Xbox Series X Releasing with No First-Party Launch Titles?

The Xbox Series X is making for quite the unique launch window, for more reasons than one. To start, with its confirmation of a November release, there still isn’t a set date or price. Now, with the confirmation of Halo: Infinite‘s delay into 2021, it appears that there’s not a single first-party launch title on the system, something that has never truly been done in this extent. What does this mean for the launch and how will it pan out?

Microsoft isn’t without its IPs. While it seems they have significantly less than Sony, possessing companies like Rare opens the door for killer franchises. That’s evident with this month’s release of the long-awaited Battletoads, but why not resurrect Perfect Dark or even Banjo? Even so, there’s the opportunity for a gritty Gears of War or a flashy Forza, but Microsoft looks to head into November without a trick up their sleeve.

The transition into Series X is seemingly looking to be a smooth one. While the production of the Xbox One X has halted, new titles are slated to be playable on both Xbox One and Xbox Series X (with optimizations.) Last generation, titles released on both platforms separately, and some, like Dragon Age: Inquisition and Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor ran awfully on the Xbox 360’s hardware. Will that be the case with future Xbox One games?

Nevertheless, this is a worrying place to be if you’re Microsoft. They had a rough go of it this generation, with the PS4 outselling the Xbox One stupendously. To pull through in the upcoming gen, Microsoft is going to have to step things up, and they have the potential to do so with a lower price point when that time comes. However, that deadline is fast-approaching, so here’s hoping there’s some saving grace for the Xbox Series X to come.