Well-known Microsoft insider Paul Thurrott revealed in a tweet that the Xbox company will hold a ‘What’s New for Gaming’ event on March 23.
Microsoft apparently holds a “new to the game” event on March 23.
Followed by a “new to Windows” event! No date yet.
– Paul Thurrott (@thurrott) 26 February 2021
Thurrott did not really follow up on information on what kind of announcements could be made at this event. However, it is in line with rumors from Jeff Grubb that Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda could be revealed (unless this lawsuit prevents it) with a major event taking place in the latter half of March.
In addition to the Bethesda news, here’s a summary of what Microsoft has going on in the Xbox Game Studios and may appear during this upcoming event.
| Studio | Well-known projects |
| 343 Industries | Work hard to deliver Halo Infinite this fall. |
| The coalition | They helped with Gears Tactics last year. Still, a new Gears game should probably only appear in late 2022. |
| Compulsion Games | We Happy Few was released in 2018. Their next game (In a Brand New World / IP) was teased a few months ago by Phil Spencer, who named it as one of the most exciting titles from Xbox Game Studios. |
| Double fine Productions | It has been confirmed that Psychonauts 2 is available this year. However, we have not yet heard of a concrete release date. |
| The initiative | As announced in early December, Perfect Dark is again in the pipeline. It’s probably too early to tell. |
| inXile Entertainment | They released Wasteland 3 not too long ago, though some DLC would be available this year. The developers are also already working on two new RPG projects. |
| Mojang Studios | They have just released a new DLC for Minecraft Dungeons. |
| Ninja theory | The developer recently unveiled a bit of Project Mara. However, it’s been a while since Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II was seen. |
| Obsidian Entertainment | Complete DLC for The Outer Worlds while working on Avowed (which still seems far away anyway). |
| Playground Games | There are rumors that they are working on Forza Horizon 5, which could start later this year. Also working on the Fable reload announced in July 2020. |
| Rare | In addition to the continued support of Sea of Thieves, Rare Everwild develops, although seven months ago they apparently still ‘played ideas about games’. |
| Run 10 studios | The development of a new Forza Motorsport game that returns to the franchise’s roots. |
| Undead Labs | State of Decay 3 was in ‘early pre-production’ from July 2020. |
| World’s edge | Following the release of Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, all eyes are now on Age of Empires IV, which has been in a ‘fully playable state’ since December 2020. |