The Xbox Sequence X and S are not new. 12 months 4 has begun, and thus we’re formally into the center portion of what we anticipate (courtesy of Microsoft’s attorneys by accident leaking the corporate’s personal product roadmap) to be an eight-year console era. So the place can we stand? In final 12 months’s model of this piece, I wrote, “2023 is a 12 months of significant promise for Xbox, nevertheless it comes with an comprehensible sense of urgency from Xbox homeowners.” That urgency stays for 2024, following the combined reception for Starfield, an important launch for Xbox since, arguably, Halo 3 in 2007. However there’s much more cause to be optimistic popping out of 2023, as Hello-Fi Rush kicked the 12 months off with a singular and award-nominated rhythm-action sport that no one noticed coming; Microsoft survived authorized challenges from a number of regulatory companies and closed its Activision-Blizzard-King acquisition; and Xbox Recreation Go continued to win and win. And searching forward to 2024, that constructive momentum seems set to proceed and, with a bit of luck, snowball.
Third-Celebration Unique Test-In
Let’s begin with what we all know for certain, and that begins with a Q1 launch window for STALKER 2: Coronary heart of Chornobyl, the Xbox-exclusive AAA FPS sequel whose Ukrainian builders have had to heroically contend with Russia’s invasion into their nation. It’s the closest factor to a locked-in launch date that Xbox has for 2024 as of now, although maybe that may change quickly if Microsoft holds one other Xbox Developer Direct in January.
Changed is one other extraordinarily promising third-party Xbox unique that’s had improvement understandably affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in addition to excessive expectations generated by its spectacular showings to this point. The two.5D cyberpunk-style, pixel-art action-adventure has evoked equally constructive vibes to one other Xbox unique that’s been in the works for fairly a while: The Final Night time (which, sadly, nonetheless has no launch date). Changed, although, will nearly definitely drop straight onto Xbox Recreation Go someday in 2024.
Bear in mind Contraband, the Xbox-exclusive open-world co-op sport from Avalanche (the builders of Simply Trigger) that was introduced on the 2021 Xbox Showcase? It hasn’t been seen or heard from since, and doubtless shouldn’t be counted on for 2024, barring a shock re-reveal and fast street to launch. The identical may be stated for the Vin Diesel-led Ark 2. Oh, and whereas it’s not unique, it’s value noting that Sq. Enix will ship a extremely anticipated RPG in 2024 that hits Xbox the identical day as PlayStation: Visions of Mana, the subsequent in the beloved roleplaying collection began a long time in the past by Secret of Mana.
The Video games Are Coming from Contained in the Home!
When it comes to Microsoft’s inner owned-and-operated studios, Workforce Xbox has discovered the laborious means that purchasing studios isn’t fairly the fast-forward button on getting unique video games to your platform that it had hoped. Nonetheless, that faucet is flowing now, with the Xbox Sequence X’s first formally introduced sport, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, lastly nearing the end line and set to launch someday in 2024. It’s powered by Unreal Engine 5, and whereas it received’t be the primary UE5 sport to ship on Xbox Sequence, it might simply find yourself being the prettiest, most dramatic, and most emotional next-gen showpiece but.
Avowed can be set to be launched in 2024, and Obsidian’s spectacular monitor document suggests it’s going to be fairly good. Whereas it isn’t The Elder Scrolls 6 and it isn’t making an attempt to be, it’s however a first-person fantasy RPG from a studio on a severe scorching streak. Since Microsoft acquired the Orange County RPG specialists, the next bangers have shipped: The Outer Worlds (a multiplatform launch below an association made with Take-Two’s Non-public Division label prior to Microsoft’s acquisition, however the in-development sequel will solely ship on Xbox platforms), Pentiment, and Grounded. Avowed is about in Obsidian’s personal Pillars of Eternity RPG universe, and it ensures that Xbox followers will get at the least one large unique role-playing sport in 2024.
Lastly, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will observe up the extremely acclaimed 2021 entry to as soon as once more deliver your aviation goals a bit nearer to actuality.
Ask Once more Later
And whereas nothing else is confirmed for 2024 as of this writing, a number of thrilling prospects stay. The proficient group at MachineGames set Wolfenstein apart to work on an Indiana Jones challenge, which is being executive-produced by famend Bethesda sport director Todd Howard. It was introduced with a obscure CGI teaser a full three years in the past, and it looks like 2024 would be the 12 months we lastly hear extra about it. Would possibly it additionally ship in the approaching 12 months? It’s undoubtedly potential, notably while you take into consideration the truth that MachineGames’s final full-game challenge, Wolfenstein: The New Colossus, was launched means again in 2017. Fingers crossed we’ll be cracking Indy’s whip someday in the subsequent 12 months.
In the meantime, it appears that evidently Bethesda didn’t simply make a cope with Disney for one sport. Arkane’s Lyon division will probably be following up 2021’s excellent Deathloop with Marvel’s Blade, which was simply introduced at this 12 months’s Recreation Awards. It’s an surprising studio-to-license pairing, for certain, and let’s hope it enjoys a greater destiny than the poor-selling critical darling Marvel’s Midnight Suns from Firaxis.
I feel we’re unlikely to hear something from inXile’s steampunk RPG Clockwork Revolution and Compulsion Video games’s bayou-based action-adventure South of Midnight, seeing as how each had been simply introduced at Xbox’s 2023 Summer season Showcase. Similar for Hideo Kojima’s OD challenge, which was formally revealed at The Recreation Awards. And whereas Fable appears like the largest sport in Xbox’s first-party portfolio not named The Elder Scrolls 6, it too nonetheless looks like we’re going to have to wait some time to play it.
After which there are three introduced Xbox exclusives which have every reportedly suffered important velocity bumps in the course of improvement: Uncommon’s Everwild, Undead Labs’ State of Decay 3, and The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics’ Good Darkish. None are remotely probably to see the sunshine of day in 2024, however maybe we’ll get a brand new trailer or gameplay video from at the least considered one of them this 12 months.
Extra optimistically, we stand an excellent probability of at the least three main first-party Xbox video games getting introduced between now and 2025: Gears of Battle 6, the rumored Doom: 12 months Zero, and the subsequent sport from Psychonauts 2 developer Double Positive. After 2019’s stellar Gears 5 (which has a key story level that wants resolving), The Coalition informed us in 2021 that they had been shifting over to Unreal Engine 5 (unsurprisingly) and that they wouldn’t be making any bulletins for fairly a while. It’s been three years since then; it’s time for Gears 6 to develop into official, and I feel it’ll occur on the 2024 Xbox Summer season Showcase.
The following first-person shooter from id Software program, in the meantime (notice: whereas we don’t know a factor about id’s subsequent sport, I’ll print out this text and eat it if it’s something however an FPS), seems prefer it may be a Doom prequel, given the leaked Doom: 12 months Zero title. That is to say nothing of a few of the different tasks from that apparently outdated doc, comparable to a remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, a 3rd Dishonored sport, and extra.
As for Double Positive, they earned important important acclaim for Psychonauts 2, and given when that sport got here out – August of 2021 – there’s an inexpensive probability that Tim Schafer and the proficient group on the San Francisco-based studio inform us what they’ve been up to since.
{Hardware} and Companies in 2024
Right here’s a enjoyable reminder: each single sport talked about above will probably be launched on Xbox Recreation Go at launch. Microsoft’s sport subscription service continues to be an unimaginable worth for players, and 2024 ought to do nothing to change that – notably if and (extra probably) when Activision and Blizzard video games begin going into Recreation Go. Diablo 4 on Recreation Go? Seemingly to occur in 2024. Pre-Trendy Warfare 3 (2023) Name of Obligation video games on Recreation Go? Honest probability it occurs in 2024. The following main Name of Obligation entry, probably known as Name of Obligation: Black Ops Gulf Battle if the leaks are correct, day one on Recreation Go subsequent Fall? It’s potential! Extra definitely, we are able to anticipate Sony’s personal excellent baseball sim, MLB The Present 24, to as soon as once more hit Xbox Recreation Go on day one. So too does Microsoft have various different third-party video games teed up to debut on the service, comparable to Flintlock: Siege of Daybreak, Persona 3 Reload, 33 Immortals, Dungeons of Hinterberg, Hole Knight: Silksong, and others.
As for the aforementioned Xbox product roadmap leak, if it holds true, we are able to anticipate an Xbox Sequence X refresh in the Fall, codenamed Brooklin. This can embody not only a smaller, rounder Sequence X – one with 2TB of built-in storage however with out an optical disc drive, at that – however it should additionally embody a brand new Xbox controller that features haptic suggestions and a chargeable battery. A Sequence S refresh, codenamed Ellewood, may additionally be on the best way, and in that case it should launch first in the Summer season, adopted by the Brooklin in the Fall.
Buckle Up
With a ton of recent studios and franchises in the fold courtesy of the Activision-Blizzard acquisition, a gradual stream of first- and third-party video games firing from the Recreation Go cannons, and a ton extra large video games nonetheless additional out on the horizon, the long run stays brighter than ever for Xbox players. This 12 months, although, extra of that promising future ought to begin to develop into the improbable current. Onward and upward, my associates.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s govt editor of previews and host of each IGN’s weekly Xbox present, Podcast Unlocked, in addition to our month-to-month(-ish) interview present, IGN Unfiltered. He is a North Jersey man, so it is “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.