A new picture posted online lays out the first-party release roadmap for Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda in 2023 and beyond, giving gamers a hint of what the publishing powerhouses have in store for Xbox and PC players in the years to come. In addition to heavy hitters like Bethesda’s sci-fi RPG Starfield and the long-awaited The Elder Scrolls 6, the lineup also features smaller titles like the rebooted RTS Age of Mythology: Retold.Despite its 2021 acquisition of Bethesda helping Microsoft to drastically grow the number of high-profile properties under the Xbox Game Studios brand, the company has had a spotty track record when it comes to first-party releases in recent years. While some of the company’s recent titles like Forza Horizon 5 and Microsoft Flight Simulator received praise from both critics and gamers, other tentpole releases like 2021’s Halo Infinite were met with a decidedly chillier reception. The lack of successful, high-profile first-party releases in recent months was likely a contributing factor to news that Xbox revenue dropped by 13% in the most recent fiscal quarter.In a new post on Twitter from Klobrille, an image shows the Xbox Game Studios release roadmap for 2023 and beyond as well as the company’s ongoing projects. While gamers are likely to be familiar with many of the upcoming games listed for release, such as racing sim Forza Motorsport and the Xbox release of Bethesda’s Ghostwire Tokyo, details remain scarce on entries like gaming auteur Hideo Kojima’s mysterious Xbox project. The roadmap features a healthy mix of genres, with everything from action games to strategy titles set for release under the Xbox Game Studios banner.
Responses to the roadmap were mixed, with some gamers excited to see long-awaited titles slated for an eventual release while others found little to look forward to. Referencing the long wait for high-profile Xbox Game Studios games like the reboot of cult classic Perfect Dark, one commenter remarked that “a lot of those 'upcoming' games have been in that state for years.” Another post criticized what they saw as a small number of games slated for release in 2023, leading Klobrille to point out that Sony and Nintendo have announced 1 and 5 first-party titles for 2023 respectively compared to the 10 announced by Xbox.
While the titles on deck from Bethesda and Xbox Game Studios in the coming years may not appeal to every gamer, the eclectic mix is sure to help Microsoft shake off its reputation for limited and lackluster first-party releases. Whether the diverse lineup will be enough to dispel Fox News’ anger at Xbox, however, remains to be seen.