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Game Title: Hogwarts Legacy
Platforms:
PC (Feb 10, 2023)
PlayStation 4 (Feb 10, 2023)
PlayStation 5 (Feb 10, 2023)
Xbox Series X/S (Feb 10, 2023)
Xbox One (Feb 10, 2023)
Nintendo Switch (Feb 10, 2023)
Trailers:
Developer: Avalanche Software
Publisher: Warner Bros. Games
Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 86 average - 92% recommended - 64 reviews
ACG - Jeremy Penter - Buy
"Hogwarts is a stunning surprise in 2023. An open-world game built on a classic IP that not only reflects the original IP but expands it in ways I didn't expect, with good combat, storytelling, and production."
AltChar - Semir Omerovic - 78 / 100
I guess the level of enjoyment you get out of Hogwarts Legacy depends on your knowledge of the Harry Potter universe. The more you love this world the more youโll enjoy Hogwarts Legacy. Itโs as simple as that. This doesnโt mean that thereโs nothing here for those who are just getting started with Harry Potter or just want a fantasy world to explore - there certainly is - but Hogwarts Legacy truly feels like a love letter to the fans of J.K Rowlingโs work, above all.
Areajugones - Ramรณn Baylos - Spanish - 9.7 / 10
Hogwarts Legacy is the game I've always dreamed of. I never thought you could do something like this with the Harry Potter saga. Avalanche has dared to create something new, but still being faithful to the original material. We are talking about one of those problematic games because not only do they overshadow everything that has been done with the franchise in the past, but because the next title will have a very difficult time reaching the bar that has set this one. Hogwarts Legacy is the game every Harry Potter fan deserved; a work for which I was not prepared.
Atomix - Albertoย?Desfassiaux - Spanish - 93 / 100
Hogwarts Legacy is a dream come true. Despite not being a perfect game, is a very special experience for all the Harry Potter fans and also, a great open world title.
Attack of the Fanboy - Noah Nelson - 4.5 / 5
Avalanche Software has done it โ the comfort, the nostalgia, the freshness, the thrill โ everything in Hogwarts Legacy emulsifies together to create a celebration of what the Wizarding World is and what the fans have always dreamed of. This is by far the best Wizarding World video game to ever come out and stands with a select few games that prove more is more.
AusGamers - Steve Farrelly - 9.1 / 10
Enrol yourself today in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This might be one of the yearโs best courses.
ComicBook.com - Cade Onder - Unscored
While it doesn't do everything perfectly, Hogwarts Legacy stimulates the imagination with a rich world to explore and gameplay that empowers and thrills the player. The Harry Potter films had the tough task of taking words on a page and creating a visual language for them. Hogwarts Legacy had the even tougher task of taking that visual language and making it interactive, ultimately expanding it all into something that is fun to play and immerse yourself in. Although there's still a long year ahead of us and tons of great looking games on the horizon, Hogwarts Legacy is already one of the best games of 2023.
Dexerto - Alex Garton - 4 / 5
Hogwarts Legacy isnโt the perfect game, with the main story falling short in areas and technical issues providing some frustrating moments. However, it achieves a level of immersion that grips you into the wizarding world and doesnโt let you go.
Echo Boomer - David Fialho - Portuguese - Recommended
Hogwarts Legacy arrives full of ambition to deliver an action RPG that's the ultimate wizarding experience in the world of Harry Potter, and it succeeds! Even if accompanied with an uninteresting and flat narrative.
Eurogamer.pt - Jorge Salgado - Portuguese - Recommended
If you're already a Harry Potter fan, there will certainly be something for you at Hogwarts Legacy, even with a completely different range of characters from the one you're used to. The music, the different classrooms, the ghosts wandering around, the paintings on the walls, the poltergeist Peeves, it's all so nostalgic that, for a moment, I returned to my adolescence. If you're not entirely familiar with the Harry Potter lore, it'll be a little harder to understand some of the game's mechanics, but don't worry: you still have a huge world to explore, dozens of puzzles, collectibles and creatures to capture. Who knows, your journey into the world of sorcery begins here!
Everyeye.it - Gabriele Laurino - Italian - Unscored
Avalanche Software's game is really a dream come true for all Harry Potter fans
Fextralife - Castielle - 9 / 10
Hogwarts Legacy is the closest thing I have ever seen to a perfect Harry Potter Game
FingerGuns - Kat Bullock - 9 / 10
The hugely anticipated Hogwarts Legacy does not disappoint. An early GOTY contender offers interesting storytelling parallels with the Harry Potter franchise, beautiful and glorious fan favourite locations, and an array of exciting combat and collectibles for hours of entertainment.
GAMES.CH - Benjamin Braun - German - 81%
Hogwarts Legacy is a fully fleshed action RPG with everything that belongs to that. The fights are fun, the magic based riddles are nice, the presentation is beautiful, even if the game does not deliver a technically through and through next-gen experience. Don't think so much about the open world, think more about a magical atmosphere, that should reach any RPG player, in particular fans of the Harry Potter franchise.
GGRecon - Ben Williams - 4 / 5
Whether youโre a diehard Potterhead or casual Wizarding World lover, youโll have an epic time no matter what level of fan you are.
Even though there is optional padding, itโs optional nonetheless. The core experience of Hogwarts Legacy is still not only the best game in the entire franchise but a seriously fun RPG that will take your breath away in its pinnacle moments.
All in all, 80 points to Hufflepuff.
GRYOnline.pl - Dariusz Matusiak - Polish - 9 / 10
Hogwarts Legacyโs wonderful world makes it one of those games that you'd just love to keep experiencing for the first time - forever - and we envy anyone who's yet to step into it. Even if itโs just a regular, open-world game underneath all the magic, it truly is an excellent one.
Game Rant - Dalton Cooper - 4.5 / 5
Hogwarts Legacy lives up to the hype, and we can confidently say it's the best thing to come out of the Harry Potter franchise since the original books and movies.
GamePro - Dennis Michel - German - 92 / 100
My biggest criticism so far is the main story. It's by no means bad, but it doesn't really pick me up with very wooden dialogues and a few highlights. But that doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to the end.
GameSpew - Kim Snaith - 8 / 10
Avalanche Software and Portkey Games have done an impressive job of creating something original within a much-loved franchise. Hogwarts Legacy is the closest any of us are ever going to get to actually attending Hogwarts, and what a magical experience it is. Itโs clear that itโs been created with love, and the attention to detail here is phenomenal. Itโs not without its issues, of course, but thereโs few that get in the way of the overall experience. It looks gorgeous, itโs a joy to play, and being a wizard is just about as fun as weโd always hoped it would be.
Gameblog - Camille Allard - French - 9 / 10
Hogwarts Legacy is a masterpiece. A fan video game for the fans.
GamesRadar+ - Josh West - 3.5 / 5
Hogwarts Legacy is a solid first attempt. If Avalanche can be accused of anything, it's that the studio has tried to do too much all at once. Something was always going to give โ between the massive open world, the messy RPG economy, exciting action combat, and adventure story that wants to cast you as a hero with homework due on Monday.
GamingTrend - Ron Burke - Unscored
Hogwarts Legacy is a contender for game of the year. If you are a Harry Potter fan, this is a must have, but better yet itโs actually a great game in its own right. Itโs rare to see a licensed product this good โ this one sets a brand new standard. Good luck to everyone coming after Hogwarts Legacy โ you have a near impossible task. The game is just that good.
Geek Culture - Jake Su - 9 / 10
Even if you are a relative stranger to its source material, the way Hogwarts Legacy introduces magic and all of its astonishing quirks, helped by a cast whose performances are always worth a watch, and bookended by a satisfying combat and exploration loop, this is an unforgettable experience from start to finish. By melding the allure of the Harry Potter franchise with an interconnected gameplay system that is always pushing players forward to the next entertaining activity, the game is more than able to keep you under its spell for a long, long time.
Generaciรณn Xbox - Gabriel Fuentes - Spanish - 93 / 100
Hogwarts Legacy is here to bewitch Harry Potter and RPG fans alike. Enjoy the ultimate experience of the wizarding world.
Glitched Africa - Marco Cocomello - 10 / 10
Hogwarts Legacy is a remarkable achievement. It is filled with an incredible amount of love and passion. All of which delivers a true love letter to fans. There's simply nothing else like it and we'll be talking about this magical experience for years to come.
God is a Geek - Chris White - 9 / 10
Hogwarts Legacy is filled with so many mechanics that nothing feels arbitrary, with so much joy to be found within its story and spell books.
Guardian - Keza MacDonald - 3 / 5
Even the most fervent millennial fans will find little here beyond being able to wield a wand in the hallowed halls
Hobby Consolas - รlvaro Alonso - Spanish - 90 / 100
Hogwarts Legacy has the same structure you've seen in any other modern open world game, but, at the same time, it fills you with memories from long time ago... When a Flipendo was all you needed to push a block. It may no do anything different or relevant than those games, but it has something they lack: magic.
IGN - Travis Northup - 9 / 10
In almost every way, Hogwarts Legacy is the Harry Potter RPG Iโve always wanted to play.
IGN Italy - Alessandra Borgonovo - Italian - 9.2 / 10
A beautiful transposition of the Wizarding World, Hogwarts Legacy is both a tribute to the Harry Potter universe and a litmus test largely passed by Avalanche Studios with their first, big and delicate project.
IGN Spain - Alejandro Morillas - Spanish - 9 / 10
A gigantic love letter to one of the most beloved and relevant universes of youth literature, and one of the best games of the year.
INDIANTVCZ - Filip Kraucher - Czech - 8 / 10
Expecto Verdictum! Hogwarts Legacy offers a serious mystery story that could quickly form the basis for another book in the Harry Potter world. It also often provides humorous situations that aren't just fan service. At the same time, it is not a fairy tale. The story isn't afraid to be morbid and doesn't hide the fact that the wizarding world is full of danger. The game manages to captivate as much as it disappoints but in a balanced way. It works well, thankfully, offering plenty of entertaining content that doesn't just act as filler between the main missions.
Impulsegamer - Andrew Paul - 4.5 / 5
Pushing the J.K. Rowling controversy to the side, Hogwarts Legacy is a true celebration of the magical universe that she created which perfectly transitioned to film. Her universe has equally been adapted well into this game courtesy of Avalanche Studios with its gameplay and story. Whether the story will become canon is yet to be seen but again this is as close as you can get to the core of what the extended universe of Harry Potter can be that not only plays well on the PS5 but looks fantastic.
M3 - Billy Ekblom - Swedish - 4 / 5
Hogwarts Legacy is filled to the brim with content and things to see and do. However, depth is lacking and most aspects of the game could well have been expanded a bit more. I simply would have liked to have seen a little more quality over quantity, but regardless, this is an action adventure that will keep you entertained for a long time.
Metro GameCentral - Nick Gillett - 8 / 10
A truly wizard RPG, whose historical setting frees it from the limitations of the books and films, with an open world experience that entertains no matter how much you care about the source material.
One More Game - Vincent Ternida - Buy
Whether or not youโre a fan of the Harry Potter books or the Wizarding World in general, Hogwarts Legacy is a fantastic open-world adventure that certainly delivers. While it retreads familiar open-world ground, it does so with a polish and impressive attention to detail thatโs rare in this day and age of bug-filled releases.
Hogwarts Legacy delivers a masterful experience not just for fans but also for newcomers to the Wizarding World.
PCGamesN - Ford James - 7 / 10
Content-rich and competent, if a little uninspired, Potter fans will enjoy Hogwarts Legacy's faithful recreation of its universe, but it brings little of novelty to the open-world RPG genre.
PPE.pl - Wojciech Gruszczyk - Polish - 9 / 10
Hogwarts Legacy will be a dream come true for many players. This is a very cleverly put together game that will repeatedly make the biggest fans of the Harry Potter series tearfully explore the next threads and draw handfuls from this world.
PSX Brasil - Paulo Roberto Montanaro - Portuguese - 90 / 100
Hogwarts Legacy tells a great story of the wizarding world, with a beautiful audiovisual work and solid mechanics to the lore of this universe. Its greatest quality, however, lies in making all of this contribute to the fantastic experience of immersion and belonging that every fan has always dreamed of.
PlayStation Universe - Michael Harradence - 9.5 / 10
Hogwarts Legacy is a compelling fantasy-RPG packed with stunning scenery, memorable characters and fantastic combat. Not only is it a brilliant love letter to fans of the Wizarding World, it excels as a game in its own right, so even non-Potter fans will find themselves immersed in its great story and characters.
PowerUp! - Adam Mathew - 9 / 10
Hogwarts Legacy is an ambitious triumph.
Press Start - James Mitchell - 9 / 10
Hogwarts Legacy is the Wizarding World game that fans have dreamt of for years. It offers a dense and rich open-world to explore complemented perfectly by a surprisingly robust and engaging combat system unlike anything else. While the story does live in the shadow of its predecessors, and managing gear can be repetitive, Hogwarts Legacy is a truly magical experience and utterly bewitching from beginning to end.
Pure Xbox - Fraser Gilbert - 9 / 10
It felt like Hogwarts Legacy was always going to struggle to live up to the hype, but somehow Avalanche Software has managed to deliver an absolutely fantastic open world adventure that will surely go down as comfortably the best game based on the Harry Potter franchise so far. If you've been following its progress for a while and were keeping your fingers crossed for good reviews, we're pleased to report that it's definitely been worth the wait.
Push Square - Liam Croft - 8 / 10
Hogwarts Legacy has turned the hopes and dreams of Harry Potter fans into reality. Finally there is a proper simulator of the school of witchcraft and wizardry, allowing you to create your own student, attend classes, and explore the vast landscape outside.
SECTOR.sk - Tรกลa Matรบลกovรก - Slovak - 8.5 / 10
While Hogwarts Legacy doesn't bring anyting new to the the open-world action RPG genre, it manages to captivate players with its incredibly detailed world and fun activites. The game feels more like a theme park ride and offers an incredibly magical experience rather than a deep story. The game is full of references and even reimaginations of scenes from the Harry Potter films. Those magical moments of flying on a hippogriff, seeing the sun set behind Hogwarts and snow falling from the ceiling in the Great Hall will be etched in your memory.
Screen Rant - William Cennamo - 4.5 / 5
Hogwarts Legacy is a wonderful game filled to the brim with adventures to be had, activities to engage in, and secrets to be found. The school and the surrounding areas have been recreated beautifully, and players will easily lose hours lost in the whimsical splendor of this wizarding world.
SomosXbox - Alberto Martos - Spanish - 9.2 / 10
Hogwarts Legacy is not only the best Harry Potter game created to date, but it is also a good RPG for those who are not lovers of the franchise. The care that Avalanche Software has given in each and every one of the elements of the game is worthy of admiration, being able to realize the dream that many of us had as children: to have an experience in the magical world.
Spaziogames - Nicolรฒ Bicego - Italian - 8.7 / 10
Hogwarts Legacy embodies everything that Harry Potter's fans always asked from an official video games, but it's enjoyable even for people who know nothing about the franchise.
Stevivor - Ben Salter - 8 / 10
While combat may become repetitive, itโs more than serviceable, and fits in against the backdrop of an action-RPG thatโs about so much more than killing goons โ even if there is a lot of that. Itโs a game that finally lets you live your dreams of 20 years ago, with a chance to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and have your own magical adventure.
The Games Machine - Alessandro Alosi - Italian - 8.5 / 10
Harry Potter fans will be thrilled to experience an epic adventure in a familiar setting recreated with such passion and accuracy, but those who crave it for the action RPG soul should know that Hogwarts Legacy doesn't have exceptionally deep mechanics.
TheSixthAxis - TSA Staff - 7 / 10
The sights and sounds alone make Hogwarts Legacy the dream Harry Potter game fans have been longing for. There's an intriguing mystery to unravel, though you're bound to spend most of your time exploring a wealth of side content, visiting virtual landmarks and roleplaying as a Hogwarts student. That said, it's more successful in being a sandbox teeming with nostalgia rather than a stand-out action RPG in its own right, let down by gameplay foibles and spellcasting combat that quickly slides into repetition.
Tom's Guide - Rory Mellon - 4 / 5
Despite its flaws, Hogwarts Legacy is clearly a game made by Potter fans, for Potter fans, and for that particular audience, itโs been more than worth the very long wait. Hogwarts Legacy is by no means a revolutionary gaming experience, but itโs still a pretty magical one.
Tom's Hardware Italia - Giulia Serena - Italian - 8 / 10
Is Hogwarts Legacy promoted? We say yes: If you are a Harry Potter fan, you will immerse yourself in the world you have always fantasized about, feeling like the heroes of the story and holding the fate of the Wizarding World in your hands.
TrueAchievements - Tom West - 9 / 10
Hogwarts Legacy is a magical experience that is bound to go down well with fans of the Wizarding World.
TrueGaming - ุญุณูู ุงูู ูุณู - Arabic - 8.5 / 10
Hogwarts Legacy by far is the best adaptation of the Wizarding World in a videogame, it simulates the life of a student at Hogwarts along with a fun combat system and exploring an untold story of the Ancient Magic
VGC - Jordan Middler - 4 / 5
Hogwarts Legacy brilliantly captures the magic of the world of Harry Potter with its beautiful open world, engaging characters and exciting combat. While the open-world elements of the game make it feel more dated than we'd have liked, it's otherwise the best the Wizarding World has been in a video game.
Wccftech - Chris Wray - Unscored
In terms of story, Hogwarts Legacy also manages to capture the magical feel of Harry Potter. It does it successfully by being set a good century before the events of the novels. We'll meet a few Weasleys, even a gaunt, to name a few. The only known characters from the other formats you'll know are the ghosts of Hogwarts, with you crossing with Peeves, chatting with Nearly-Headless Nick (if you're Gryffindor, I assume other houses will be different) and other longer-term fixtures. Fortunately, and as far as I am, the game manages to forge its path incredibly well, adding in a few canonical elements, such as ancient magic. I'm not at the end, so if it is canon, I'm curious how they explain away the lack of ancient magic in later stories.
We Got This Covered - Shaan Joshi - 4 / 5
The chips might have been stacked against them, but Warner Bros. and Avalanche Software have delivered on their promise. Hogwarts Legacy is the game that fans have been waiting for, laying down a solid foundation to build off of moving forward.
WellPlayed - Ash Wayling - 9 / 10
Hogwarts Legacy is the most definitively accurate and exciting wizarding world adventure people could hope to experience, short of getting a real-life invitation to Hogwarts. With hours of content and a wealth of wizarding wonderment, you'd be hard pressed not to enjoy yourself to an impressive capacity.
Windows Central - Rebecca Spear - Unscored
I'll be back to finish up this review with a finalized rating and thoughts on the plot but for now I highly recommend this adventure to anyone who loves open-world games, satisfying combat, and rewarding puzzles.
XGN.nl - Ralph Beentjes - Dutch - 9 / 10
A new adventure in the Wizarding World has seemed like an excellent idea for years and Avalanche Software has proven with gusto what is possible. Players are treated to an extensive story with a completely new cast of characters, a beautiful world full of content and a battle system that is strongly put together.
Xbox Achievements - Dan Webb - 88%
Hogwarts Legacy is an absolutely magical video game, one that is packed with awe-inspiring moments full of mystery and wonderment. Come for Hogwarts itself, a magic school oozing with secrets to behold, and stay for the combat, the engaging story and the frankly astonishing Room of Requirement.
XboxEra - Gyลzล Baki - 9 / 10
Hogwarts Legacy borrows a lot of design choices and ideas from other open-world titles, and yet, it creates a truly unique product, unlike any title in the genre, with a true focus on world-building rather than non-stop combat encounters. Itโs a game that should be experienced, even by those who arenโt Potter fans at all.
I'm primarily a PC gamer, but also own a Switch. I didn't like having to toggle the input of my primary monitor every time I switched between them and only being able to play sound from one device at a time, so I decided to do something about that. The endresult of that is being able to switch from playing a PC game to playing a Switch game without the controller ever leaving your hand and can be seen here: https://youtu.be/beU6Q9TQXvw
Since there seems to be some interest in how I set up the whole thing, I've decided to do a full guide on how to achieve this.
Edit: Yes, I know that this guide is overkill for most people, but it also has some unique benefits that you can't get by simply toggling the input source of your monitor.
Pretty much any supported Windows OS.
A low latency capture card capable of capturing 1080p@60Hz footage. Personally I've chosen a Extremecap U3, so the guide will be based on that.
If choosing a USB3.0 capture card make sure your PC has a high-quality USB3.0 controller that is supported by the capture card.
A non-potato CPU as we won't be doing any hardware accelerated video decoding. The better your CPU the more image enhancements will be possible.
(Optional) A Switch Pro Controller and a USB cable with USB-C on one side. The Pro Controller comes with one, but you might want a second one for simplicity.
Benefits
Instantaneous switching between your PC and Switch.
Being able to play Switch games windowed.
The audio of your PC and Switch will be able to play simultaneously through your speakers.
Control the volume of your Switch through the PC.
Customizing and improving the graphics through a variety of image enhancements.
A shortcut in Steam that will also notify your friends you're playing on your Switch.
Playing a PC game, then a Switch game, then a PC game again without ever having to let go of the Controller.
Access to the Steam overlay.
Capture high-quality Switch footage.
(Play your Switch games on a virtual monitor in VR. Why? Because you can.)
Drawbacks
Sadly, the capture card I've chosen only supports 4:2:2 chroma subsampling, so the color quality will be slightly degraded. Image enhancements can make up for it though.
Additional latency, but it's barely noticeable. While I haven't done any tests it feels comparable to a wired Steam Link if not better.
Your PC obviously needs to be running when playing on the Switch in docked mode.
On the hardware side you basically just connect the Switch dock to your capture card through HDMI and the capture card to the PC using a USB cable.
The software side gets a bit more complicated. At first you need the drivers for your capture card so download and install these. In the case of Avermedia capture cards you just need to install the pure driver and not the included Capture/Streaming suite, although it still could prove useful for testing purposes.
Since we won't use the included suite, we'll need a media player capable of streaming the content from a capture card. This is where MPC-BE comes in. I'll recommend the x64 edition. If you're already using MPC-BE you should download the a portable version of it so that the Switch-specific configurations we make won't affect regular playback.
After extracting MPC-BE into a folder, the first you should do first is renaming the .exe into something nicer like 'SwitchPlayer.exe'. Then immediately after that start the player, go into options and enable 'Store settings in the player folder', so that your portable installation is truly portable.
Setting up the capture card with MPC-BE can be a bit finnicky and quite probably specific to your capture card. Here's what I did:
Open MPC-BE and go into the settings where you'll find a group called 'Capture'. There you choose your capture device for video and audio. Additionally, for some reason I've had to set the country code to the one for my country (49), or else nothing would play. Then close the settings and open the capture settings with Ctrl+8. There make sure the video capture is set at 1920x1080@60Hz, video and audio is recorded and is uncompressed and V/A buffers are set to 0. Close the panel, select 'File' - 'Open Device' and you should see your Switch screen, provided the Switch is running.
With the basic setup done you could already use your Switch through your PC right now with most of the benefits, so every other step from here on out is optional.
But why stop here when so much more can be done? Let's start with installing madVR. It's a video renderer with excellent video quality that can be used with MPC-BE (or any other DirectShow player). Extract it, preferably into a subfolder of MPC-BE then launch 'install.bat' with Admin rights. Now madVR is registered into your system and can be used by MPC-BE.
Next start MPC-BE go to 'External Filters' and add 'madVR' and set it to 'Prefer'. If it doesn't even show up in the list of available Filters then something has gone wrong during installation. After that go into the 'Video' section of the options and select madVR as the Video Renderer. Now madVR should be used whenever something is being played. This can be checked by the trayicon that pops up whenever madVR is in use.
With everything installed, lets go over the settings of MPC-BE and madVR, starting with MPC-BE:
Player
Enable 'Limit window proportions on resize' so that you get now black borders when you resize the window.
Keys
Set a hotkey for 'Open Device' so you have a quick way of restarting the stream. Useful when setting up everything.
Set a hotkey for 'Exit' so that you can exit fast. This gets particularly important when you also want to use the Pro Controller on the PC.
Logo
Not really important, but you can set the internal logo to blank so that there's no icon when there's no input. Alternatively choose a external logo of your liking.
Fullscreen
Enable 'Launch files in fullscreen'. Pretty self-explanitory and highly recommended when planning to integrate it into Steam.
Audio
As the audio renderer I recommend the 'MPC Audio Renderer'. Just make sure that in 'Properties' the WASAPI mode is set to 'Shared' so that other sound can be played simultaneously.
Now onto madVR. Most of these changes are subjective and may need a strong CPU, so feel free to experiment. The fastest way to access madVR's settings is to start playback and then go to its trayicon and open the settings from there. Open all the folders on the left side and change the following things:
Artifact removal
Enable 'Reduce Banding Artifacts' and set it to high.
Enable 'Reduce Ringing Artifacts'.
Image enhancements
'Sharpen Edges' at 1.0
'Crispen Edges' disabled
'Thin Edges' at 1.0
'Enhance Detail at 1.0
'Luma sharpen' at 0.65
'Adaptive sharpen' at 0.5 with linear light
'Activate Anti-Bloating filter' at 100% strength
'Activate Anti-Ringing filter' enabled
Image downscaling
Cubic set to Bicubic150
Image upscaling
'Lanczos' set to 3 taps
General settings
'Use Direct3D 11 for presentation' and 'present a frame for every VSync' enabled.
Lower CPU and GPU queue size. Your playback might freak out when doing this. If so, restart your player and the issues should be gone. If not, increase these values again.
Windowed Mode + Exclusive Mode
Disable 'Present several frames in advance' with 1 backbuffer. Again your playback might freak out.
Smooth Motion
Set to 'Enable smooth motion frame rate conversion', 'always'. Your playback might freak out again.
Dithering
Set to 'Error Diffusion - Option 2'
As a final step you can remove all the controls (and even the window borders) from the player by pressing Ctrl+0 as often as necessary.
Now video quality should be much improved. One thing you should check however if your CPU can handle the stress and isn't dropping any frames. To check that open the stats (Ctrl+4) and watch if the dropped is increasing. If so, then you might need to scale back the image enhancements a bit. If not, then feel free to experiment further with these settings because, again, these are pretty subjective.
Also optional. Steam recently added support for the Switch Pro Controller (currently only available in the Steam Beta) which makes this a lot less painful. Simply open up Big Picture, go into the settings, then select Controller Settings and enable Switch Pro Controller support. Done.
As for actually connecting your controller you have two options, each with their own unique drawback:
Bluetooth: Pair the controller through Windows like any other device. However you'll have to redo the pairing process, both on PC and Switch, every time you move between them, which is kinda tedious.
USB: My preferred method. Simply connect the Pro Controller with a USB cable to the PC and you're done. Disconnect it again when you want to use it with your Switch. While you do have to put up with it not being wireless on your PC it makes switching painless and you can even go from playing a PC game to a Switch game and back without ever letting the controller out of your hands.
Now onto easier things that only apply if you want Steam integration. First up launch MPC-BE, open your capture device stream, open the Playlist editor (Ctrl+7) and save the playlist as "switch.mpcpl" in the folder of your portable MPC-BE installation.
Then go over to Steam and add MPC-BE as a non-Steam shortcut. Open the properties of the newly created shortcut, rename it "Nintendo Switch" or whatever you like and, more importantly, click "Set Launch Options" and set it to "switch.mpcpl" without the quotes so that the playback automatically starts whenever the shortcut gets launched. Save these changes and when you start your shortcut the stream should automatically start.
You can also right-click the shortcut and set a custom image to give it a nice look in grid view and Big Picture mode. Here's a banner I made: https://imgur.com/a/9w6vlog
I'd also recommend setting up a custom Controller Configuration in Steam for your controller, where you bind a button on your controller to the hotkey you set up in MPC-BE for closing the application.
Why a USB 3.0 capture card and not a PCI capture card?
In my search for a low latency capture card the Extremecap U3 was the only one that supported 1080p@60Hz and explicitely advertised being able to play off of the capture card.
Why MPC-BE instead of VLC or [INSERT VIDEO PLAYER HERE]?
Outside of the superior configurability and ability to utilize madVR along VLC also isn't able to output audio due to lack of support for a specific codec.
Can you use tools like SVP to interpolate 30FPS games to 60FPS or even 144FPS?
I've tried to make it work, but no. While it technically does work, the input lag in turn goes through the roof. And with that I mean multiple seconds of input lag.
Could I use this guide for my Xbox, Playstation, SNES Mini or whatever?
Probably. I don't know how well HDCP protected content works and how much other consoles utilize it, so no guarantees.
If there's anything missing or something to improve (or you've found one of my numerous spelling errors), feel free to comment.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
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".
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Project Velvet by Unknown: Nothing is known about this project outside of the codename at this time.
Project Kalimba by Unknown: Listed in the GeForce Now leak.
Shadowrun by Unknown: Rumored by Jeff Grubb on Grubsnaxs. Only heard rumblings nothing concrete. Might be Project Vonnegut.
Goldeneye 007 by Unknown: An achievement list for a remaster/remake of GoldenEye showed up on TrueAchievements. Nothing else is known.
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
Contraband by Avalanche Game Studios
As Dusk Falls by INTERIOR/NIGHT
Rumored Projects
Project Dragon by IO Interactive: Said to be a MMO Lite shared world medieval RPG with a 10 Year plan.
Project Shaolin by Brass Lion Entertainment: Said to be an Anime Art style ARPG with Wu Tang Clan involved for music.
Project Indus by Oxide Interactive: Said to be a 4X style strategy game. Not much else is known.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Alpha Dog Game: Currently a mobile oriented studio working on Mighty Doom for Android on iOS. Any other projects are unknown at this time.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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 Quรฉbec 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):
Call of Duty Vanguard by Sledghammer: Ongoing support for the title and its Seasons.
Call of Duty Warzone by Raven Software: Ongoing support and development of the title and its Seasons.
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.
Call of Duty (2024) by Treyarch: Unknown what the setting of the game will be. Set to release in 2024. Rumored by Bloomberg
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.
Call of Duty Mobile by TiMi Studio Group (external): Support for the existing Call of Duty Mobile title.
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.
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
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.
Hearthstone: Currently developing more expansions and supporting the game.
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.
Diablo 4: A shared world ARPG set in the Diablo universe set to release in 2023.
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.
Diablo Immortal: The Diablo Mobile Game now launching on PC
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.
A few months ago, I made a post that summarized the current announced projects, leaks, and rumors tied to Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks. Today I am updating that post and including Activision Blizzard King as well by popular demand of my polling.
Xbox Game Studios:
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 in its second season and Forge release in its third season. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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. Square Enix studio Crystal Dynamics is also helping with development of the title.
inXile Entertainment: This studio is working on 2 projects, one in full development. One is in preproduction, and one is in full production. Both are very far out, likely 2024. The game in full production is codenamed Project Cobalt and is said to be a 1st Person Steampunk RPG by Jez Corden.
Mojang Studios: Currently working on the The Wild update for Minecraft 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.
Ninja Theory: Currently working on Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (believed to be launching in 2023) and the smaller scale Project: Mara. They also released a Next gen patch for Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice on Xbox Series X|S and are planning to release a PC update too. 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 addtion, 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".
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".
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.
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 belived 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.
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.
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.
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. 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
MCC like Collection for Another Xbox IP: intitially rumored by Shpehal Nick of XboxEra Podcast. Currently speculated to be Gears of War or Fable as both franchises are missing entires on PC. Tom Warren of The Verge may have also teased this as Gears of War.
Project Velvet by Unknown: Nothing is known about this project outside of the codename at this time.
Project Kalimba by Unknown: Listed in the GeForce Now leak.
Shadowrun by Unknown: Rumored by Jeff Grubb on Grubsnaxs. Only heard rumblings nothing concrete. Might be Project Vonnegut.
Goldeneye 007 by Unknown: An achievement list for a remaster/remake of Goldeneye showed up on TrueAchievements. Nothing else is known.
Xbox Global Publishing
These are games developed by external studios and published by Xbox
Confirmed Projects
Contraband by Avalanche Game Studios
As Dusk Falls by INTERIOR/NIGHT
CrossfireX by Smilegate (Multiplayer)
Rumored Projects
Project Dragon by IO Interactive: Said to be a MMO Lite shared world mediaval RPG with a 10 Year plan.
Project Shaolin by Brass Lion Entertainment: Said to be an Anime Art style ARPG with Wu Tang Clan invoved for music.
Project Indus by Oxide Interactive: Said to be a 4X style strategy game. Not much else is known.
Project Belfry by Stoic Studio: Said to be a side scroller beatem up focused around a bell tower with a Princess Mononoke Art style.
Project Pax Dei by Mainframe: Said to be a cloud driven MMO. Mainframe accepted external funding from and investor group leading Jeff Grubb to belive it is not longer being published by Xbox but they could still be involved.
Killer Instinct by Unknown (maybe Bandai Namco): Rummored to be indevelopment to some capacity by Shpeshal Nick. Jez Corden has heard similar rumors and added the Bandai Namco piece.
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.
Project Suerte by Certain Affinity: Rumored by Jeff Grubb on Grubsnaxs (a premoium Giant Bom show, linked is a VGC summary). Backed up by Jez Corden.
Project Vonnegut by Unknown: Nothing is known about this project at this time other than it is a Global Publishing deal.
1v100 Revival by AltSpace VR: Rumored by Jeff Grubb to be making a return. Quiz how game from the Xbox 360.
Bethesda Softworks
Alpha Dog Game: Currently a mobile oriented studio working on Mighty Doom for Andriod on iOS. Any other projects are unknown at this time.
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 Summer 2022. 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.
Bethesda Game Studios: Between their Rockville, Austin, Dallas, and Montreal offices they are currently working on extended content for Fallout 76, Starfield (releasing on November 11, 2022), Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Anniversary Edition (releasing November 11, 2021), Creation Engine 2, and Elder Scrolls 6.
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.
MachineGame: Currently working on the Indiana Jones game for LucasFilm Games. Details about it are unknown as is a timeframe. 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.
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. No timeframe for a release.
Tango Gameworks: Currently working on Development of Ghostwire: Tokyo set to release in early 2022 and is a 1-year timed PC and PS5 exclusive. Any other projects are unknown at this time. At least 2 other games are in development at Tango
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).
Activision
Currently Activision has all of its studios working 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 acquiition 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 Quรฉbec 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:
Call of Duty Vanguard by Sledghammer: Ongoing support for the title and its Seasons.
Call of Duty Warzone by Raven Software: Ongoing support and devlopment of thte title and itss Seasons.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (2022) by Infinity Ward: The sequel to the rebooted Modern Warefare 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 2023 Call of Duties are guaranteed to hit PlayStation due to prexisting contracts.
Call of Duty (2023) by Treyarch: Unknown what the etting of the game will be. Set to release in 2023. Rumored by Bloomberg
Call of Duty Warzone 2 by Raven Software (likely): Sequel to Warzone likely in development to make a fully Next Gen version as well a untether the game from a specifc title (Warzone is currently tethered to Modern Warfare 2019). Rumored by Bloomberg.
Call of Duty Mobile by TiMi Studio Group (external): Support for the existing Call of Duty Mobile title.
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.
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 nnual release of their Call of Duty titles.
Blizzard
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 lsisting.
Hearthstone: Currently developing more expansions and supporting the game.
Overwatch 2: This game will include a PvE mode utilizing Overwatch Heroes as well as a shared PvP with the original Overwatch. Due to releae in 2023.
Diablo 4: A shared world ARPG set in the Diablo universe set to release in 2023.
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.
Diablo Immortal: The Diablo Mobile Game. Don't you have phones?
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. In early 2022 a Halo live action television series will be launching on Paramount+ and is being produced by Steven Spielberg.
A Fallout TV series is launching on Amazon Prime Video being written and produced by Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan of Westworld fame. No timeframe 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. Future expansion is planned in 2021 to bring Cloud Streaming to Xbox Consoles to allow for you to try a game before installing and even allow next gen games to be streamed to the Xbox One. They also formally announced the previously rumored Game Pass Streaming Stick as well as native apps for TVs as reported by Tom Warren. This is also coming with expansions into new regions such as Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and Japan. 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.
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 Asibo 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
