Splitting up with your partner usually leaves both parties on rather poor terms, or is that just me? In the case of Undead Labs, the developer behind State of Decay, that seemingly isn’t the case.

In a recent interview with Game File, Undead Labs Studio Head Philip Holt was asked why the studio is still sticking with Game Pass, and here’s what he said:

Shocking many I'm sure, as again another developer comes out in defence of Game Pass, but Holt does go on, stating:

"Even today, we have several thousand people coming through the door every day. The benefit of State of Decay is that it’s a very retentive game. Last time I looked, something like half of our monthly active users have been in the game for close to two years, and a quarter for more than five. A lot of players from Game Pass come in and they’re like ‘this isn’t for me’ and leave. There is a high churn rate. But of the players we capture, we capture for a long time. And then they become franchise fans and consume other titles, and they’re excited for State of Decay 3. It’s really helped us achieve scale."

He continues, lamenting Game Passes reach:

"How do we make the most of that for State of Decay 3? Our biggest investment by far is the four-player co-op shared world, so a large audience that comes through Game Pass becomes a huge benefit. They play State of Decay 3, it is a great experience with friends, they invite their friends, and many of them will be on other platforms. It is a vector of growth for us."

The full interview dives into a plethora of additional details, including how the studio is working with three co-development teams to keep the project on track, so I do suggest you dive in and read it yourselves. But it’s great for us Xbox fans to see Holt take this position and recognize the value of a service like Game Pass despite the split with Xbox.

Thankfully, State of Decay 3 is full steam ahead for next year. As quite the zombie fanatic, I’m excited and hopeful that the game does well. It remains the one game I wish Xbox hadn’t chucked out amid their restructuring, but alas.

Do let me know your thoughts on Holt’s comments down below!

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Xbox CTO Scott Van Vliet has taken to X (formerly Twitter) to confirm that more is coming to make development on the platform easier. Despite already rolling out numerous positive changes for developers, Van Vliet states that the company is actively working to remove further friction.

“We’ve heard the feedback from developers: bringing a game to XBOX should be easier than it is today. We agree, and we’re working to make it better. We care deeply about ID@XBOX and the developers who build for XBOX. We’re starting with some of the areas we know can create unnecessary friction, including our concept and publishing processes, and simplifying them so developers can spend less time navigating process and more time bringing great games to players. More soon.”

It’s great to see Xbox address developers directly here and whilst what exactly will change is kept rather vague for now, and doesn’t give much away, outside of simplifying concept and publishing processes, it's still nice to see acknowledged, and publicly no less.

Not long ago, I was getting quite giddy over changes made to PlayFab, specifically with the introduction of Foundation Mode. This gives developers access to backend services for free, including infrastructure for multiplayer lobbies and other essential features.

At the same time, Microsoft expressed confidence that developers could now get working within the Xbox development environment in about 30 minutes, making the onboarding process significantly simpler than before.

For folks like me, and you, it won’t really mean much if you just play games. But for developers, Xbox is making serious strides to lower as many barriers as possible. Eventually, maybe skipping Xbox won’t be an option anymore? Who knows?

Hopefully, we hear more soon about the specific changes Van Vliet is referring to. Despite not being all too technically inclined with game development, I do enjoy dabbling here and there, and as an Xbox fan, it’s exciting that more and more developers might see the platform as more viable in the future.

With that said, let me know if things like this excite you or not by commenting down below, and be sure to take part in our poll.

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Color me surprised. Somehow, Halo: Campaign Evolved survived?

Yes, according to leaker @Mr_Rebs_, who detailed what’s left of Halo Studios in his latest video. He also broke down plans for a final content update for Campaign Evolved and clarified the team’s connection, or rather lack thereof, with Activision. As we all know, Activision is now in control of Halo, so let’s first jump into what we know about the remainder of Halo Studios.

To many’s surprise, and perhaps chagrin, Pierre Hintze has remained. He is a figure of controversy within the studio, but he continues to head a 30-person team. Their priorities are set to be handling Halo Fest and shipping a content update for Campaign Evolved.

Now, what could possibly be coming to Campaign Evolved? Well, if true, it’s quite impressive. At least, I think so anyway. According to Rebs, Halo Studios is planning to add both Firefight and Theater mode to the game. These are features I expressed disappointment over not being available at launch.

For those unfamiliar, Firefight is Halo’s PvE mode featuring wave-based gameplay, whilst Theater mode lets players replay their matches, record clips, and use free-cam within their played matches. It was a great tool for the likes of Machinima, so shout-out to anyone who remembers those.

Rebs also mentions that some things may be cut due to the recent layoffs, so don’t hold out hope just yet on all of these making it into the game.

His source also expects Halo Studios to disappear completely in the future. The remaining team has no contact with Activision or the future of Halo, a fact I’m personally pleased with. I haven’t been best pleased with the state of Halo these past 15 years.

It’s weird, and almost bittersweet, how things have panned out. I don’t know if Activision is the right choice for Halo. I do have some thoughts on it, and I am more positive about the prospects of another Halo game from Activision than I am about another Halo Studios effort. But it’ll be years before we see the fruits of Activision’s labor.

Frankly, unless the game is a massive hit, I’d be surprised if anyone really comes back to Halo. Then again, I know I’ll somehow find a way to muster up the courage to potentially be disappointed for the hundredth time.

Let me know your thoughts on a potential last update for Campaign Evolved, whether you’re happy nobody at Halo Studios is jumping ship to Activision, or anything else down below in the comments.

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