Stories about: Microsoft Game Studios

Microsoft plans to open a new online PC game store called Games for Windows Marketplace in the middle of November, it said Monday.

As expected, Halo: Reach has the makings of another Microsoft revenue juggernaut. The sci-fi prequel about a group of super-soldiers defending a besieged planet reportedly 'reached' into the pockets of gamers and pulled out a record $200 million in the opening 24 hours of sales.

While getting access to highly-anticipated video games before launch is a luxury that most sane people would never deny, the addition of online connectivity and in-game awards have made the disconnect between a game demo and the final version maddening. While a small handful of games have awarded players for trying the demo first, Microsoft Game Studios' Crackdown 2 is adding a new layer of pre-release reward with the demo for the upcoming open-world action title, which debuts on Xbox Live Marketplace today.

Major third party publisher Activision and famed Halo developer Bungie have announced that they have entered into a 10-year exclusive partnership, in which Bungie will create new IP for Activision.

Many of us remember back in 2006 when Peter Jackson, the director behind The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Bad Taste, said that he was working on bringing Halo to the big screen.

Microsoft's E3 2009 press conference is all-systems-go, so what did Redmond, Washington have up its sleeve? Some pretty amazing stuff, actually. Metal Gear Solid for the Xbox 360? Full-body motion controls that look more responsive, accurate, and open-form than anything the PlayStation Eye or Wii-remote have touted? Read on for the complete show breakdown.

The anti-piracy technology that locked out players of the popular Gears of War game on Thursday was also implicated in a 2007 bug that was allowing hackers to take control of Windows PCs.

Coming exclusively to the Xbox 360, Halo Wars is the latest game in Microsoft Game Studios' premier gaming series. It's being developed by Ensemble Studios, the same company that created the ground-breaking and massively popular Age of Empires series. The real-time strategy game will feature human and Covenant forces, and is set 20 years before the original Halo game. There's no release date set yet, but expect it to be just as popular as Halo 3, which sold $300 million worth of copies in its first calendar week. Check out the slideshow for a heap of pictures of units and gameplay!

Ninja Gaiden II is the latest game in the revived Japanese video game series. Gamers once again play Ryu Hayabusa, a master ninja on a mission to save the human race from destruction. The game will feature locations ranging from the Hayabusa village, to New York, to Tokyo. As the game progresses, players will be able to elevate their skill level and perform new combat and acrobatic tricks. Developed by Team Ninja and Microsoft Game Studios, Ninja Gaiden II is scheduled for release on Xbox 360 on June 3

Too Human, the latest Xbox 360 game from Microsoft Game Studios, delves into an alternate reality steeped in Norse mythology.