Xbox Design Lab, as well as the standalone Dream Vapor Wireless controller that will release on February 6.[27]
Seven new Dynamic Backgrounds are made available on Xbox Series X/S consoles, each a part of the Xbox Celebrates series from 2023.[28]
Palworld becomes the biggest third-party game launch on Xbox Game Pass ever, as it surpasses over seven million players on Xbox alone.[29]
February[]
February 1: A 2024 Black History Month Dynamic Background is released on Xbox Series X|S consoles.[30]
February 6:
The Dream Vapor Xbox Wireless controller is released.[31]
The first batch of February's Game Pass titles are revealed. The games include Train Sim World 4, Madden NFL 24, Resident Evil 3,Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, A Little To The Left, PlateUp!, and Return to Grace.[32]
After several days of rumors regarding Xbox changing their strategy by releasing several of their first-party titles on PlayStation, Phil Spencer announces a business update for the following week, in which more details on the future of Xbox will be shared.[33]
February 7: To celebrate the release of the second season of Paramount+'s Halo television series, a thirty day free trial is made available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate users through Game Pass Perks.[34]
February 8:
Disney announces a $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games.[35]
The second season of the Halo TV series is released on Paramount+.[36]
February 14:
The Xbox February Update is released. New features include touch controls when using remote play, a thumbstick calibration tool for Xbox controller and improved filtering and sorting within My Games & Apps.[37]
An Apex Legends Dynamic Background is made available on Xbox Series X|S consoles.[38]
February 15: Xbox host their business update via the Official Xbox Podcast.[39]
It is announced that Diablo IV will become the first Activision Blizzard game to be available on Game Pass, starting on March 28.
It is revealed that there are currently thirty-four million people subscribed to Xbox Game Pass.
Four unannounced Xbox exclusive games are revealed to be in the process of being brought to other platforms (PlayStation and Nintendo Switch). The titles will be ones that have been available on Xbox for at least a year and include a mix of live service titles as well as 'hidden gems'.
Xbox Game Pass will continue to only remain on Xbox platforms.
The next generation of Xbox is also teased, stated as being the 'largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation.'[40]
February 18: A Skull and Bones Dynamic Background is made available on Xbox Series X|S.[41]
February 20:
The second batch of Game Pass games for February is revealed. The games include Madden NFL 24, Bluey: The Video Game, Maneater, Indivisible, Space Engineers, and Warhammer 40,000 Boltgun.[42]
A Dynamic Background based on the cover art for Avowed is made available on Xbox Series X|S consoles.[43]
Phil Spencer states that Xbox will not be moving away from physical media, as long as people still want it by saying: 'our strategy does not hinge on people moving all-digital. And getting rid of physical, that’s not a strategic thing for us.'[44]
February 21: During a Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, two of the four Xbox exclusives that were announced to be releasing on other platforms are revealed as Pentiment and Grounded.[45]
An Xbox Wire post is uploaded not long after, revealing that these two titles in addition to Sea of Thieves and Hi-Fi RUSH will also be releasing on PlayStation consoles.[46]
February 24: All Xbox players' wishlists are completely wiped for an unknown reason.[47]
March 1: A 2024 Women's History Month Dynamic Background is made available on Xbox Series X/S consoles.[48]
March 4:
Xbox partners with American retailer Best Buy to launch a Special Edition SpongeBob inspired Nickelodeon All-All Star Brawl 2 Xbox Series X console bundle. The bundle will release on March 7 exclusively through Best Buy Drops on the Best Buy Mobile app for $699.[49]
An Xbox Partner Preview is announced for March 6.[50]
March 5:
A faceplate option inspired by Fallout is made available in Xbox Design Lab.[51]
Final Fantasy XIV Online is given a release date of March 21 for Xbox Series X|S consoles.
Gameplay is shown for Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. It will release day one on Game Pass and be available on Xbox Series X|S and Windows.
The Sinking City 2 is revealed.
The Persona 3 Reload: Expansion Pass is announced.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Legends of the Zone Trilogy is revealed and released on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
New gameplay for Unknown 9: Awakening is shown.
A gameplay trailer is shown for Tales of Kenzera: Zau. The game will release on April 23, 2024, for Xbox Series X|S and Windows.
A new Roblox experience titled Griefville: Survive the Nightmare!, is revealed, featuring the horror movie character Chucky.
Creatures of Ava is revealed.
Monster Jam Showdown is revealed and will release later in 2024.
The first gameplay trailer for The Alters is shown.
A gameplay trailer for The First Berserker: Khazan is shown.
PC game, Frostpunk 2 is given a release date of July 24, 2024 and will arrive on PC Game Pass the same day.
Sleight of Hand is announced.
March 7: A Dynamic Background inspired by the upcoming Fallout TV series is made available on Xbox Series X and S consoles.[54]
March 8: Sea of Thieves is made available to preorder on PlayStation consoles.[55]
March 10: Sea of Thieves reaches number one on most preordered game on the PlayStation digital storefront.
March 19: The second batch of Xbox Game Pass games for Marach are revealed. The titles include, Lightyear Frontier, MLB The Show 24, The Quarry, Evil West, Terra Invicta, Diablo IV, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2, Open Roads, Ark: Survival Ascended, F1 23 and Superhot: Mind Control Delete.[56]
March 21:
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is released on iOS and Android devices.[57]
Xbox and Prime Video collaborate to create a one-of-a-kind vault-inspired Xbox Series X console that can be won through a sweepstake competition to celebrate the upcoming Fallout TV series. [58]
March 26:
To celebrate the release of South Park: Snow Day!, Xbox ran a sweepstake competition giving people the opportunity to win one of four limited edition consoles and controllers. featuring designs based on characters from the game.[59]
Despite being released almost an entire year prior, Xbox release a blogpost detailing the Arctic Camo Special Edition Xbox Wireless controller. The controller is simultaneously made available in several other regions outside of the United States.[60]
April[]
April 2: The first batch of Xbox Game Pass titles for April are revealed. The titles include, LEGO 2K Drive, Lil Gator Game. EA Sports PGA Tour, Kona, Botany Manor, Shadow of the Tomb Raider Definitive Edition, and Harold Hailbut.[61]
April 9: The Nocturnal Vapor Special Edition Xbox Wireless controller is released.[62]
April 10: The Prime Video Fallout series is released and is met with a positive reception.[63]
April 16:
The second batch of April's Xbox Game Pass titles are announced, including: Orcs Must Die! 3, EA Sports NHL 24, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, Another Crab's Treasure, Manor Lords, and Have A Nice Death.[64]
The Grounded 1.4 "Fully Yolked" update is released.[65]
April 23: To celebrate the release of Marvel Animation's X-Men '97 series releasing on Disney+, Xbox runs a sweepstake competition giving away Xbox Series X consoles wrapped in an exclusive X-Men comic and controllers designed in Xbox Design Lab, inspired by the designs of characters from the series.[66]
April 25: A free next-gen Xbox Series X|S update for Fallout 4 is released. The update adds Performance and Quality modes to the consoles, allowing for gameplay at up to 60fps at increased resolutions.[67]
April 30: Four more games are announced to be coming to Xbox Game Pass, including: Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, Kona II: Brume, Little Kitty, Big City, and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.[68]
↑"Rachnarök ❄️on X" (Tweet). Twitter (January 25, 2024). Retrieved on January 25, 2024. "The entire Survival Team just got laid off. I'll be radio silent while I sort out and feel my emotions before I figure out what's next. I loved working on this project with my team. It was the best thing I ever did in my career. I'm only sorry no one will get to see it."