Valve’s Deadlock

Between gameplay, hero designs, and alleged invites for a test, it’s almost like Valve’s Deadlock is due for a reveal soon. Any new title from the House of Half-Life is worth noting, though this is allegedly more of a 6v6 hero shooter with MOBA elements. As with Dota 2, you farm mobs for currency and buy items to strengthen your hero while fighting the enemy team. It’s intriguing, but with Insider Gaming reporting development being in the alpha stage, it may be a while before launch.

Sonic Frontiers 2

Following the success of Sonic Frontiers, Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka reiterated that it would serve as the “cornerstone” for future titles. Fortunately, a sequel seems to be the course for Sega, with insider Daniel Richtman reporting that it is indeed in the works. Potential announcement this year, followed by a launch in late 2025? It could happen.

Fallout 3 Remaster

A remaster for Fallout 3 found in Microsoft’s document to the FTC. There haven’t been too many other reports regarding this, and since the document is from 2020, plans could have changed. A remaster for The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion was also specified, with rumors from last year indicating it’s in development at Virtuos, so that may have taken priority. Considering this was Bethesda’s first Fallout title and superior to Fallout 4 in several ways, a remaster with quality-of-life features and improved gunplay would be ideal.

Dishonored 3

Yet another title listed in Microsoft’s leaked document, Dishonored 3 may be less likely than the others. Arkane Lyon is busy with Marvel’s Blade, and Arkane Austin has shut down. The latter was reportedly pitching for a new title in the Dishonored series, but it’s unknown if this may have been Dishonored 3. As long as Arkane Lyon exists, there’s always a possibility, but again, it may be a long way off.

Project Shaolin

In development at Brass Lion Entertainment, the rumored Project Shaolin is based on the Wu-Tang Clan. It’s allegedly an “anime-inspired” third-person action RPG with melee combat, an “extensive loot system” and four-player co-op support. Of course, the group is also composing the soundtrack, but there have been few follow-up reports, let alone an official announcement. Better late than never, though, and the Xbox Games Showcase could be the ideal place for a reveal.

Next Killer Instinct

Yet another rumor gathering dust since October 2021 is the next Killer Instinct, initially reported by Xbox Era’s Nick Baker. Windows Central’s Jez Corden also heard the “vaguest of unsubstantiated rumors” that one of Bandai Namco’s fighting game teams is involved, though he couldn’t verify the same. Iron Galaxy did return to update Killer Instinct (2013), adding 4K support on Xbox Series X/S, ranked crossplay and extensive rebalancing for characters, but there hasn’t been official word on a sequel.

DOOM: The Dark Ages

There’s been a distinct lack of DOOM since 2020, but id Software will seemingly address this very soon. Found in a Microsoft document during its trial with the FTC as DOOM Year Zero, the title is allegedly called DOOM: The Dark Ages and set in a “medieval-inspired Doom world.” An announcement is seemingly inbound at the Xbox Games Showcase on June 9th, with insider NateTheHate noting a PS5 release alongside Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Gears of War Remastered Collection

One of the longer-running rumors on this list is a remastered compilation of Gears of War 1 to 3. XboxEra co-founder first hinted at its existence in 2022, suggesting it’s getting the “Master Chief Collection” treatment. While no announcement occurred, Baker indicated it was still happening in January 2023, with Jez Corden of Windows Central and The Verge’s Tom Warren seemingly backing him. Naturally, there was no announcement last year. With Gears 6 highly rumored for this year’s showcase, could the remastered collection potentially surface? Here’s hoping.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag Remake

Rumored last year by Kotaku, a remake of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is allegedly in the works. Plans were in the “earliest stages”, but it seems they’ve advanced further, as Insider Gaming reported it as codename Obsidian, one of the many upcoming Assassin’s Creed titles. It may be a while before its existence is even acknowledged, but if you’re going to remake a title in the franchise, it’s hard to go wrong with Black Flag.

Marvel’s Venom

A game that was revealed through an unfortunate ransomware attack on Insomniac, though in all honesty, it’s not out of left field. Insomniac said it would listen to fans regarding a potential Venom title (the mechanics in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 also lent credence to the same). According to reports by various publications, it will be a shorter experience, akin to Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. “When” it will be announced is an entirely different question, but it wouldn’t be surprising if news arrived later this year.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 3

After the conclusion of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, a third title seems likely, and in all honesty, this is a given. After millions of copies sold, why wouldn’t they be developing a sequel? Maybe a Logan cameo is on the cards, especially since they take place in the same universe. Who knows? Time will tell, as always.

Marvel’s X-Men

After some really good X-Men games on the PS2 followed by Wolverine Origins on 7^th gen consoles, there has hardly been any great X-Men game. The series has been severely unrepresented in the MCU over the years (which is admittedly improving). Nevertheless, potentially playing as Cyclops, Wolverine, Jean Gray, Rogue, Nightcrawler and more on a single team sounds fun, especially if it supports co-op. As reported by many publications, it’s rumored to be in development and will likely be a PlayStation exclusive.

Resident Evil 9

The back and forth on Resident Evil 9 rumors has been interesting to witness over the past several days. Initially, insider Dusk Golem reported an internal delay. Then it changed to an imminent reveal and release in January 2025. This changed again to no announcement in the Summer and a delay in late 2025 or 2026. It’s still worth looking forward to, but the reveal may be much further off than initially believed.

Resident Evil Zero Remake

Remember when rumors circulated about five Resident Evil titles currently in the works, which included a Resident Evil 1 remake? That’s allegedly not happening, per Dusk Golem. Instead, Resident Evil Zero is reportedly getting one. There’s some skepticism after the whole Resident Evil 9 flip-flopping. Thankfully VGC’s Andy Robinson and IGN corroborated the claims, so these remakes are looking more than likely.

Resident Evil – Code: Veronica Remake

A remake for Resident Evil – Code: Veronica is also allegedly in the works. There’s not much to add, aside from IGN and VGC corroborating its development, but after years of hoping, it’s good to hear some indication that a remake is coming.

Prominent leaker Nate the Hate has claimed in a recent episode of his podcast that Arkane Studios’ next game will be announced at The Game Awards later this week, on December 7. Considering the fact that Redfall was developed by Arkane Austin, we can probably assume that the next game the developer puts out will come from Arkane Lyon, the team behind Dishonored 2 and Deathloop.

Though there have been some suggestions in the past that a sequel to Deathloop is in development, there’s also a good chance that this announcement ends up being a new Dishonored title. Earlier this year, leaked internal Microsoft documents emerging during the company’s trial with the FTC revealed that Dishonored 3 was in the works.

Last week, Microsoft also sent out newsletters to users, teasing “important announcements” for The Game Awards 2023.

It was spotted by Resetera user Madjoki, and references Project Hibiki (likely Hi-Fi Rush), Starfield and Redfall for release in fiscal year 2021, while MachineGames’ Indiana Jones was slated for FY22. Since the document is from 2020 and at least two titles faced delays while Indiana Jones wasn’t released by March 31st, 2023, the other release windows are likely outdated. Case in point is The Elder Scrolls 6 for the fiscal year 2024, while Spencer recently felt it was still more than five years away.

However, the other titles are interesting, like remasters of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion (which aligns with recent leaks) and Fallout 3, DOOM Year Zero (with DLC) and Dishonored 3. A sequel to Ghostwire: Tokyo and two projects with codenames, Project Kestrel and Project Platinum, along with a licensed IP game, were also noted. None of these projects are officially confirmed.

Whether Microsoft will address this leak remains to be seen, so stay tuned.

Bethesda wanted to put Dishonored on pause, and according to Colantonio, Deathloop was originally intended to be a small project for Arkane to learn and keep busy until the chance to work on a bigger game came along.

“Bethesda wanted us to do something,” said Colantonio. “They didn’t quite know where we were going after Dishonored. ‘Do we want Dishonored 3? I don’t know, let’s make something simple and short before, and let’s see.’”

Colantonio also revealed that Deathloop‘s multiplayer features might have been a result of the studio wanting to learn how to develop and release multiplayer games.

“And then [Deathloop] became a big thing, over the years,” Colantonio continued. “That was the funny thing: ‘Nah, we don’t wanna do Dishonored 3, but if you can pitch us a small game, something that maybe has multiplayer so we can learn multiplayer, something that maybe has microtransactions, maybe something with a lot of recycling, like a roguelike.’”

The studio’s experience with Prey: Mooncrash also helped the studio in figuring out some of the roguelike aspects of Deathloop, and Arkane and Bethesda wanted to recycle assets and other parts of the game in development.

“Almost everybody in the world was into some sort of roguelike,” said Colantonio. “So it felt like, ‘Yeah, maybe it’s the way to go, you recycle gameplay, you take some of the elements of the world and remix content constantly.’”

Colantonio has since left Arkane, having left the studio around the time Deathloop was released. He currently heads indie studio WolfEye Studios, which developed Weird West.

Deathloop is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. The game is also available through PC and Xbox Game Pass. For more details about the time-loop shooter, check out our review.

Bethesda has a lot of huge games in the works, so it would be natural to wonder whether we’ll be seeing more from franchises like Wolfenstein and Dishonored. While Wolfenstein seems to be taking a break from its numbered entries with the upcoming Youngblood, the Dishonored franchise reportedly seems to be “resting”. Speaking to Metro, Bethesda’s vice president of PR and marketing Pete Hines discussed the possibilities regarding the futures for these series.

Regarding the next major instalment in the Wolfenstein series, Pete Hines stated this is a game that they are definitely making. He said, “Yeah, sure. Absolutely we’re making a Wolfenstein III. They said on stage that they’re taking a break from the larger story to do this thing. But we all have to see how that ends.”

The interviewer also inquired about the Dishonored series and how it is said to be “resting.” However, Hines is of the perspective that the developers just want to work on different projects, so it certainly is a possibility that we’ll be seeing more of this series in the future. Hines stated, “Ah, I wouldn’t read too much into that. Look, Arkane has two studios, they’re working on a number of things. That’s no different than Todd Howard saying, ‘I’m gonna make a Fallout game and then I’m gonna make Starfield before I go back to TES6’. He didn’t say I’m never making another… there’s like, ‘We have an idea for another thing here, we have an idea for another there’.”

All in all, it’s still pretty great news for fans of the franchises to learn that they aren’t completely dead. The less-than-stellar commercial performances of both Wolfenstein 2 and Dishonored 2 may have cast doubts over futures of both properties, Dishonored more so than Wolfenstein, since the latter is at least still getting a new game next year. It’s great to know that that doesn’t seem to be the case. Hopefully, we’ll get to learn more about this soon enough.

Dishonored and Dishonored 2 were both based on the story of Corvo and Emily- however, if there is a Dishonored 3, it will not follow their story- which seems to imply that any future game in the series will have an entirely new set of characters and story they follow.

In an interview with IGN at QuakeCon 2017 about Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, the standalone expansion to Dishonored 2, creative director Harvey Smith said that, while a Dishonored 3 isn’t confirmed yet, it would not necessarily follow the current story arc, which he considers concluded.

“All I know is that for this set of characters and this situation that started with the rat plague and went through Corvo and Emily and Daud and Billie and The Outsider, this is the finale of that piece,” he said. “If there are more Dishonored games they will be different characters in a different situation.”

Personally, I think that’s a good idea- franchises that hew too close to being narrative based end up losing their freshness over time because they have to stick to considerations of consistency. By keeping the same thematic core, but exploring a new setting and set of mechanics with each entry, Dishonored can continue to delight players with each new game.