All of the first-party Microsoft Game Studios games coming to Xbox and PC in 2024 and beyond

The lifeblood of any console is the first-party exclusive titles. For most people, they are the primary motivating factor when it comes to choosing which of the big three console brands to get into bed with. For a long time, both Sony and Nintendo have clearly led the pack when it comes to consistently outputting quality first-party software, but Microsoft are making big moves to finally address the Xbox’s biggest weakness; a lack of kick-ass games. Now though, with Zenimax and Activision as part of their in-house development pipeline, Xbox is aiming to release a new first-party game every quarter, meaning in 2024 we should be expecting to see a new exclusive game every 3 months. That also means that, as I’m writing this, one should be coming along just about….now. Ish.

The good news is that we know of quite a few of the first-party titles currently being worked on. The bad news is that most of them have vague release windows, while some of them don’t even have that.

The Developer Direct event this month might give us a better feel for what’s coming, especially if you consider the four games Microsoft mentions directly would fit neatly into the planned quarterly release schedule. However, Microsoft’s own goal is to release four first-party games each year, and so far we only have three games announced. That means there’s room for one more first-party title to join the lineup. Perhaps it could be a surprise shadow drop, like last year’s Hi-Fi Rush?

2024

Avowed, Autumn (Obsidian Entertainment)

The team of Obsidian Entertainment are returning to the world of Pillars of Eternity this year with Avowed, a first-person fantasy RPG. Some form of mysterious plague is ravaging the land, so it’s going to be up to you to save the day.

Obsidian are a team with a deep history, so the hype for this one is massive. Surprisingly, most of what we’ve seen so far has focused on the action side of the equation, which is odd because Obsidian is known for its rich RPG mechanics.

While we were not treated to a specific release date, Obsidian has confirmed that Avowed will launch in Autumn..

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, May 21st (Ninja Theory)

The follow-up to 2017’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice took the somewhat controversial move of becoming an Xbox exclusive despite the first game actually launching on PlayStation 4 before it ever arrived on Microsoft’s machine.

Of course, when Ninja Theory got bought out by Microsoft in 2018 they didn’t have much choice but to shift development over to Xbox only. Still, controversy aside, those Microsoft dollars have helped up Ninja Theory’s already stunning visuals, making Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 a truly gorgeous game. The fidelity we’ve seen is mind-blowing, and if the full release manages to deliver on that promise it might just be one of the best-looking games we’ve ever seen.

According to Ninja Theory, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is aiming for a runtime roughly equivalent to the first game which typically took around 7-8 hours. It looks like the developers are trying to keep the sequel as a tightly focused experience rather than a massive, bloated follow-up, and that’s reflected in the lower price of $49.99.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 will launch on May 21st as a digital-only release.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Machine Games)

After the disappointing new Indiana Jones movie, which fell flat on its face at the box office, I’m hopeful that MachineGames can do the intrepid explorer justice. They’ve certainly proven themselves with the Wolfenstein games, after all.

The Developer Direct in January gave us a better idea of what to expect from Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. It’s set between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, and the in-game Indiana’s look is based on Harrison Ford, but veteran voice-actor Troy Baker will be providing the voice of Indy.

It primarily takes place in first-person and features a mixture of platforming, puzzle solving and action, with Indiana’s iconic whip being one of your primary tools.

Sadly we haven’t got an exact release date yet, but we do now official confirmation that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be released this year.

2025 and beyond

Blade (Arkane Lyon)

Blade was a surprise reveal at the 2023 Game Awards that caught a lot of people, myself included, off-guard. The classic Marvel character has appeared in various games over the years, such as Marvel’s Midnight Suns, but this will be the first time the vampire hunter has been the star of the show.

Unfortunately, we don’t know much about this one. It’s going to be set in France, it’s going to be a 3rd person action game and…that’s kind of it. Arkane revealed this one quite early into its development, perhaps as a way to bounce back from the disappointing Redfall, and as such we don’t even have a vague release date. In fact, at no point has Microsoft or Arkane even confirmed that its an Xbox exclusive. Even the reveal trailer lacked any Xbox or Game Pass logos.

Regardless of all that, a game from Arkane Lyon, the team behind Dishonoured and Deathloop, where we get to play as the most badass vampire hunter to ever exist sounds amazing.

Clockwork Revolution (InXile)

As InXile’s first game under the Microsoft banner, Clockwork Revolution is shaping up to be something rather special, at least, if our brief glimpse of it is anything to go by.

A first-person action game with some roleplaying flair, Clockwork Revolutiuon seems to draw inspiration from the likes of the BioShock series, more specifically BioShock Infinite. The Steampunk Victorian setting immediately grabs my attention, and when you throw time manipulation into the mix you officially have my interest.

Fable (Playground Games)

The Fable franchise was once a headlining act for Microsoft’s original Xbox and the Xbox 360, with developer Lionhead managing to put together three entries under the slightly insane supervision of Peter Molyneux. And yet, it kind of fell apart after the third game. A few spin-offs were made, but Fable faded away, becoming little more than a fairytale told to little children as they lay in bed.

This revival of the franchise is being headed up by PlayGround Games, a slightly surprising choice given that they primarily make the ongoing Forza Horizon series. E ven more surprising is that Eidos-Montreal, currently owned by the quickly collapsing Embracer Group, is helping out.

The reveal trailer certainly looks promising. The big question is whether or not the two studios can re-capture the same unique tone of the first games, the quintessentially British sense of humour that made Fable stand out from everything else.

The trailer does show the hero kicking a chicken though, so clearly Playground Games have done their homework.

Everwild (Rare)

Rare has been quietly toiling away in the background now. Since releasing the highly successful Sea of Thieves their only other output was Battletoads in 2022, begging the question of what the historic studio has been up to.

Everwild is the answer, and they’ve actually been working on it since 2014, though it was completely rebooted during that time due to creative director Simon Woodroffe leaving the project.

So what is it? Truthfully, we don’t really know. The game’s official page simply describes it as: “Unique and unforgettable experiences await in a natural and magical world.”

The trailer doesn’t give away too much, either, outside of its truly eye-catching visual style. We’ll just have to wait and see.

The Outer Worlds 2 (Obsidian Entertainment)

Before Starfield there was another space-RPG, albeit one with its tongue firmly rammed into its cheek. The Outer Worlds was a lot of fun, and under the purview of Microsoft, the sequel is set to be bigger, shinier and funnier.

But right now all we have to go on is the reveal trailer which came out in 2021 and thoroughly and ruthlessly took the piss out of the standard game reveal trailer template. The trailer also happily pointed out that the developers didn’t have any gameplay ready to show and that the only thing they had finished was the title. It was easily the most honest trailer at E3.

Considering Avowed is currently Obsidian’s focus, I wouldn’t expect to see The Outer Worlds 2 until 2025. I’d be very happy to be wrong, though.

Perfect Dark (The Initiative)

The Initiative was formed in 2018 by Microsoft, a crack team composed of numerous industry veterans brought together in order to craft a singular vision: a new Perfect Dark.

Sadly, we haven’t seen or heard much from The Initiative since then, and what little we have hasn’t sounded very promising. After several senior staff left the project, Xbox Studios boss Matt Booty revealed that studio was rebuilding following the losses and trying to navigate getting a new studio up and running during the Covid Era.

In 2023, we heard that the game was still in pre-production and thus still several years away.

South of Midnight (Compulsion Games)

“South of Midnight is a spellbinding third-person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South. Learn an ancient weaving power, explore the Deep South mythos and confront mysterious creatures in this folktale for modern times.”

It certainly has an intriguing blurb, doesn’t it? South of Midnight is Compulsion Games latest project and its a doozy. From the catchy music to the beautiful art-style, South of Midnight grabs your attention. But aside from those two elements, we don’t know anything about how it’s going to play.

State of Decay 3 (Undead Labs)

The third entry in the State of Decay series was announced 3 years ago now and has been suspiciously quiet since then. Undead Labs are still presumably shuffling round in the background, munching games and writing code, but we really don’t know for sure, nor do we have any idea of when it will come out.

Project Mara ( Ninja Theory)

You might be seeing a theme here when I say that we really don’t know much about Project Mara. It was announced back in 2020 and is described as an experimental project based on just one character and one location. Part of that experimental nature is an incredibly details and realistic recreation of a real-life apartment.

The trailer also seems to indicate a focus on the lead character’s mental state, which makes sense given Ninja Theory’s other game, Hellblade, has a main character suffering from psychosis.

Age of Mythology: Retold (World’s Edge)

World’s Edge was established by Microsoft in 2019 to oversee the Age of Empire RTS series. They’ve achieved that goal quite admirably, releasing definitive editions for Age of Empires 2 and 3, as well as helping Relic craft a brand new entry in the series titled Age of Empires 4.

Their next project, however, takes them away from Age of Empires and into the Age of Mythology. Released over 20 years ago, Age of Mythology was a spinoff of the Empires series, ditching the historical setting for something a little more fantastical.

Since their previous efforts have been received quite well, I think we can be confident in assuming Age of Mythology: Retold will be a solid remaster of a classic game. I can’t wait to play it.

The Elder Scrolls 6 (Bethesda Game Studios)

Bethesda took the liberty of announcing the follow-up to Skyrim five freaking years ago, giving us nothing more than a logo and some music. And that’s it. Talk about a cock-tease, eh?

Now that Starfield is out, most of the team is presumably focused on the next Elder Scrolls, but even so, it looks like we’re at least a few years away from stomping around Tamriel. Leaked documents suggest a 2026 release date, although that must obviously be taken with a hefty pinch of salt.

In the meanwhile, Bethesda will probably launch Skyrim on at least a few more devices, including your nan’s pacemaker. They might even release a Special Edition trailer of the Elder Scrolls announcement teaser. Wouldn’t that be fun?

(That’s sarcasm Bethesda. Don’t take the idea seriously, for God’s sake.)