Xbox Game Pass in February 2022: CrossfireX, Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition, Contrast and More

Xbox has announced several new games coming to Game Pass in February 202 headlined by CrossfireX, which launches on the subscription service the same day it's released, on February 10.

CrossfireX features the series' first campaign mode promising an "immersive single-player experience" set amid a sprawling global conflict between the Global Risk and Black List Mercenaries.

It also has a multiplayer mode, in which small teams fight against each other, similar to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition is Coming to Xbox Game Pass on February 1

The Ultimate Survivor Edition of Ark is also coming to Game Pass, so you can ride dinosaurs into battle with and against other players.

IGN said Ark was "good" when it first released and it has "some great moments of battle with prehistoric beasts, but just as many of AI bugs and grind."

The version included in Xbox Game Pass is the most up to date and was released just a few months ago, in November 2021.

Contrast is Coming to Xbox Game Pass in February

Contrast has been out for a while but as of February 3, Xbox Game Pass subscribers can find it on the subscription service.

Set in 1920s Paris, you play as a young girl named Didi who must step in and out of the shadows – literally – to explore a puzzle-filled and often dark world.

IGN said Contrast was "good", and "a game full of heart, beauty, and at least a few excellent puzzles."

Everything Coming to Xbox Game Pass in February

• Contrast (Cloud and Console) ID@Xbox – February 3
• Dreamscaper (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – February 3
• Telling Lies (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – February 3
• Besiege (Game Preview)(Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – February 10
• CrossfireX (Console) – February 10
• Edge of Eternity (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – February 10
• Skul: The Hero Slayer (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – February 10
• The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom (Cloud, Console, and PC) – February 10
• Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – February 14
• Infernax (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – February 14
• Grounded: Into the Wood Update – Available now
• Microsoft Flight Simulator World Update VII: Australia – Available now

Everything Leaving Xbox Game Pass in February

• Control (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Code Vein (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age (Console and PC)
• The Medium (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Project Winter (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• The Falconeer (Cloud, Console, and PC)

source https://www.ign.com/articles/xbox-gamepass-february-2022-crossfirex-ark-ultimate-survivor-edition-contrast

CrossfireX Takes Point For Xbox Game Pass' February Offerings

February is already a stacked month filled with major releases. In case Horizon Forbidden West or Elden Ring isn’t enough Microsoft has rolled out the next batch of incoming Xbox Game Pass titles. The North American debut of multiplayer shooter CrossfireX, one of the biggest games in the world, headlines the batch. Furthermore, it has a newly-created campaign made in part by Alan Wake developer Remedy Entertainment. If shooters don’t tickle your fancy, read on to find the other titles filling out the month. We've also included handy review links for the games we’ve evaluated if you need a second opinion on which titles to prioritize. 

What’s Coming To Xbox Game Pass

• Contrast (Console, PC, Cloud) – February 3 | Our Review
• Dreamscraper (Console, PC, Cloud) – February 3 | Our Review
• Telling Lies (Console, PC, Cloud) – February 3 | Our Review
• Besiege (Game Preview) (Console, PC, Cloud) – February 10
• CrossfireX (Console) – February 10
• Edge of Eternity (Console, PC, Cloud) – February 10
• Skul: The Hero Slayer (Console, PC, Cloud) – February 10
• The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom (Console, PC, Cloud) – February 10
• Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition (Console, PC, Cloud) – February 14
• Infernax (Console, PC, Cloud) – February 14

What’s Leaving Xbox Game Pass on Feburary 15

• Control (Console, PC, Cloud) | Our Review
• Code Vein (Console, PC, Cloud) | Our Review
• Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (Console, PC) | Our Review
• The Medium (Console, PC, Cloud) | Our Review
• Project Winter (Console, PC, Cloud) 
• The Falconeer (Console, PC, Cloud) 

In case you missed it, you can catch up on last month's Xbox Game Pass additions here. 

Battlefield 2042 Season One Delayed To Give Dice Time To Improve Core Game, Address Issues

If you've been following Battlefield 2042 since its launch back in November, then you likely know that Dice is facing an uphill battle when it comes to improving the game. It launched with bugs galore – something touched on in the Game Informer Battlefield 2042 review – and post-launch updates and patches have been focused almost exclusively on squashing them and fixing other issues. 

Through all of it, Dice has recognized the shortfalls of 2042, promising to get the game up to shape and meet fan expectations for EA's latest FPS. To do that, Dice is delaying the game's first season. 

Click here to watch embedded media"We have heard you," Dice writes in a blog post. "So, we are heavily invested and committed to the future of Battlefield 2042 – working on taking action on multiple fronts to address feedback and implement extensive fixes to the game, key features that are important to you, and getting team play where it needs to be.  We've had to make some big decisions to ensure that our next set of updates can be focused on delivering these improvements, with the most substantial one being to move the release date of our first season to early summer. This decision gives us the time to focus on improving the Battlefield 2042 experience while finalizing the development of our seasonal content to ensure that it all reaches our standard for quality." 

While that's promising for the future of the shooter, it's likely a bit of a letdown for fans looking forward to Season One and the possible additional content that might be coming with it. However, Dice revealed a sneak peek at what to expect in Season One: 

"When Season One arrives in early summer, it will mark the start of a year where we'll deliver four Seasons, four new Specialists, and new locations along with more completely new content," the blog post reads. "We know that this release is later than anticipated for many of you who purchased the Year 1 Pass as part of the Gold and Ultimate Editions. To acknowledge and thank you for your patience and continued support, those players will receive an exclusive bundle containing a Specialist skin, weapon and vehicle skins, a melee weapon, and Player Card, all to be delivered in the next update." 

Dice also shared a snapshot of the future updates it has planned, and they look promising:

• Scoreboard: "In our next update, we'll be adding a refreshed in-round Scoreboard alongside further changes we've worked on since the holidays. This will be an ongoing evolution from what was shown in the work in progress we shared recently. We have heard your feedback around including two tables and separating your own team versus the enemy, and are working on incorporating that for the release. K/D scoring and End of Round reporting will also be coming in a future update." 
• All Platform Voice Communication: "The arrival of voice communication (VOIP) is just the start of the improvements we're bringing to enhance team play and communications." 
• Player Profile: "Giving you a better overview of your career on the battlefield and how far you have to go for your next unlock."

In terms of addressing 2042's current team play woes, Dice says you can expect the studio to "incorporate a clearer, tighter squad loop, a refined ping system, and an improved reward loop for when you and your squad play the objective." Gunplay in matches will continue to receive feedback-based improvements, too. 

Dice says it will continue to expand its tools, modes, and player experience gain on the Portal side of things. It has also been analyzing Specialists in this mode and while the studio doesn't have anything to share just yet about those, it will in the future, the blog post says. 

Click here to watch embedded media

While waiting for Season One of Battlefield 2042, check out our thoughts on the game in Game Informer's Battlefield 2042 review and then read about the latest performance update for the game. Check out this story about how Respawn Entertainment's Vince Zampella is now the head of the Battlefield franchise amidst the creation of a Battlefield universe after that.   

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Are you still playing Battlefield 2042? Let us know what issues you hope to see addressed in future updates!

Supermassive Seems to Have at Least 6 More Dark Pictures Anthology Games Planned

Supermassive Games seemingly has plans to release at least six more Dark Pictures Anthology games on top of its upcoming The Devil in Me.

The developer has trademarked six further titles in the franchise with the European Union Intellectual Property Office, as spotted by @the_marmolade on Twitter.

The six games trademarked, all under The Dark Pictures Anthology brand, are called Switchback, Directive 8020, The Craven Man, Intercession, Winterfold, and O Death.

Supermassive Games has already released three games in the series - Man of Medan, Little Hope, and Houses of Ashes - and has confirmed a fourth is on the way. The upcoming game, The Devil in Me, was announced by the studio in October and revealed to be a Season One finale for the series.

Ahead of the franchise's first release, Man of Medan in 2019, Supermassive Games said The Dark Pictures Anthology would span eight games with a release schedule of two per year.

If all the trademarked games are released, however, that would bring the total up to ten games, two more than the developer initially planned. There's no guarantee that Supermassive Games will develop all of the trademarked titles into full games, but it's likely some of them will be in the initially planned eight-game release schedule.

IGN has given The Dark Pictures Anthology mixed reviews so far. We said Man of Medan was "good", and "offers an unnerving horror adventure" with consequences directly linked to the player's actions. Little Hope was "mediocre", with "uninspired characters and relatively meaningless consequences," but we thought House of Ashes was "great", and the studio's best since Until Dawn released in 2015.

source https://www.ign.com/articles/supermassive-6-more-dark-pictures-anthology-games-planned

Microsoft-Activision Blizzard Deal Will Reportedly Be Reviewed By the FTC

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will reportedly be taking the reins on reviewing Microsoft's intended acquisition of Activision Blizzard – amid a more aggressive stance from the government agency on Big Tech mergers.

Bloomberg reports that a source pointed to the FTC taking the lead role in investigating the proposed takeover – a job it handles alongside the Justice Department. The role of the review is to determine whether the near-$70 billion deal could harm consumers, rivals, and partners.

On the same day as Microsoft's deal was announced, the Justice Department and FTC announced plans to rewrite merger guidelines, warning that US industries had become increasingly concentrated. FTC chair Lina Khan said that such concentration could lead to price rises and lower wages.

The Wall Street Journal has previously reported that the FTC is particularly concerned with Big Tech companies like Microsoft, and that Khan has been reframing the argument against major mergers not just by its traditional effect on consumers and rivals, but to partner companies – for instance those who are effectively forced to sell through the Apple Store, or Amazon's digital storefront.

The FTC has recently sued to block two huge mergers: Nvidia's purchase of Arm, and Lockheed Martin's takeover of rocket engine manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings.

Whether the FTC has a similar case to be made regarding Microsoft and Activision Blizzard remains to be seen – and a legal expert tells IGN the deal is unlikely to break current antitrust laws – but it seems clear that the deal will be receiving more scrutiny than Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

source https://www.ign.com/articles/microsoft-activision-blizzard-deal-ftc