Xbox surprised everyone when it shadow dropped Tango Gameworks' newest gameHi-Fi Rushright after the Xbox Developer_Direct. The game came out of nowhere, as one would think that it was unlikelyTango Gameworkswould release another game so soon afterGhostwire: Tokyo.It also seemed like the Xbox Developer_Direct was only going to focus onRedfall,Minecraft Legends,Forza Motorsport, andThe Elder Scrolls Online. No one was really expecting a wild game likeHi-Fi Rushto come out of it, but fans were pleasantly surprised.
Shadow dropping a game likeHi-Fi Rushseems like a bold strategy, but it seems to have paid off. The game has been met with overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam, suggesting that a lot of players have already fallen in lore with its colorful world. Its release has really helped Xbox start the year on a strong note, and maybe it is a sign of things to come. If Xbox is able to keep a game like this under wraps, then the studio may have even more up its sleeve for 2023.
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Xbox’s 2023 May Be Filled With Even More Shadow Drops
A common criticism of Xbox is that it lacks games, and last year was not a great year for the studio.Some of its biggest releases likeStarfieldwere pushed back to 2023, and games likeHalo Infiniteseem to be struggling a bit. Microsoft also saw a 13% decline in gaming revenue in its second quarter earnings report, and it has been fighting with regulators over the Activision Blizzard acquisition for a little while now. While Xbox is far from falling apart, there seems to be a lack of major AAA titles driving it, and 2023 is its chance to prove itself.
2023 was already set to be a big year for Xbox Game Studios asStarfield,Redfall,andForza Motorsportare all supposed to launch sometime this year. There are alsomajor titles likeAvowed,State of Decay 3, andFablein various stages of production. All of these titles have a good shot at being popular upon release, and could also help drive Xbox Game Pass subscriptions. It feels like an exciting time for the company, andHi-Fi Rushhas helped start the year off strong.
Keeping a game likeHi-Fi Rushunder wrapsand then successfully launching it the day it is announced is no easy feat, but Tango and Xbox pulled it off with aplomb. Xbox Game Studios has a lot of developers under it, and they are all hard at work on delivering new experiences for players. While Xbox fans know about some of the biggest upcoming titles, there is a strong possibility that Xbox has even more up its sleeves that it is just waiting to release.
Xbox has now shown that it is willing to shadow drop titles from some of its major studios, and that means there is nothing stopping it from doing it again. Its next major event will hopefully be asummer conference at E3 2023, and that will no doubt be filled with brand-new announcements. Some of those announcements could very well come as Game Pass shadow drops, which would really help Xbox blaze its own trail in 2023, and give fans an exciting game-filled year after a disappointing 2022.
Xbox has also adopted the Nintendo Direct and PlayStation State of Play model, soJanuary’s Xbox Developer_Directwill probably not be the only direct this year. More showcases like this would allow Xbox to focus on a select few games in more detail, and maybe it could include a special announcement or two. If the company sprinkles these throughout the year and includes a shadow drop every so often, then Xbox players will have little reason to turn off their consoles.
Hi-Fi Rushis available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
