GAMES
Xbox Honors Hispanic Heritage Month
I grew up in a small town by the sea on the eastern side of Cuba. It was a simple, yet fulfilling childhood, where I spent my free time making jewelry from old buttons, tending to my cactus collection, and exploring the sand and waves. I attended the University of Havana, but it wasn’t until I moved to the U.S. and started my career in the tech industry as a web producer in Miami, Florida in the late 90s that I realized I had become part of a larger and more diverse community.
My role back then was to create original content and build digital experiences for Latin America and the Hispanic audience in the U.S. As I developed meaningful relationships with other Latino people and those in the United States with Latin American heritage, my social circle became far more diverse, representing a wide range of rich cultures. Five years later, I moved to Redmond, Washington when I was hired by Microsoft to launch and lead MSN Latino, the Spanish version of MSN for the U.S. Once again, my personal identity expanded, and I was able to experience the difference in the Hispanic demographic between the West and East Coast. Over time, my accent changed. My vocabulary changed. Despite the differences, I developed a deeper appreciation for what Hispanic people have in common: our shared family values, our strong work ethic, our traditions, and our sense of responsibility. Today, I identify not only as Cuban, but Latina and Hispanic American.
In 2012, I joined Xbox as the Director of Programming for the Latin American region. My team was responsible for curating and publishing localized content for our passionate Xbox audience. The first console release I was part of was the Xbox One. It was a thrilling experience to travel across Latin America and directly connect with gamers just after the console’s release. Currently, I lead a multidisciplinary team as the General Manager for Customer Experience with Microsoft Gaming. Next year, I’ll celebrate 20 years with Microsoft.
I am proud to represent Latinas and women in leadership. Paving the way as a foreign-born woman in a male-dominated industry has been no easy task, but gratefully Microsoft has given me the opportunity to work with leaders who value diverse perspectives and who see my potential. I am proud to be a part of Xbox’s evolution from being a console-centric business to a player-centric business which has allowed us to bring the joy and community of gaming to many more players and communities around the world outside of the traditional console markets. I’m also proud of that little girl, exploring the warm shore in Cuba, who dared to dream big dreams.
I am honored to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Xbox. For me, this time is about celebrating our rich culture as Hispanic and Latino people in America, whose identity has changed and expanded to include not only our countries of origin, but the identities of other Latin American cultures and American culture as we are woven together in a tapestry. It’s about raising awareness and recognizing the positive impact our community has made to the development and success of this country. It’s about empowering content creators to encourage authentic representation by including Hispanic contributors in their teams and getting feedback from the community early in the process. Lastly, it’s a great opportunity to show the world how proud we are to be part of this amazing community.
Here are a few ways that Team Xbox will be supporting Hispanic and Latino communities and celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month:
GIVE
Gaming and Impact with Microsoft Rewards
Microsoft Rewards members in the United States can show their support for Hispanic communities with Xbox by earning and donating rewards points. The organizations below will be featured on console:
- Hispanic Heritage Foundation – HHF’s mission focuses on education, workforce, identity, and social impact through the lens of leadership and culture.
- Latinx in Gaming – connects Latinos across the gaming industry, promotes cultural appreciation and representation in games/game-related content, and provides a platform for the Hispanic community to elevate each other and themselves.
- CARE – works around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty, and achieve social justice in 100 countries including Latin America and the Caribbean.
Xbox gamers can earn Microsoft Rewards points in various ways, such as playing or purchasing games after downloading the Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox. Earn points and redeem them for real rewards. Join us today and give with Xbox.
DISCOVER
Xbox Ambassadors Feature Stories about Hispanic Representation in Gaming
For Hispanic Heritage Month, the Xbox Ambassadors team asked Hispanic and Latino Ambassadors about the importance of seeing themselves represented in games and how it impacts their own experience as members of the gaming community.
Albert X (He/Him)
Puerto Rican
Undoubtedly, Hispanic characters have made a mark in my gaming trajectory. I will never forget Dominic Santiago and Kait Diaz from the Gears franchise. Most recently it gave me great pride to see Mexico featured in the most recent Forza Horizon 5. Additionally, I really enjoyed the Far Cry 6 soundtrack where many artists from Puerto Rico are featured and the lead character even sings along to the songs while operating vehicles.
I founded Xbox Live Puerto Rico in 2010. 12 years later we are still going strong with a great team of Xbox Ambassadors administrators giving our local community great information, event coverage, and assistance when needed. Our main goal right now is to get Puerto Rico included in the Xbox Rewards Program so our community members can enjoy their points and perks.
Storytelling Series with Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory Students and Local Influencers
The US Xbox Marketing team is partnering with students from the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory in Los Angeles to create a series of videos showcasing and celebrating Hispanic and Latino art, food, fashion, community, and esports. The aspiring BHAC students will participate in the production and storytelling of local creatives including Chef Wes Avila, President of the Gamers of Color Club, Nyah Serrano, artist/muralist, Downtown Daniel, and fashion/graphic designer, Francisco Reyes, Jr (aka Never Made) and will launch in early October.
Explore Games Curated by Hispanic and Latino Communities at Microsoft
Games provide a unique form of storytelling and it’s powerful to see and celebrate the contributions, achievements, and experiences that the Hispanic and Latino communities bring to gaming. Now, more than ever, members of the Hispanic and Latino communities in the tech industry are able to express their own personal stories through games. We will highlight the voices that bring a rich and vibrant history to life through authentic storytelling and inspired creativity.
For Hispanic Heritage Month, we want to highlight Hispanic and Latino creators, lead characters, and games inspired by the culture and locations of the Hispanic and Latino communities around the world. This collection is available on Xbox, Windows, Mobile, and the Cloud year-round as part of our ongoing work to create more inclusive gaming ecosystems and elevate content that resonates with communities while increasing awareness of their unique perspectives and artistry.
A few highlights from the full Game Pass collection on Xbox and the full Game Pass collection on Windows include:
Moonglow Bay (Available with Xbox Game Pass) – Moonglow Bay is beautifully art directed by Lu Nascimento, the co-founder of indie studio Bunnyhug Games, who identifies as a queer Brazilian. This cutesy game allows you to take on the role of a fisher and unravel a heartfelt story in a LGBTQIA+ friendly town.
Grim Fandango Remastered (Available with Xbox Game Pass) – Inspired by the Mexican tradition of Día de los Muertos and Aztec folklore, this story centers around protagonist Manny Calavera’s adventures in the Land of the Dead. This adventure game also features voice talent and dialogue input from Latino actors, Tony Plana and Maria Canals-Barrera.
Spacelines from the Far Out (Available with Xbox Game Pass) – Spacelines from the Far Out is a creative co-op game about managing airlines in space. This game was developed by Coffeenauts, an up-and-coming game design studio in Brazil driven by a passion for creating captivating games and a love of caffeine.
Dandy Ace (Available with Xbox Game Pass) – From Brazilian developer Mad Mimic, comes the tale of a flamboyant magician named Dandy Ace in a fast-paced roguelike adventure. Dandy Ace uses his magical cards to fight and loot his way out of imprisonment within a cursed mirror.
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier (Available with Xbox Game Pass and Rated M) – Face the apocalypse as Javier “Javi” García, a former baseball player on a mission to find his Cuban-American family. Decide how the story should play out in this narrative adventure as Javi teams up with Clementine in an attempt to survive long enough to rescue their respective families.
View this collection on the Microsoft Store on Xbox and the Microsoft Store on Windows in the United States. Visitors can find this collection at any time by searching within the Stores for “Hispanic,” “Latino,” and related terms.
New Gamerpics, Profile Theme, and Avatar Items
In partnership with Hispanic and Latino communities at Xbox, we’re introducing a new gamerpic, profile themes, and avatar items! The gamerpic and profile theme will be available on console and the Xbox PC app. Get your avatar items here.
PLAY
LatinExplorers: A Hispanic Heritage Journey
Minecraft Education partnered with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation on a new Minecraft learning experience to inspire and equip students to become changemakers. LatinExplorers: A Hispanic Heritage Journey will build actionable leadership and social emotional skills with guidance by impactful real-life Hispanic leaders through three powerful narratives about climate, care, creativity, and community. Young learners explore how to connect personal passions with careers and workforce opportunities in the future digital economy. This content is available now in 29 languages in Minecraft: Education Edition and Bedrock via the Minecraft Marketplace.
Create Celebratory Photos and Liveries in Forza Horizon 5
Do you enjoy snapping in-game photos? Do you like creating unique livery designs for your virtual car collection? The Forza team invites you to share your creations that celebrate the environment and culture of the Horizon Festival in Mexico, honoring the real-world Mexican landmarks, nature, buildings, and art that can be explored in-game. These weekly photo and livery contests have specific sub-themes to inspire your creations:
Sept. 9 – Nature
Sept. 16 – Architecture
Sept. 23 – Art & Textiles
Sept. 30 – Horizon Stories
We’ll feature our favorite community creations on the official Forza Horizon accounts, and award in-game items to the winners of each weekly contest as well as to any and all participants who submit eligible creations! Here’s more information on how to participate.
TUNE IN
Xbox Plays Celebrates Hispanic Communities
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Xbox Plays will be dedicating much of our livestreaming content in September and October to Hispanic communities, featuring streamers/content creators! Follow us on the Xbox Twitch Channel and don’t miss any of the action!
GAMES
This Week’s Deals with Gold and Spotlight Sale
GAMES
The German Empire Marches to Italy in a Free Expansion Today
We have a new expansion for our WW1 Italian Front FPS game Isonzo releasing today! It’s the first part of our Caporetto season of free expansions, and features a whole new faction with the arrival of the German Empire on the Italian Front, and brings a new map for the Offensive game mode. There will be two more releases in the Caporetto season, each one with a new map to ultimately link together into a three map Caporetto Offensive.
The German faction comes with more than ten new weapons, as well as historically accurate uniforms and equipment. This first Caporetto map sees you taking part in the early stages of the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, with German troops assaulting Italian positions on the road to Caporetto. Historically it was a military disaster for Italy which brought down the government – but maybe things can go differently with you on the battlefield?
The update sees new uniforms and equipment from the German Empire for Isonzo’s six classes: Rifleman, Assault, Engineer, Officer, Marksman and Mountaineer. For those who aren’t familiar with the game, each class has different weapon, gear and perk options that allow you to specialize your play style within the overall focus of the class. For instance, Marksmen are always sharpshooters, but a lot depends on your loadout. You could be a long-range sniper and observer identifying and eliminating high value targets with a scoped rifle, or you could equip body armor to take and hold a front line position with deadly accurate mid-range fire. Every class has choices to make in this regard.
In Isonzo’s signature Offensive game mode, one side must attack and break through multiple defensive lines. Thick layers of barbed wire, trenches, and whatever extra defenses the enemy engineers put together will stand in the way of a successful attack. Objectives can be taking and holding key points, or planting dynamite to sabotage enemy supply stashes or heavy artillery guns.
The new Caporetto map – the first of three in the season – is a huge battlefield based on the strategically important Monte Kolovrat. There are five defensive lines, where each line has two objectives for the attackers before they can advance further. While in the historical Battle of Caporetto both German and Austro-Hungarian forces were involved, in Isonzo we’ve chosen to focus on the German contribution, so the map recreates the stunning German advance from the town of Tolmein all the way to Kolovrat Ridge. It’s a damp, overcast day when the attack begins, and the attackers must first cut their way through lines of wire to break into a devastated town – including capturing a church defended by multiple heavy machine gun positions. Fortunately, in Isonzo there are many tactical options available to deal with such strong points: artillery barrages, smokescreens, snipers, rifle grenades, even poison gas. From there, it becomes a literal uphill battle for the German attackers as they begin to climb towards the peak of Kolovrat Ridge. They’ll need to sabotage bunkers and capture command posts while navigating rocky trenches and steep forested slopes. At the penultimate fourth defensive line there is a huge siege mortar to sabotage and a cluster of houses providing cover to the Italian defenders – then it’s one last climb to reach the final objective: Hill 1114. If the Germans can take it, the Italians will finally be the ones fighting uphill as their reinforcements stream in to try and counterattack.
Of course, things are no walk in the park for the defenders either – although it’s easier to maneuver when going downhill, and it’s much simpler for officers to deploy flares to call in support, the extensive trench lines can become a liability once the Germans get a foothold, providing cover as they advance. Some of the Italian defensive positions can be exposed against the sky, making it easy for German marksmen to pick off targets. Italian engineers should make good use of their construction abilities to put down additional sandbags and lay out extra wire to prevent German assault troops sneaking through the trees to flank trenches with their grenades or light machine guns.
As we mentioned before, historically the Battle of Caporetto was a disaster for the Italians. Appalling leadership led to poorly motivated and unprepared troops falling apart in the face of the combined Austro-Hungarian and German armies using cutting edge infiltration tactics. The Italian soldiers were not allowed to retreat until too late, and in the end hundreds of thousands would surrender. After Caporetto the top Italian general was fired and replaced by someone far more competent, who managed to turn the war around for the Italians. In Isonzo, it’s a more fair fight where both sides have an equal chance of winning, if they can use all the tactical options available better than their opponents.
The release will also bring other improvements to the game, including a prestige mode and higher level cap. Additionally, for those who want more options for visual customization of their character, the Royal Units DLC is releasing alongside the free expansion and contains uniforms from the German Kingdoms of Bavaria and Württemberg. Though part of the German Empire, these states had their own distinctive uniforms which we’ve carefully recreated with the same accuracy and attention to detail as with the other uniforms in the game.
The Battle for Caporetto Begins…
Isonzo is available right now on the Microsoft Store for Xbox, and the free Caporetto expansion is out today! Plenty of time to master the art of mountain warfare before the German Empire joins the action on the Italian Front. Follow us to get the latest development news as we add the finishing touches!
We’ll see you in the trenches!
Isonzo
BlackMill Games
$29.99
World War One expands to the mountains of the Italian Front – beautiful but deadly in equal measure. Inspired by the two year struggle for control of the Isonzo river valley and the Alps during World War One, Isonzo elevates the WW1 Games Series, figuratively and literally.
From the makers of Verdun and Tannenberg…
Take part in historical offensives from the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo to the Strafexpedition. Reflecting the course of the actual battles, as the attackers advance the fighting will shift through vastly different landscapes within a single offensive: from hillside fortresses to mountain trenches and fierce urban combat on city streets. Everything is recreated based on research and field trips, from sound effects and uniforms down to the houses, vineyards and trenches you’ll be fighting over.
The new Offensive game mode puts you right in the middle of key historical offensives on the Italian Front. Lead the charge across stunning Italian landscapes as you choose your path to victory – cut paths through barbed wire, flank your enemies by following mountain trails, or man a mortar to blast a way through. Shape a dynamic battlefield by laying sandbags and wire, placing ammo crates, deploying trench periscopes or sniper shields, and more.
Call in support with a unique historically accurate flare system: flare guns can mark targets for artillery or biplane flybys, or different colored flares can be used to guide your team. Once the big guns have softened up the enemy, finish the job at close quarters with an Arditi dagger or mountaineer’s pickaxe. Man heavy machine guns, mortars and even mountain guns for more direct fire support.
Choose from six classes based on historical combat roles and build your loadout from a selection of weapons, equipment and perks linked to that class, giving flexibility and variety while staying grounded in what real soldiers might have carried. You’ll be operating wire cutters, bandaging yourself and wounded teammates, and blowing the whistle to start an assault. One shot can kill and even lighter injuries can lead to quickly bleeding out.
Being an effective soldier in Isonzo is not just about being a good marksman. Mastering the terrain is also key – the mountain can be a friend or foe. Learn how to navigate well to maintain cover and surprise your enemies or support your allies.
Finally… watch out for the dreaded poison gas. You’ve never experienced WW1 action quite like this!
Isonzo key features include:
• MOUNTAIN WARFARE: Assaulting mountain fortifications, battling through ruined towns, and fording rivers are just a few of the challenges you’ll face as you fight your way through numerous enemy positions
• TACTICAL MULTIPLAYER FPS: Choose your role and loadout carefully to survive this high altitude combat – play a sniper to pick off the enemy engineers before they can cut your wire, use rifle grenades to clear enemy machine guns, and much more
• WORLD WAR ONE GAMEPLAY: Historical Offensive game mode based on real battles and focused on the unique challenges of Alpine warfare. Fight with 30+ WW1 weapons, poisonous gas attacks, and intense artillery barrages
• BUILD FOR VICTORY: Place your own wire, sandbags, trench periscopes, and more! Whether you’re digging in or on the attack, shaping the battlefield to your advantage will be key to victory
• FACES OF WAR: Make every class your own by picking from a variety of historically class-appropriate uniforms, accessories and headgear. As a finishing touch, you can even pick your mustache from several famous period-accurate styles!
• AUTHENTIC WW1 ATMOSPHERE: Accuracy in everything from maps and weaponry to music and the uniforms – fight for the Kingdom of Italy, the German Empire or the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy
MORE GAMES IN THE AUTHENTIC WW1 GAME SERIES
Immerse yourself in more WW1 action with our other standalone titles Tannenberg and Verdun. Experience trench warfare on the Western Front in Verdun, or maneuver for control of key sectors in Tannenberg on the Eastern Front. These authentic WW1 shooters let players choose from a range of squads from across the war, as they fight for control of the ever-changing frontlines.
GAMES
Transport Fever 2: Console Edition is Bringing the Full Transport Tycoon Experience to Xbox
Today, we proudly share a sneak peek into the development of Transport Fever 2: Console Edition, and how we managed to bring the full transport tycoon experience to Xbox.
Transport Fever is a very popular and highly rated transportation tycoon franchise on PC. Its latest entry, Transport Fever 2, delivers a level of size and detail never before seen in the genre. The goal of the game is to build a successful transportation company by constructing railroads, streets, water and air lines. Starting in the 19th century, the player connects towns and industries to transport both passengers and cargo. In addition to a customizable free game mode, there is also a fully-fledged campaign mode with challenging missions set in real-world transportation history.
After the huge success of Transport Fever 2 on PC, it was only logical to bring the experience to consoles as well. Not only that, but no efforts were spared to give the console community the full experience that made the game great on PC. In order to achieve this, the engineers at Urban Games had to pull some rabbits out of their engineers’ hats.
Always providing the freshest layer of paint
One of the most cherished features of Transport Fever 2 are its highly detailed vehicles. The game comes with more than 200 lovingly hand-modeled trains, ships, and airplanes, each sporting multiple 4k textures and normal maps.
On PC, it is easily affordable to have all the models and textures in memory whenever needed, as a typical rig has 16 GB of RAM and a GPU with a dedicated extra memory. Consoles, however, are built differently. They have a unified architecture with an overall smaller amount but ultra-fast memory. The key to make it work on consoles is texture streaming, which allows to clear textures of models that are not in view anymore. Moreover, this technology is used in Transport Fever 2 to constantly load textures at the highest affordable resolution to present the stars of the show, like the classic Class A 3/5 steam locomotive, in their best coat of paint at all times.
Keeping the ground like a console pro
A trademark of Transport Fever 2 are its huge maps. During development of the game, it was always paramount to provide a real sense of scale. The engine should allow for maps where a high-speed train, such as the famous Japanese Shinkansen, can really make use of its superior speed. So, a lot of effort was put into designing a highly effective terrain rendering pipeline that can handle maps of more than 120 sq miles of size with a detail resolution of almost 1 yard. Central to this is a dynamic terrain tessellation algorithm on the CPU that, while costing a bit of extra memory, makes sure the engine can render these maps on a wide variety of PCs.
Now, enter the world of consoles with their incredibly well-designed GPUs and graphic APIs. Here, the hardware can be leveraged very well for terrain rendering by making use of the GPU tessellation feature. This feature generates the render mesh for the terrain fully on the graphics card, saving valuable processing time for the complex economy and city growth simulations. While generating more triangles, the hardware approach still costs less memory overall due to its efficiency. So vast maps can be viewed from a bird’s view high up in the sky and seamlessly zoomed in down to individual rocks on a riverbank.
Inspiring the inner architect
Finally, let’s talk about constructions, a central and defining part of the Transport Fever 2 experience. Constructions are large assemblies that consist of dozens of assets, street segments, ground decals and terrain modifications. Think of structures like airports, train stations, docks, highway crossings, and many more. Anything that is needed to build a vast transportation empire.
For a smooth construction experience, it is key that the player really feels that he has precise control over the building placement. On PC, constructions are typically built using the mouse. As the average PC user is very well adjusted to this method of input, it is sufficiently performant to calculate the entire construction each frame and place it under the cursor. However, on consoles, the best way of building constructions is to have them always kept in the center of the screen and move the camera along the map for placement. And moving the camera needs to be as smooth as silk.
So, for the console release of Transport Fever 2, the construction preview pipeline was overhauled. All dynamic calculations are now performed in the background while a static preview of the structure and its underlying ground plan are shown. Not only are constructions now completely stable in terms of FPS, but they also give feedback to the player on what environment features the construction would tear down when built.
Let’s get tycooning on console
We are very excited to bring the Transport Fever franchise to consoles for the first time ever with the release of Transport Fever 2: Console Edition on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One in February 2023, and we hope you will enjoy it as much as we did developing it.
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