Summary
2023 will certainly go down as an important year forXbox, one filled with as many highs as lows. Its first-party titles reached a historical low withRedfalland a historical high withStarfield. The merger betweenXboxand Activision finally concluded, but it’s one that has drawn innumerable controversies.
Microsoft and Xbox started the year on the wrong foot.Redfall’s calamitous state on launch and numerous red flags pre-release turned off players for the first half of 2023. The company then suffered multiple defeats surrounding its merger with Activision, which is unsurprising considering the centralization given to the Xbox platform. Even now the merger is complete,the FTC is still fighting Microsoft over it.Fortunately for Microsoft, its showcase this year—as well as the release of the critically acclaimedStarfield—has renewed confidence in its pursuit of strong first-party software. Its 2024 will go smoother if it keeps the lessons learned in 2023 to heart.
2024 Already Has Some Solid Exclusives Lined Up For Xbox
33 Immortals
Among the titles confirmed to be coming toXbox Game Pass day one in 2024is33 Immortals. This roguelike has no confirmed release date, but it does have a dazzling trailer to show off its concept.33 Immortalspits damned souls in a war against God, with much of its world appearing to draw inspiration from Dante Alighieri’sThe Divine Comedy—such as direct name lifts (Malebranche, Bolgia, etc.), demonic wasps, and a 3-headed Lucifer entombed in ice, just as he’s described in the book.
Avowed
After successes such asThe Outer WorldsandFallout New Vegas, Obsidian is pivoting to outright fantasy withAvowed. Arriving sometime in 2024,Avowedwill be a first-person action RPG adaptation of thePillars of EternityCRPG.Avowedwill be smaller in scopethan other open worlds under the Bethesda moniker, focusing on a tighter narrative. Its precise release date within 2024 is unknown, but it will be on Xbox Game Pass day one.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2will be a mix of survival horror, FPS, and immersive sim elements that takes place in a post-apocalyptic version of the Chornobyl (Ukrainian romanization of ‘Chernobyl’) Exclusion Zone, crawling with mutant foes. The game’s development has been more than a little unsteady thanks to the war in Ukraine, which forced the development team to move to the Czech Republic. The title has also been under the pressure of numerous cyberattacks. Despite this, the game will be released in Q1 of 2024. It will be an Xbox exclusive and arrive on Game Pass day one, but documents unveiled during 2021’s Epic vs. Apple court case (barring any changes) suggest thatS.T.A.L.K.E.R 2could be available on Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG after three months.
Towerborne
Afteryears of rumors,Towerbornewill arrive in 2024. The side-scroller will incorporate some RPG elements as it lets players take the role of an Ace, a spiritual warrior fighting for humanity. Created by the developers of theBanner Sagaseries,Towerbornewill be released in 2024 as an Xbox exclusive, coming to Game Pass on day one. No specific date has been revealed yet.
Starfield Updates
Starfieldwill be updated about every six weeksin 2024. This content roadmap will come with new difficulty options, city maps, new travel options, new ship customization choices, and the ‘Shattered Space’ story expansion.
Non-Exclusives Coming To Xbox
As far as confirmed2024 titles not exclusive to Xbox(but that will be available on the platform), there are a quite a lot. These are the major third-party titles that have confirmed exact release dates:
•Tekken 8- January 26th
•Persona 3 Reload- February 2nd
•Skull and Bones- February 16th
•Alone in the Dark- March 20th
•Dragon’s Dogma 2- March 22nd
•Tales of Kenzera: ZAU- April 23rd
•Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2- September 9th
2024 Could Be Another Big Year For Game Pass
All Confirmed 2024 Xbox Game Pass Titles
There are already swathes of gamesconfirmed for Game Pass in 2024. Below are the games with exact dates:
•PlateUp!- February 15th
•Open Roads- February 22nd
•Lightyear Frontier- March
•Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes- April 24th
In addition, many games confirmed for Game Pass in 2024 have no exact date:
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
• To a T
• Way To The Woods
Activision Could Play A Big Role In Game Pass
Activision-Blizzard-King joining Microsoft means that a whole catalog of new games could be coming to Game Pass. Phil Spencer has stated that2024 could see Activision titles on Game Pass, but nothing is set in stone. He also dismissed the possibility of any surprise drops, so fans are likely to know in advance when these titles will release on Game Pass. If these games come in 2024, particularly heavy hitters likeCall of DutyandDiablo, then that year will solidify Game Pass as the unrivaled champion among console subscription services. The criticism of the merger giving Microsoft unprecedented power in the industry will be compounded by their service offering some of the biggest names in gaming history alongside software from titans like EA and Bethesda.
There’s A Slight Chance Of A Price Hike For Game Pass In 2024
According to Phil Spencer,another price hike for Game Pass is ‘inevitable’. This doesn’t relate to the immediate future, but it could theoretically occur anytime. Phil also qualified that this price hike should accompany a significant increase in value for the service. Time will tell whether this comes to fruition, but if a significant number of Activision titles do come to Game Pass in 2024, it’d be worth keeping an eye on the price given Phil’s statements.
‘Xbox Next’ Rumors
There are alreadyrumors flying about the next Xbox console. Leaker Tero Alhonen found the codename ‘Xbox Keystone’, whilst another leaker claims that a new console will be coming in 2026. All of this should be taken with a heaping helping of salt, but there’s some potential here to impact 2024. These rumors could relate to an entirely new console generation or just an improved version of the current-gen console. Either of these concepts could manifest into announcements in 2024. Again, this is firmly within the bounds of rumor and speculation.
Microsoft Xbox Series X
The Xbox Series X boasts the fastest CPU and GPU configuration currently available for a current-generation console while offering 1TB of fast SSD storage for users out of the box.It comes with an Xbox Series S|X controller, a power cord, and documentation along with a trial for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in the box.
