Microsoft has announced its new Bounty program, which will offer big bucks in exchange for your reports on bugs.
The news comes from the Microsoft Security Response Center, who are looking for people to “help identify security vulnerabilities” within the Xbox network.
“The Xbox Bounty Program invites gamers, security researchers, and others around the world to help identify security vulnerabilities in the Xbox Live network and services and share them with the Xbox team. Qualified submissions are eligible for bounty rewards of $500 to $20,000 USD,” said Microsoft.
If you happen to uncover a pretty intense bug, the company adds that “higher awards are possible, at Microsoft’s sole discretion.”
Check out the full list of bounties right here.
In other Xbox news, an industry analyst has spoken out about the coronavirus, explaining it could delay the launch of the upcoming PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Both consoles are expected to be dropping in time for the holiday season this year, but the widespread virus could have a massive impact on the launch.
The coronavirus has now killed over 600 people across mainland China, and the video games industry is one of many that’s struggling with the pandemic.
Business Insider reports that the financial services company, Jefferies Group, has now issued a warning to investors that the next generation of console gaming could face delays.
“The video game sector is currently manufacturing, or beginning to, a once-in-several-years’ product generation change for the 2020 holiday season,” Jefferies Group said.
“If [company] shutdowns exceed a month or so, game schedules will be delayed. New consoles may likewise suffer supply issues from a prolonged disruption, ahead of their Fall 2020 planned launches.”
The company went on to add that as much as “30-50% of art creation in western games is done in China,” while nearly 100% of the manufacturing takes place in China.”
As concerns over the deadly coronavirus grow, the World Health Organisation has issued the following statement: “WHO has been working with Chinese authorities and global experts from the day we were informed, to learn more about the virus, how it affects the people who are sick with it, how they can be treated, and what countries can do to respond.”
Featured Image Credit: Microsoft