Xbox takes a huge gamble on 2024, aims to steer clear of previous year’s blunder

11.06.2023

A screenshot from Avowed, showing a first-person view of a player wielding a bow and arrow and facing lizardmen conjuring flames — An intense fight in *Avowed*.

Coming out of Sunday’s Xbox Games Showcase, you’d obtain the apparent perception that Xbox is wagering large on 2024 with Avowed, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and also extra. It seemed a great deal like Xbox’s large 2022 approach: pinning whatever on 2023. So, exactly how’d that work out?

Following the 2022 Xbox Games Showcase, Microsoft claimed on Twitter that 50 games would certainly pertain to Xbox and also COMPUTER “over the next 12 months.” The listing was a grab bag — a mix of brand-new first-party and also third-party games, Game Pass rewards, Xbox ports of already-published titles (like Valheim), and also updates to recurring live-service games (like Halo Infinite).

✨ COMPUTER GAME ✨ pic.twitter.com/r48l1xE9ln

— Xbox (@Xbox) June 12, 2022

Many of the games Xbox pointed out did appeared throughout that 12-month home window. Some of the third-party tentpoles — consisting of Diablo 4, plus the Dead Space and also Resident Evil 4 remakes — were instant industrial and also essential successes. Some were met differing however normally middling levels of remaining power: Gotham Knights, Somerville, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, High on Life, Atomic Heart. First-celebration price? Uh, we don’t require to speak about first-party price (hi, Redfall).

Of the complete listing of 50 games, 12 have yet ahead out, and also just 3 presently have strong launch days:

Lightyear Frontier
Party Animals (currently prepared for Sept. 20)
Starfield (currently prepared for Sept. 6)
Forza Motorsport (currently prepared for Oct. 10)
Flintlock
Ark 2
Ara: History Untold
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
STALKER 2
Replaced
Ereban: Shadow Legacy
Cocoon

Replaced and also STALKER 2 are being created by workshops based in Ukraine, which has actually been involved in a battle versus Russian assailants considering that February 2022. Cocoon is readied to show up throughout the Annapurna Interactive Showcase, arranged for June 29. Ark 2 celebrities Vin Diesel (and also extra significantly, has been delayed to 2024). The remainder are secured as “coming soon” or an unclear “2023.”

After today’s display, Microsoft took a various tack than it did in 2014. Rather than mentioning any type of difficult timeline for its honest slate, it rather tweeted that the 2023 Xbox Showcase schedule was “giving play day one.”