As I am sure you have heard, the 38Tb data leak emerging this week has shone a light on the ongoing projects and development within Microsoft and its affiliate companies.
As previously spoken about here at RednautQuest, the stand outs from this report centered around the alleged release of two new consoles Ellewood and Brooklin, set to release in 2024, as well as a new Xbox Series controller codenamed Sebile.
However, the leaked ZeniMax Management Forecast has been highlighted across multiple platforms and outlets as it provided fans with some insight into the projected release dates and financial earnings of some of Bethesda and Zenimax's upcoming releases.
Image sourced from The Verge - Microsoft
The first thing to understand when looking at this Managements Forecast is that this document pre-dates Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda and ZeniMax in 2021 so some releases, such as the Oblivion remaster and Indiana Jones Game are unlikely to adhere to these timelines.
However, you can gain insight into how Microsoft could prioritise certain upcoming releases over others due to their expected revenue. Therefore, we can see that Bethesda and ZeniMax would be prioritizing titles such as the Oblivion remaster and Indiana Jones game as they are projected to gross a combined $530 million in their first two fiscal years.
Whereas, titles like Deathloop and Redfall have a negligible expected income, we can surely expect more Elder Scrolls Online content as they predict the IP will steadily produce revenue into the fiscal year 24, or 2025/2026.
But when can we expect some of these games to be released? Again I need to reiterate that this forecast was from the year 2021 and thus some of the dates and fiscal years will not align perfectly.
However, as Microsoft now announce their earnings from July 1st we can assume that Starfield's release date on the forecast is referring to their original expectations during the takeover. With that said, I will now begin to breakdown the forecasted releases for the upcoming ZeniMax titles.
FY22E:
Indiana Jones Game
Oblivion Remaster
Elder Scrolls Online DLC
Starfield DLC
Although not much has been shared in relation to the development of the Indiana Jones Game or The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remaster, both have been widely covered by multiple outlets as Indiana Jones was set for release in 2022, whereas the Oblivion remaster has only received attention following these leaks.
Furthermore, the alleged Starfield DLC may be delayed due to the postponed release of Starfield from November 2022 to September 2023. Although this may not come as a surprise, many were not expecting any additions to the title for some time as Bethesda shift their focus to other titles like DOOM, Elder Scrolls Online and Indiana Jones.
FY23E:
DOOM Year Zero & DLC
Elder Scrolls Online DLC
Project Kestrel
Project Platinum
One surprising inclusion to Fiscal Year 23 would be the release of DOOM Year Zero which could result in a completely new addition to the series or some sort of remaster of the original DOOM games in the franchise. Regardless, fans of the series will surely have to wait until 2024, if not longer to find out what Year Zero may entail.
However, the two codenamed titles Kestrel and Platinum could be anything as fans across Reddit, X and Instagram all hypothesis whether or not these releases could be related to hardware, remasters, new IPs or downloadable content. With that being said, I am sure with time ZeniMax and Bethesda will provide more insight into the development of any new releases.
FY24E:
Elder Scrolls VI
Project kestrel Expansion
Licensed IP Game
Fallout 3 Remaster
Elder Scrolls Online DLC
Ghostwire Tokyo: Sequel
Dishonoured 3
DOOM Year Zero: DLC
Finally, Fiscal Year 23 may prove to be the most inconclusive in terms of release dates and development as many of these titles including Elder Scrolls VI, Dishonoured 3 and a new Ghostwire Tokyo sequel could be subject to delays, renegotiations or even shelving as the companies expectations of the market change.
On top of this, very little has been said regarding the remastering of Fallout 3 with many fans querying why not remaster Fallout: New Vegas, despite this I am sure fans of the series are excited to get their hands on new-gen edition of Fallout 3 alongside any DLC that may be included.
Furthermore, the development of The Elder Scrolls: VI has been a heavily guarded secret with a release date forecasted for anywhere between 2025-2026. That being said, the release of Fallout 5 has always been proposed as a sequential release following the development of The Elder Scrolls: VI.
What to Expect
For now we will have to be patient however, as it is a busy time at Microsoft and Bethesda with takeovers and new releases causing all the buzz you would expect from such a international corporation.
But stay up-to-date with RednautQuest as we will be bringing you the latest in video entertainment news following the biggest brands and companies as they release the content you love.
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