2026 gave us 35 Gamescom trailers and the best-reviewed Forza ever. It also passed 10,000 industry layoffs by August, with a third of US game workers cut in two years. These aren't contradictory — a reveal calendar reports decisions made four years ago.
Discord Nitro now bundles Xbox Game Pass Starter Edition at no extra cost: 50+ games, 10 hours of cloud gaming, same $9.99. And contrary to how it was widely reported, Game Pass Ultimate was cut to $22.99 from $29.99 — funded by pushing Call of Duty off day one.