Good games are the ones that ultimately sell consoles, so at Microsoft they have been working for quite some time on developing their own titles with which to strengthen the trust of their community and enlarge it with the incorporation of new users who trust the ecosystem. For this reason, he was born Xbox Game Studios.
What is Xbox Game Studios?
The concept will surely sound familiar to you before, and that is that PlayStation did exactly the same with PlayStation Studios. The idea is to gather development teams to work privately on games that will only be released for one platform. In this way, they focus their efforts on a single console, receive financing from the mother company and achieve the maximum possible impact as it is a game created at home.
Microsoft's interest in video games was born many years ago, and games like Minesweeper o Lonely They marked the spare time of millions of users around the world. Because yes, those two were games that marked an era, but it wasn't until years later when Age of Empires hit the market in 1997 thanks to the work of Ensemble Studios, which was bought by Redmond in 2001.
But a year before, the giant would formalize the purchase of Bungie and Digital Anvil, the first being a fundamental piece for the launch of Microsoft's first console, since they would be in charge of bringing the mythical Halo: Combat Evolved to life. These movements were the beginning of everything, and after several name changes, going from Microsoft Games Group to Microsoft Game Studios, and later to Microsoft Studios, finally in 2019 Phil Spencer announced the creation of what we now know as Xbox Game Studios.
What studios make up the group?
This continuous market for the purchase of development studios has reached a total of 15 different development teams to date, which we are going to list below:
343 Industries
Facing the launch of Xbox Series X, 343 Industries has a very important role, and that is that they are in charge of bringing Halo Infinite to life. The new installment of the Master Chief will be the cornerstone of the next generation project, so Microsoft has high hopes for the work of this study.
World's Edge
Responsible for the Age of Empires saga (Ensemble Studios closed and Microsoft kept the rights), they recently completed the definitive versions of Age of Empires and Age of Empires II, including new textures and 4K resolution. To this day they are working on Age of Empires IV, about which not much is known since its last trailer presented.
The Coalition
What a few years ago was Microsoft Vancouver, now publishes under the name of The Coalition, and all the jewels related to Gears of War since Microsoft bought the license from Epic Games. At the moment nothing is known about what projects they are preparing for Xbox Series X, so a new Gears of War for Xbox Series X it would be something that many would be waiting for.
Compulsion Games
Characterized by their Art Deco aesthetics, the games from Compulsion Games are Contrast y We Happy Few, so we are facing another study that for now has not shown its cards for the new generation.
Double Fine
Since Tim Schafer founded Double Fine Productions in the year 2000, the company has been releasing games with the help of crowdfunding campaigns, something they also resorted to when presenting their next big project: Psychonauts 2. This game will not be Xbox exclusive, so it will also come to PC and PS4.
Xbox Game Studios Publishing
The case of Xbox Games Studios Publishing is quite special, since it is a department in charge of helping other second party or third party studios by offering investments with which to complete developments. This is where games like Ryse: Son of Rome, Ori and the Blind forest, Quantum Break, Ori And the Will of the Wisp and the futures Microsoft Flight Simulator, Tell my Why, CrosfireX y The Dusk Falls.
The Initiative
Located in Santa Monica, California, this new development studio will bring new franchises to Xbox with the help of an army of programmers from studios like Sony Santa Monica, Crystal Dynamics, Rockstar, Naugty Dogs and other studios, so the jobs they coming out of here could be quite important. Everything is kept under wraps, so we'll see what they surprise us with.
Inxile Entertainment
keepers of the saga Wastelands, the study remains focused on preparing the launch of Wasteland 3 for August 20, so it is not known exactly what medium or long-term project they have in mind for the arrival of the next generation of consoles.
Mojang Studios
Mojang stands for Minecraft. Since Microsoft bought the studio, the game has received countless improvements and new versions for all kinds of platforms, and Xbox Series X is expected to enjoy graphic improvements to see the blocks with greater details and light effects than ever before.
Ninja Theory
After the launch of Bleeding Edge, the closest project we will see for Xbox Series X is the launch of Senua's saga: Hellblade IIHowever, in the chamber there is also another work that responds to the name of Project Mara, and which promises to enjoy a mental horror game based on hyper-realistic graphics.
Obsidian
After the launch of The Outer Worlds, Obsidian is working twice on two games that will give a lot to talk about. On the one hand we have the fun and childish Grounded, a cooperative survival adventure that will put us in the shoes of tiny children who will have to survive the dangers of a garden full of insects and large dangers.
On the other hand, the beginning of the development of Avowed, a fantastic RPG that is said to have a larger map than Skyrim and that is expected by fans of the genre.
Playground Games
Until now, Playground Games had focused on creating the spinoff of Forza Motorsport, Forza Horizon, a move that had done quite well by introducing more fun and arcade driving separate from the extreme simulation of the original game. But in the studio they are already focused on another very important project, and it is none other than the return of Fable Little else is known beyond the confirmation itself, so we will continue to wait for new information.
Rare
It was one of Microsoft's most probing purchases, since after acquiring a 51% stake, Nintendo decided to get rid of its part and sell Redmond the 49% it owned. With this purchase, they acquired the rights to games as Battletoads, Banjo Kazooie, Perfect Dark y Killer Instinct, later giving life to games like Sea of ​​Thieves. They are currently working on Everwild, a third-person fantasy game with an aesthetic that has caught the attention of the public.
Turn10
As on every platform, car games could not be missing, and that is where Turn10 comes into play. This study is in charge of giving life to the saga Forza Motorsport, and for Xbox Series X they are developing the next installment, which will probably arrive in 2021.
Undead Labs
As its name suggests, the work of this studio is focused on the undead. Your work is State of Decay, an open world survival game that is already preparing its third installment. At the moment the game is in development, so we will have to wait until at least 2021 to see it working.