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Microsoft has been investing heavily in first-party development for Xbox Series X, and the Xbox Game Studios list continues to grow as a result.
Through investment and acquisitions, Xbox Game Studios is now an enviable force in the industry. There are more upcoming Xbox Series X games in development than ever before – something that is unlikely to change anytime soon, particularly with Microsoft Gaming on the precipice of purchasing Activision Blizzard.
While the $70 billion acquisition is yet to be finalised, there are still 23 of the industry’s leading game developers creating new Xbox exclusive games – each of which will be available in Xbox Game Pass from its day of release.
Below you will find the full Xbox Game Studios list, a breakdown of what each developer is famous for, and some insight into what they are working on next.
Xbox Game Studios list
Every Microsoft-owned, first-party studio and what they are working on:
- 343 Industries
- Alpha Dog Games
- Arkane Studios
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Bethesda Softworks
- Compulsion Games
- Double Fine Productions
- id Software
- Inxile Entertainment
- MachineGames
- Mojang Studios
- Ninja Theory
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Playground Games
- Rare
- Roundhouse Studios
- Tango Gameworks
- The Coalition
- The Initiative
- Turn 10 Studios
- Undead Labs
- World’s Edge
- Xbox Games Studios Publishing
- ZeniMax Online
343 Industries
- Notable releases: Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox One, 2015), Halo Infinite (Xbox Series X, 2021)
- Working on: Halo Infinite (live service)
- Founded in: 2007
343 Industries has stewardship over the Halo franchise. The studio most recently released Halo Infinite on 15 November, 2021 for Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC. The studio is set to continue working on Halo Infinite for the next decade, expanding Master Chief’s journey on Zeta Halo with campaign expansions, and continuing to maintain the Halo Infinite multiplayer live service experience with additional seasons of content.
Alpha Dog Games
- Notable releases: Wraithborne (iOS, 2012), MonstroCity Rampage (iOS, 2017)
- Working on: TBC
- Acquired in: 2021
Alpha Dog Games is a mobile-focused developer that was actually acquired by Bethesda in late 2019 to support the publisher’s growing interest in the iOS and Android market. Given Microsoft’s investment in mobile and cloud gaming, it’s likely that Alpha Dog will continue working behind the scenes on the initiative.
Arkane Studios
- Notable releases: Dishonored (Multi, 2012), Prey (Multi, 2017)
- Working on: Redfall (Xbox Series X, 2023), Deathloop (Xbox Series X, TBC)
- Acquired in: 2021
Arkane Studios is known for building complex immersive sims, experiences that weave a reactive sense of choice and consequence right through the action. Arkane most recently released Deathloop as a timed-exclusive on PS5, and the studio is thought to be working on an Xbox Series X port now. Arkane is also developing Redfall, a co-op shooter which’ll let you and your friends hunt vampires across a sprawling open world – it’s expected to launch early 2023.
Bethesda Game Studios
- Notable releases: Fallout 3 (Multi, 2008), The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim (Multi, 2011)
- Working on: Starfield (Xbox Series X, 2023), The Elder Scrolls 6 (TBC)
- Acquired in: 2021
By acquiring Bethesda Game Studios, Microsoft has added one of the most successful and influential outfits in the industry to its arsenal. This is the studio responsible for overseeing the Fallout and The Elder Scrolls franchises, although it also has a brand new IP in the works called Starfield. Starfield is a sci-fi RPG that is expected to launch in early 2023.
Bethesda Softworks
- Notable releases: N/A
- Working on: N/A
- Acquired in: 2021
Microsoft didn’t just acquire eight development studios, it also brought ZeniMax Media’s publishing wing into the fold too. That means that ‘Bethesda’ as you traditionally know it will continue to exist, with Microsoft allowing it to work semi-autonomously where it will continue to publish the games that are born from its portfolio of partners.
Compulsion Games
- Notable releases: Contrast (Multi, 2013), We Happy Few (Multi, 2018)
- Working on: TBC
- Acquired in: 2018
Compulsion Games has only released two games since its formation in 2009, Contrast and We Happy Few, which are polar opposites in terms or theme and genre, although they are connected by a shared value: an undeniable sense of style. Compulsion Games is yet to reveal what it is working on now.
Double Fine Productions
- Notable releases: Brutal Legend (PS3/Xbox 360, 2009), Psychonauts 2 (Multi, 2021)
- Working on: TBC
- Acquired in: 2019
Double Fine Productions creates cult-classics. Ever since its formation in 2000, Double Fine has always made games its own way, with an unwavering desire to provide windows into weird and wonderful worlds. Double Fine released Psychonauts 2 to rave reviews in 2021, and the studio is yet to announce what it is currently working on.
id Software
- Notable releases: Doom (Multi, 2016), Doom Eternal (Multi, 2020)
- Working on: TBC
- Acquired in: 2020
They don’t come more legendary than id Software. This is the studio that essentially created the first-person shooter with Wolfenstein 3D in 1992, Doom in 1993, and Quake in 1996, and is known for having the industry’s greatest shotgun. id is yet to reveal what it is working on following the release of Doom Eternal.
inXile Entertainment
- Notable releases: Tides of Numenera (Multi, 2017), Wasteland 3 (2020, Multi)
- Working on: TBC
- Acquired in: 2018
inXile is a studio with speciality in c-RPGs, founded by Brian Fargo – director of Wasteland and executive producer of the original Fallout. inXile hasn’t revealed its next project, although it’s rumored that the studio is is building a ‘AAA-RPG’ for Xbox Series X. Given that Wasteland 3 released two years ago, hopefully it won’t be long before the studio shows us what it has been up to.
MachineGames
- Notable releases: Wolfenstein: The New Order (Multi, 2014), Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus (Multi, 2017)
- Working on: Indiana Jones (Xbox Series X, TBC)
- Acquired in: 2021
MachineGames was founded in 2009 by former members of Starbreeze Studios, before being handed the reins to the Wolfenstein series in 2010. The studio made a name for itself with its subversive and tightly-designed first-person shooters. It was recently announced that Bethesda will be collaborating with LucasFilm Games to create a brand new Indiana Jones game, with MachineGames handling development.
Mojang Studios
- Notable releases: Minecraft (Multi, 2011), Minecraft Dungeons (Multi, 2020)
- Working on: Minecraft (Multi, 2011)
- Acquired in: 2014
Mojang is the Minecraft company. Acquired by Microsoft in 2014 for 2.5 billion dollars, Mojang has been dutifully updating and evolving Minecraft across all of its supported platforms since. While the studio rarely operates outside of the core Minecraft experience, it did release a family-friendly dungeon-crawler in 2020 called Minecraft Dungeons.
Ninja Theory
- Notable releases: DmC: Devil May Cry (Multi, 2013), Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Multi, 2017)
- Working on: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 (Xbox Series X, TBC), Project: Mara (Xbox Series X, TBC)
- Acquired in: 2018
Ninja Theory built its reputation creating beautiful, detailed action-adventure games like Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and DmC: Devil May Cry. Since its 2018 acquisition, Ninja Theory has invested heavily into state-of-the-art motion capture, Unreal Engine 5, and other new technology to help drive forward Xbox Series X fidelity. The studio is working on Hellblade 2, and a new experimental horror game codenamed Project Mara.
Obsidian Entertainment
- Notable releases: Pillars of Eternity (PC, 2015), The Outer Worlds (Multi, 2019)
- Working on: Grounded (Xbox One, 2022), Avowed (Xbox Series X, TBC), The Outer Worlds 2 (Xbox Series X, TBC)
- Acquired in: 2018
Obsidian Entertainment is a legendary developer of RPGs. Whether it’s action-heavy, like Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds, or leaning more heavily into the strategy-side with Pillars of Eternity, the name ‘Obsidian’ is a mark of quality. The studio currently has Grounded in early-access, which is working towards a 2022 release. The studio is also developing a new RPG set in the Pillars of Eternity universe named Avowed, and has begun early work on The Outer Worlds 2.
Playground Games
- Notable releases: Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox One, 2018), Forza Horizon 5 (Xbox Series X, 2021)
- Working on: Fable 4 (Xbox Series X, TBC)
- Acquired in: 2018
Playground Games was given the keys to the Forza franchise back in 2010, with Forza Horizon developed in collaboration with series stalwarts Turn 10. Ever since, Playground has consistently delivered open-world racing games that go above and beyond that of the competition. Following the release of Forza Horizon 5 in 2021, the studio is now full focused on its reboot of an iconic Xbox RPG – Fable.
Rare
- Notable releases: Viva Pinata (Xbox 360, 2006), Sea of Thieves (PC/Xbox One, 2018)
- Working on: Everwild (Xbox Series X, TBC)
- Acquired in: 2002
Rare is a legendary British studio. So much so, it’s difficult to know where to even begin. So let’s skip the history lesson and fast-forward to the present. Rare continues to support and update Sea of Thieves, one of the best multiplayer games out there right now, while it works on a brand-new co-op adventure called Everwild.
Roundhouse Studios
- Notable releases: N/A
- Working on: TBC
- Acquired in: 2021
Roundhouse Studios is an unknown quantity. This is a studio created by Bethesda in 2019, staffed by developers that were with Human Head Studios right to the bitter end. Given that staff has experience in everything from FPS to RPGs, it’s impossible to know what it is working on – but whatever it is, it’s bound to still be in the very early stages of pre-production.
Tango Gameworks
- Notable releases: The Evil Within (Multi, 2014), The Evil Within 2 (Multi 2017)
- Working on: Ghostwire Tokyo (Xbox Series X, 2023)
- Acquired in: 2021
Tango Gameworks is Shinji Mikami’s studio, the famed creator of such classics as Resident Evil and Dino Crisis. Tango’s first two releases were confident, terrifying psychological horror games, although its latest is a little weirder. Ghostwire Tokyo launched as a timed-exclusive on PS5 in 2022, and the studio is expected to release an Xbox Series X port in 2023. Tango is yet to reveal what it is working on in the meantime.
The Coalition
- Notable releases: Gears of War 4 (Xbox One, 2016), Gears 5 (Xbox One, 2019)
- Working on: TBC
- Founded in: 2010
When Microsoft acquired the rights to Gears of War from Epic Games in 2014, it was handed off to The Coalition. The studio now leads production on the franchise, pushing the scope of the series with each new installment. The Coalition’s most recent release was Gears 5 in 2019, although it has since launched an updated version of the game for Xbox Series X. The studio is yet to confirm what it’s working on now, although it is known to be investing heavily in Unreal Engine 5.
The Initiative
- Notable releases: N/A
- Working on: Perfect Dark (Xbox Series X, 2022)
- Founded in: 2018
The Initiative is a brand new video game developer, founded by former Crystal Dynamics studio head Darrell Gallagher. The studio is packed with talent from BioWare, Naughty Dog, Respawn Entertainment, and others, and is being touted as a key player in Xbox’s future. The Initiative is currently developing a reboot of the Perfect Dark series, which was revealed in 2020. Due to the scope of the project, Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics has been brought in to co-develop Joanna Dark’s long-awaited return.
Turn 10
- Notable releases: Forza Motorsport 7 (Xbox One, 2017)
- Working on: Forza Motorsport (Xbox Series X, TBC)
- Founded in: 2001
Ever since its formation, Turn 10 has been known for its meticulous attention-to-detail, working to create the most realistic and engaging racing sims imaginable. It’s currently building a next-generation Forza experience for Xbox Series X, although Microsoft is yet to give the project an official title or release window – let alone any details. Given the five year wait, Forza Motorsport is expected to return sooner rather than later.
Undead Labs
- Notable releases: State of Decay (PC, 2013), State of Decay 2 (Xbox One, 2018)
- Working on: State of Decay 3 (Xbox Series X, 2022)
- Acquired in: 2018
Undead Labs has had its sights on delivering the ultimate zombie survival experience ever since its formation. The studio is currently working on State of Decay 3 for Xbox Series X, which will be its first release since becoming a first-party Xbox studio in 2018. The game is thought to still be early in development, so we’ll likely be waiting a little while before we see any more of it in action.
World’s Edge
- Notable releases: Age of Empires 4 (PC, 2021)
- Working on: TBC
- Founded in: 2019
While World’s Edge isn’t directly responsible for making new games, it has been positioned as a caretaker for one of Microsoft’s biggest franchises. The studio coordinates development for Age of Empires, working to ensure external studios such as Relic Entertainment and Forgotten Empires are properly aligned. To that end, World’s End helped to ship Age of Empires 4 in 2021 for PC, and is yet to reveal what it’s working on next.
Xbox Game Studios Publishing
- Notable releases: N/A
- Working on: N/A
- Founded in: 2000
Xbox Game Studios Publishing is an internal group within the Xbox Game Studios group that supports external developers, and those under the wider first-party group. In the past, the global publishing team has worked with partners like Insomniac and Dontnod to bring Sunset Overdrive and Tell Me Why to the platform; it’s currently helping Avalanche Studios with its co-op smuggling game Contraband.
ZeniMax Online Studios
- Notable releases: The Elder Scrolls Online (Multi, 2014), Fallout 76 (Multi, 2018)
- Working on: N/A
- Acquired in: 2021
ZeniMax Online Studios is responsible for creating and overseeing Bethesda’s online-focused games, such as The Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76. The studio isn’t known to have any brand new games in development, although it is continuing to support, develop, and grow Bethesda’s MMORPGs. ZeniMax Online Studios’ most recent release was the The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle expansion.
Extended Reading: What the Xbox acquisition of ZeniMax could mean for games like The Elder Scrolls 6, Starfield, and Deathloop? (opens in new tab)
