The Essential Guide to Next-Generation Games: Version 1.0

essentialnextgen-header

Super Smash Bros. 4

Status: Officially Announced
Platforms: Wii U
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Namco Bandai
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: The fourth Smash Bros. game will make its public debut at this year’s E3 Expo. However, it’s unlikely to be in playable form and we’re still probably pretty far away from a release date.

Thief 4

Status: Rumored
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360 (Announced), Next-Generation Consoles TBA (Rumored)
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Eidos Montreal
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: Square Enix announced Thief 4 in 2009 for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. But since then the rumor mill has hinted that the game could land on next-generation consoles instead. Few official announcements have escaped Square Enix in the last few years concerning Thief 4, so this scenario seems more and more likely every day.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6: Patriots

Status: Rumored
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360 (Announced), Next-Generation Consoles TBA (Rumored)
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Red Storm, Ubisoft Toronto
Tentative Release Date: 2013
Notes: The next Rainbow 6 game is officially PC/PS3/Xbox 360-only for now, but Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has said the game could be pushed back to next-generation consoles.

Untitled 3D Mario Game

Status: Officially Announced
Platforms: Wii U
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: Officially announced less than a month ago, the next 3D Mario game will make its public debut at E3 2013.

Untitled Arkane Studios FPS/RPG

COULD BE: Dishonored 2

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: TBA
Publisher: Bethesda
Developer: Arkane Studios
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: Bethesda’s Vice President, Pete Hines, has said that Arkane’s most recent game, Dishonored, would be the start of a new franchise. So it’s very possible that this unannounced title could be Dishonored 2.

Untitled Avalanche Studios Licensed Game

COULD BE: Mad Max: Fury Road

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: Current-Generation Consoles, Next-Generation Consoles, PC
Publisher: TBA
Developer: Avalanche Studios
Tentative Release Date: April 2014
Notes: Avalanche’s CEO, Christofer Sundberg, confirmed that the company is working on their “first licensed game” for release in April 2014. This is widely believed to be based on Mad Max: Fury Road, which has a 2014 release date and has a game adaptation in the works at an unknown studio. it was originally thought that Team Bondi was working on the Mad Max game, but they’re likely too busy with Whore of the Orient.

Untitled Avalanche Studios Open-World Game

COULD BE: Just Cause 3

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: TBA
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Avalanche Studios
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: Avalanche has been dropping hints about a third Just Cause seemingly since the second game was released. And Just Cause 2 was released during a console transition period, so I’d say we’re definitely due for more Rico Rodriguez.

Untitled Battlecry Studios Game

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: TBA
Publisher: Bethesda
Developer: Battlecry Studios
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: Bethesda opened Battlecry Studios in late 2012 and job listings on the company’s website confirmed that it’s working on a “free-to-play FPS for next generation consoles.” The listings have since been rewritten to exclude any mention of next-generation consoles.

Untitled Bethesda Game

COULD BE: Fallout 4 or The Elder Scrolls 6

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: TBA
Publisher: Bethesda
Developer: Bethesda
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: We know that Bethesda is hard at work on Fallout 4, but the developer has been short on specifics. So their next-generation game could be something else entirely, even a new Elder Scrolls game.

Untitled Black Tusk Studios Shooter

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: TBA
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Developer: Black Tusk Studios
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: Microsoft’s Vancouver studio is working on a Kinect-enabled shooter that they believe is “Microsoft’s next big entertainment franchise.” How big? Studio Manager Mike Crump said their game could be the Xbox’s next Halo-like franchise and that it’s a “AAAA” release (as opposed to all of those lowly “AAA” games). Black Tusk’s game hasn’t been confirmed as a next-generation release, but it’s likely it will be.

Untitled Codemasters Game

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: TBA
Publisher: Codemasters
Developer: Codemasters
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: Codemasters knows racing games. But their first next-generation game won’t be based on any of their existing racing franchises. Instead, it’ll be a completely original game and it may not have any racing in it at all.

Untitled Crytek Game

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: TBA
Publisher: TBA
Developer: Crytek
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli recently told CVG, “Crytek’s [next gen] projects generally will be way above what we’ve achieved on the existing consoles.” More Crysis? With Crysis 3 available in stores today, it might be a bit early to start guessing.

Untitled Crystal Dyamics Third-Person Action Game

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: TBA
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: The next game from Crystal Dynamics will be an original game not connected to the Tomb Raider franchise (or CD’s other big franchise, The Legacy of Kain).

Untitled DICE Game

COULD BE: Battlefield 4

Status: Pre-Production or Officially Announced
Platforms: PC, Consoles TBA
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: DICE
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: We know DICE is working on a next-generation game. We also know DICE is working on Battlefield 4. Are they the same game? We can definitely say… maybe.

Untitled Eidos Montreal Game

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: TBA
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Eidos Montreal
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: Eidos Montreal is working on a second “AAA” game in addition to Thief 4 for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

Untitled Evolution Studios Game

Status: Rumored
Platforms: PS4
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Evolution Studios
Tentative Release Date: 2013 (Rumored)
Notes: Rumor has it Evolution Studios, creators of the MotorStorm series, are hard at work on an original racing game for the PS4. No one knows exactly what it is, but they have to be working on something as their last game was released almost a year ago.

Untitled Guerrilla Games Game

COULD BE: Killzone 4

Status: Rumored
Platforms: PS4
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Tentative Release Date: 2013 (Rumored)
Notes: Victor Zuylen, the Community Editor at Guerrilla Games, told the PlayStation Blog that he expects 2013 to be a big year for the company. Bigger than any year since the launch of the first Killzone. Guerrilla hasn’t released a game since 2011’s Killzone 3, haven’t even announced their next project as a matter of fact, so they must be working on something huge. But is it next-generation huge?

Untitled Harmonix “Combat Game”

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: TBA
Publisher: TBA
Developer: Harmonix
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: Harmonix is stepping away from the music scene for a bit to create a single-player “combat game.”

Untitled id Software FPS

COULD BE: Doom 4 or Quake 5

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: TBA
Publisher: Bethesda
Developer: id Software
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: Id Software currently has two irons in the fire: Doom 4 and this unannounced first person shooter. The job listing connected to this game also asks for “Familiarity with id Software games, characters, brands and universes,” so it might be related to Quake, Wolfenstein, or Rage in some way. Or Doom 4’s development woes have pushed it onto next-generation consoles.

Untitled Infinity Ward FPS

COULD BE: Call of Duty 10

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: TBA
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Infinity Ward
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: Infinity Ward has never branched out beyond the Call of Duty series, so when they say they’re working on a first person shooter for next-generation consoles, it’s safe to assume that that game is a Call of Duty game.

Untitled MachineGames FPS

COULD BE: Wolfenstein 5

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: TBA
Publisher: Bethesda
Developer: MachineGames
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: MachineGames is a new studio that was scooped up by Bethesda in 2010. They’re working on an unannounced FPS that is rumored to be a new entry in the Wolfenstein series.

Untitled Media Molecule Game

COULD BE: LittleBigPlanet 3

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: PS4 (Rumored)
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Media Molecule
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: Media Molecule has announced they’ve begun development on a game known, for now, as “Question Mark.” What “Question Mark” entails (or even what system it’ll appear on) remains a mystery. Howver, Media Molecule is also one of Sony’s flagship internal studios, so it would be a complete shock if they didn’t have something PS4-related in the works.

Untitled Ready At Dawn Game

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: TBA
Publisher: TBA
Developer: Ready At Dawn
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: Ready At Dawn (the developer behind the God of War games on the PSP) is working on an original game for next-generation consoles.

Untitled Remedy Entertainment Game

COULD BE: Alan Wake 2

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: TBA
Publisher: TBA
Developer: Remedy Entertainment
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: Remedy is clearly up to something. The enigmatic developer has tossed out a few cryptic tweets that point to the continuation of the Alan Wake series as well as declaring 2013 a very important year for the company. It’s probably Alan Wake 2, but knowing Remedy, it might be a while before we find out for sure.

Untitled Respawn Entertainment Game

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: TBA
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Respawn Entertainment
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: Jason West and Vince Zampella co-founded Infinity Ward, but left the company because of a bitter spat with Activision in 2010. Immediately afterward, they set up Respawn Entertainment and scored a publishing deal with EA for their first game. In all that time, the only piece of information they’ve revealed about their first game is a single blurry screenshot and a hint that the game is a sci-fi shooter. Respawn’s game was never officially announced for next-generation consoles, but they seem like its most likely destination at this point.

Untitled Sucker Punch Productions Action Game

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: PS4
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: A quick look at their “Careers” page proves that Sucker Punch has an unannounced action game in the works. It hasn’t officially been announced for the PS4, but the InFamous team is too important to Sony not to have something in development for their next-generation system.

Watch Dogs

Status: Officially Announced
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Next-Gen Consoles TBA
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Tentative Release Date: 2013
Notes: Watch Dogs is currently on track for a PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 release this year. But Ubisoft has confirmed that its future slate of games will likely be released simultaneously on current-generation and next-generation consoles.

Whore of the Orient

Status: Pre-Production
Platforms: TBA
Publisher: TBA
Developer: Team Bondi
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: Team Bondi’s Brendan McNamara described Whore of the Orient as “one of the great untold stories of the twentieth century” and the Shanghai-set game is rumored to be just as ambitious as L.A. Noire. Whore of the Orient hasn’t been officially announced as a next-generation game, but McNamara’s perfectionist ways will likely see that it becomes one if it’s not already.

Wii Fit U

Status: Officially Announced
Platforms: Wii U
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Tentative Release Date: Spring/Summer 2013
Notes: The Wii U update to Nintendo’s popular fitness simulator will be available this Spring, or possibly this Summer.

Wii U Party

Status: Officially Announced
Platforms: Wii U
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Tentative Release Date: Summer 2013
Notes: Nintendo’s next minigame collection will be available this Summer (for the same description, see Game & Wario as well).

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Status: Officially Announced
Platforms: PC, Consoles TBA
Publisher: TBA
Developer: CD Projekt RED
Tentative Release Date: 2014
Notes: The game world of The Witcher 3 is said to be “30 times larger” than the game world in The Witcher 2.

The Wonderful 101

Status: Officially Announced
Platforms: Wii U
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Platinum Games
Tentative Release Date: Spring/Summer 2013
Notes: Platinum’s “Pikmin with superheroes” will launch alongside Pikmin 3 this Spring or Summer.

X

COULD BE: Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Status: Officially Announced
Platforms: Wii U
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Monolith Soft
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: Monolith Soft is working on an action RPG for the Wii U that features many stylistic similarities to their previous game, Xenoblade Chronicles. However, it currently carries the working title “X” and the developer has yet to say if it’s a sequel or not.

Yarn Yoshi

Status: Officially Announced
Platforms: Wii U
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Good-Feel
Tentative Release Date: TBA
Notes: The team behind Kirby’s Epic Yarn will attempt to pull off the same adorable trick with Yoshi.

Check back soon for Version 2.0, hopefully it’ll be filled with lots of officially announced PlayStation 4 games.

This entry was posted in Features, PC, PS4, Top Story, Wii U, Xbox One. Bookmark the permalink.
John Scalzo is Warp Zoned's Editor-In-Chief and resident retro gaming expert. You can email him at john AT warpzoned DOT com.