Looking forward at 2019: Microsoft
New Studios, more games, and a new console, a good future for the Xbox brand.
As the end of this generation of consoles draws near, Microsoft couldn’t be more excited to start fresh and get ahead of the competitors once again. Their first-party lineup of games for 2018 was rather weak, with the only high praised title being Forza Horizon 4, but this never stopped the company from seeking ways to make it better. This year could be the start of a new era for Microsoft.
To begin 2019, Xbox players finally got to play Crackdown 3. The game came out February 15th after a messy development and release schedule. It was announced in 2014 and faced 3 delays since the initial goal of releasing it in 2016, it was even supposed to be a staggered release at some point, where the singleplayer and multiplayer portions would be out at different times. The final product wasn’t well received by critics, at least the team behind it was able to release the game after a rough development cycle.
During E3 2018, Microsoft announced a lot of new titles, but one dates before that and still needs to come out. Ori and the Will of the Wisps, was revealed in 2017 and it’s the sequel to a very successful first game. This will be Moon Studios’ second game and it’ll also be a 2D platformer, but this time with new mechanics and astonishing visuals. This new title is scheduled for a 2019 release and it’ll most likely hit it.
Now, to games that were actually announced at E3 2018, starting with the next entry in the Gears of War series, Gears 5. The studio behind it, The Coalition, started working on this franchise back in 2015, with Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, a remake of the first game, followed by Gears of War 4 in 2016. This new title seems to be following the same formula as past entries and moving the story forward, and it’s also supposed to come out this year despite only being one trailer out. It could come out near the holiday season or even early 2020, with a cross-platform release (Xbox one and their next generation console).
Other Gears of War titles were announced during the same presentation. Gears POP!, a spin-off for mobile where the characters look like Funko POP! figures. The developers shared a first look and commented on the game back in November 2018. It’s scheduled for a 2019 release. The other title revealed, Gears Tactics, is a take on the turn based strategy genre and so far, it’ll come out only for PC. The game doesn’t have a release window and given the amount of projects in this franchise, this one could slip into 2020.
The next first-party title announced was a surprise for many, since this franchise has been dormant for more than 24 years. The game in question is an all new Battletoads. The series first appearance was on the NES back in 1991, since then it had a few other titles but it was only in recent years that fans began to ask for a new entry. The reveal trailer mentioned that it’ll have 3 player couch co-op and 4K hand-drawn 2.5D graphics, it also set the release schedule for 2019. This game will most likely come out this year, as Xbox tries to build a bigger first-party lineup.
Last is a highly anticipated game, Halo Infinite. The reveal trailer was simple and didn’t show much, but was enough to make fans excited about the future. This next chapter in the Halo series seems to be taking a step back and going to it’s roots. The developers, 343 Industries, started working on the franchise in 2011 after Bungie, the original devs, split with Microsoft. This new trilogy is called The Reclaimer Saga and Infinite should be the one to complete the cycle, which means there’s a lot of hope and expectations on this title. Microsoft didn’t give a release window to the game, so it’ll probably be a 2020 game that’ll also be release on the next generation of consoles.
During the ongoing Xbox One lifecycle, Microsoft didn’t release many exclusive games and just a few were highly praised by the media. New IPs and projects were canceled, like Scalebound, leaving fans worried about the future of the console. To change how they move forward, Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, announced in 2018 that they were acquiring multiple studios, leading to a bigger first-party lineup of games in the future. This move will impact 2019 and beyond. We’ll probably hear from some of these studios and their new projects this year.
The last piece of this 2019 puzzle is the next generation of consoles. Back at E3 2018, Microsoft casually announced that the Xbox One successor was already in the works, this acknowledgment might mean it’s coming sooner that expected. Entitled ‘Project Scarlet’, it’ll be Microsoft’s chance to get a head start and return to it’s Xbox 360 glory days, since the PS4 dominated this generation. A 2019 release for this new console doesn’t seem outlandish, but I’ll most likely happen in 2020, it all depends on how Microsoft and Sony play their cards.
As we near the end of February and analyze Xbox’s future, it’s clear that good times are ahead of us. A lot of great third-party titles were already released this year and to see Microsoft’s commitment to making their lineup better could only mean that it’s a great time to play games. This was the last story in the ‘Looking Forward at 2019’ series. You can also check how Sony’s 2019 is shaping up, and what Nintendo will bring to the table in this new year.
