With 2023 right around the corner, I wanted to sit down and give my predictions on 5 major gaming announcements we could expect to see in 2023.
First, though, it should be said that these are my own predictions and should be taken as rumor, although I will be basing some of my predictions on inside knowledge, that I will refer to in the article.
The list of predictions is in no particular order.
5 – Project Keystone Announcement
Project Keystone has already been acknowledged and announced to some degree by Microsoft CEO Phil Spencer during The Verge’s Decoder Podcast. Phil Spencer said Keystone was “more expensive than we [Microsoft] wanted it to be”. Subsequently, Keystone was put on the shelf for the time being.
It’s understood that Keystone isn’t entirely abandoned, despite the company shifting its focus to having Xbox Cloud Gaming incorporated into Samsung TVs and other devices.
I anticipate that a late 2023 announcement could be possible, with the device being fine-tuned and produced to Microsoft’s desires for a holiday 2024 release. Spencer has already explained that with the Xbox Series S selling for $299, the price difference with Keystone needs to be significant enough to provide value to consumers.
With Google’s Stadia now out of the question, I do think there’s a market and a need for such a device like Keystone, and with Xbox’s vast catalog of Xbox Game Pass games, the foundations have already been laid.
Who knows, maybe Hideo Kojima’s Xbox title could be officially announced alongside Keystone if the game is anything to do with Cloud technology.
4 – New PlayStation 5 Console
I’ve talked about Sony’s new PlayStation 5 console a lot this year because, well, I’ve seen everything to do with it. Images, sales plans, the lot. I fully expect an announcement in the first half of the year for the new console, with the console hitting the market in September 2023.
Sporting a detachable disc drive, the console is set to decrease shipping and production costs and will eventually completely replace the standard PlayStation 5 model, its understood.
With Sony anticipating 30.5 million PlayStation 5’s to be shipped in FY23, it’s clear that Sony is predicting production to ramp up significantly in the coming fiscal year.
3 – Microsoft Acquires Activision Blizzard (or doesn’t)
I don’t want to give my personal opinions on if I think the acquisition will be made or not, but by the middle of 2023, we should have an answer.
It’s a long and complicated process and I think we’ll be seeing almost daily news on this for the foreseeable future, but eventually, there will be an end to it. We’ll likely continue to hear about lawsuits etc. for years to come, but some form of closure will be warmed welcomed.
2 – Grand Theft Auto 6 Announcement
It’s probably the biggest game announcement that will ever be made (until the next GTA), and I strongly believe that 2023 will be the year of its announcement.
Despite being flamed from the GTA community in the summer of 2021 for my report, I said that GTA 6 will release in either 2024 – 2025, which is a firm date I strongly still believe is happening. A 2023 announcement would line up with these years perfectly, especially if you’re familiar with how Rockstar Games and Take-Two have generally handled their game announcements and releases in the past.
If you’re unaware, Rockstar Games has announced its past two games, GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 two years prior to release, meaning a 2023 announcement likely means a 2025 release.
Microsoft thinks GTA 6 will release in 2024, but prior reveals and release dates seem to suggest that’s not the case. Is a release announcement for 2024 possible? Sure. But Rockstar’s track record suggests that the game will be pushed back another year anyway.
1 – Switch 2 Announcement
This is probably my most “out there” prediction for 2023, but with the Steam Deck showing that the Nintendo Switch is getting outdated and fairly quickly, I expect at least an announcement of the Switch 2 in 2023.
A recent rumor has suggested that a mid-gen upgrade for the Switch was planned and then scrapped, which is likely because Nintendo is planning a generation upgrade, making a mid-gen upgrade obsolete.
In March 2023, the Switch will already be six years old and it’s vastly approaching the typical timeframe of a new console generation upgrade.
What did you think of my list? Do you agree or disagree with any points? Let me know in the comments below!
