What are Xbox Game Studios working on - A look at their studios
Let’s be honest, 2022 was a pretty bad year for Xbox, their highly anticipated Xbox exclusives Starfield and Redfall were both delayed until this year, which left them with nothing big for the end of the year and not the first time that has happened.
Obsidian Entertainment were the only first party studio to release a game in the final quarter and while Pentiment was excellent, it was a digital only title and really didn’t have a marketing push behind it.
While 2022 kicked off with a bang with the purchase of Activision-Blizzard, PlayStation whining about it and government regulators have taken some of the shine off that, if it goes through, 2023 could get some big games revealed once again, but only time will tell on that.
What does 2023 hold for Xbox Game Studios, let us take a look.
343 Industries
Series known to them: Halo series
With Halo Infinite finally getting into a groove on its seasons, along with the release of the Forge beta late last year and online/network co-op, it could be said the game is in the best place its likely to be. With that being said, the studio did completely drop the ball in 2022, failing to deliver the promised local co-op campaign, something they promised would be included after failing to include it in Halo 5: Guardians.
While the main release of Halo Infinite was late 2021, I wouldn’t expect them to release anything new this year, outside of new seasons of content for the game. The Master Chief Collection will likely continue to get small content updates as the game keeps powering along, but beyond that, 343 Industries should be quiet this year.
The Coalition
Series known to them: Gear of War series
Now that 2023 is here, it makes 4 years since Gears 5 was released and while the game got some content for the first 12 months, developers The Coalition really haven’t done much these past few years. Gears Tactics was ported to Xbox, but the studio oversaw the work on that game and even with it, it is now 3 years old as well.
Given the studio has over 200 staff, they have to be working on something new, so 2023 is likely the year we will get the reveal, if not the release, of Gears 6. Will the story keep telling the tale of Kati Diaz or will they pivot into something new. There is always the chance we might get something new from them, but given the work they did with Epic Games on that Matrix Experience a while back, whatever it is, should look amazing.
Compulsion Games
Series known to them: We Happy Few
This year marks the 5th anniversary of Compulsions Games debut title, We Happy Few and while the studio did some post release content, we know they have been working on a new game for a while, so perhaps 2023 is the year we get it.
The studio is some 80+ people strong and they are usually always hiring for more staff, no word on if those new hires are for the new narrative game, or for something else. The problem is that the studio doesn’t really advertise themselves much, so interviews are slim, tidbits are bare and just about anything else is pure rumour.
Double Fine Productions
Series known to them: Psychonauts series, Brutal Legend, Broken Age
We said last year that predicting what Double Fine will do next is almost impossible, as the studio bounces around genres. This year will mark the second anniversary of Pschyonauts 2 and since its release, the developers have been fairly quiet on its next project. The studio itself hasn’t been quiet in that time, as they are still supporting their Day of the Devs program, which lets developers from around the world submit their game, for a chance to be spotlighted, like an Indie World event, but less restrictive. The studio doesn’t reach triple digits in their staff count, so they tend to work on thing at a time, but they have been known to split folks off a nearly completed game, to start on the next title.
While the hope for many will be for the studio will create a new Brutal Legend, or something else just as wonderfully creative, given that the studio has also been taking the time to remaster some classic LucasArts games, like Grim Fandango and Full Throttle, they could also do something in that space. Whatever they are working on now, we should get some word this year. The real question is will it be from their own event or included at E3.
The Initiative
Series known to them: Perfect Dark reboot
They are still making Perfect Dark… there really isn’t anything more that can be said. Crystal Dynamics, which is owned now by the Embracer Group, is still working on the game for them as well, so that is something. The game was first announced back in 2019, so we are now three years since it was confirmed to exist and since then, there has been nothing on the game.
2022 saw some changes in the studios staff, with some senior members leaving and that of course, left some groups without a leader with experience. Has that effected development of the new game? Honestly we don’t know, as we know nothing about its development state. Was the game in an alpha stage, is Crystal Dynamics supporting them or leading the charge? Those questions are so unknown that if we see the game this year, I would imagine it is only as a trailer, as there is no chance it gets a release this year, with an early 2024 the earliest we can see it.
inXile Entertainment
Series known to them: Wasteland series
It has now been three years since the release of Wasteland 3 and while the game didn’t set sales charts on fire, it knew the audience it was aiming for and landed dead on center for them and the games post launch support was also well received.
Since then however they have been silent and we know that they are working on another RPG game, given their pedigree a magic 8-ball could have answered that. There is a fair chance we will see it this year in some form, as last year Matt Booty, the head of Xbox Games Studios said this about the new game:
“We had all our studio heads together and inXile showed a vertical slice of their next game... And everyone was kinda blown away, If there was a measure of the coolness of what you create as a ratio to how many people are working on it, that studio has to win a prize.”
With praise like that, it could be an utterly amazing title, whatever it is. The studio has two locations so it stands to reason that both are working on this, given there is nothing more happening with Wasteland 3. It could be that the smaller Louisiana studio could be doing something else, but the studio has never had two active titles in development before, so that would be a big change. No this year, all indicators are pointing to the reveal of this new game, but it is unlikely to release until next year.
Mojang Studios
Series known to them: Minecraft series
More Minecraft… oh more details, ok. Well we know that the studio will continue to develop new content and fixes for Minecraft on PC, with 4J Studio helping on the console side of things. Minecraft Dungeons is likely to keep getting new content, just depends on how quickly for that one.
2023 is set to be the year of Minecraft Legends, we know it will release on all platforms this year, but the specifics are not nailed down. Development is being lead by Blackbird Interactive, who are also working on a number of other titles, so that may impact things, but all reports are showing that the game is on track. The last update for the game was from Minecraft Live, so we might see one come March or so, if not sooner.
Ninja Theory
Series known to them: Heavenly Sword, Hellblade series
2021 saw a gameplay trailer for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 and there were some tech demos that showed off their tech work for another title, but beyond that it has been more than a year now since there was any significant update on the highly anticipated sequel. Given that it was the first game ever announced for Xbox Series X|S, many are waiting for this as it was the game that said this new generation can look amazing. It has also been a number of years since Project Mara was announced, a game that was described by Tameem Antoniades, co-founder of Ninja Theory as:
a real-world and grounded representation of true mental terror. It will be based heavily on research, interviews, and firsthand accounts to recreate the horrors of the mind as accurately and believably as possible.
Now there is a chance that was cancelled, but there has been nothing from the studio about that. We do know though, that the game is going to be very small in scope, especially compared to Hellblade 2. Many were hoping for another trailer at the 2022 Game Awards that took place in December, but Xbox was absent from the show across the board. Given the studios silence on both games, it would seem that 2023 needs to be the year they take the covers off one of them, as fans are not likely to wait for too much longer.
Obsidian Entertainment
Series known to them: Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity series, Outer World series, Avowed
If there was one developer who saved 2022 for Xbox it was Obsidian Entertainment, not only did Grounded finally break ground (hehe) and release in full, but we also got the reveal of and release of Pentiment. Those two games combined were made with less than 40 people in total and show off the skill of the studio and what you can achieve when you have people who really care.
This year marks the second anniversary since the reveal of The Outer Worlds 2 and Avowed, two highly anticipated titles from the studio. The first is being made by the same team who did the first game, which makes sense but the second game is actually being created by the Pillars of Eternity team, but it is said to be a little different. This year should see news on both games, but given their silent stature since the reveal, a release for both is unlikely. However given that Avowed is meant to be further along in development, a release of that could happen.
Playground Games
Series known to them: Forza Horizon series, Fable reboot
2022 was a quiet year for Playground Games, they kept up the release of content for Forza Horizon 5, including the Hot Wheels expansion, so what does 2023 hold? Well first is that we shall see more content for FH5, the second expansion for sure along with new stories to discover and cars to collect.
The second thing we should see from the studio is more on Fable, the reboot of the iconic RPG series. Will that game release this year, not a chance, but a proper gameplay or story trailer is likely to happen at E3. For those hoping for Forza Horizon 6, don’t rush to pre-order, the game might be a while off as this team uses the same engine as the Motorsport series, which is set to be relaunched, so the new engine may give them a reason to refresh things.
Rare
Series known to them: Banjo-Kazooie series, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Sea of Thieves, Everwild
Ah Rare, the studio has such a long history but lately it seems that things maybe setting sail on the iconic developer, well not really, I just wanted to use a sailing pun. Sea of Thieves has just entered its eighth season and of course, brought a heap of new content for players to enjoy. So what does this year look like for them, well its hard to describe.
Their main game in development now is Everwild, a game that was announced back at X019, or in 2019 if you don’t read Xbox event titles. Since then though, apart from a dev update trailer, the game has been radio silent and reports are that development on the game has been rebooted. There are also reports are also highlighting that the game has combat or doesn’t, so best take all those with a grain of salt. What most reports agree on though, is that the game isn’t likely to release until 2024, if that is the case, a new trailer for it this year would be welcome.
Turn 10 Studios
Series known to them: Forza Motorsport series
2023 marks 7 years since the release of Forza Motorsport 7, and while there are folks on the team who have helped with the Horizon series, of which there have been two entires, the bulk of the studio has been working on Forza Motorsport. While technically the 8th main entry, the new game is actually a reboot of the series, thus the lack of number.
We do know that the game is set to release this year, but the exact date is not yet known. During the gameplay reveal last year, we got to see some of the new effects and such that the game is going to have, but that is really it. With the studio focusing on getting this one across the finish line, I wouldn’t expect to see anything else from them this year, though their name will be attached to the Forza Horizon 5 DLC.
Undead Labs
Series known to them: State of Decay series
Undead Labs are a unique studio, unlike Compulsion Games, they have shipped two games but both of them are within their State of Decay world. State of Decay 3 was announced back in 2020 via a trailer, but since then we have seen nothing on the game. What we do know is that the studio has increased its work force quite a bit in the past few years, going from a reported 80-90 in 2019 to 120-130 this year, so a 30-50 person increase, the exact number is not known.
With that massive staff up, the odds of seeing more on State of Decay 3 this year is unlikely, even though the previous game got its Juggernaut Edition in 2020, so the studio hasn’t released anything in a while. There have been reports in the past 12 months of studio crunch, workers not being happy at being forced to rush elements to appease new bosses and more. Given the issues, any update this year will be small in scope, with a release extremely unlikely.
World's Edge
Series known to them: Age of Empires series
2022 saw the Age of Empires series celebrate 25 years and they celebrated in a big way, with new content for the games, new platforms for some and a few new titles. While content in 2022 was consistent, there wasn’t any big new releases like the year before when Age of Empires 4 released, that being said 2023 will have some big titles release.
Age of Empires II Definitive Edition will be getting its console debut this month, launching for both generations of Xbox, Age of Empires IV will also get a console release later in the year. We know that Age of Mythology: Retold is coming, but as we don’t even know the developer of this one, a release is not likely to happen anytime soon. The same can be said for Age of Empires Mobile, their most recent attempt at bringing the series to mobile platforms. 2023 will see new content for some existing games, as well as their console ports but that should be it, the future though has more in store.
So there you go, a run down of all the current Xbox Game Studios members, including what we know and suspect they are working on. Do you think we are right on our predictions, or are we missing something else? Be sure to let us know
