Looking Ahead To A Brighter 2023 For Xbox Game Studios

A lot has been said about Xbox Game Studios this year, with Microsoft's first-party output dropping quite significantly from last year - especially when talking big AAA titles. While that's true and has indeed been disappointing, we want to look ahead to 2023 as we all hope for a much stronger output from Team Xbox.

The first offerings that come to mind are of course Redfall, Starfield and Forza Motorsport; three games that are set to launch on Xbox Game Pass during the first half of 2023. Those two Bethesda titles were pushed from this year, which contributed to Xbox's quiet 2022, and we're super excited for them to fill some of the opening months of 2023.

While Redfall is yet to completely win us over, we have faith in Arkane Studios after finally going hands on with the critically acclaimed Deathloop earlier this year. Starfield is going to be absolutely huge when it launches as well, both literally and in the context of the wider gaming market.

However, of the three, this writer might personally be the most excited about Turn 10's upcoming racer. The Forza Motorsport reboot looks like a proper current-gen title, with the game set to feature full on-track ray tracing amongst other 'next-gen' features. It's been more than five years since we first took to the raceways of Forza Motorsport 7 - we're eagerly awaiting the team's next effort!

Then, there's trying to map out the rest of Xbox's upcoming portfolio. Hellblade 2 looks fairly far along in development judging by recent gameplay clips, and titles like Fable and Avowed have been in the works for years now. We're not saying any of these are nailed on for 2023, but one or two of them might make it and that alone would create a great year for Xbox!

There's also a decent chance we'll get a surprise or two. Sure, these might not be as 'AAA' as the aforementioned titles, but we may get another Pentiment or something similar from Xbox Game Studios next year. We loved our time with Obsidian's latest effort, and we'd definitely take more where that came from in 2023!

So, let's relax, take stock, and look ahead to what could — and should — be a memorable year for all things Xbox. Delays are always possible, especially in the current climate, but next year is going to be a good one - we can feel it!

What's your most anticipated Xbox Game Studios release for 2023? Let us know in the comments below.