We all know that Microsoft have a new Xbox on the way in some form or other but can we speculate what developers have in mind. The main developers and publishers clearly know Microsoft's got another Xbox on the way from Tweets and their regular slips of the tongue. For the moment, though, all lips are sealed.
Of course the Xbox 360 remains immensely profitable, more profitable this year than any other, but the second a successor takes shape, you can look forward to a nose-dive in units sold. This is of course the reason for caution - lodging one foot in the door marked ‘tomorrow’ is sensible, but you don’t shoot an old horse if it’s still making you money.
The very earliest I expect we will hear of the next Xbox is during 2012 as the unconfirmed but highly mentioned release date is early 2013. I wouldn’t be surprised though if Microsoft decided to either bring this forward to Christmas 2012 or drop it back to Christmas 2013. We all know stock sells better in the run up to Christmas and its almost guaranteed to support the launch in a constructive manner. The other matter to think about is the fact that the Wii U will be launched at some point in 2012 and holding off for this to run its initial course will only help sales too. The Playstation 4 meanwhile probably won’t be released anytime soon as the Vita is on its way and the PS3 bill is still being paid off.
Even if the specifications for the next Xbox are a mystery it is possible to make educated decisions about what games will appear after release. You can confidently expect a Fifa, PES and the standard yearly sports titles as well as the obvious additions of Call of Duty and some sort of movie tie in to hug the newly launched console a’la King Kong. Either way I expect the following to fall onto the next Xbox some time shortly after its release.
Homefront 2
This was recently announced for a 2014 release as part of THQ line-up for that year and should run on the new CryEngine. Obviously this already looks a bit uncomfortable on current hardware so the leap to the next generation is a no-brainer.
Alien’s – The Game
The small Horsham based developer had a few interviews shortly after the announcement of their new game in which their studio director noted “we're as aware as anybody of what's coming in next generation consoles" when he was asked about the platforms this will be available on. Sounds like a good bet to me.
Halo 5
This one's an easy choice. Microsoft announced a new Halo trilogy at E3, and we somehow doubt there's time to fit them all onto Xbox 360. We've had firm confirmation that Halo 4 won't slide, but Master Chief's fifth outing is almost certainly a next generation game that might even hit during the initial release period to boost sales.
Milo & Kate
The Project Natal turned Kinect no-shower Milo & Kate is a bit of a mystery. Most have outwardly dismissed its release due to the ethical tensions that arise by manipulating a child with hand gestures while others see a different path. We all know that Kinect still has a few kinks and this last year could be being used as a bedding in period before we see a better version released with the new console. Hopefully this will also allow Milo & Kate a release too.
Assassin's Creed 3
Ubisoft have been one of the most outspoken developers and have publically asked Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo to get on with their next generation plans. The thing is they are still very shifty when being asked about Assassins Creed 3. Could this be a hint at the future for the franchise? Maybe Microsoft have already booked this as a next generation game and the developer just wants to finally get the chance to release it.
Red Dead Redemption 2
I would have been tempted to put GTA V here until a few months ago but that now seems like a certainty for the Xbox 360. What we can’t however confirm is whether Rockstar will complete a sequel to the worldwide success, Red Dead Redemption. If they do decide to make a sequel then why wouldn’t they push this back to the next generation; GTA V will certainly see most people through to the end of the current consoles lifecycle anyway.
Gears of War 4
EPIC have stayed strangely tight lipped on both the topic of next generation and about the inevitable forth instalment in the Gears of War franchise. Gears of War 4 could serve as Unreal 4’s secret weapon when the next generation of consoles finally arrive. This was exactly what EPIC did with the Unreal Engine 3 when they debuted the original Gears of War back in 2006.
Samaritan
Following on from Gears I can also see the chance of the Samaritan game finally getting made. We know that the robot trailer was a marvellous accomplishment when it was deployed at the GDC show; not even EPIC could foresee the rapturous fan feedback for the game itself. We know they have confirmed that this cinematic was just to show off what an upgraded Unreal Engine can do but it did look rather nice. I’m one man certainly hoping for EPIC to change their mind.
What games would you like to see hit our consoles next generation and are there any that you think would be helped by the leap over?
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