I guess much will be decided on how good The Medium is.
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Small thing, Atlas works on Persona, not Yakuza.
Yakuza is made by Ryu Ga Gotaku.
They also made Binary Domain and I guess now work on Super Monkey Ball.
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I thought bloober was looking to acquire, not be acquired.
Some predictions.
Halo infinite is greatly received. The best 343 Halo yet.
No Starfield.
No acquisitions.
All games from Zenimax are exclusives
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I think those are safe bets
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Forza, Starfield then Halo. November 15th is probably the last AAA that they release in 2021. Then again, I’m trying to use old conventional logic that you want your AAAs to launch before Black Friday. Maybe that’s not a thing anymore.
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I think that logic applies less to Microsoft because their main platform is Game Pass and it is not beholden to the need to make the Black Friday shopping rush.
My predictions are pretty much the same -
- Wolfenstein III in July (even though it could be 2022 but I’ll stick with July for now)
- Flight Simulator in August
- Forza Horizon 5 in September
- Halo Infinite on November 12th
- Acquired Asobo and Techland
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Well, I can see PS5 having 2-4 good AAA for 2021
So, I’d hope for 1-2 good AAA for Xbox(excluding Halo)
PS5 will have Returnal, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and my guess is Gran Turismo 7 in the Fall with Horizon 2 being February 2022.
XSX will have Flight Simulator and Forza Horizon 5 so there’s your two excellent 90+ AAA titles. Wolfenstein III could be a July game and it’s AAA but I don’t see it hitting the 90 mark.
I’m pretty sure Xbox will acquire both Asobo and Bungie this year. Those won’t be the only acquisitions they make, but those two appear to be pretty.
I have some more general predictions, that may or may not happen:
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Xbox will reveal a AAA revival of one of their older IPs through global publishing. I’m gonna go super bold here and say that it’s Crimson Skies, possibly at least co-developed by Asobo. It will be Microsoft’s answer to Uncharted that was brewing before Indy was even a known factor. It will be open world, split in twain between on foot exploration and aerial combat, with big set pieces for both styles. It will be a bit more gameplay oriented like the earlier Uncharteds but even more so. Less slow walk and talk and climbing, more action and exploration.
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Xbox will acquire Studio Wildcard. Ark 2 is already exclusive, the studio is a stone’s throw from MS, and they have a strong relationship.
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We will see the starts of new teams forming within Compulsion, InXile and Coalition for smaller projects.
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No games announced for 2021 will be delayed out of 2021, but could be delayed within. I see MS being a bit more careful when it comes to release dates, especially if Sony has to delay some of theirs.
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Zenimax Online Studios will be officially rebranded to Zenimax Studios as they will make games both offline and online.
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The Bethesda Softworks (not Game Studios) name will be retired and studios within the banner will be given more autonomy. All games will release under the Xbox Game Studios banner, and the Bethesda studios will be folded in. Bethesda Softworks satellite offices will rebrand to Xbox Game Studios, but no job losses will be involved. XGS main will stick to Xbox, XGS Bethesda to Bethesda.
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Haptics and Adaptive Triggers will not be added to the controller in 2021. They will wait to see if it’s a fad or a true gamechanger.
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Xbox Live Gold will stay, but be retired for F2P games starting with Halo Infinite.
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Grounded’s full launch will be delayed out of Spring/Summer 2021 not because the game itself will have delayed components but because the successful launch has granted the devs more time to expand their vision.
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Codemasters will be added to EA Play and thus Game Pass Ultimate/PC.
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Game Pass will surpass 20 million subscribers by end of FY 2021 (June) if it hasn’t already.
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Xbox will look to bringing Game Pass to Steam if they can negotiate a more optimal profit sharing solution.
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XCloud server blades will begin switching over to Series X to handle exclusive titles like Medium and MSFS but the main focus will be on getting the production pipeline in order first. Full switch over by 2022.
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I think Xbox has the indie hit of the year. Last year Hades, Among Us and Fall Guys were MIA. This time however I think Tunic will be a darling.
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In a more quiet move, MS will start leveraging their IP more for television series and movies.
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Microsoft will sort out the FASA rights situation.
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Xbox:
- At least one new Xbox Games Studio - either acquired or started fresh, not based in USA.
- Starfield launches 2021 exclusively on Xbox and PC
- Gamepass Subscribers surpass 30 million by the end of 2021.
- Xbox Live Gold is dropped/changed. No longer required to pay for online play. Games with Gold goes away.
- A DLSS-like solution arrives on Xbox Series consoles in 2021
- Xbox publishes a game which will be nominated for The Game Awards GOTY.
General Gaming:
- E3 is (kind of) back. The event will be closed to the general public, and overall attendance very limited, and appointments to see games/gear will be strictly held. Media briefings will likely be prerecorded. Xbox (with Bethesda) is the headline publisher at the show.
- Discord is Acquired. I think a large company like Amazon, Epic, Microsoft, or Google would be likely to pursue something like this.
- Anthem makes a comeback following a big update on next gen platforms.
- Hideo Kojima’s next game is teased. Comes to PC, Xbox, and PS5.
- The Switch follow up is announced, releases in 2022. Full BC with the Switch.
- Ken Levine’s new game is finally revealed, launching 2022
- Epic expands Fortnite to a new game in a different genre (like Minecraft did with Dungeons). Releases on all current consoles, PC, and mobile
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MS create a new franchise studio dedicated to Fallout. Like how 343=Halo The Coalition=Gears Turn 10=Forza
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If they don’t call them Vault-Tec it’s a total missed opportunity.
I could see it too. Casey Hudson is on the market atm.
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I would love to see Xbox bring in Casey Hudson somewhere, but he’d probably wanna create his own IP.
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One more prediction for the year: Microsoft’s Superbowl LV commercial (they’ve had an ad at the Superbowl the past few years) is Xbox related, perhaps an announcement.
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- Forza Horizon 5 is announced and releases earlier than previous years (like August)
- Starfield is announced and releases Fall 2021. Xbox/PC exclusive.
- MS purchases 3 new studios. 2 smaller ones and 1 large one that surprises/angers people. Guess something like Asobo, Techland, IOI or Remedy.
- Wolfenstein 3 releases Fall 2021. Xbox/PC exclusive.
- Japanese third party exclusive announced by respected team. FROM or someone similar.
- Compulsion Games announces new game w/ CGI trailer. People are upset at no gameplay
- Coalition announces new game that is not Gears 6.
- A sequel to a cult classic is announced. Xbox/PC exclusive.
So Microsoft Flight Sim and Halo Infinite are big enough on their own to carry the year. But if Microsoft releases Forza Horizon 5 this year that would be amazing for Xbox. Flight Sim television ads are going to blow peoples minds. It will be the moment of arrival for next generation for the masses.
Sony has over promised. Gran Turismo and God of War will be delayed to 2023.
Unannounced titles for 2021 are Arkane Austin Project(Arx Fatalis?), Wolfenstein 3(Indiana Jones will take a while) and Starfield.
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