What’s next for Xbox and Halo

The last six months have been turbulent for Xbox. Microsoft started the year by laying off 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees, then announced four in-house games would drop their exclusivity and ship on PS5 and Nintendo Switch. More recently, the company shut down three game studios, including Tango Gameworks, maker of the award-winning and widely praised Hi-Fi Rush.

The moves have rattled fans. Hardcore Xbox customers are upset that exclusives are available on rival consoles, with many wondering why they should continue to invest in the Xbox ecosystem when Microsoft is shutting down studios and its games are appearing on rival platforms anyway. Sunday’s Xbox Games Showcase is a chance for Microsoft to try and get fans excited about the future again. I’m expecting two big game reveals, a lot of release dates, and some surprises along the way.

At the heart of all the turmoil leading up to this Xbox showcase are strategy shifts for both hardware and first-party games. Microsoft has promised a big technical leap for its next-gen Xbox, and the company is rumored to be working on an Xbox handheld. But there’s an ongoing project to bring more games to rival consoles like the PS5 and Nintendo Switch that could undermine both hardware efforts.

The plan that’s proven so controversial with hardcore Xbox fans is known internally as “Project Latitude,” sources familiar with Microsoft’s efforts tell me. Project Latitude started off with an initial wave of games, including Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded, heading to the PS5, with some going to the Nintendo Switch, but the plan extends beyond these four games and into some titles that might surprise Xbox fans.