What you need to know
- Microsoft has acquired Activision-Blizzard for Xbox, giving them access to massive franchises like Call of Duty and Diablo.
- As such, the upcoming Xbox games roadmap has become absolutely massive.
- Microsoft has forecast an increase of 40% gaming revenue in the next quarter as a result of this merger.
- The graphic from Xbox community figure @Klobrille gives you a nice visualization of just how big Xbox has become.
With Microsoft's $70~ billion acquisition of Activision-Blizzard now complete, we're starting to get a full picture of just how big Xbox has become.
Xbox community figure and graphic designer @Klobrille on X (Twitter) put together this epic roadmap detailing Xbox's trajectory from the start of the Xbox Series X|S generation back in 2020, all the way to 2024 and beyond. The upcoming Xbox games list has never looked beefier. Of course, the vast majority of the new inclusions are multiplatform games, set to launch on PlayStation 5 and even Nintendo Switch for the first time in some cases, Microsoft has previously signaled that franchises will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for exclusivity.
Into 2024 and beyond, we're looking at titles like South of Midnight, Clockwork Revolution, Towerborne, ARA: History Untold, and many more from Xbox's internal publishing arm. From the ZeniMax arm, we have Indiana Jones and Elder Scrolls VI to look forward to. From Blizzard, we have Project Odyssey, and from Activision we have Call of Duty. Klobrille omitted some of the less-official announcements. This list doesn't include some of the leaked games we've heard about, such as the next DOOM codenamed Year Zero, or some of the Fallout or Elder Scrolls remaster projects. It also doesn't include some of the lucrative mobile games Microsoft has cooking, with Diablo Immortal, Call of Duty Mobile, and the upcoming Elder Scrolls Castles.
A vast Xbox future
What this image does do is give us a massive overview of just how sprawling Xbox has gotten since the acquisition.
This huge list will grow ever further this week with Blizzcon 2023 just around the corner, and potentially further still at The Game Awards 2023 — a venue Microsoft has chosen to showcase upcoming projects previously. When we get into 2024 and 2025, we should start hearing more about what types of Xbox and PC exclusives we should be getting out of Microsoft's merger with Activision too. They could include new titles from franchises like Crash Bandicoot, Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, StarCraft, and many other under-invested franchises that may make more sense in a world where Xbox Game Pass is a growth vector. Activision had different priorities to Xbox itself, which is why they banked heavily into service games to the detriment of some of its more traditional titles. Xbox Game Pass flips that on its head somewhat, but we'll have to see what Microsoft intends to do there.
What upcoming Xbox games are you most excited about? Hit the comments, let us know.
