Xbox doesn’t have a big 2022 game, but does it matter?

polygon.com:

By almost any measure, Microsoft put on a very strong showing at yesterday’s Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase.

A huge quantity and variety of games was shown, the majority of them coming to Game Pass on day one, and a good many boasting some form of Xbox console exclusivity. The big first-party Xbox Game Studios titles looked persuasive: Redfall, Forza Motorsport, and above all, Starfield — the jewel in the crown of Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda, and a super-production with the kind of immense scope traditionally reserved for a multiplatform release.

The partnerships on display were canny and broad, from the headline-grabbing scoop of a Hideo Kojima project, through cred-boosting signings like indie darling Hollow Knight: Silksong and the much-loved Persona series, to a novel strategic alliance with competitive gaming behemoth Riot Games, which will bring in-game benefits in League of Legends and its other titles to Game Pass subscribers.

Meanwhile, the inclusion of Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 — despite these games boasting no form of Xbox exclusivity or Game Pass benefit — served as a sneak preview of the sheer production and franchise might that Microsoft will possess if its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard goes through.

Finally, the stated focus on games that will be released in the next 12 months, and the high volume of actual gameplay footage, made the promise of the show feel tangible and credible. There was no vaporware. These were all games that we will actually be playing, and soon.

There was just one problem: The biggest of them will not be released in 2022.

The recent delay of Starfield and Redfall into next year had left the Forza reboot as the only hope for a major 2022 Xbox