Avowed, Hellblade 2, The Outer Worlds 2, State of Decay 3, Contraband. We can easily continue the list of titles we have already heard of or seen a trailer. Some date back to the very announcement of our current consoles like the Ninja Theory title in 2018. So these games have been in production for several years and not a shadow of a release window on the horizon. At least until now if we are to believe the latest declarations of Jez Corden. Indeed, the generally well-informed insider spoke on the last episode of The Xbox Two podcast about the releases of these games. The majority of them would be scheduled for next year, or even 2024.
Accompanied by his friend Rand Al Thor 19Jez was answering a question on his chat about regarding an exit window listing presented by Colteastwood, another insider personality. The two friends have thus confirmed a good part of the dates mentioned at the thirty-fourth minute of the podcast :
Rand al Thor: I agree with him on a Contraband release in 2023, the game was supposed to come out this year but was pushed back. Avowed must be next year. Do you agree with me Jez for Contraband?
Jez Corden: Yeah, the docs were talking about 2022.
State of Decay 3 and Project Mara for 2024?
The exchange continues around other titles such as State of Decay 3. The production of the Undead Labs teams has been quiet since a 2020 concept trailer. Recently, Phil Spencer cited the game as his “most anticipated title” at the microphone of XboxEra. According to Corden, we could have a surprise, but he prefers to remain cautious by maintaining his forecast for 2024. To justify it, he evokes The Outer Worlds 2 of which he has already been able to see gameplay, which is not the case with the first one. Concerning the other production of Ninja Theory, he estimates that it will arrive after Hellblade 2 in 2023. If these elements are to be believed, this leaves for their Starfield as the only known major title for the 2022 line-up. Barring a surprise, Microsoft would be betting big on Bethesda Game Studios’ production for the end of the year. We will see if the strategy will pay off or not.