Leaked documents from the FTC investigation into the merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard (via Resetera) have revealed a bevy of games that Bethesda studios have in the works, including the rumored Fallout 3 and Oblivion remasters, as well as new entries in the Dishonored, Doom, and Prey franchises. The documents in question are from 2020, so the release timelines for many of the named projects are out of date, but it still provides a tantalizing glimpse of what we can expect in the next few years.
The most eye-catching projects are almost certainly the remasters of Fallout 3 and Oblivion, which are the games that really popularized the studio and laid the foundation for Starfield. According to the documents, the Oblivion remaster was due in FY2022, while the Fallout 3 remaster was due in FY2024. Neither, of course, has been announced, though reports of the Oblivion project surfaced earlier this year, when it was reported to have been outsourced to Virtuos and slated for a 2025 launch.
Elsewhere, the document reveals that Doom Year Zero was planned for FY2023, with new entries in the Dishonored and Ghostwire Tokyo franchises set for FY2024. However, with both Redfall and Hi-Fi Rush (Project Hibiki) slated for FY2021, those dates have almost certainly been pushed out by at least an extra year.
Also worth noting is that there is a licenced IP project that isn’t MachineGames’ Indiana Jones, which will be interesting to discover, as well as two other unnamed and unannounced games in the form of Project Kestrel and Project Platinum.
However, the most interesting part of the document to me is what appears to be the revelation that a new Prey is in the works at Roundhouse Studios. We haven’t heard much about the studio since it was founded under some pretty sketchy circumstances; it was created following the closure of Human Head Studios the day after it released the sequel/reboot of Rune II, with the entire staff moving to the new studio. What’s particularly interesting is that Human Head was responsible for the original Prey from 2006 before Arkane took over for the 2017 reboot.
While it’s fascinating to see all of this from a fan perspective, it’s a devastating blow for Microsoft, which now has a considerable portion of its mid-term strategy on public display for its competitors to peruse. The documents also revealed the first details of the mid-gen refresh for the Xbox Series consoles, as well as the next-gen follow-up.
