Microsoft officially announced Xbox Project Scarlett during its E3 2019 keynote conference. It’s real, and it’s coming.
Faster and capable of more advanced graphics than its predecessors, the next-generation hardware promises to be the most powerful games console (or perhaps consoles) in the world when it launches late in 2020 – even more so than the PS5, which is expected to hit shelves around the same time.
Microsoft has been slow to announce exclusive launch titles for the console given its release is still a while off but it has been more forthcoming with its plans for backwards compatibility and cross-generational potential.
Similarly, release confirmations and suggestions from third party developers are only now beginning to trickle out. But these announcements are still coming and it’s essential if you’re thinking about signing up for Xbox in the next generation then you’ll want to keep track of what titles you might be playing.
So without further ado, we’ve gathered together this handy guide to all the Xbox Project Scarlett games Microsoft has confirmed – and some that we expect to see.
Confirmed Xbox Scarlett titles
Halo Infinite
Halo Infinite is currently the only title that Microsoft has actually confirmed for Xbox Project Scarlett – so we definitely know Master Chief is making the jump to the next-generation console.
Not only that, but Halo Infinite will be a launch title for Project Scarlett, releasing in Holiday 2020 alongside the console (or consoles). It’s not particularly a surprise, considering Master Chief has served as the face of Xbox for nearly 18 years…
Gods and Monsters
Just like Watch Dogs Legion, Gods and Monsters is another title from Ubisoft announced for Xbox at E3 2019 that’s been delayed from its original early 2020 release into the next financial year.
Knowing now that we could see Gods and Monsters released any time between April 2020 and March 2021, we’ve long thought it’s likely that the title will make an appearance on the Xbox Project Scarlett platform.
This has now been officially confirmed. Along with Rainbow Six Quarantine and Wathdogs: Legion, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has said it will be coming to the next-gen platform.
Rainbow Six Quarantine
Rainbow Six Quarantine was first confirmed during Ubisoft’s E3 2019 press conference. It was never given a solid release date but it has since been delayed into the 2020-2021 financial year.
So, while we still don’t know a release date, this delay has pushed the game closer to the Xbox Project Scarlett launch and increases the likelihood we’ll see it playable on the next generation of consoles. Of course this has now been officially confirmed by Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot in an earnings call to investors in November, 2019.
Watchdogs: Legion
First announced at E3 2019, Watch Dogs Legion was initially confirmed for a March 2020 release. However, since then Ubisoft has confirmed that the game will now be delayed into the next financial year which runs from April 2020 to March April 2021, meaning Watch Dogs Legion could see a delay of as little as a month or up to a year.
This delay does, however, make it more likely than ever that Watch Dogs Legion will launch for Xbox Project Scarlett as a cross-generation title. Which has now been officially confirmed by Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot in an earnings call to investors in November, 2019. Watchdogs: Legion will be joining Rainbow Six Quarantine and Gods and Monsters on the next-gen platform.
Suspected Xbox Scarlett titles
Everwild
A surprise announcement during XO19 was Rare’s next original title: Everwild. This game is still in the very early stages of its development and there’s no release date just yet. This certainly suggests that the game could be a cross-generational title, launching on Scarlett and Xbox One as an exclusive.
We don’t know much about Everwild just yet but Rare has said that it will “give you memorable, engaging and meaningful experiences for players everywhere to share.”
Cyberpunk 2077
CD Projekt Red has been reticent to say whether or not its upcoming title will be releasing on the next generation of consoles.
In an interview with VG247 last year, CD Projekt Red revealed that Cyberpunk 2077 will be able to work with future gaming technology.
“Next gen hasn’t been announced yet, so we can only speculate,” CD Projekt Red president Adam Kiciński explained. “Technology-wise, Cyberpunk is very advanced. Our technology is ready to interface with future generations.
“The game is developed in such a way that it can use very powerful future equipment.”
However, since this time the developer has admitted (via GameSpot) that while the possibility of a Project Scarlett release is being explored it’s not in its “area of interest right now”. Instead, the studio wants to focus on what it’s doing right at this moment, rather than look too far ahead and lose sight of what’s important: launching the game well.
This is perhaps unsurprising as Cyberpunk 2077 is due for release in April 2020 and Xbox Project Scarlett is not due to launch until late 2020. If the game did launch on Project Scarlett it’d be a cross-generational title. At the moment though, as far as CD Projekt Red is concerned, this is still only a “maybe.”
Starfield
Bethesda has quite a lot of projects in the works, but the one we seem to know the least about is Starfield. All we know so far is that Starfield is the gaming behemoth’s first new IP in 25 years and will be a single player RPG set in outer space.
Having only seen an announcement trailer, we don’t expect Starfield to release until at least 2020 which means it will land in the prime window to become an Xbox Project Scarlett game. Bethesda hasn’t let slip if this will be the case, but it seems likely we will be venturing into Bethesda’s galaxy on next-generation consoles.
As we said, Bethesda has been pretty busy behind the scenes since E3 2018. Not only is Starfield on the cards, but the long-awaited Elder Scrolls 6 has also been confirmed to be in the works.
Bethesda’s Todd Howard has already stated that The Elder Scrolls 6 won’t be coming out until after Starfield. So it’ll be a while before we venture into Tamriel again, likely on next-generation consoles.
Grand Theft Auto 6
Ok, yes, we are being a bit hopeful here – mainly because Grand Theft Auto 6 has not been announced by Rockstar Games. But it’s almost guaranteed that we will see a new instalation in the Grand Theft Auto series, and it’s not going to be for a while.
Therefore, it is likely that a release date will fall into the next generation, making GTA 6 a Project Scarlett game.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Again, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake has not been confirmed to be an Xbox Project Scarlett game but Square Enix has confirmed the title will come to PS4 first – with an Xbox One and PC release likely in the future .
Given the age of the Xbox One, and the ambitious nature of the game – it’s coming in multiple episodes across a multi-year release schedule – a cross-generation title with next-gen platforms isn’t out of the question. So we’re definitely hoping to see the Final Fantasy 7 Remake on Xbox Project Scarlett.
Battlefield 6
Electronic Arts has confirmed that Battlefield 6 is on the way, and that it’s coming to next-generation consoles.
EA didn’t confirm which consoles (so we will keep Battlefield 6 in the rumored section for not) but, regardless, it’ll be a few years before we see the shooter on any next-gen consoles as the publisher wants to give the platforms time to build a strong player base. But a Xbox Project Scarlett looks very likely.
