There’s no way halo is getting delayed again they are already in polish mode
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Maybe Fable’s online approach will be similar to a Souls game with “echoes” or “bloodstains” of other players and the ability to call in help. Or maybe like Death Stranding with elements left by players impacting your world such as the ladders.
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If Fable is like Tsushima, oh boy, oh boy, I will be very happy. Gorgeous realistic visuals and art style, excellent soundtrack, great voice acting, excellent story and characters, superb combat and gameplay plus great character side quests. The other side stuff was fine. Best of all, that would mean that Fable would be my game of the year for the year it releases or at the very least, very close to it. Oh man, im so hyped!!! Whoooooo!!!
Haha my bad for relating Tsushima and Fable, got the article mixed up 
Would not be mad tho.
Banner credits: @Klobrille
Now that Xbox has 23 first-party studios, I had the idea to make a comprehensive list of their entire planned/confirmed output for the year 2021.
This may also gives you an idea for the future years, especially as contracts and projects from before the acquisitions will be fullfilled and completed.
I will update this through the year (E3 in June should give us more informations and possibily unannounced 2021 releases).
P.S.: I didn’t include Mighty DOOM from Alpha Dogs as it’s currently in Closed Beta and we don’t know if it’s releasing in 2021.
As of April 27, 2021
New games:
Halo Infinite
343 Industries
Planned release date : Fall 2021
Age of Empires 4
Only PC at the moment
World’s Edge + Relic (SEGA)
Planned release date : Fall 2021
Psychonauts 2
Double Fine
Planned release date : 2021
Grounded
Obsidian
Planned release date : 2021 (full release)
Deathloop
PS5 exclusive for 1 year
Arkane Lyon
Planned release date : September 14, 2021
Ghostwire Tokyo
PS5 exclusive for 1 year
Tango Gameworks
Planned release date : 2021 (could be planned for October according to the Sony CES 2021 video presentation)
Standalones:
DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods, Part Two
id Software
Release date : March 18, 2021
Xbox port:
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Xbox Game Studios Publishing + Asobo Studio
Planned release date : Summer 2021
Narrative expansions:
The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos
Obsidian
(Murder on Eridanos 2nd narrative expansion + next-gen update)
Release date: March 17, 2021
Wasteland 3 : The Battle of Steeltown
inXile
Release date : June 3, 2021
A 2nd narrative expansion is also planned (release date is unknown)
Fallout 76: Steel Reign
BGS Austin
(Conclusion of the Brotherhood of Steel storyline)
Planned release date : Summer 2021
The Elder Scrolls Online: the Gates of Oblivion
ZeniMax Online Studios
(Flames of the Ambition free update + next-gen update + Blackwood chapter, part of the Gates of Oblivion storyline told throughout all of ESO’s 2021 content releases)
Planned release date (Blackwood) : June 1, 2021 (PC) and June 8, 2021 (consoles)
Expansions/ content updates:
Sea of Thieves
Rare
(Season One, Season Two, Season Three, Season Four)
(Constant updates through 2021: new features, gameplay changes, new events, new skins, new rewards etc.)
Release date : January 28 (Season One), April 15 (Season Two)
Halo: MCC
343 Industries
(Season 5: Anvil, Season 6: Raven)
(Constant updates through 2021: new maps for Halo 3, Custom Game Browser, new armors/skins/accessories, new rewards, etc.)
Release date : January 27 (Season 5), April 7 (Season 6)
Gears 5
The Coalition
(Operation 6)
(Constant updates though 2021: new maps, new characters, new skins, new events, new rewards)
Release date : March 2 (Operation 6)
Forza Horizon 4
Playground Games
(Steam release, Series 31/32/33/34, Hot Wheels Legends Car Pack)
(new cars)
Release date : January 13 (Series 31), February 10 (Series 32), March 9 (Series 33), April 8 (Series 34)
Fallout 76
BGS Austin
(Constant updates through 2021 : Locked & Loaded, Steel Reign, Worlds are Changing, Tales from the Stars)
DOOM Eternal
id Software
(constant updates through 2021 : Invasion mode is still being worked on + Battlemode will be updated with new maps, new demons and a revamped competitive structure + new Master Levels confirmed + next-gen update)
Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition
World’s Edge + Relic (SEGA)
(new expansion set in Eastern Europe, new campaign, co-op historical battles and more)
Planned release date : Summer 2021
Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition
World’s Edge + Relic (SEGA)
(United States civilization, new expansion that will showcase African civilizations)
Release date : April 13, 2021 (US civilization)
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Xbox Game Studios Publishing + Asobo Studio
(Constant updates through 2021 : UK & Ireland, France & Benelux, etc.)
Release date : February 16 (UK & Ireland), April 13 (France & Benelux)
State of Decay 2
Undead Labs
Undead Labs is “continuing active development on the game, from mechanics to features”
Release date : February 8 (Update 24)
Minecraft
Mojang
(Caves & Cliffs, game’s biggest patch yet)
Planned release date : Summer 2021 (first part) and Holidays 2021 (second part)
Minecraft Dungeons
Mojang
(Ancient Hunts free update + Flames of the Nether DLC, game’s biggest update so far)
Release date : February 24, 2021
Rumored or may release in 2021:
Some of these games are not announced but supposed to be in the works.
Currently, nothing confirms a 2021 release (especially with COVID) and it’s better to assume these are not releasing this year, but it’s not is not beyond the realms of possibility either considering previous timeframes between reveal and launch for Fallout 4/76, Forza Horizon titles and Wolfenstein II.
Picture should get clearer after E3 in June.
-
Starfield (BGS) ?
-
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games) ?
-
Wolfenstein 3 (MachineGames) ?
Summary (as of April 27):
-
16 Xbox first-party studios (among 23) have released or are planning to release new content in 2021 (including narrative expansions and content updates).
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Among these, 7 have released or are confirmed planning to release a new game in 2021 (or 8 if you consider Microsoft Flight Simulator on console as a new game)
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Really nice post here. Good work.
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Great job on the post. Imagine Deathloop and Ghostwire didn’t have deals in place. What a year Xbox would have.
I wish they didnt haha, but im just glad playstation didnt manage to snag starfield before xbox bought them.
Same. It has to be a little frustrating to watch these devs you bought ship timed exclusives on your competitors platform. They are making the right move but now I’m likely going to just wait for them to come to GP instead of buying for PS5.
Yea even though if I looked at games planned on releasing this year, Deathloop is top 5 most anticipated but there is always so much to play so I can wait.
Yeah I have so many games between my backlog and Game Pass that I don’t need to buy any games. Unless it’s a GOTG i have to play right away, I can wait 
Isn’t this the point of the studios OT?
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You’re right, I will move this post in the OT, sorry.
Still, pretty awesome post. Nice job! When you look at it like that there is a lot of content there.
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I would assume that FH5 has taken a longer development cycle than previously for the same reason Turn 10 has taken a longer time with the release of Forza MS 8. They are rebuilding the Forzatech engine from the ground up for next gen to incorporate all those new DX12 Ultimate extensions such as Mesh Shaders, Sampler Feedback Streaming and Ray Tracing. Its also worth remembering it was Playground Games who was experimenting with Machine Learning for Forza Horizons. So Forzatech may well be using ML upscaling as well.
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Amazing list and there so much more to come. Great job.
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I think that for Starfield MS would have broken the deal, paid whatever fine came along with doing so, and endured the PR hit without a second thought. Deathloop and Ghostwire may end up being great games(neither one seems that interesting to me personally), but they simply aren’t needle movers like a new BGS IP will be.
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So the game that Zhuge was talking about was a Chinese game for the Playstation. There are interesting games coming out of China today like bright infinite.
I hope that Microsoft will start paying attention to markets outside the main producing countries. Netflix has done this and it has been working very well.
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What? So just like Fable 2 and 3? Stop making sense, we are all aboard the MMO doom and gloom train here 