Hello everyone!
I'd like to provide some info/leaks regarding the future of Xbox (and gaming in general, what I know anyway). I planned on making a post like this a month or two ago, but corona has forced me to work from home, and I figured people would appreciate good news in these trying times. I also tried to post this yesterday and today to /r/xboxone but they had a karma mimimum and I didn't notice my posts were deleted. I included some Series X information regarding specs, but they've since been revealed so I deleted it from this post.
Ive seen some liars/"leakers" spreading incorrect things for karma/retweets/attention in the past week, and thought I'd get involved.
So now onto the leaks.
First and foremost, the Series X (and S) is still planned for 2020. Microsoft was actually targeting a late September/early October launch, but this recent pandemic has caused issues. At worst, we may be looking at a December release date. Microsoft doesn't want to be forced to release during Black Friday, so it would be held back until December. Also, Microsoft does not practice Apple/Nintendo ideals, and wants as many units available as possible at launch. No forced scarcity, though there MAY be if they are forced to release in October to match Sony, and the manufacturers in China/assembling factories elsewhere aren't up and running in time.
The Series S will not be revealed just they, MS wants to get info out of Series X first. Expect a full reveal for Series X this week, Series S info and pricing for both at a later date.
I'd like to clarify that we really don't know yet, the situation is still developing and anybody who claims to know what's happening is lying. Especially those claiming that it will be pushed to 2021. 2020 date hasn't been disrupted, ignore any "analyst" on Forbes who tells you that.
Onto acquisitions!
IO Games and Asbodo Studio are in very late talks for being acquired, and I expect that to leak before the ink even dries. Platinum Games was in serious talks, but it seemed they had too many projects in development for other consoles than Microsoft wanted (if I recall, their most capable team is focused all in on Bayonetta 3). Vanquish 2 was eyed as an Xbox Series X launch year title (as in within its first year, not 2020) but that all fell through. As far as I know, Vanquish 2 is still in development.
In lieu of this, Microsoft is eyeing a certain Asian developer that would be a massive addition to their lineup.
And on that subject, sorry guys, Konami is not selling their IPs to Sony. I'm pretty sure the same exact rumor was spread last year, but with Microsoft being the buyers. No reason to believe this as real. Their net worth is over 3 billion. Maybe Sony was interested in Silent Hill, but anything beyond that is pure fantasy. No deal has been signed on anything and I doubt there will be one.
Turtle Rock Studios was planned to be an e3 show off acquisition, no idea where they will share that news now. Back 4 Blood is looking very great so far though, and still planned to be on multiple consoles.
Relic Entertainment, as expected, will be rolled into XGS.
There are many, many more studios in both early and late talks, but I'm not mentioning anything unless I have multiple sources to back it up or know the information firsthand. Xbox is not going into this gen empty handed.
Onto games!
Halo Infinite - duh
Forza Motorsports 8 - they were actually considering another title for this, but I'm fairly certain they are keeping the numbering. Will have ray tracing and be their show pony for next gen visuals.
Age of Empires 4- may be delayed to early 2021 for console.
Perfect Dark - yes, Perfect Dark. There were a few difficulties/delays going on, as far as I know it's not going to be a launch title but that's on the development team (the team making it might be surprising, unless you've seen the one leak before).
Killer Instinct 2- sorry but again, unsure if this will be a launch title but I believe it's ready. They were considering a f2p model but the success of gamepass has changed their views I believe.
Microsoft Flight Sim- game will be rolled out differently, I have release dates but they might be for the beta/inflights for PC. Xbox One version might be delayed. Looks beautiful, and I've put in a bunch of hours so far.
Bleeding Edge - game will be rereleased/crossplay.
A Plagues Tale 2: expect an acquisition and game reveal together. Will not release in the first year of the console so this leak might be a little too early.
Hellblade: will potentially be a launch title. As far as I know, development has gone smooth. Ninja Theory is loving it and thriving under MS. This will certainly bum me out if delayed.
Fable: will be a soft reboot. Playground Games. It will officially reveal without a solid release date. If they give a release date with a month, expect it to be pushed back aha.
Banjo 3- very, VERY early in development. Seems Rare is only proving support for the title, not the main devs.
Everwild- will likely be one of the last major crossgen games. Expect a Q3 2021 release. They are targeting early 2021 but it's almost certain to be pushed back a little.
Psyconauts 2- acquiring and funding Double Fine turned his game from a AA to a true AAA. They are already planning their next game as a studio, and this game will be crossbuy. It's shaping up to be incredibly polished and content full. Will show off smart HDR AI demo, maybe in an Inside Xbox.
Onto consoles:
Funny story. Sony actually wanted to release the PS5 early this year. The economy taking a turn, and delays in game development, made them rethink their strategy, especially since ps4 models were still selling so well. PSVR 2 was also a bit out, and they wanted to have a more solid lineup. Microsoft making two consoles to undercut them in price and corner the market solidified their decision. Sony is currently looking into a second console (like the Series S).
The Series X, WAS intended to market for $450 USD. The Series S at $250 with no disc drive. The economy taking a dive make them reconsider, and really has made things difficult. The Series S may now be $300 and include a disc drive. The Series X may be $500, but Microsoft might take a cut to remain competitive. Gamepass and live services are making bank, and help justify what might be the biggest loss Microsoft has taken per console sale.
Believe it or not, costs won't be finalized until 5 months before release. We are on the cusp of a recession under this administration and will have worldwide effects. $500 will likely be the Series X cost, but anything can change and I'm remaining optimistic. Things could also go wrong and force a $550 console. This is all dependent on real world events and the pricing Sony decides upon.
The PS5 was originally very weak compared to the One X. The delays they took have made them rethink their plans. Expect a much smaller power difference. And expect a $450/500 Sony console. They are trying to hold back and wait for Microsoft to release a price, to match it.
The specs for both consoles are already out there.
Few other assorted details that I'd like to post:
The Obsidian criticisms from Chris Avellone are correct. They had terrible project management, and being acquired by Microsoft has helped tremendously. I very much doubt he will ever come back, but I truly wish he would as it's night and day the difference.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is doing incredibly well! Nearly 500k sales on Steam, over a million on Xbox/Win10, and over a million through gamepass. I can see them posting an announcement of over 3 million players at launch. FYI, numbers for games really aren't that inflated for gamepass titles. People judged PUBG hitting 10 million as only possible through gamepass, but in actuality 8 million of those sales were full purchases. Same with Sea of Thieves, that's done surprisingly well, thanks especially to their dedicated community.
Xbox One console sales are nearly* 60 million. Phil Spencer truly saved this gen from being a flop.
Microsoft WILL have another rep in Smash. Expect Sabi to leak this soon enough.
xCloud will be rolled into Xbox Live. Xbox Live itself is something Microsoft doesn't want focus on. By 2021, the majority of their playerbase will be playing multiplayer for free (through Steam, Win10, and xCloud). Microsoft will make further attempts to justify the service beyond free games.
Horizon Zero Dawn 2 is a planned PS5 launch title. Will have a different name I believe. Spider-Man 2 and God of War 2 are a bit off, and I expect a delay to push it beyond the one year mark of next gen.
Battletoads is being entirely overhauled due to complaints/criticism. I expect a 2020 date, but no sources on how it will go about exactly. Someone claimed it would be an e3 download immediately title (surprise launch) but I cannot confirm this and it seems questionable because of e3 being now canceled.
Xbox/Microsoft is working with other studios and the ESA to hold a digital version of the conference. They still want a stage show, but it's up in the air as of February.
Halo Infinite will be a bit ambitious in regards of mechanics. Halo 4 did story good and multiplayer bad, Halo 5 did multiplayer good but story bad. Expect 343 to get in right this time. Expect open world mechanics, but more akin to Halo CE than an actual open world like witcher. Campaign is clocking in at 13 hours, but that could be QAs taking their time. Over 10 hours minimum.
Halo 2 was initially planned to be an e3 "available now!" game. Dependant on inflighting but it seems on target. Might even come earlier. Development for PC has been very smooth after Reach. Expect a new port Halo every 2 months. Halo 5 is being looked into, despite being the black sheep of the family.
Don't support Blizzard Activision, but for the sake of transparency, Overwatch 2 is a next gen title and will be crossplay/save. Targeting 90fps/120fps for next gen consoles. Next Diablo is very far out.
April was looking to be the official reveal month for price and other details, but corona has made plans a bit floppy. That leak that circulated here with an April date was correct and a mockup. The event may be rescheduled.
The other Yakuza games should be ported this year and will be crossgen. Only up to 5 (for 2020) I believe but I'm not sure how progress is going
Control is still coming to gamepass.
Harry Potter and the two new DC games were to be revealed at e3. One of them is Court of Owls Batman, yes.
Borderlands 3 will be released with a complete edition next gen. Will target 90/120fps.
Splinter Cell has finally entered development.
Ubisoft wants to expand their premium pass to consoles.
Steam/EGS support and bridging the gap between Xbox and PC os being looked into. No official word yet, anyone who claims that is lying.
Xbox is looking into bringing back old IPs. Jet Set Radio and MechAssault are in talks. A surprising amount of second party deals/contracted games are in the works, not everything is about first party.
Xbox and Nintendo are working together on a few small things. Don't expect Mario on Xbox or anything, but it'll be interesting to see.
Active gamepass users hover around 5 million. It is a profitable service. Xbox never expects it to replace tradition game purchases, but are dedicated to sinking a lot of money into justifying it as a service. As of today, all the profits they generate are invested into the service. That's to say, they could sit back and already be profitable, but want to take the netflix and Spotify approach in which they operate at a "loss" but become an undeniable deal to the point that gamers feel they miss out if they aren't subscribed.
2D Metroid is in the works. Might be a remake? I've heard Fusion.
Expect a huge AAA day one addition to gamepass.
Borderlands 3 will be added to gamepass around the time of a future dlc.
Ori 2 will not come to Switch anytime soon. Go play it now!
Cuphead will be added to gamepass in time for the dlc.
GTA 6 is planned to launch within a year of next gen.
Castlevania has a game in very early development.
A Thunderbolts tv show is being planned for the MCU.
Blue Beetle is being made for DCU.
Green Lantern is gonna be a heavy hitter for DCU/HBO Max.
Someone killed in Titans will come back in the next season (kinda obvious if you've seen the show). They're potentially using Lex Luthor as the villain along with Blackfire.
The turnaround for Castlevania Season 4 will be a bit shorter. Go watch the show it's incredible!
Tom Holland will have a Venom cameo. Might be an after credits scene.
HBO Max will be using DC properties and turning them into movies like "The Kitchen". Pretty much for stuff they want to greenlight for a theatrical release, but worry that it won't succeed. Expect diverse heroes.
Batman Beyond may return in some form, but are very much rumors I'm a big fan so it's worthy mentioning. Might end up being incorrect.
Martain Manhunter will be in Legends of Tomorrow. Possibly a permanent cast member, CW plans change last minute so this may actually be wrong. Go watch Legends though, it's probably the only DC CW show to retain its quality and actually improve. Beebo loves you.
Red Hood is still planned for DCU. Brass are divided on the current actor, and how to pursue the story. He is expected to skip most of s3 of Titans.
Hawk and Dove spin off is still on the table, may be a one season show. The DCU stuff is a bit in flux and will depend on the success of HBO Max.
Strange Adventures anthology for HBO Max is still in the works.
The Question will be HBO Max, I believe Vic.
Lobo is still in preproduction, I have no reason to believe it's been canceled but it's been light on news.
Superboy is in early talks for a spinoff of Titans.
MCR will release a new song very soon.
Daft Punk will release an album, eventually. Probably within the year. I'm not very informed of their process or the leaks, no idea how likely my source is. Coldplay will be involved (or potentially only a member of the band?). Lots of features on the album. Will not mention them because it could always just be a collaboration on an other artist's track, like the Weeknd.
Oh yeah, VR is coming to next gen Xbox. From what I've seen it'll be compatible with previous VR headsets for windows, and a new dedicated Xbox Headset will be revealed. I don't believe this will be shared in 2020, but I'm not confirmed for their marketing and development plan. Expect a game from Ninja Theory (their non Hellblade team).
A new switch model is being planned. I believe it will end up being a "Pro" type unit. Will not be released in 2020.
Metroid Prime trilogy will probably come out before MP4
Persona 5 will come to switch. Atlus has a pretty shitty attitude towards Xbox and even PC sadly. It may change, money talks. But it was a bummer to hear that.
Naughty Dog has severe project management issues, to the level of Obsidian 5+ years ago.
Tony Hawk remake/remaster will be revealed soon. So will a Crash game (I believe Wrath). A Destiny clone is in development.
Saints Row will get a release soon. Might just be a remaster though. I've only seen the SKU/product info to confirm it.
I mentioned GTA 6, just checked and my source says it will be revealed this year. Not sure if it was an e3 title, I don't have enough sources to confirm this.
Bluepoint studios will be acquired soon. Can't tell you by who though.
Not a Kojima fan, but expect some news regarding his next project.
Baldurs Gate 3 will release late for next gen compared to PC.
Outer Worlds dlc will be announced this year.
Hi-Rez plans to release a new game this year
Anthem is still planning a major overhaul and re-release.
New Far Cry will be released within a year. As far as I know it hasn't been pushed back like every other Ubi game.
New Sonic game in development, like Sonic Heroes with 3 main characters (guess who)
Oh yeah almost forgot, a new Paper Mario will release this year!
Grapple Hook thing for Halo Infinite was real, but probably won't make it into the final release. Just a fun tool to test physics/try an idea.
Console will have USB C
The last few Wii U exclusives will make their way to switch.
RE8 is first person. Continues from the re7 story but becomes more involved with the world of RE.
Dino Crisis will be revived, in some shape or form.
State of Decay 3 will be very close to the original IP idea of a zombie MMO.
FYI, many "leaks" you see online are actually planned by companies to generate hype. This stuff is all me, I'm just cooped up and bored, and it seems the world could use some fun news and discussion.
Expect some big news this week, regarding next gen! :)
Will be back to share info for Fighter Pass 2. Feel free to bookmark this to check as details are confirmed.
Treat each other right in this trying time, and take care!
PS, used a VPN and burner phone for this, and won't be coming back to this account for a while. Feel free to cross-post this whenever you want. If you want leakers with actual credibility, check out what Sabi, Krobrille, and Sam Brads has to say for the time being. Send them some love!
