This time with an awesome graphic!

A few months ago, I made a post that summarized the current announced projects, leaks, and rumors tied to Xbox Game Studios, Zenimax, Activision, and Blizzard. Here is an updated megathread just in time for the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase!

Xbox Game Studios:

1. 343 industries: Currently working on post launch content for Halo: Infinite and its planned 10-year roadmap for the future of Halo. A small team is working on continuous updates to Halo: Master Chief Collection such as new maps from Halo Online, armors, mod tools, and custom games browser for each of the games. Halo Infinite is set to have a Co-op mode release half way through its second season and Forge release in beta around the same time. Also developing and maintaining the Slipspace Engine. According to Window Central's Jez Corden, there is also a New Halo Project distinct from Halo Infinite in development. 343i also filed a trademark for Halo: The Endless. Whether this is a DLC Campaign for Halo Infinite, a new game, or a book is unknown. The Beta build for the new Halo Waypoint had a reference to multiple campaigns leading people to believe that campaign expansions are likely especially since Halo Infinite was described as a 10-year title. Certain Affinity is also working on something new for Halo Infinite that might be a Battle Royale according to Jez Corden it is code-named **Project Tatanka and has been rumored to be the cross between Halo 5's Warzone and a Battle Royale with deep integrations into Forge.

2. The Coalition: Currently working on mastering UE5 according to a Press Release. The press release states they are working on "multiple projects" with one being confirmed to be the next Gears of War. According to rumors heard Jeff Grubb, he believes the smaller project to be a new IP on a smaller scale, though he does not know what the IP could be. He heard rumors of a Star Wars IP but was unable to confirm them. Jeff believes this small IP is set to release in 2023 and Gear Next after.

3. Compulsion Games: They are working on a Single Player, 3rd Person Action-Adventure game in mid development. The codename of the game is Project Midnight and is a Dark Fantasy title according to Jez Corden at Windows Central. They recently moved to a new office and are planning to over double their staff.

4. Double Fine: Having recently released Psychonauts 2, it is unknown exactly what Tim Schafer will do next. There had been rumors of Banjo Kazooie, but Tim shot them down in an Interview with IGN stating Double Fine makes their own games. They have been working a on project with a new IP since 2018.

5. The Initiative: They are currently working on the Reboot of Perfect Dark. Jeff Grubb has stated he believes this is set to release in 2023. Embracer Group studio Crystal Dynamics is also helping with development of the title.

6. inXile Entertainment: This studio is working on 2 projects, one in full development. One is in pre-production, and one is in full production. Both are very far out, likely 2024. The game in full production is code-named Project Cobalt and is said to be a 1st Person Steampunk RPG by Jez Corden.

7. Mojang Studios: Currently working on the The Wild update for Minecraft releasing on June 7th and extended support for Minecraft: Dungeons. In 2020 Mojang had rebranded in 2020 and stated that they want to develop new games and experiences in addition to Minecraft across their multiple global offices. They are also working on Minecraft RT, the Ray Traced Minecraft. According to Jez Corden, 2 brand new spin off titles are coming from Mojang though what exactly they are he did not say.

8. Ninja Theory: Currently working on Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (believed to be launching in 2023) and the smaller scale Project: Mara. Project: Mara "will be a real-world and grounded representation of true mental terror" and "will be based heavily on research, interviews, and firsthand accounts to recreate the horrors of the mind as accurately and believably as possible." In addition, Ninja Theory announced the establishment of a research and development effort dealing with mental health, dubbed The Insight Project. The Insight Project builds upon and continues the co-operation between Ninja Theory and Paul Fletcher, a University of Cambridge psychiatrist and professor of health neuroscience who had consulted the studio on Hellblade. With The Insight Project, Ninja Theory plans to build smaller games to "help people identify and control negative emotions".

9. Obsidian Entertainment: Confirmed in development projects are Grounded (an early access "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" survival game), Avowed (a 1st person RPG set in the Pillars of Eternity world of Eora), and Outer Worlds 2. Avowed is believed to be releasing in 2023 and the full release of Grounded in 2022. Additionally, Josh Sawyer is leading a project codenamed Project Missouri which has been reported to be titled Pentiment by Jez Corden. It is said to be a no combat RPG like Disco Elysium and "you act as an investigator in 16th century Europe uncovering the truth behind a grisly murder." Rumor of a Critical Role RPG (though the post for this has since been deleted along with its poster), According to Jez, Obsidian is "targeting 7 games in 7 years".

10. Playground Games: Currently developing DLC and ongoing content for Forza Horizon 5 at their main office and the reboot of Fable at their new office. Fable is also believed to be launching in 2023 according to Jeff but this is informstion from 2021 and it could be later.

11. Rare: Currently developing new content for Sea of Thieves, having just released the cross over the Disney's Pirates IP, A Pirate's Life. They are also developing a new IP called Everwild though not much is known about it other than some cinematic shots. It is believed to be releasing in 2024 after being rebooted according to Andy Robinson. According to Jeff Grubb, the development even post reboot is still a mess.

12. Turn 10: Currently developing a next gen revision of the Forza Tech engine and the next iteration of the Forza Motorsport line of games. Forza Motorsport is rumored to be launching in 2022.

13. Undead Labs: Currently developing State of Decay 3. Believed to be launching in 2023. Recently opened a new Orlando Florida location to support State of Decay 3 and other Xbox Game Studio projects which also confirmed SoD3 is moving to Unreal 5.

14. World's Edge: While World's Edge does not develop games internally, they manage external partners who are developing content for the Age Of series. They are currently directing the development for content in Age of Empires 2 DE, Age of Empires 3 DE, and Age of Empires 4. They have also stated they have not forgotten about Age of Mythology. A new Age of Mythology game has been teased by Jeff Grubb and Jez Corden. These games are PC only for now but they are interested in attempting to solve controller issues to get them on console in the future. Age of Empires 4 might be in testing on Xbox consoles currently

Projects from Unknown Sources

1. MCC like Collection for Another Xbox IP: initially rumored by Shpeshal Nick of XboxEra Podcast. Currently speculated to be Gears of War or Fable as both franchises have missing entries on PC. Tom Warren of The Verge may have also teased this as Gears of War. Further commentary has placed this as Gears of War by Shpeshal Nick.

2. Project Velvet by Unknown: Nothing is known about this project outside of the codename at this time.

3. Project Kalimba by Unknown: Listed in the GeForce Now leak.

4. Shadowrun by Unknown: Rumored by Jeff Grubb on Grubsnaxs. Only heard rumblings nothing concrete. Might be Project Vonnegut.

5. Goldeneye 007 by Unknown: An achievement list for a remaster/remake of GoldenEye showed up on TrueAchievements. Nothing else is known.

6. Multiple Disney IPs: Rumor that they have more than just Indiana Jones from Disney in Development can be found here.

Xbox Global Publishing

These are games developed by external studios and published by Xbox

Confirmed Projects

1. Contraband by Avalanche Game Studios

2. As Dusk Falls by INTERIOR/NIGHT

Rumored Projects

1. Project Dragon by IO Interactive: Said to be a MMO Lite shared world medieval RPG with a 10 Year plan.

2. Project Shaolin by Brass Lion Entertainment: Said to be an Anime Art style ARPG with Wu Tang Clan involved for music.

3. Project Indus by Oxide Interactive: Said to be a 4X style strategy game. Not much else is known.

4. Project Belfry by Stoic Studio: Said to be a side scroller beat-em up focused around a bell tower with a Princess Mononoke Art style.

5. Project Pax Dei by Mainframe: Said to be a cloud driven MMO. Mainframe accepted external funding from and investor group leading Jeff Grubb to believe it is not longer being published by Xbox but they could still be involved.

6. Killer Instinct by Unknown (maybe Bandai Namco): Rumored to be in development to some capacity by Shpeshal Nick. Jez Corden has heard similar rumors and added the Bandai Namco piece.

7. Untitled Cloud Driven Game by Kojima Productions: Rumored by Jeff Grubb. Latest update was that they signed a letter of intent and hired Kim Swift to help with Cloud Game production.

8. Project Suerte by Certain Affinity: Rumored by Jeff Grubb on Grubsnaxs (a premium Giant Bomb show, linked is a VGC summary). Backed up by Jez Corden.

9. Project Vonnegut by Unknown: Nothing is known about this project at this time other than it is a Global Publishing deal. It might be the Shadowrun title from above.

10. 1v100 Revival by AltSpace VR: Rumored by Jeff Grubb to be making a return. Quiz how game from the Xbox 360.

Additionally, Microsoft announced a new publishing division for Xbox at GDC 2022, Xbox Game Studios Publishing for Cloud Gaming. This division is working to create "cloud-native" games for the Xbox ecosystem. The division is headed by Kim Swift.

Bethesda Softworks

1. Alpha Dog Game: Currently a mobile oriented studio working on Mighty Doom for Android on iOS. Any other projects are unknown at this time.

2. Arkane Studios: Arkane Lyon is currently working on Dealthloop for Xbox Series X|S which is due out in September 2022. Arkane Austin is currently working on Redfall set to release in 2023. It is a 1st Person Open World 1-4 player Looter Shooter style game similar to Borderlands according to a QA leak. They also maintain the Void Engine. New unsourced info from January 2022 can be found here. From a job listing it appears that they have also begun hiring for another *Unannounced Project that appears to be an immersive sim similar to Deathloop or Dishonored.

3. Bethesda Game Studios: Between their Rockville, Austin, Dallas, and Montreal offices they are currently working on extended content for Fallout 76, Starfield (releasing in 2023), Creation Engine 2, and Elder Scrolls 6.

4. id Software: Currently maintaining development on their id Tech 7 Engine, working on a hoard mode for Doom Eternal, and an unannounced future project which could be a Doom, Quake, or new IP. They are also supporting Arkane Austin in development of Redfall. Also working on updates to Quake Champions.

5. MachineGame: Currently working on the Indiana Jones game for LucasFilm Games. Details about it are unknown as is a time frame. It is said to be in early development. As rumored to be working on Wolfenstein 3 though Pete Hines implied that it may not happen before Indiana Jones. They also worked on the recent remaster of Quake.

6. Roundhouse Games: Currently working on a yet to be announced game. YouTuber Skullzi TV has broken down a potential rumor that Bethesda Softworks may have a Planet of the Apes game in development and I personally believe that IF it is true, it could be at this studio. Other rumors point to a PvEvP game with a potential Marvel IP in Unreal Engine 4 (likly moved to 5 due to the ease of uprading to UE5). No time frame for a release.

7. Tango Gameworks: Currently working on Development of Ghostwire: Tokyo set to release in early 2023 on Xbox consoles already released on PS5/PC. At least 2 other games are in development at Tango

8. Zenimax Online Studios: Currently continuing support of Elder Scrolls Online. Based on job listings, they seemingly have at least two unannounced projects in development. They seemingly opened a new studio in Wisconsin as well (in addition to their Maryland and Austin locations). One title has been rumored to be a Mandalorian MMO for some time.

Activision

Currently Activision has all of its studios working primarily on Call of Duty Projects according to reports. As such this section is going to break down the multiple confirmed and rumored Call of Duty projects. There are currently 0 confirmed or rumored non-Call of Duty Projects though Phil Spencer has discussed wanting to bring back a few post acquisition finalization. It should be noted that any studio not directly associated with a title is likely supporting other studios.

The acquisition of Activision Blizzard King is expected to be finalized sometime during Microsoft's Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23), between July 2022 and June 2023.

• Activision Shanghai

• Beenox in Québec City

• Demonware

• Digital Legends Entertainment

• High Moon Studios

• Infinity Ward

• Radical Entertainment

• Raven Software

• Sledgehammer Games

• Solid State

• Toys for Bob

• Treyarch

Call of Duty Projects (and maybe a singular Spyro one):

1. Call of Duty Vanguard by Sledghammer: Ongoing support for the title and its Seasons.

2. Call of Duty Warzone by Raven Software: Ongoing support and development of the title and its Seasons.

3. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (2022) by Infinity Ward: The sequel to the rebooted Modern Warfare in 2019. Some details of the game have been rumored by Tom Henderson. According to a report by Jason Schreier of Bloomberg it and the 2024 Call of Duties are guaranteed to hit PlayStation due to preexisting contracts. Jason also reported that this will be the first 2 year Call of Duty as Activision plan to delay the Call of Duty set for 2023 in 2024.

4. Call of Duty (2024) by Treyarch: Unknown what the setting of the game will be. Set to release in 2024. Rumored by Bloomberg

5. Call of Duty Warzone 2 by Infinity Ward and Raven Software: Confirmed to be in development and launching alongside Modern Warefare 2 (2022). Leaks by Tom Henderson can be found here and here.

6. Call of Duty Mobile by TiMi Studio Group (external): Support for the existing Call of Duty Mobile title.

7. Call of Duty Untitled Mobile Game by Solid State and Digital Legends Entertainment: Not much is known about this title except it is in development since 2021.

8. Untitled Spyro Project: No major source has claimed a Spryo game is coming but a user did a well researched look into it and it seems there COULD be a Spyro game in the works.

Whether Call of Duty will be exclusive to platforms with Xbox Game Pass post 2023 is currently unknown. Phil Spencer has made a singular comment on the subject: "Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony. I confirmed our intent to honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Sony is an important part of our industry, and we value our relationship." It has been interpreted many ways leading to an inconclusive agreement across gaming circles and analysts.

According to a report from Bloomberg (IGN linked because of to Paywall), the Microsoft Acquisition is making them reconsider the annual release of their Call of Duty titles.

Blizzard

1. World of Warcraft: Currently supporting the MMO as well as developing new expansions. An Xbox Console version may also be in development due to a reported Microsoft Store listing.

2. Hearthstone: Currently developing more expansions and supporting the game.

3. Overwatch 2: This game will include a PvE mode utilizing Overwatch Heroes as well as a shared PvP with the original Overwatch. Due to release in 2023.

4. Diablo 4: A shared world ARPG set in the Diablo universe set to release in 2023.

5. Untitled Survival Game: A survival game based in a brand new IP. Expected release is unknown as the game is still early but the game is in some form currently playable according to Mike Ybarra the head of Blizzard.

6. Diablo Immortal: The Diablo Mobile Game now launching on PC

7. Warcraft Arclight Rumble: A Warcraft Clash of Clans style mobile game.

King and MLG

• King is one of the largest mobile developers in the world with their largest game being Candy Crush. More about them can be found here.

• MLG or Major League Gaming is one of the largest competitive gaming brands in the world and hosts the MLG Call of Duty Pro League. It is likely the Halo Championship Series will fall under MLG's banner upon the completion of the ABK acquisition.

External Adaptations and Ongoing Partnerships

• Halo Expanded Universe: Every year their are more Halo Novelizations and Comics coming out. The Halo live action television series launched on Paramount+ and has a Season 2 in the works.

• A Fallout TV series is launching on Amazon Prime Video being written and produced by Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan of Westworld fame. No time frame is known. Production is set to start in 2022.

• It has long been rumored that Netflix is partnering with Bethesda Game Studios to make a show set in the world of the Elder Scrolls.

• Disney+ and Game Pass have had a partnership going on since the release of the 2nd season of The Mandalorian. Every time a new live action show drops on Disney+, Game Pass owners have been able to claim a month of Disney+ is they have not subscribed before, and during Falcon and the Winter Soldier they even had a co-marketing campaign.

• Crunchyroll Premium partnered with Microsoft to over 3 months of Game Pass for PC with Crunchyroll Premium.

Game Pass and Gold

• As of January 26th, 2022 there are 437 titles on Game Pass for Console, 426 titles on Game Pass for PC, and 336 title on Game Pass Cloud Streaming with 52 titles announced as coming to the service in the future.

• Xbox Live Gold grants access to Online Services on Xbox consoles as well as Deals with Gold, Games with Gold, and Free Play Days

• Game Pass grants a discount for all DLC of games on the service at 10% off. Games themselves are discounted at 10% once they have been on the service for 3 months and 20% if the game has been on the service for 9 months or is leaving soon.

• Xbox Cloud Streaming is currently available on Android via App, Windows 10/11 and iOS via Web Browser at https://www.xbox.com/play, and in Flighting for a native app for Windows 10/11. They also formally announced the previously rumored Game Pass Streaming Stick as well as native apps for TVs as reported by Tom Warren. According to Jez Corden it is codenamed Keystone. It is currently only Available via Game Pass Ultimate.

• EA Play and Game Pass: Currently EA is offering all Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass for PC members a subscription for EA Play granting them access to all game in the EA Play Vault, 10 Hour Trials for select EA new releases, and 10% off all EA content on the Microsoft Store and Origins.

• A form of Ubisoft+ is rumored to be coming to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Both Jeff Grubb and Jez Corden heard rumors of talks happening. The initial rumor staged it would be coming in late 2021 similar to EA Play. With Ubisoft testing the waters if multiple tiers of Ubisoft+ via Surveys, a lower tier option could make sense. Ubisoft+ is coming to Xbox consoles at some point in 2022.

• Their future goal is to have at least one large title 1st party title releasing into Game Pass every Quarter.

• A Family Plan has been rumored for Game Pass by Jez Corden to allow a household of up to 5 to be subscribed under one cheaper plan.

Backwards Compatibility

The backwards compatibility team underneath the Xbox Project Management section led by Jason Ronald has multiple ongoing services:

• Xbox (OG) and Xbox 360 backwards compatibility. This project is still ongoing according to Jason Ronald however is is not high on the list of priorities due to difficulty with licensing and patching older content (games require a patch from their respective holders). As of November 2021, there are no more plans to add any new games because of the above constraints after a last drop.

• FPS Boost: Currently 134 games have received an FPS Boost from this team. All work is done by the backwards compatibility team and only approval is needed from the original creators. No change in code is necessary. The most recent release was in November 2021.

• Auto HDR, Automatic 16x Anisotropic Filtering, and Heutchy Method: All of these features are applied automatically to games, the first 2 to almost all games to improve their visual quality with 0 effort from the original developers. More information can be found here.

• Resolution Boost: This rumored feature has its rumored basis in the article linked above. In the same article FPS boost was first teased at, and in the same article they also same boosting the resolution and texture qualities of games are also ongoing goals.

ID@Xbox, ID@Azure, Agility SDK, Xbox GDK, and Game Stack

• ID@Xbox is Xbox's program that assists independent developers of all sizes develop and release games on Xbox and Windows 10 with free Dev Kits and other tools and resources to successfully release game. ID@Azure is a similar program but to help developers use the Azure Cloud in gaming like Asobo has for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.

• The Agility SDK is a redefined DirectX development suite for Windows 10/11 and Xbox Series X|S that allows for developers to cleanly develop for the newest version of DX12_2 without users needing to be on the newest Windows Update allowing for new features and optimizations to be adopted faster. This SDK is part of the larger Xbox GDK (it can also be used separately). Xbox has partnered with AMD to bring an optimized version of their FidelityFX suite of open source tools directly within the Xbox GDK so they can implement them with ease.

• Game Stack is Microsoft's openly available to license set of tools that any Developer can download and implement into their games some for free and others for a licensing fee. These tools include Visual Studio, Havok Physics, Azure Playfab and regular Microsoft Azure, and Xbox Live Services

Quick shout out to @Souls_Ninja who helped me organize this a bit as well as making the graphic. It was really well done and they do really awesome work.