Surprising everyone, The Game Awards 2019 played host to the official unveiling of the console formerly hidden behind the Project Scarlett code name. TheXbox Series Xis a powerful new console with a release date of Holiday 2020. Thanks to the show and some of the games previously mentioned under the “Project Scarlett” moniker, we have a healthy and growing list of Xbox Series X games to get excited about.
Xbox Series X Games List – Confirmed
- Halo Infinite
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Watch Dogs Legion
- Rainbow Six Quarantine
- Gods & Monsters
- Two unannounced AAA titles from known Ubisoft brands
- The next Battlefield
Here’s some more information on the games coming to the Xbox Series X, releasing in Holiday 2020.
Halo Infinite
Obviously the big hitter for the Xbox Series X remains the same as under the Project Scarlett branding. Despite dropping the numbered title,Halo Infiniteis essentially Halo 6. It continues the story of Master Chief and rounds off the Reclaimer trilogy explored in Halo 4 and 5. It’s developed once again by 343 Industries along with Skybox Labs who worked on Halo 5: Forge as well as the Bedrock and Better Together Switch update for Minecraft. Their exact role here is unknown, but given their history developing updates and new content for Microsoft and Xbox Game Studios games, it’s likely that Skybox will be involved in multiplayer and post-release content.
As reported by gamesTM via wccftech, 343i’s Franchise Director Frank O’Connor acknowledged that fans were disappointed with Halo 5’s story, especially its lack of focus on Master Chief. He says that Halo Infinite will double-down on the franchise’s central protagonist this time around with a renewed focus. Community Director Brian Jarrard confirmed the return of split-screen multiplayer in an Xbox Wire post. Aside from this, we know little about the game except that it’s running on 343i’s new Slipspace engine – which is responsible for the stunning E3 2019 trailer.
Halo Infinite will be compatible with existing Xbox One devices and launch on PC, as well as the Series X. The release date is simply “Holiday 2020” at the time of writing.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Fans of the hauntingly beautiful and mind-bending fantasy thriller Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice were overjoyed when developing studio Ninja Theory joined the Xbox Game Studios fold, and then perturbed when the studio announced that their next title would be a cartoony multiplayer brawler. The rollercoaster continues thanks to The Game Awards, where Ninja Theory dropped a thumping, terrifying trailer forSenua’s Saga: Hellblade II. Not much is given away by the cinematic trailer, captured on the Xbox Series X console. It’s interesting that the trailer features a much stronger and more assured looking Senua apparently standing at the head of a small force of warriors – one of the most effective elements of the first game was Senua’s sense of isolation aside from the voices in her own head, so this could be signs of a dramatic shift in tone for the franchise’s future.
No release date was given for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, but we know that it is coming to the Xbox Series X. As an Xbox Game Studios title, it will likely remain an Xbox console exclusive.
Watch Dogs: Legion
Ubisoft came out strong at E3 2019 with a bold trailer forWatch Dogs: Legion. The third entry in the open-world hackfest switches the game up completely, moving from a single protagonist to a world in which players can recruit anyone to the cause of freedom from surveillance. Players will inhabit multiple characters throughout the game, all with different skills and traits. Some of them are even scheduled to randomly die thanks to persistent health issues.
Unfortunately Ubisoft had a rough second half of the year. Disappointments with The Division 2’s revenue and the disastrous launch of Ghost Recon Breakpoint led Ubisoft to make a drastic change to their release plans. Watch Dogs Legion was originally supposed to be with us in March 2020; now, it has been pushed back to an undisclosed date within the following financial year. Perhaps to soften the blow, Ubisoft confirmed that Watch Dogs: Legion would launch on what was then known as Project Scarlett, and what is now known as Xbox Series X.
The game doesn’t have a release date – all we know is that thanks to Ubisoft’s decisions it’s unlikely to appear before late 2020. It’s entirely possible that it will become an Xbox Series X and PS5 launch title, which if anything might improve the game’s chances of success. Fingers crossed.
Rainbow Six Quarantine
Another game caught up in Ubisoft’s rollercoaster of a year,Rainbow Six Quarantinesurprised everyone at E3 2019, revealed as a three-player squad based survival FPS. The trailer shows some sort of parasite or virus crawling up the protagonist’s arm, and there’s a moment in which a figure – presumably an enemy – stumbles through a corridor before the hero is rescued by his team. All signs point to some sort of Left 4 Dead style survive-and-escape gameplay.
Unlike Watch Dogs Legion, Quarantine at least has a vague “2020” release date on its website. It was confirmed by Ubisoft to be a Project Scarlett title, so again we wouldn’t be surprised if Ubisoft aimed for an Xbox Series X launch window release during the holidays.
Gods and Monsters
The last of the three Ubisoft games officially delayed away from early 2020 release dates,Gods & Monstersis a new concept from the makers of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. It was revealed at E3 but hinted at in the lead-up to the big event, with speculation that this would be Ubisoft’s answer to Breath of the Wild. Gods & Monsters sees the player take on fearsome monsters to save the land of the Greek gods from Typhon, a giant serpent considered to be one of the deadliest creatures in Greek mythology.
Gods & Monsters was originally scheduled to release on February 25th 2020 on current generation consoles. It was delayed by Ubisoft along with Watch Dogs Legion and Rainbow Six Quarantine, and confirmed to be coming to Project Scarlett. The Ubisoft Store still lists the game as releasing in 2020, so once again this could be an Xbox Series X title.
If Ubisoft somehow managed to pull off the release of a drastic step change for Watch Dogs, a worthy Left 4 Dead successor and an exciting new IP all around the launch of a new console, the company’s fortunes could see a significant turnaround. And that’s not all they have in the works…
Two unannounced games from Ubisoft
During the sameUbisoft earnings callthat brought the sad news of poor performance and game delays, CEO Yves Guillemot eventually confirmed to investors that all three announced games and two unannounced AAA titles from “very big brands” would be on both the current generation of consoles and on the next generation, including Project Scarlett – now the Xbox Series X.
It’s unfathomable to us that Assassin’s Creed could skip another year, so we’re pretty certain the next iteration of the veteran franchise will be one of the two AAA games coming to the Xbox Series X. Plenty of rumours and alleged leaks point to the next Assassin’s Creed drawing on Norse mythology (some claim it’s called Ragnarok), which would round out a trilogy of Assassin’s Creed games set in antiquity and drawing heavily on ancient mythology.
The other game is up for debate. We’re not convinced that Guillemot would be referring to franchises like Trials or Just Dance, but there’s still plenty to choose from. The most obvious but most boring choice is another full entry in the Far Cry series, but there are other possibilities – perhaps a sequel to For Honor, or even a new Splinter Cell.
What’s interesting is that no mention was made of nautical battler Skull & Bones or the long-awaited Beyond Good & Evil 2. We still have no idea when these are coming out, but if it’s not until 2021 or further in the future we have to assume that they will be ready for the Xbox Series X.
Battlefield 6
During aninvestor call, EA CEO Andrew Wilson and CFO/COO Blake Jorgensen confirmed that the next Battlefield game is still a way off. They believe that Battlefield V still has life in it yet and the next title would have more time to make use of “next-generation hardware”. The executives pointed to Battlefield and DICE’s history of making the most of new tech, and that was why the next Battlefield won’t be right there at the next consoles’ launch – they want to learn the technology and also give consumers more time to upgrade.
Battlefield 6, or whatever it might end up being called, won’t be on the Xbox Series X at launch, but it will be there at some point – likely in 2021.
Rumours and Speculation
Cyberpunk 2077: We recently got confirmation thatCyberpunk 2077won’t be on next generation consoles like the Xbox Series X at launch, but the team is working hard on potentially releasing on next-gen platforms later down the line. Cyberpunk 2077 releases on April 16th, 2020, and of course it will likely be available on the Xbox Series X anyway, given the new console’s significant backward compatibility features. However it won’t be able to take full advantage of the Series X’s tech, so it’s plausible that CD Projekt RED could be working on a definitive remastering or some kind of upgrade plan.
Elden Ring: The fact that Xbox got the scoop on George R.R. Martin’s mysterious collaboration with Dark Souls’ From Software at this year’s E3 2019, yet didn’t come with a release date, makes it likely that the game will turn up on the Xbox Series X, even as a launch title. However it’s impossible to say for sure at this point.
Bethesda’s missing games: Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI: Bethesda’s executives warned us that new IP Starfield and the highly anticipated Elder Scrolls VI were a long way off when they were teased in 2018, and they certainly proved their point by not showing either game at all during 2019. We’re not convinced either of them are going to be ready for new consoles by Holiday 2020 – certainly not The Elder Scrolls VI, scheduled to release after Starfield. With Fallout 76 continuing to be a PR Achilles’ heel for Bethesda, we’re certain that the company will start sharing more details on both games for E3 2020.
Upcoming Xbox Game Studios games: This year’s X019 was a cornucopia of Xbox news, but still fairly light on new games being worked on by Xbox Game Studios. Rare’s new IP Everwild showed off so little of its actual gameplay or basic concept that we’re certain it won’t be around until at least the launch of the Xbox Series X, and probably not even then. The idea of a major Xbox Game Studios title not taking advantage of the Series X’s power into 2021 doesn’t sit right with us.
That’s almost certainly true of Playground Games’ unannounced RPG, long rumoured to be Fable 4, and new Xbox Game Studio The Initiative’s mysterious “AAAA” title. Both teams’ total silence on their projects might well have been related to the fact that they were waiting for an official Xbox Series X reveal – we’re expecting big things from both at E3 2020 unless Xbox decide to share something sooner.
The Xbox Series X release date is Holiday 2020.
