Microsoft’s AAA development schedule for the Xbox Series X|S is still only partially clear, but thankfully as the rumour mill continues to churn, there might be a few that could point to what we should expect in the coming years.
This coming out of a live podcast hosted by website GameOnDaily, where Miles Dompier of Windows Central spoke about what could potentially be coming down the line, as far as he and others at Windows Central have heard.
For starters, there are at least four projects are currently in development with Xbox Global Partnerships that the Windows Central team are aware of. Three of the four are original IP’s while the fourth is a spin-off from another popular series. None of these seem to be the mystery project between Hideo Kojima and Xbox that has been rumoured of late, but like all of these we’ll just have to wait and see.
We also know the codename for at least one of the projects, a potential multiplayer focused game codenamed “Cyclone”, which could potentially be one of the larger projects in development in terms of scope or budget. This project in particular however could be the first one we hear more about, as an announcement is supposedly going to be made soon. Whether that comes from a Microsoft event or not remains to be seen. With E3 coming in June, if this rumoured Cyclone Project is on a larger scale, then Microsoft may be holding it until then.
What is perhaps most interesting about this new multiplayer project is it’s focus, as it allegedly began not as a multiplayer project and at some point in development shifted, to what will now be a big online experience. The development team behind the Cyclone Project is allegedly trying to make a multiplayer game that is a unique experience and not something we have seen before like a third-person looter shooter or MMO.
These rumours are just that, rumours – but it does help give us more of an idea as to what to expect from Microsoft. Whether these four projects are all announced this year, be it at E3 or not is yet to be seen, but it is fair to say that we can expect more rumours to keep coming as Microsoft continues to ramp up it’s AAA development within the now vast array of first party studios that Microsoft owns.
