New upcoming Xbox exclusives revealed: Project 'Midnight' from Compulsion and 'Pentiment' from Obsidian

Compulsions Midnight Concept Art Protag Winc Source: @JezCorden | Windows Central Concept art from codename "Midnight," being adult by Compulsion Games at Microsoft.

Microsoft is having a stellar year for gaming, with titles like Microsoft Flight Simulator, Age of Empires IV, and Forza Horizon five all breaking franchise records in quick succession. Forza Horizon 5 hit four.five meg players after merely 24 hours of general availability, boosted by the value proposition offered past Xbox Game Pass.

Much like Netflix, ensuring Xbox Game Pass has a steady flow of new subscribers is at the top of Microsoft's gaming calendar. A steady period of new subscribers means the firm needs a steady flow of new content, and they're investing more than in that area than ever before. Nosotros know almost upcoming Xbox games titles like Halo Infinite, Starfield, State of Decay 3, and Redfall, merely we've been offering a sneak peek at some equally-of-yet unannounced exclusives too. Microsoft's publishing arm is working difficult on partner titles like Project Dragon from IO Interactive, and Project Belfry from Stoic Studios, amid various others. Internally, we have Project Cobalt from inXile, and we recently detailed Avowed gameplay from Obsidian I'd been lucky enough to come across early. Recently, we were tipped on some new exclusive details for upcoming Xbox games as well.

Compulsion's Project 'Midnight'

Compulsions Midnight Art Winc Source: @JezCorden | Windows Central

Compulsion joined Microsoft nearly the offset of their content acquisition spree. The house is known primarily for We Happy Few, which despite some gameplay problems, delivered big in the fine art management department. Nosotros Happy Few's twisted vision of a fallen Britain proved a truly intriguing concept, and solidified Compulsion as a studio with a lot of potential.

Recently, nosotros received some details on Compulsion's start outing as role of Xbox Game Studios. Currently codenamed "Midnight," this upcoming title is supposedly a third-person action game set in a dark and fantastical world. Some of the game'southward early concept artwork can be seen above. They stand for the game's protagonist, alongside warped harpy-similar humanoids that appear to descend through diverse iterations of mutation. On the left, we tin run into what appears to be harpy nest-way dwellings built atop a tree.

Midnight is described as a "coming of age" tale drawing upon inspirations from America's Deep Southward. The game features magic and large fantastical beasts with a stiff "southern gothic" vibe. The game is a wholly unmarried-player feel, with what has been described to me as a "strong" story.

Right at present I accept no info on the launch timings of Midnight, but you're likely looking at the next couple of years for an official reveal and peradventure even a full launch, although information technology could come later depending on Compulsion's growth and ambitions for the title.

Obsidian'southward "Pentiment"

Obsidian Pentimenti Winc Source: @JezCorden | Windows Central

Recently revealed by Jeff Grubb on his premium Grubbsnax show, Obsidian's "indie"-style effort is emerging from a pocket-sized team led past Josh Sawyer, famed for his leadership on what is arguably the best Fallout game; New Vegas, as well as a personal fave, Pillars of Eternity.

I recently revealed the game'due south proper noun with my co-host Rand_Al_Thor_19 on our Xbox Ii podcast. It'due south being chosen "Pentiment," which refers to "an underlying epitome in a painting, especially one that has go visible when the top layer of paint has turned transparent with age," co-ordinate to the lexicon. This naming convention hints at the game's premise, by which you act as an investigator in 16th century Europe uncovering the truth backside a grisly murder.

Grubb mentioned that Pentiment takes cues from the likes of Disco Elysium and the branching narrative designs Josh Sawyer is known for. You'll be able to investigate and make accusations against the characters in-game, which could lead to cascading consequences if y'all're wrong. It'll be a dialogue-heavy game with decisions to make and response options to choose from, which will shape your feel every bit you unwrap the murder conspiracy before yous.

I am told that Pentiment is being built past a modest team of around 12 people, and is more of a narrative RPG gamble than something combat-oriented. The fine art nugget above may represent some of the designs the game is gunning for. Jeff Grubb also mentioned that Pentiment is exploring "experimental" gameplay elements, too, although they may ultimately not brand information technology into the concluding release. Speaking of which, Grubb also noted that Pentiment is indeed gunning for a 2022 launch.

Even more games for Xbox

The underpinning reality among all these game projects is that Microsoft is investing more e'er into its kickoff-party games portfolio. From smaller games like Pentiment to larger titles with hundreds of developers like Halo Infinite, Microsoft is all-in on ensuring that it tin can see off competition from some of the bigger players in the space. Some of the bigger trillion-dollar tech outfits like Apple, Google, and Amazon are all sitting up and realizing that there's something serious about this whole core gaming thing, every bit companies like Netflix begin to explore adding gaming features to their subscription services.

Microsoft is showing no signs of slowing downwardly either. Xbox chief Phil Spencer this week noted that he's exploring expanding Microsoft's casual gaming portfolio through acquisitions, and I also received word of yet another upcoming Xbox Publishing partnership, codenamed "Vonnegut," presumably after the novelist Kurt Vonnegut, although across the game's codename, I have no information on exactly what that is or who could be making it. Vonnegut falls alongside another outset-party title codenamed "Velvet," although, once again, very little is known about who or what it could exist.

With Xbox smashing all sorts of records right now, I firmly believe we could be entering a second aureate age of Xbox, with a steady cadence of loftier-quality titles now becoming a consistent reality for customers in the ecosystem.

The AT&T version of Surface Duo is now getting Android 11

It's here

The AT&T version of Surface Duo is at present getting Android eleven

After a very long wait, the original Surface Duo is at present eligible to receive its over-the-air OS update to Android eleven. Here is what is new and stock-still with the biggest update yet for Microsoft'due south start dual-screen Android device.