As we covered earlier today, Phil Spencer discussed Xbox Play Anywhere with Xbox Live’s Larry Hryb and mentioned the game roster for 2017 thus far being less focused on huge core franchises like first-person Halo and Gears of War and more on third-party and exclusive titles. Earlier Friday morning, however, Spencer posted on Xbox Wire regarding the outlook of Xbox gaming for 2017.
He took time to address the Halo Wars 2 launch taking place this weekend, and Monday for non-Ultimate Edition owners, as well as some of the great games taking advantage of Xbox Play Anywhere technologies. “Our studio partners at Rare, Undead Labs, and Sumo Digital / Reagent Games are working hard to develop exclusive Xbox One and Windows games this year, from new IP like Sea Of Thieves to all-new chapters of fan-favorite franchises like State of Decay 2 and Crackdown 3,” Spencer wrote. Sea Of Thieves is currently privately testing technical alpha builds, and Spencer notes that “both State of Decay 2 and Crackdown 3 are looking and playing great.”
Spencer transitions to discuss already-existing titles being brought into modern gamer’s lives with Phantom Dust and Voodoo Vince. He writes, “I’m also excited about the retunr of two original Xbox classics coming to Xbox One and Windows 10 this spring- Phantom Dust and Voodoo Vince.” According to Spencer, Phantom Dust‘s remake will feature cross-play, Xbox Play Anywhere capabilities, as well as game rebalancing and frame rate improvements. Also according to Spencer, Voodoo Vince: Remastered will launch on Windows 10 and Xbox with Xbox Play Anywhere, as well as on Steam for more traditional PC gamers. The remaster is reportedly going to feature “high-fidelity visuals […] along with the classic gameplay and brilliant soundtrack fans know and love.”
While we know how more major projects like those are going, Spencer takes a bit of time to discuss the games coming from the ID@Xbox program, where Indie developers can publish on Xbox easier than in the past. Specifically, Spencer mentions the delayed title Cuphead which is slated to come to both Xbox One and Windows 10, as well as Below, Thimblewood Park, Ark: Survival Evolved, and We Happy Few. Spencer notes that there are more games coming as part of the ID@Xbox initiative program this year, but doesn’t provide specific titles.
Spencer rounds out the post Xbox One Backwards Compatibility and upcoming third-party projects. “We’ve delivered top fan favorites like Grand Theft Auto IV, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and the BioShock and Mass Effect trilogies to our catalog in recent months, and we’ll continue adding more games throughout the year,” Spencer writes. From third-party developers, Xbox owners can also expect Mass Effect: Andromeda, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, South Park: The Fractured but Whole, TEKKEN 7, Prey, as well as Injustice 2. From Spencer’s description, and many gamer’s perspective, 2017 looks to be an amazing year if you’re a fan of first-party titles, third-party staples, or just prefer a little Indie from time to time. To get the latest on all of these upcoming games, be sure to stay tuned to Rectify Gaming.
Source: Xbox Wire