Now we are just a few days away from 2023 and with that comes another round of our classic competition Sia game year, which I start in January. In the gaming world, a year is often almost unfathomably long and what was a given at the beginning of the year is laughably stupid by the end, studios have changed hands, hardware has been released and new trends have put things on hold.
With this in mind, it is of course insane to try to concretely predict the year of the game, because it inevitably means that you will get a lot of errors. But… screw it, save this article for the end of 2023 and you’ll laugh at me then, here are things in five categories (from most to least likely) for each console that I think will happen – or not happen – during the next year. Happy New Year everyone.
Microsoft
I firmly believe that – 2023 will be the best Xbox year ever. Unfortunately, part of the explanation for this is that 20222 was one of the weakest instead, but now it’s about looking ahead. The idea was that both Redfall and Starfield would have been released by now, possibly Forza Motorsport as well. But it didn’t happen that way and these three titles are now planned to be released in the first half of 2023. But of course there have been other games that were planned for 2023. Some of these will probably be moved up to 2024, but at least two heavyweights we should be able to get in the year beyond the three mentioned above. Some reasonable guesses are Everwild, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II and State of Decay 3. In addition to this, Game Pass will also be better than ever as all of this is added, as well as potentially a bunch of Activision Blizzard titles such as Diablo IV.
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It still seems reasonable – Sony has indeed argued as much as they ever could and investigations and other procedures have been initiated, but sometime in time for the summer, Microsoft expects to be the sole owner of Activision Blizzard and thus become approximately twice the size they are today at stake and have control over some of the gaming world’s strongest brands. I think the deal will go through, after all.
Can actually happen – Now, while I do think RPG-loving Xbox fans will be more than happy with Starfield in 2023 (although I’m still guessing it’ll miss the launch for the first six months of the year), I still think there’s one more project coming out then. Fable, you might think, but I’m actually more into Avowed. Obsidian Entertainment are skilled developers who usually meet deadlines, and I think there is still a decent chance that they will deliver goodies to everyone who loves a little more traditional fantasy adventures in the form of Avowed, which was announced over two years ago.
Unlikely but possible – Microsoft announced that they had the Xbox One X (then called Scorpio) in the works three years after the Xbox One was released, launching it four years after the original. While I absolutely believe that Microsoft is filing for an upgrade of existing consoles as well, I don’t believe in a 2023 announcement. The Xbox Series X is still often described as the most powerful console right now, and the Xbox Series S is selling like hotcakes. I think they think they have a nice mix, and if something were to happen to the hardware, I think they’ll shrink the Xbox Series S even more and make it marginally better (like the differences between the Xbox One and the Xbox One S), but some major overhaul I think I don’t, although it’s not impossible.
Incredible long shot – Twelve years after the launch of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and five years after the announcement of The Elder Scrolls VI, one might think it’s time to at least show off the latter. And Bethesda will of course do that, but certainly not in the next year when they also launch Starfield. It’s just a matter of waiting further.
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Nintendo
I firmly believe this – It’s one of the strangest stories in a long time. As a result of Russia’s senseless war against Ukraine, Nintendo chose not to release Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, which as you know has a war theme. However, the game is completely finished and actually happened to be released via the Eshop, whereupon people downloaded it. Next year, I’m pretty sure that’s the time, though, so we finally get to return to the Advance Wars universe again.
It still seems reasonable – In 2023, it’s been six years since Nintendo announced a new Mario game. Apart from a remaster of Super Mario 3D World with a little extra fluff, we haven’t got anything at all. But with a Mario movie around the corner and the US amusement park opening soon, it should probably be time for more Mario. I’m betting on a brand new adventure that will still feel a bit more budget than we might have hoped for, and that the reason is that they have new hardware around the corner.
Can actually happen – It’s now been a few years since Retro Studios got back in charge of Samus Aran’s next adventure, so technically it’s unannounced, although we haven’t seen a peep from it. I doubt the game will be released next year (I imagine Nintendo wants this for both the Switch and its next console), but I rate the chance as decent that we’ll finally see it. If I were to guess, it will take place during The Game Awards 2023.
Unlikely but possible – At some point during the fall, I can definitely imagine Nintendo announcing its next console, which will thus take over from the Switch, which is, after all, over six years old at the time. Those who might consider buying the Switch next Christmas and thus do not yet have the console are probably the audience who are still not hanging on to buy new hardware and therefore lose marginally with sales that way. After that, they can release the console in the spring of 2024 and be the big talking point during the fall and winter, even though they don’t actually release any games, but save money.
Incredible long shot – Is it perhaps time for a new desktop F-Zero next year? Considering fan demand, the answer is a resounding yes, and it’s also the 20th anniversary of F-Zero GX. But at the same time… I could have guessed this 19 years in a row without getting it right and despite everything, I don’t think it’s time next year either. Just forget this series.
Sony
I firmly believe this – As you know, it has been widely rumored that Sony is working on a new version of the Playstation 5 that will replace both current models by having a removable disc reader. Sony has traditionally made major hardware revisions during its third year with a new console, usually with so-called slim variants, but also with the Playstation 4 Pro. However, I don’t think there will be a big performance change in 2023, Playstation 5 has sold slower than Playstation 4 and the generation has really started slowly due to the pandemic and I think therefore this is a little further ahead. However, I am convinced that a new model of the console is on the way and that it will have a partially different design and will be noticeably smaller.
It still seems reasonable – You could imagine that the price tag of between SEK 7,500-8,000 PSVR2 would seem a deterrent, and it probably is for many people. But far from for everyone, even in times of rickety economics. I’m reasonably confident that PSVR2 has a bright future ahead of it and Sony has put many of its developers into making games for the system, and that this has the potential to be a huge talking point throughout the year thanks to some cool technology.
Can actually happen – Sony is making an incredible investment in The Last of Us right now, and we will notice this a lot over the next year. Partly, as you know, the TV series comes in January, and partly The Last of Us: Part I comes to PC in March. Additionally, Naughty Dog is working on a multiplayer game based on the universe. In addition to this, I also believe the rumors that say that The Last of Us: Part II is on its way to PC in an updated version – which in any case will also come to Playstation 5. In short, I see it as a realistic scenario with no less than four The Last of Us releases in 2023.
Unlikely but possible – Sony has been suffering for a year with declining user numbers for Playstation Plus. Admittedly, they get paid more by those who remain, but the fact that the number of subscribers is decreasing at the same time as the number of Playstation users is increasing is not a dream come true. Thanks to this, there’s still a small, small possibility that Sony will start experimenting with adding brand new games to its subscription service from day one, despite previously saying that’s not the case. A reasonable guess is that it will in any case apply to titles with a multiplayer focus rather than single player. The latter would have been something that could just as well have belonged in the category below.
Incredible long shot – Although many considered the PSP something of a flop when it launched, it’s the best-selling portable gaming device ever that doesn’t have Nintendo written on it. It was simply that the Nintendo DS sold an awful lot better, not that the PSP sold poorly. With the PS Vita, things went worse and since then Sony’s portable dreams have lain dormant. But today there are loads of portable gaming devices that run streamed titles and Sony has its own cloud service in the works for just streamed games, and surely it would have been fun if we could once again get a portable Playstation?
