Last year was an exciting year for XBLA Fans. We unveiled the first redesign of our site since it launched. We also finished our first full year of Twitch streaming. The Xbox One finally seemed to come into its own with the release of tons of quality games. From AAA blockbusters to game preview launches to amazing indies, there is now more than enough to satisfy even the most hardcore gamer. We’d like to thank our staff across all our mediums and our fans who supported us in 2015. 2016 is going to get even bigger and better, and it wouldn’t be possible without them!

Big thanks to our Twitch Subscribers, who helped provide these awesome year end gifts for our staff! Controller Gear hooked us up with some sweet XBLA Fans Controllers Skins and Stands. They were genuinely a pleasure to work with, and I was excited that we were able to get something truly special in the hands of our team.

XBLA Fans Controller

Twitch updates

As we move into the new year, our twitch schedule is changing. We will be live from 6PM EST to 3AM PST every day. Often we will go later than that. We will still run special events at all hours of the day, but you can know with certainty we will be up during our scheduled times. We’ve also designed a few things specifically to give back to our regulars. XF: Slaughterdays is our new Saturday schedule full of community MP gaming events such as Halo, Ark, Rainbow Six Siege and more. We are also adding XF: Fully Awesome Playthroughs to the mix for Sundays. Or as our team has been affectionately calling it XF: FAPS (Yeah, we know. Hey, our post about genitalia in State of Decay was our most read article last year!). Each Sunday streamer has picked a game or franchise from their backlog they’ve never played and is starting at the beginning. We will follow their playthrough each progressive week until completion.

Ark: Survival Evolved server

Did you know that we have our own Ark: Survival Evolved server? To join please add the Gamertag “XBLA Fans Ark” to your friends list. Because of the server issues this is the most assured way to find and enter the server. Just use that gamertag to “Join Game.” Fair warning: it is a PVP server, so be ready to fight and maybe even lose your stuff! If you are looking for Ark tips, take a look at some of the great guide videos our team has produced!

Join our writing team!

As we approach a new year and an already packed slate of games, XBLA Fans is once again looking for additional writers. This is a really exciting time to be working with XBLA Fans. The Xbox One is currently in another resurgence, with tons of impressive and exciting games coming to the console. Personally, I would highlight Ori and the Blind Forest as one of the best games I have played on the entire platform.

At this time, we are looking to add 3-4 writers who can work on original news, reviews and features. You will need to be comfortable interviewing developers and asking questions and must be 18 or older, as we use real names for our writers. Beyond those requirements, we’ll teach you everything you need to know. The position is entirely voluntary, but provides you with a great resume builder. Feel free to talk to our team about what it’s like working at XBLA Fans; we think they’ll give it a pretty great recommendation. For these general writing positions you can live anywhere in the world, all you need is writing ability and an Xbox One.

If you have prior experience there is potential to discuss an editor position on the site. In this role, you would work closely with Managing Editor Nick Santangelo and me to develop the site’s voice and help our team produce the best possible content we can.

If the position interests you, please send an email with a resume and writing sample (something similar to what you would read on our website) to John@XBLAFans.com. If you have any questions feel free to post them in the comments or include them with your application email. Please use the heading: “XBLA Fans Staff Application.”