GAMES
The Most Anticipated Games of 2022 (According to Team Xbox)
The new year is finally upon us, so it’s time to finish up those 2021 gaming backlogs in anticipation of the games coming out in 2022. Here at Team Xbox, we’re always looking forward to what’s just over the horizon, so we’ve been giving some thought to our most anticipated titles releasing in 2022. What that in mind, we’ve decided to poll various members of the team. There’s something for everyone this year, from big-budget blockbusters like Starfield (spoiler: it actually made the list twice) and Elden Ring to indie darlings like Tunic and Atomic Heart.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the games that we can’t wait to play on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC in the coming year, including plenty that are coming day one to Xbox Game Pass.
Somerville (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, Day One to Game Pass)
It’s just stunning – with art and audio that is beautiful and visceral, wrapped around the story of a family navigating the perils of post-apocalyptic earth. The moment the Jumpship team shared their vision with me years ago, I was hooked. Because at its core, this game is about doing all you can to protect those you love. What in life is more important? – Sarah Bond, CVP, Game Creator Experience and Ecosystem.
Coming day one to Game Pass on PC, console, and cloud.
Starfield (Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Day One to Game Pass)
There are so many great games coming out this year, but if I had to pick the game that I am most excited about, it would have to be Starfield. I love the worlds and experiences that Todd Howard and the team at Bethesda Game Studios have created over the decades, as The Elder Scrolls and Fallout are two of my all-time favorite franchises. I really like how Todd talks about it isn’t just a game they are creating in Starfield, but also a universe. I can’t wait to escape into this new science fiction universe and explore everything they will bring to life with Starfield. – Bonnie Ross, Head of 343 Industries
Coming day one to Game Pass on PC, console, and cloud.
Redfall (Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Day One to Game Pass)
Sometimes you see a game’s trailer and you just know it’s going to be special. Squadding up in an open world full of vampires is definitely going to scratch a very specific, but long-standing, itch and I’m all for it. Then again… there’s something about venturing into the darkness alone that is calling my name. Either way, Redfall has me counting down the days until it releases later this year. Oh, and who could forget that sick reload animation from Layla? – Malik Prince, Communications Manager, Content Creator Relations
Coming day one to Game Pass on PC, console, and cloud.
Slime Rancher 2 (Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Day One to Game Pass)
In this follow up to the squishy smash hit Slime Rancher, you’ll be able to continue your adventure as Beatrix LeBeau on her trek to Rainbow Island in Slime Rancher 2. Collect slime, build a conservatory, and discover more of what made 10-million players happy with slime. As a bonus, it is coming on day one to Xbox Game Pass! – Larry Hryb, Xbox’s Major Nelson
Coming day one to Game Pass on PC, console, and cloud.
Tunic (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC)
I can’t wait to play Tunic. I love action-adventure games and that tiny fox in a big world stole my heart at E3 2018. I’m looking forward to the exploration, combat and discovering the secrets of this world. – Mary McGuane, Studio Head, Xbox Game Studios
Marvel’s Midnight Suns (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC)
In addition to seeing how Sea of Thieves evolves in 2022, I’m looking forward to Marvel’s Midnight Suns. I love the bold choice in character roster as well as the art style and I’m a big fan of the Firaxis team and Marvel comic-related storylines. This game feels made for me. – Craig Duncan, Rare Studio Head
Atomic Heart (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, Day One to Game Pass)
I’m a sucker for first-person, story-driven games, having had the opportunity to see the insane visuals for Atomic Heart and the crazy, brilliant world that Mundfish has created, I can’t wait to play and experience it firsthand. I’m looking forward to seeing what the millions of Game Pass players think too! – Matt Percy, General Manager of Xbox Business Planning
Coming day one to Game Pass on PC, console, and cloud.
Gotham Knights (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC)
Gotham Knights is one of my most anticipated games in 2022. Rocksteady redefined DC’s Batman universe and created one of my personal favorite franchises with the Arkham series of games. I can’t wait to see how WB Montreal expands it even further with four new characters and co-op action gameplay. – Jason Ronald, Head of Xbox Platform
Rainbow Six Extraction (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, Day One to Game Pass)
After spending the holidays playing The Division 2 with my husband and my son, I’m super excited for Rainbow Six Extraction coming out on January 20 (especially now that it is hitting Game Pass on day one). Co-op PVE shooters FTW in the McKissick household! – Ashley McKissick, CVP of Gaming Experiences Engineering
Coming day one to Game Pass on PC, console, and cloud.
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC)
The setup for Savathûn in 2021 has been a lot of fun for The Witch Queen. From the crafting updates that have been discussed to the ability to wield my own Glaive in battle, this Guardian is ready to squad up and see what kind of journey Bungie is about to take us on. See y’all starside! – Josh Stein, Xbox Social Media Manager
A Plague Tale: Requiem (Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Day One to Game Pass)
So. Many. Rats. Seriously, all of the rats. Just all of them. A Plague Tale: Innocence left me with a “what is up with this boy and why are there SO MANY RATS AND WHAT IS GOING ON” feeling, so I’m excited to resolve that in Requiem, and maybe just to see how many rats they really can animate on screen at the same time. I expect it’s a lot… (also should go without saying, but excited for day one with PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass!) – Megan Spurr, Community Lead for Xbox Game Pass
Coming day one to Game Pass on PC, console, and cloud.
Dying Light 2 (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC)
Not gonna lie: I’m not usually a huge expansive open-world action zombie survival guy. But 500 hours sounds great, so for 2022 I’m looking forward to Techland’s expansive open-world action zombie survival game. – Seth Schiesel, Director of Executive Communications for Xbox
Starfield (Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Day One to Game Pass)
My most anticipated game of 2022 is the first new universe in 25 years from the incredibly talented minds at Bethesda Game Studios. It reminds me of the magic of early space exploration and I expect that it will be a game that defines the next generation. – Aaron Greenberg, General Manager of Games Marketing
Coming day one to Game Pass on PC, console, and cloud.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC)
Like a lot of people my age, Star Wars has been a big part of my life for, well, my whole life. I love the LEGO Star Wars games because they’re the perfect way to pass my Star Wars love on to the little padawans in my life and this collection will allow us to play through LEGO-fied versions of all nine movies. I just hope my fellow Kiwi Temuera Morrison voices Jango and Boba Fett like he has in other Star Wars games. – Tom Mahoney, Director of Third-Party Games Marketing
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl (Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Day One to Game Pass)
I always have a soft spot for a post-apocalyptic adventure and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is right on point for what I enjoy. It’s got everything: Moody visuals, a foreboding world, and characters with personality. – Brian Fargo, Studio Head, inXile entertainment
Coming day one to Game Pass on PC, console, and cloud.
Saints Row (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC)
The Saints Row series has provided me with vivid gaming memories: hot dropping onto a rooftop to Kanye in Saints Row 3, becoming a superhero in Saints Row 4, laughing til I cried playing minigames in the original. I was always down for whatever the next Saints Row would be, but looking like that surprise announce trailer? Give it to me now. – Jeff Rubenstein, Director of New Platforms
Elden Ring (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC)
Ohhhhhhhhhh, Elden Ring. From the original Dark Souls to Sekiro, I’ve beaten all of From Software’s action-RPGs multiple times, relishing in that incredibly satisfying feeling of besting every challenge that’s been thrown at me. I’m also a sucker for open-world games, having sunk hundreds of hours into games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. There’s pretty much nothing that appeals to me more than an open-world From Software title, and that’s exactly what I’ll be getting when Elden Ring drops in February. I absolutely can’t wait to battle massive bosses with nothing but a sword and my reflexes. Bring it on! – Will Tuttle, Xbox Wire Editor in Chief
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GAMES
The German Empire Marches to Italy in a Free Expansion Today
We have a new expansion for our WW1 Italian Front FPS game Isonzo releasing today! It’s the first part of our Caporetto season of free expansions, and features a whole new faction with the arrival of the German Empire on the Italian Front, and brings a new map for the Offensive game mode. There will be two more releases in the Caporetto season, each one with a new map to ultimately link together into a three map Caporetto Offensive.
The German faction comes with more than ten new weapons, as well as historically accurate uniforms and equipment. This first Caporetto map sees you taking part in the early stages of the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, with German troops assaulting Italian positions on the road to Caporetto. Historically it was a military disaster for Italy which brought down the government – but maybe things can go differently with you on the battlefield?
The update sees new uniforms and equipment from the German Empire for Isonzo’s six classes: Rifleman, Assault, Engineer, Officer, Marksman and Mountaineer. For those who aren’t familiar with the game, each class has different weapon, gear and perk options that allow you to specialize your play style within the overall focus of the class. For instance, Marksmen are always sharpshooters, but a lot depends on your loadout. You could be a long-range sniper and observer identifying and eliminating high value targets with a scoped rifle, or you could equip body armor to take and hold a front line position with deadly accurate mid-range fire. Every class has choices to make in this regard.
In Isonzo’s signature Offensive game mode, one side must attack and break through multiple defensive lines. Thick layers of barbed wire, trenches, and whatever extra defenses the enemy engineers put together will stand in the way of a successful attack. Objectives can be taking and holding key points, or planting dynamite to sabotage enemy supply stashes or heavy artillery guns.
The new Caporetto map – the first of three in the season – is a huge battlefield based on the strategically important Monte Kolovrat. There are five defensive lines, where each line has two objectives for the attackers before they can advance further. While in the historical Battle of Caporetto both German and Austro-Hungarian forces were involved, in Isonzo we’ve chosen to focus on the German contribution, so the map recreates the stunning German advance from the town of Tolmein all the way to Kolovrat Ridge. It’s a damp, overcast day when the attack begins, and the attackers must first cut their way through lines of wire to break into a devastated town – including capturing a church defended by multiple heavy machine gun positions. Fortunately, in Isonzo there are many tactical options available to deal with such strong points: artillery barrages, smokescreens, snipers, rifle grenades, even poison gas. From there, it becomes a literal uphill battle for the German attackers as they begin to climb towards the peak of Kolovrat Ridge. They’ll need to sabotage bunkers and capture command posts while navigating rocky trenches and steep forested slopes. At the penultimate fourth defensive line there is a huge siege mortar to sabotage and a cluster of houses providing cover to the Italian defenders – then it’s one last climb to reach the final objective: Hill 1114. If the Germans can take it, the Italians will finally be the ones fighting uphill as their reinforcements stream in to try and counterattack.
Of course, things are no walk in the park for the defenders either – although it’s easier to maneuver when going downhill, and it’s much simpler for officers to deploy flares to call in support, the extensive trench lines can become a liability once the Germans get a foothold, providing cover as they advance. Some of the Italian defensive positions can be exposed against the sky, making it easy for German marksmen to pick off targets. Italian engineers should make good use of their construction abilities to put down additional sandbags and lay out extra wire to prevent German assault troops sneaking through the trees to flank trenches with their grenades or light machine guns.
As we mentioned before, historically the Battle of Caporetto was a disaster for the Italians. Appalling leadership led to poorly motivated and unprepared troops falling apart in the face of the combined Austro-Hungarian and German armies using cutting edge infiltration tactics. The Italian soldiers were not allowed to retreat until too late, and in the end hundreds of thousands would surrender. After Caporetto the top Italian general was fired and replaced by someone far more competent, who managed to turn the war around for the Italians. In Isonzo, it’s a more fair fight where both sides have an equal chance of winning, if they can use all the tactical options available better than their opponents.
The release will also bring other improvements to the game, including a prestige mode and higher level cap. Additionally, for those who want more options for visual customization of their character, the Royal Units DLC is releasing alongside the free expansion and contains uniforms from the German Kingdoms of Bavaria and Württemberg. Though part of the German Empire, these states had their own distinctive uniforms which we’ve carefully recreated with the same accuracy and attention to detail as with the other uniforms in the game.
The Battle for Caporetto Begins…
Isonzo is available right now on the Microsoft Store for Xbox, and the free Caporetto expansion is out today! Plenty of time to master the art of mountain warfare before the German Empire joins the action on the Italian Front. Follow us to get the latest development news as we add the finishing touches!
We’ll see you in the trenches!
Isonzo
BlackMill Games
$29.99
World War One expands to the mountains of the Italian Front – beautiful but deadly in equal measure. Inspired by the two year struggle for control of the Isonzo river valley and the Alps during World War One, Isonzo elevates the WW1 Games Series, figuratively and literally.
From the makers of Verdun and Tannenberg…
Take part in historical offensives from the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo to the Strafexpedition. Reflecting the course of the actual battles, as the attackers advance the fighting will shift through vastly different landscapes within a single offensive: from hillside fortresses to mountain trenches and fierce urban combat on city streets. Everything is recreated based on research and field trips, from sound effects and uniforms down to the houses, vineyards and trenches you’ll be fighting over.
The new Offensive game mode puts you right in the middle of key historical offensives on the Italian Front. Lead the charge across stunning Italian landscapes as you choose your path to victory – cut paths through barbed wire, flank your enemies by following mountain trails, or man a mortar to blast a way through. Shape a dynamic battlefield by laying sandbags and wire, placing ammo crates, deploying trench periscopes or sniper shields, and more.
Call in support with a unique historically accurate flare system: flare guns can mark targets for artillery or biplane flybys, or different colored flares can be used to guide your team. Once the big guns have softened up the enemy, finish the job at close quarters with an Arditi dagger or mountaineer’s pickaxe. Man heavy machine guns, mortars and even mountain guns for more direct fire support.
Choose from six classes based on historical combat roles and build your loadout from a selection of weapons, equipment and perks linked to that class, giving flexibility and variety while staying grounded in what real soldiers might have carried. You’ll be operating wire cutters, bandaging yourself and wounded teammates, and blowing the whistle to start an assault. One shot can kill and even lighter injuries can lead to quickly bleeding out.
Being an effective soldier in Isonzo is not just about being a good marksman. Mastering the terrain is also key – the mountain can be a friend or foe. Learn how to navigate well to maintain cover and surprise your enemies or support your allies.
Finally… watch out for the dreaded poison gas. You’ve never experienced WW1 action quite like this!
Isonzo key features include:
• MOUNTAIN WARFARE: Assaulting mountain fortifications, battling through ruined towns, and fording rivers are just a few of the challenges you’ll face as you fight your way through numerous enemy positions
• TACTICAL MULTIPLAYER FPS: Choose your role and loadout carefully to survive this high altitude combat – play a sniper to pick off the enemy engineers before they can cut your wire, use rifle grenades to clear enemy machine guns, and much more
• WORLD WAR ONE GAMEPLAY: Historical Offensive game mode based on real battles and focused on the unique challenges of Alpine warfare. Fight with 30+ WW1 weapons, poisonous gas attacks, and intense artillery barrages
• BUILD FOR VICTORY: Place your own wire, sandbags, trench periscopes, and more! Whether you’re digging in or on the attack, shaping the battlefield to your advantage will be key to victory
• FACES OF WAR: Make every class your own by picking from a variety of historically class-appropriate uniforms, accessories and headgear. As a finishing touch, you can even pick your mustache from several famous period-accurate styles!
• AUTHENTIC WW1 ATMOSPHERE: Accuracy in everything from maps and weaponry to music and the uniforms – fight for the Kingdom of Italy, the German Empire or the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy
MORE GAMES IN THE AUTHENTIC WW1 GAME SERIES
Immerse yourself in more WW1 action with our other standalone titles Tannenberg and Verdun. Experience trench warfare on the Western Front in Verdun, or maneuver for control of key sectors in Tannenberg on the Eastern Front. These authentic WW1 shooters let players choose from a range of squads from across the war, as they fight for control of the ever-changing frontlines.
GAMES
Transport Fever 2: Console Edition is Bringing the Full Transport Tycoon Experience to Xbox
Today, we proudly share a sneak peek into the development of Transport Fever 2: Console Edition, and how we managed to bring the full transport tycoon experience to Xbox.
Transport Fever is a very popular and highly rated transportation tycoon franchise on PC. Its latest entry, Transport Fever 2, delivers a level of size and detail never before seen in the genre. The goal of the game is to build a successful transportation company by constructing railroads, streets, water and air lines. Starting in the 19th century, the player connects towns and industries to transport both passengers and cargo. In addition to a customizable free game mode, there is also a fully-fledged campaign mode with challenging missions set in real-world transportation history.
After the huge success of Transport Fever 2 on PC, it was only logical to bring the experience to consoles as well. Not only that, but no efforts were spared to give the console community the full experience that made the game great on PC. In order to achieve this, the engineers at Urban Games had to pull some rabbits out of their engineers’ hats.
Always providing the freshest layer of paint
One of the most cherished features of Transport Fever 2 are its highly detailed vehicles. The game comes with more than 200 lovingly hand-modeled trains, ships, and airplanes, each sporting multiple 4k textures and normal maps.
On PC, it is easily affordable to have all the models and textures in memory whenever needed, as a typical rig has 16 GB of RAM and a GPU with a dedicated extra memory. Consoles, however, are built differently. They have a unified architecture with an overall smaller amount but ultra-fast memory. The key to make it work on consoles is texture streaming, which allows to clear textures of models that are not in view anymore. Moreover, this technology is used in Transport Fever 2 to constantly load textures at the highest affordable resolution to present the stars of the show, like the classic Class A 3/5 steam locomotive, in their best coat of paint at all times.
Keeping the ground like a console pro
A trademark of Transport Fever 2 are its huge maps. During development of the game, it was always paramount to provide a real sense of scale. The engine should allow for maps where a high-speed train, such as the famous Japanese Shinkansen, can really make use of its superior speed. So, a lot of effort was put into designing a highly effective terrain rendering pipeline that can handle maps of more than 120 sq miles of size with a detail resolution of almost 1 yard. Central to this is a dynamic terrain tessellation algorithm on the CPU that, while costing a bit of extra memory, makes sure the engine can render these maps on a wide variety of PCs.
Now, enter the world of consoles with their incredibly well-designed GPUs and graphic APIs. Here, the hardware can be leveraged very well for terrain rendering by making use of the GPU tessellation feature. This feature generates the render mesh for the terrain fully on the graphics card, saving valuable processing time for the complex economy and city growth simulations. While generating more triangles, the hardware approach still costs less memory overall due to its efficiency. So vast maps can be viewed from a bird’s view high up in the sky and seamlessly zoomed in down to individual rocks on a riverbank.
Inspiring the inner architect
Finally, let’s talk about constructions, a central and defining part of the Transport Fever 2 experience. Constructions are large assemblies that consist of dozens of assets, street segments, ground decals and terrain modifications. Think of structures like airports, train stations, docks, highway crossings, and many more. Anything that is needed to build a vast transportation empire.
For a smooth construction experience, it is key that the player really feels that he has precise control over the building placement. On PC, constructions are typically built using the mouse. As the average PC user is very well adjusted to this method of input, it is sufficiently performant to calculate the entire construction each frame and place it under the cursor. However, on consoles, the best way of building constructions is to have them always kept in the center of the screen and move the camera along the map for placement. And moving the camera needs to be as smooth as silk.
So, for the console release of Transport Fever 2, the construction preview pipeline was overhauled. All dynamic calculations are now performed in the background while a static preview of the structure and its underlying ground plan are shown. Not only are constructions now completely stable in terms of FPS, but they also give feedback to the player on what environment features the construction would tear down when built.
Let’s get tycooning on console
We are very excited to bring the Transport Fever franchise to consoles for the first time ever with the release of Transport Fever 2: Console Edition on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One in February 2023, and we hope you will enjoy it as much as we did developing it.
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