Wars often begin with a simple miscalculation. In 1914 the Kaiser assumed Britain would remain neutral if Germany invaded Belgium. He was wrong.

Prime Minister Herbert Asquith pledged Brussels the Empire’s ‘whole-hearted and unfailing support’ and led us into the Great War which killed three-quarters of a million Britons.

Over 100 years later, Vladimir Putin is on the brink of his own catastrophic miscalculation – one that could trigger Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and tip Europe towards World War III.

Ever since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the continent has watched with dread as Putin has honed his expansionist ambitions. This gave way to panic among the bureaucrats when the Kremlin’s dreams of imperial glory led to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

But make no mistake, the Russian tanks will not stop at Kyiv. Indeed, a leaked Kremlin 2023 memo outlined plans for the annexation of Russian ally Belarus by 2030.

Vladimir Putin might be 73 years old but he still fancies himself as a dynamic wartime leader in the mould of Peter The Great or Ivan The Terrible.

Having watched the dictator for the past 30 years, I am in no doubt he hopes to echo the achievements of his predecessors by expanding the Russian borders further into Eastern Europe, with its strong Russian cultural heritage.

Putin, in other words, is now an old man in a hurry and I fear he is on the cusp of ordering a miscalculated escalation that could plunge Europe, as Churchill once said, into a new Dark Age.

Ukrainian firefighters work at the site of a Russian strike on a shopping mall in a residential area in Dnipro, Ukraine this month

Three things are happening that make me believe the Russian leader is preparing further military action that could inadvertently trigger Article 5 – the Nato clause that states that any attack on a member nation is an attack against the whole.

First, there is credible evidence Moscow is planning a significant further mobilisation of troops.

Last month, Ukraine’s President Zelensky warned Russia was planning a ‘rapid mobilisation’ of some 300,000 men by the end of the year. In the last week of August, at least 113,000 Russian citizens fled the country through the so-called Upper Lars checkpoint into Georgia, likely dodging this impending draft.

The Kremlin has meanwhile ordered Army generals to increase data collection on reservists, including their whereabouts and readiness to fight. A draft bill has also been proposed, fining Russian companies up to a million rubles (£9,000) for ‘failing to support the war effort’ or ‘impeding mobilisation’.

Second – and chillingly – last weekend, Russia’s Federal Security Service imposed restrictions on movement in two areas along the country’s border with Estonia, including a night-time curfew. They are also said to be fortifying the bank of the Narva River marking the border. This suggests preparations for a land invasion of this Nato state.

Estonia is a small country with a population of just over a million people and a mere 7,000 active military personnel. On top of that, much of it is Russian-speaking and its borderlands retain a strong Soviet nostalgia.

Yes, Estonia has been a part of Nato since 2004, but would its allies really go to war with Russia for it? Would the men of Nuremberg, Nantes or Nottingham risk their lives for the villagers of Vasknarva or Lutepaa?

Third, last week, close Russian ally Belarus launched a major four-day military exercise near its borders with Poland and Lithuania, including tank battalions. The drills took place near the strategically crucial 25-mile Suwalki Gap. Crossing Lithuanian and Polish territory, this is the shortest route between Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic coast.

If Putin could seize the Gap, it would be disastrous for the Baltic States who –thereby cut off from the rest of the continent – would be sitting ducks for the Russian military machine.

On top of these Belarusian drills, earlier this month Moscow allegedly flew a drone across the Gap into Kaliningrad, in an apparent attempt to survey Nato air defences.

The direction of travel seems all too clear.

The question for Andy Burnham and other Nato leaders, then, is whether or not any of these actual or potential incursions meet the threshold for triggering Article 5. And, more to the point, whether Western Europe has the means to triumph in a clash with Moscow and its allies.

To his immense discredit, Donald Trump has long cosied up to the repulsive Putin. With the US President’s foolish war in the Middle East proving hard to stop, he is unlikely to embroil American troops in further escalations in Europe, especially for a perceived ‘minor’ incursion by Russia into the Baltics.

Knowing this, other European countries have signified their readiness to act. Last Friday, French President Macron held a successful cross-party summit to build consensus on a plan in the event of war between Europe and Russia.

Yet while France is also mobilising aggressively, Britain sits on its derriere.

Just three months ago, then-Defence Secretary John Healey resigned over failures to boost military spending to three per cent of GDP. Now promoted to Chancellor, Healey looks set to fall short of that mark again.

Members of an electoral commission wait for voters, sitting under portraits of Vladimir Putin and Denis Pushilin, the installed leader of the Russian-controlled parts of the Donetsk region

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For Britain, the real challenge will not be boldly answering the call to Article 5 and coming to the aid of the Baltic states but rather if we have the capabilities to do anything to help them in the first place.

The Labour Government has talked tough on defence but failed miserably to put its words into action.

By the end of the Cold War the British Army had 153,000 regular soldiers. Today, we have fewer than half that.

Of course, a Russian attack on Nato could come in another more deniable form: cyber warfare, state-sponsored terrorism, a ‘false flag’ attack, lawfare or even spreading hostile disinformation intended to weaken European alliances.

In the short term, such hybrid escalations seem the most likely.

After all – and thank God –Putin knows he cannot currently sustain all-out war with Europe. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to at least 1.4 million casualties on its own side, including almost half a million dead.

And while Putin, like Stalin before him, no doubt sees such a toll as a ‘statistic not a tragedy’, he surely calculates it will be easier to weaken Nato’s resolve first, then take what he wants.

There is already evidence he is succeeding in this.

A decisive victory for the hard-Right and grotesquely Russophile AfD party in east German local elections last week marked a major coup for Putin – and proved that western Europeans are not entirely united against the Kremlin.

Vladimir Putin is a risk taker. After four years’ stalemate in Ukraine, the ageing President is planning his next move. Only time will tell whether he could spark a conflagration that would soon engulf the continent.

• Mark Almond is director of the Crisis Research Institute in Oxford.

Lancashire Police said officers arrested the man on May 21 as part of an investigation.

He was later released on bail with conditions while further enquiries continue.

A Lancashire Police spokesperson said: “On May 21 our officers arrested a 52-year-old man in Thornton-Cleveleys on suspicion of prostitution – keeping a brothel.

“He was later released on bail with conditions, pending further enquiries.”

According to a report by The Blackpool Lead, the man is a senior primary school teacher.

Neither the teacher nor the school involved can legally be named at this time.

The arrest is separate and unrelated to an earlier investigation involving a Blackpool teacher, who was arrested alongside a woman in March on suspicion of keeping a brothel and money laundering.

The 58-year-old man was released under investigation, while the 54-year-old woman was released on bail pending further enquiries.

Lancashire Police said enquiries into the May 21 arrest remain ongoing.

Jack Haven has shared an emotional plea for work as they struggle to qualify for Screen Actors Guild health insurance.

The 32-year-old actor first found fame in the Netflix drama Atypical, and more recently has worked with director Jane Schoenbrun in 2024’s I Saw the TV Glow and this year’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.

In a video being shared on social media, Haven says they are in “a bit of an emergency situation.”

They continue: “I need to make $4,000 by the end of the month in order to qualify for SAG health insurance starting in January.”

Screen Actors Guild members are required to reach a specific threshold of covered earnings from union jobs within a certain period. Typically, the minimum earnings requirement is set at between $25,950 to $28,933 per year. Members may also be able to qualify if they hit a specified minimum number of credited work days.

In the video, Haven explains: “So, I guess what I’m asking is if you, or anyone you know, can hire me on a set or production and pay me $4,000, I will do, pretty much, any job.”

They add: “I can sing, I can dance, I can talk softly… loudly, I can do accents — British. So if you have a job, you can email me: wearescabproductions@gmail.com. Thank you, it would be very appreciated.”

On X, several fans tweeted in support of Haven. One wrote: “This is literally so insane, how are they looking for work rn?? Such a talented actor and they were JUST in Camp Miasma.”

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma has earned strong reviews, and won the Queer Palm award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

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Writing for The Independent, Adam White said: “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma casts Gillian Anderson as a vanished movie star, who played the scream queen of a Friday the 13th-style Eighties slasher film called Camp Miasma, then seemed to fall off the face of the planet. A young, queer filmmaker named Kris (played by a sharp and empathetic Hannah Einbinder, of the TV comedy Hacks) is determined to woo her back to acting, having been hired to write and direct a ‘woke’ reboot of the original movie.

“She finds Anderson’s Billy Presley living alone and spooky out in the woods where her movie was shot, dressed in Norma Desmond turbans and speaking in riddles. While they eat candy and trade psychosexual messiness, the killer from Camp Miasma – their gender all over the place and their head encased in an enormous ceiling fan – threatens to surface from the lake outside Billy’s home. It’s a lot!”

By RAVEN SAUNT, US LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Published: 23:06 BST, 22 September 2026 | Updated: 04:01 BST, 23 September 2026

Judge Judy Sheindlin has revealed why she refuses to watch herself on screen.

The veteran TV star, 83, is best known for her near 30-year run on her eponymous reality courtroom series, which ran for a whopping 25 seasons from 1996 to 2021.

But Judy, who is planning to retire next month, has now explained that she is not a fan of watching herself at work.

‘I did [watch] in the beginning,’ she told People in a new interview.

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‘And then I realized that, in looking at myself, I was not only looking at the substance of what I was saying, but from a very surface position. 

‘I was looking how my face looked and how my neck looked and what my best angle was.’ 

‘I found that I would think about it if I watched it myself,’ the longtime TV fixture continued. 

‘I would think about it and say, “You know what? Don’t look up like that. Don’t look down like that. Your face doesn’t look good.” 

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Judge Judy Sheindlin, 83, has revealed why she refuses to watch herself on screen

‘And I didn’t want that to be part of the way I worked.’ 

Judy explained that she did not want her self-critique to ‘interfere with the process’ – and so, she simply stopped tuning in.

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Earlier this month, the TV personality revealed what her future looked like after five years at the helm of Judy Justice.

She told People: ‘I have a lot of other things of interest.’ 

Judy added, ‘I don’t want to do hair and makeup anymore, but I still want my message to get out there.’

Her latest venture is now producing a small-claims court program featuring her son Adam Levy, 58, called Adam’s Law.

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Sheindlin said that her son ‘has what it takes’ to pick up where she’s leaving off after her career on TV as his background includes work on the Prime Video series Tribunal Justice.

She added, ‘There aren’t a lot of people who can carry a half hour on their own unscripted.’ 

The veteran TV star, 83, is best known for her near 30-year run on her eponymous reality courtroom series, which ran for a whopping 25 seasons from 1996 to 2021

Her latest venture is now producing a small-claims court program featuring her son Adam Levy, 58, called Adam’s Law (pictured together earlier this month)

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Join the discussion

Should TV stars feel pressured to change their appearance after seeing themselves on screen?

Levy’s legal background includes experience in private practice and multiple terms as Putnam County, New York’s district attorney.

Sheindlin said that she feels her son is properly seasoned in both law and TV.

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‘Maybe eight years ago he wasn’t ready,’ she told the outlet. ‘He’s ready now.’

Levy, who is father to three children with spouse Lori Leichtman, is based out of Wyoming, and films his series in Stamford, Connecticut. 

He said that he is able to enjoy spending time with his mother during his trips to the East Coast.

The Moon in Aquarius allows for a complex blend between productivity and emotion. Today could be the day to make tough decisions.

Cancer, Leo and Virgo, this placement puts your relationships under the microscope. Call on those you trust, and make decisions surrounding those you don’t.

Try to put things into perspective today, even if you feel torn. Turn to the comsmos for guidance on the complicated nature of life.

Ahead, you’ll find all star signs’ horoscopes for today: Wednesday September 23 2026.

Like checking your horoscope every morning? You can now sign up to our free daily newsletter to get a personalised reading for your star sign delivered straight to your inbox.

To order your unique personal horoscope based on your time, date and place of birth, visit patrickarundell.com.

Aries

March 21 to April 20

Someone’s needs could clash with your social schedule, leaving you feeling guilty whatever decision you make. Avoid overreacting though as a domestic matter might require practical action rather than a drama-fest. There could be an element of irritation too, as the awkward Moon-Mars link will likely leave us frustrated by matters we wouldn’t usually react to.

Head here for everything you need to know about being an Aries

Taurus

April 21 to May 21

The Moon in Aquarius highlights your feelings about your career as well as a desire to promote your unique skills. With a link to Mars in sensitive Cancer good communication is the key. You’ll find it easy to pick up on other’s moods and this could lead to you making better decisions. Still, if you’re too flexible, you’ll miss an opportunity, so speak your truth.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Taurus

Gemini

May 22 to June 21

It’s time to think bigger, explore new places and dare to exit your comfort zone. You may be ready to travel far, but how much are you willing to pay for the experience? Mars in your money zone encourages you to seek out a bargain. Whether you’re after a course, a short break or a longer vacation, looking around can help you find offers you simply can’t refuse.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Gemini

Cancer

June 22 to July 23

The Moon in Aquarius forges an edgy angle to Mars in Cancer so although you may want things your way, you’ll need to take into account others’ deep-seated feelings about the important matters of life. This can include shared finances, deep emotional tangles and plans to pool resources. Put yourself in others’ shoes before you make any suggestions or plans.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Cancer

Leo

July 24 to August 23

Feelings around relationships could be enhanced by the Moon, making you aware of yours and others unique qualities and peccadilloes. Mars in a private zone joins in and could highlight a pattern of relating that you never knew you had. An insight at the perfect moment may help you understand why certain bonds work out as they do. It could be a revelation.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Leo

Virgo

August 24 to September 23

Need help with a task you can’t manage alone? Call up your friends as they’ll be ready to assist, especially if you offer a small reward. On the other hand your ability to be grounded and practical in an emergency could mean you’re the go-to person today that everyone wants a piece of. Balance is the key, as well as enjoying life and making the most of each moment.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Virgo

Libra

September 24 to October 23

Perhaps you need to have a lighter and more playful outlook when it comes to your job, career or future path. You could be sensitive to the undercurrents around you and tend to take them to heart when you really don’t need to. Let your creative side out and let it extend into your professional life. Ideas will flow and they’ll be unique, forward-looking and impressive.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Libra

Scorpio

October 24 to November 22

You may be keen to see more of the world, learn new things or generally expand your horizons, and with Mars in your sector of exploration this urge can get stronger and stronger. Even so, an awkward lunar link could find you busy with domestic responsibilities just when you’re ready to book that flight. Stay cool as the desire to travel likely won’t go away easily.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Scorpio

Sagittarius

November 23 to December 21

The Moon in Aquarius can get conversations buzzing, but its edgy angle to Mars suggests that discussions could be very intense. A chat might take you down an unexpected rabbit hole that unravels feelings you’ve kept buried for some time. Are you ready to talk about them? It could be just the chance you need, so share with a friend and feel a sense of relief.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Sagittarius

Capricorn

December 22 to January 21

Money, possessions and values are under the spotlight, highlighting the cost of certain friendships or relationships. Are you giving too much and not getting anything back? This may be an opportunity to put a few boundaries in place. There might also be some animated discussion if a partner has things they want to buy or you’re keen to invest in a shared idea.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Capricorn

Aquarius

January 22 to February 19

You’ll be deeply aware of your feelings, so if tasks and responsibilities seem to have taken over your life, you’ll be acutely aware of wanting to make a few changes. In fact, this drive to get your life onto a evener keel could take over, pushing you to eliminate activities that aren’t bringing a good return. It’s time to take a long look at what really makes you happy.

Head here for everything you need to know about being an Aquarius

Pisces

February 20 to March 20

Need a day to relax and unwind? Getting involved with creative hobbies could be a great way to get some much needed down time, especially if you use them as a way to express your feelings. Yet, any outing that allows you to switch off can be very therapeutic, so think cultural activities, a romantic date, or a walk in nature. Give yourself a chance to recharge.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Pisces

Your daily Metro.co.uk horoscope is here every morning, seven days a week (yes, including weekends!). To check your forecast, head to our dedicated horoscopes page.

Head here for this week’s tarot horoscope reading, and see what the cards have in store for you!

Check out the tarot horoscope reading for the month of September here.

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MORE: Libra season urges a relationship rebalance — your star sign’s tarot horoscope forecast

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Hellberg cut the ribbon at a launch event attended by hospital staff, partners and guests.

MRI Unit at Woodlands Hospital opened by Kim Hellberg, Middlesbrough FC manager (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

MRI Unit at Woodlands Hospital opened by Kim Hellberg Middlesbrough FC manager, also pictured Adam Reed and Ian Gray Imaging Manager (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

MRI Unit at Woodlands Hospital opened by Kim Hellberg, Middlesbrough FC manager (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

The new scanner has been installed by Circle Health Group and will be used to provide imaging services for patients across the region.

Woodlands Hospital, which is the Elite Healthcare Partner of Middlesbrough Football Club, will also use the scanner to support the club’s players.

MRI Unit at Woodlands Hospital opened by Kim Hellberg, Middlesbrough FC manager (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

MRI Unit at Woodlands Hospital opened by Kim Hellberg Middlesbrough FC manager, also pictured Adam Reed and Ian Gray Imaging Manager (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

MRI Unit at Woodlands Hospital opened by Kim Hellberg Middlesbrough FC manager, also pictured Adam Reed and Ian Gray Imaging Manager (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

Debbie Dobbs, Executive Director of Woodlands Hospital, said: “I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Kim Hellberg for officially opening our new MRI scanner.

“This significant investment by Circle Health Group demonstrates our continued commitment to providing the highest quality healthcare and diagnostic services for our patients and local community.

MRI Unit at Woodlands Hospital opened by Kim Hellberg, Middlesbrough FC manager (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

MRI Unit at Woodlands Hospital opened by Kim Hellberg, Middlesbrough FC manager (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

“The installation of this new scanner represents an exciting step forward for Woodlands Hospital.

“It enhances our diagnostic capabilities and helps ensure that patients can access high-quality imaging technology closer to home.”

The hospital has an existing relationship with Middlesbrough FC and says the new equipment will also be available to players requiring MRI scans.

Mrs Dobbs added: “We have a proud history of working alongside Middlesbrough Football Club and are delighted that our new MRI scanner will support the health and wellbeing of the players.

“We look forward to continuing to develop our relationship with the club and supporting them throughout the season ahead.”

The scanner forms part of wider investment by Circle Health Group at Woodlands Hospital, with the hospital saying it will improve access to diagnostic imaging for both local patients and professional sportspeople.

By JASON GROVES IN NEW YORK

Published: 02:30 BST, 23 September 2026 | Updated: 03:42 BST, 23 September 2026

Brexit has been exploited by Vladimir Putin to sow division in Britain, Andy Burnham claimed last night.

In a speech to the United Nations in New York, the Prime Minister said the UK had faced an ‘industrial scale assault by hostile actors’ aimed at undermining the country since leaving the EU.

In recent days, the PM has suggested that unnamed ‘outside actors’ had manipulated opinion during the 2016 referendum.

In his UN speech on Tuesday night, he said the situation had worsened since Brexit – and named Russia as the main culprit.

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Downing Street said a new National Centre for Information Defence announced by the PM – and dubbed the ‘Ministry of Truth’ – would detect and disrupt ‘hostile state information attacks’.

Mr Burnham has hinted this week he could commit Labour to rejoining the EU in the party’s next manifesto.

And in his UN speech he vowed to draw a line under a ‘corrosive’ decade.

‘It is now ten years since Brexit, my country has lived through the destruction, and it has given us a unique perspective that I want to share with you today,’ he told UN delegates.

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Andy Burnham delivered his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday night  

The PM claimed Vladimir Putin had been exploiting Brexit to divide the country 

 ‘In recent years we have seen an industrial-scale assault by hostile actors on the information environment in the UK and many of our allies. Russian agencies have used every means at their disposal to spread lies and disinformation and prey on people’s fears.

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‘I know this is a shared challenge. So we are going to use our experience in the UK – and the fact that we have already been through this shock – to help other countries.’

He said hostile agencies had ‘amplified far right narratives’ and ‘tried to interfere with the 2019 General Election’.

The PM said the Kremlin spends £1.3 billion a year ‘manipulating information’.

No 10 said the new disinformation unit would operate alongside intelligence agencies, the police and social media companies and focus on ‘improving local community cohesion and preventing a distorted and untrue narrative about Britain’.

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Mr Burnham said the UK ‘will not play Russia’s game of trading escalatory rhetoric,’ adding: ‘Instead, we will be prepared but not panic. Clear-eyed but cool-headed and unflinching in defending our people and our allies.’

Hardline Remain campaigners have claimed for years that Russia tried to influence the outcome of the Brexit referendum, but have failed to provide proof.

Mr Burnham’s decision to revive the claim will fuel speculation he is trying to soften the country up for a major push to reverse Brexit.

The PM has said that for now he will stick to the Brexit red lines in Labour’s manifesto, which include no return to the single market or free movement.

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But he has said he hopes Britain will rejoin the EU in his lifetime.

Asked this week if he could pledge to rejoin in Labour’s next manifesto, he said the question was for ‘another day’. 

As hundreds more Xbox developers lose their jobs, GameCentral asks whether they’re necessary cutbacks or simply the latest step towards Microsoft giving up on gaming entirely.

Perhaps the worst thing about Xbox’s latest round of job cuts is knowing that there’s over 1,300 more of them to come. Microsoft announced back in July that they were cutting ‘approximately 3,200’ jobs within the next year, with 1,600 going that day. So Tuesday’s annoucement that 268 more people have been laid off still leaves over a thousand developers fearing for their jobs.

These are staggering numbers, each one an individual that no doubt viewed working in the games industry as a career highlight, if not a life goal. Many of them will be veterans with many years’ worth of experience, who will no doubt view their treatment as encouragement to get out of the industry entirely. Institutional knowledge and experience, of the sort that takes decades to build, is being lost on a scale that has never been seen before in the industry, and it’s not over yet.

Suggesting that Microsoft doesn’t care is besides the point as it’s never been clear that Microsoft, as an entity, cares about anything to do with video games. Most of the people working at Xbox do but there’s been little sign from anyone outside the division that they view it as anything other than a minor distraction, a money drain that the company can easily afford but is increasingly irritated by.

There’s one school of thought that new Xbox boss Asha Sharma was brought in to offer only palliative care, her true goal being to slowly and quietly bring an end to Microsoft’s role in the games industry, so that the company loses as little face as possible when it eventually gives up entirely.

That is a possibility and you could argue that this week’s news is all part of that grand plan, as the number of semi-independent studios is drastically reduced, so that Activision and Bethesda are in charge of almost everything. British developer Rare, who can trace their lineage all the way back to Ultimate Play the Game in the early 80s, is now under the direct control of the same publisher that has done almost nothing but publish Call Of Duty games for the last two decades.

The next Halo is to be made by an unnamed Activision studio (implying it won’t be out until well into the next decade); half of World’s Edge, who handle the Age Of Empires franchise, have reportedly been laid off; Ninja Theory and Arkane Studios are likely going to be shut down; Obsidian Entertainment is now under Bethesda’s aegis; and Turn 10 and Playground Games are to become one studio.

Is this, as Xbox claims, a necessary attempt to streamline the business or has it just put all its game studios in a giant trash compactor, which will continue to squeeze and compress them until there’s nothing left? If it is the latter, then there’s not really much to discuss, as ordinary developers are forced to pay for the mistakes of incompetent management, that has so long been blamed for Xbox’s problems but will inevitably be the last to go.

But if this is a genuine attempt to save the business, can it work? Asha Sharma may, by her own admission, not know much about video games, but she appears to be a competent businessperson. Even if she suffers from the typical Microsoft fault of not realising how her ghoulishly fake smiles, and assurances that the business is still doing great, come across when she’s announcing that hundreds of people are losing their jobs.

If you were making a genuine effort to revive the business, then it’s easy to see most of the purchases orchestrated by former boss Phil Spencer as a mistake that needs to be addressed. It’s not going to be easy to offload Activision Blizzard now, even if they do regret the purchase, but the smaller bespoke developers, none of which were known for creating bestsellers or prominent IP, have now mostly all been dealt with.

It’s cruel and unfair, and a terrible waste of talent, but the mistake was Microsoft buying them in the first place, which was not Sharma’s doing. Acquiring Bethesda made more sense, especially as they were in financial trouble at the time, but Microsoft’s complete inability to take advantage of the Fallout TV show’s surprise success is another prime example of how slow and inefficient Xbox is as a business.

Sharma has made it a point of saying that they should focus on their most popular properties and while that seems blindingly obvious it’s something Xbox has been terrible at for two generations in a row now. If the new Halo does come out in, say, 2032 it will be over a decade since the last new game, which was itself a major disappointment.

By that point there’s a good chance it’ll be too little, too late, which may already be the case for Gears Of War and this year’s prequel E-Day. As a result, much depends on the reception to next year’s Fable reboot, but how much can you really expect from a series that hasn’t had a new mainline entry in 17 years and was never that acclaimed or successful in the first place?

Nevertheless, these games do represent Microsoft’s best chance for the future, with The Elder Scrolls 6 another key title, for which a very important decision needs to be made about its potential exclusivity. The same is true for Hideo Kojima’s OD and Physint, with Microsoft jumping in to save the latter after Sony tried to cancel it, a move that seemed more like an overly eager attempt to get one over on Sony than it did a sound business decision.

But ultimately, it’s not the games that are the root of the Xbox games business. Microsoft can happily go on as a third party publisher without any problem but for the Xbox name to mean something they have to have a hardware platform – or a widely used streaming service. At the moment they have neither.

The Xbox Series X/S has been a complete disaster and considering their recent changes to how you pay for streaming, one can only assume that’s not going well either. Microsoft is keen to insist that the next gen Project Helix is real and will be released soon but what is it? If it’s a traditional console it’s impossible to imagine that it can be a mass market success, given the decline in the Xbox hardware business and the inevitably high price of the new console.

Could they make a success of some sort of cheaper, redesigned Xbox Series X? Perhaps a hybrid console in the style of the rumoured new PlayStation device? Perhaps, but what would be the selling point to anyone that isn’t already part of the Xbox ecosystem, considering PlayStation and Nintendo already exist as far more viable alternatives?

Only Microsoft currently knows the answer to that but unless it’s a good one, it’s difficult to see any future for Xbox as anything other than a third party publisher. And if that’s all it’s to become then it’s very likely Microsoft will just try to sell the division off to someone else. An ignoble end to a business that, in the last decade, has caused nothing but trouble for everyone involved.

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By JASON GROVES IN NEW YORK

Published: 01:22 BST, 23 September 2026 | Updated: 03:41 BST, 23 September 2026

Mr Trump, who has previously dismissed concerns about AI safety as a “hoax”, told the UN:  “The United States totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme of control for the artificial intelligence being spoken of so much now – hereinafter officially called super intelligence.”