Xbox exclusives we hope to hear about in 2024
Outer worlds 2
It was almost exactly three years ago that The Outer Worlds 2 was announced at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase. The first thing to mention is how great this announcement trailer was. Sticking with The Outer Worlds’ sense of humor, it was happily true to the fact that nothing was actually finished in the game yet. Frame by frame, the narrator mentioned what they add to make the trailer impressive: “All of a sudden, and for no reason, people are running away. These no-nonsense, slow-motion shots make everything look cool and should boost the pre-sales numbers.” It was a great trailer that was very honest about The Outer Worlds still being in its early stages: “Now we see our hero, but only his silhouette because the developers haven’t finished the design or finished the story. or have completed any game that is actually ready to show. In fact, the only thing they’ve finished is the title.” That title is, of course, The Outer Worlds 2, which really does a good job of what this game is.
Obsidian is also working on Avowed, which we saw a lot more of during the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase, with new gameplay information and trailers. With Avowed expected to launch this year, it makes sense that Obsidian would already have their hands full. However, that announcement trailer for The Outer Worlds 2 was three years ago, so perhaps we can still hope to hear some sort of update on that front this year — though it’s again, “the only thing they’ve finished is the title.” If it comes with another great trailer like the first one, it would be more than enough for now.
Everwild
This was one of my Xbox Games Showcase 2024 predictions that definitely didn’t pan out. I feel like I’ve written a lot about this game since it hasn’t been updated in a while, but I can’t help but hold out hope that I’ll see Everwild at every Xbox event, simply because it looked so good when it was. announced (and in the few glimpses we’ve seen since).
On the one hand, it seemed possible that Everwild could make an appearance at the Xbox Showcase simply because so many years had passed since the X019 announcement. On the other hand, we’ve had radio silence on Everwild ever since. A 2021 report suggested Everwild was aiming for a 2024 release after being “rebooted from scratch,” but the only official word we had on Rare’s new IP was when the Everwild team noted last year that they wanted “warm. .. for our year ahead.” All that said, some sign of life from the wonderful Everwild this year would be very welcome, though I also wouldn’t say no to some definitive information on what this game will actually be like. It looks incredible beautiful, but how will it play We know we will be playing as an Eternal, empowered by a mystical connection to nature, but what’s the story there, Everwild, when could we see the window?
Contraband
Contraband was another surprise reveal from the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2021. As with The Outer Worlds 2, the announcement didn’t tell us much, but what it did share was enough to make us eagerly anticipate more about the game. Contraband is an open-world action-adventure game from Avalanche Studios and a “co-op smuggler’s paradise set in the fictional world of 1970s Bayan”. Its announcement trailer actually felt a bit like the reveal of the next Indiana Jones game. The two didn’t reveal their protagonists, but displayed tables full of maps and adventure gear, the contraband apparently aimed more at smuggling: maps, escape routes, and hints of a plan for the “Sun River job.”
It’s hard to tell from this announcement alone how far along Contraband’s development might be, but with three years between us and the first reveal, we’re hoping to see more Contraband news soon.
ark 2
Ark 2 is much more firmly on the Xbox horizon, with a current release date set for late 2024 (it was initially slated for 2023). “Late 2024” is looking a lot closer now that we’re this side of the Xbox Games Showcase, and after a few trailers showing Vin Diesel doing a good job managing his dinosaur-filled world, we’re hoping to see more from Studio Wildcard. on what to expect from Ark 2 this year. We already know quite a bit – check out our roundup of everything we know about Ark 2 for more!
Those are just a few of the Xbox exclusives on the horizon that we hope to hear more about this year. There are plenty more on the list, but most are either too far out or already have release dates or windows. For example, there’s OD, but Hideo Kojima only teased OD as an upcoming horror game for Xbox late last year, and given how long we’ve had to wait to know anything for sure about what’s going on in Death Stranding, it’s hard say when we might see more about this particular project. Then there’s Clockwork Revolution, which was also announced just last year. inXile clarified at the time that the steampunk first-person action RPG was still “early in development,” so it will likely be a while before we hear more about it.
Then there’s Ninja Theory’s Mara project, announced as a “representation of mental terror” in 2020, which we’ve barely seen since. Of course, Ninja Theory has been busy with the excellent Hellblade 2 that’s out now (Sean loved it in his Hellblade 2 review), but even if that means more focus on Project Mara, it looks like it’s still a long way off. Another mysterious project is Project Maverick, which was again announced only last year. Then we have the giant from The Elder Scrolls VI, who only seems to be mentioned in regards to how far away he is.
Things are looking very up on the Xbox exclusives front, though. That Xbox Games Showcase was excellent (in fact, Sean reckons it only missed one thing) and we’ve still got the likes of Gamescom on the way, so we’ll be on the lookout for some exclusive news. Which of them do you expect to hear from this year?