Briefly: Can you believe that the Xbox brand turned 15 today?

Microsoft’s first console released when I was just 11 years old, and what a time its been. The original Xbox was actually the first platform that I played Half Life 2 on, I had some of my first four-player multiplayer experiences with Halo, and my friends all loved Fusion Frenzy even though I thought it stunk. I think I may even still have one of those giant early controllers in a box somewhere.

To help celebrate this momentous occasion, Microsoft has shared some incredible data marking just how much Xbox has grown over this period. Some of the numbers are pretty incredible:

– Number of players: 222,468,423
– Number of total gaming hours: 100,539,390,670
-Number of total multiplayer hours: 29,000,304,183
– Number of Achievements unlocked: 32,667,582,157
– Gamerscore racked up: 572,605,554,587
– Highest Gamerscore: 1,416,465
– Number of Xbox Live friendships made: 4,233,891,482

That highest Gamerscore though… Wow.

Naturally, there’s a hashtag to go with the celebration, and Microsoft would love it if you shared your favourite Xbox memories on social media using #15YearsOfXbox.

Here’s what else is going on, straight from Xbox Wire:

Team Xbox Gaming with the Community

The team here at Xbox is full of gamers, so most of us will be spending the day on Xbox Live, playing games with and against our awesome community. In fact, we’ll have kiosks set up around the Xbox offices that will allow any employee to hop on Xbox Live for a quick multiplayer match. All you need to do is follow us at the Club named “Celebrate 15 Years of Xbox” and get to playing! Or, if you want to focus your gaming energy solely on Halo, join the “Halo” Club to take on the developers.

Livestreams

If you’re not able to join us on Xbox Live for some gaming, why not watch some of the talented folks on our teams play instead? You can take a look at the Forza livestream on Beam starting at 1PM PT at www.beam.pro/ForzaMotorsport. Then, beginning at 3:43PM PT, check out our Halo live stream at www.beam.pro/Halo or www.twitch.tv/halo, featuring videos from various members of the 343 team and Bungie sharing memories of Halo, live gameplay with community influencers, and more.

We also have special Game With sessions planned throughout the day starting 11:00AM PT. Major Nelson will kick off the day followed by special appearances from the Killer Instinct Team, Back Compat Team, Beam Team, Ambassadors Team, and a surprise executive Game With! Tune in to www.beam.pro/Xbox or www.twitch.tv/Xbox for an exciting day of Game With Xbox.

In-Game Events and Giveaways

A few of our teams are working on special giveaways and in-game events in honor of our 15 year celebration. First up, the Forza team is gifting a 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor complete with a custom livery celebrating Xbox’s 15th anniversary. All players will receive this livery for free and Forza Horizon 3 VIPs will receive a bonus truck with an alternative Xbox 15th anniversary livery as well.

There will be two Rivals events created as well, with one in Forza Motorsport 6 and the other in Forza Horizon 3. In addition, there will be a special Bucket List Challenge in Forza Horizon 3 (TITLE: Celebrate #15YearsofXbox), which players can find by traveling to the Pink Lakes Bucket List point in the game.

If you’re a Halo fan, if you simply log in to Halo 5: Guardians between November 15 at 10AM PT and November 22 at 10AM PT, you will receive a free “15th Anniversary REQ Pack”, which contains consumable items for use in Warzone game modes and the legendary Mark IV Gen 1 armor set, worn by Spartan IIs in the darkest hours of the Covenant War!

What’s been your favourite Xbox game or memory over the last decade and a half? Sound out below!

Briefly: Captain America fan? You’ll want to make sure that you head to the Marvel booth (#2329) so that you can get your eyes on this incredible display.

Headlining the Captain America 75th anniversary celebration, Marvel has collaborated with high-end collectibles maker Comicave Studios to create a one-of-a-kind Captain America statue that will be displayed at the Marvel booth #2329 at Comic-Con International on July 20. Comicave Studios worked closely with Marvel artists in New York and a Brooklyn-based sculptor to design the bronze tribute, standing at over 13 feet and weighing 1 ton. The statue will continue to stand tall on the show floor throughout San Diego Comic-Con for photo ops with fans, and 1/12-scale bronze replicas of the statue will be available for purchase. Plus, a custom comic book was created by Marvel Publishing writers and artists to integrate the statue into new storytelling. This one-of-a-kind comic will be available in limited quantities at San Diego Comic-Con and future Captain America events.

Following SDCC, the commemorative statue will journey via truck across the country to Brooklyn, NY – the hometown of Steve Rogers – for a limited engagement in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Fans can follow the truck along its cross-country route through photos on social media sites like Marvel and StyledByMarvel Instagram. The statue will be on display in the Children’s Corner of Prospect Park for a two-week temporary installation, kicking off with a dedication ceremony and community event on August 10th from 1-3pm. In the evening, a special viewing of the recent blockbuster film, Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War, will take place in Prospect Park as part of the culmination of the Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams’ “A Summer Movie Under the Stars” program, which will be airing four Captain America-focused movies every Wednesday from July 20th to August 10th.

“To the rest of America and the world, he’s Captain America; to us, he’ll always be Steve Rogers, ‘just a kid from Brooklyn,’” said Borough President Adams. “Brooklyn is proud to be the base of celebrations for Cap’s 75thanniversary, which will be capped by a larger-than-life statue traveling around our borough — befitting of this larger-than-life character. Prospect Park is the place to be this summer to enjoy the Captain America!”

After the half-month stop in Prospect Park, the Captain America statue will move to the plaza outside Barclays Center on Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues for September, during which several Marvel fan activations take place. From late October through the remainder of the year, the statue will adorn the soon-to-be-opened Bed Bath & Beyond® in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Fans of all ages will enjoy a specially re-designed statue base, for heightened interactivity and photo opportunities with Captain America, as well as see and shop for a variety of unique Marvel items, including limited quantities of scaled replicas of the bronze statue itself.

“Since 1941 Captain America has remained one of the most influential Super Heroes in comic book history,” said Paul Gitter, senior vice president, licensing, Marvel at Disney Consumer Products. “He has evolved as a character throughout the years, but remains constant as a moral compass within the Marvel Universe and leader of the Avengers. The tribute statue and other activations are the perfect way to honor 75 years of this iconic Super Hero and to celebrate the borough of Brooklyn in New York City.”

Also joining the 75th celebration at San Diego Comic-Con are Marvel’s leading merchandise partners including Hasbro, Funko, and Jakks Pacific who will be commemorating “Cap” through new collectibles. As previously announced, Comicave Studios will also be offering different scales of replicas of the bronze statue itself at San Diego Comic-Con.  Additional licensees including Mad Engine, Mighty Fine, Freeze, C-Life, Her Universe, What’s Your Passion, Nick Graham, Café Press, Jay Franco, Kiddesigns, HJC Helmets and more will all feature new Captain America merchandise at major retailers this Fall.  These collections will highlight Captain America’s iconic shield and cover categories including apparel and accessories for kids, women and men, home goods, electronics, and toys. There will even be new Brooklyn-themed artwork available for a range of apparel and accessories.

Take a look at the first images of the statue below, and let us know if you’ll be checking this out on the show floor!

Captain America Statue

Captain America Statue - Park Simulation image

The greatest super hero of all time is celebrating 50 years of being on film. With the incredible Blu-Ray Collection coming out on Tuesday the 25th, MGM and AMC are teaming up to give us a special treat on the day before.

Monday September 24th, 50 select AMC theaters across the country will be showing a special screening of the first James Bond film “Dr. NO”. From the press release:

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the James Bond film franchise, AMC Theatres, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Park Circus are bringing the original James Bond film, DR. NO, to 50 theaters nationwide on Monday, September 24 at 7PM. Tickets for the event are just $7.

You read that? $7! SEVEN US DOLLARS! For the price of a Venti Java Chip Frappuccino you can see one of the BEST Bond films, IN A THEATER! Not only that, you get a little extra for showing your devotion to Bond. All attendees of the screening will get a special limited edition 50 years of James Bond print. I’m guessing they will be the same ones they had at Comic Con, and those were pretty cool. Additionally each theater will be giving away one copy of the ENTIRE collection of Bond films on Blu-Ray! That is the most $7 has gotten anyone EVER!

Fore info and to find a theater showing it, check out the AMC PAGE HERE.

I am severely pissed that I live in Alaska, as they are not doing the screening up here! Probably the only chance I could ever see my all time favorite James Bond film in theaters and I get screwed by geography. So all you people in America, don’t waste this opportunity!

Dr. No hits theaters September 24th. Bond 50 Year Collection hit stores September 25th and Skyfall is out November 9th.