Summary
- Xbox may be kickstarting a new internal game studio, as hinted by a recent job listing.
- The job post seeks an Executive Producer to lead an unspecified game development team in San Francisco and New York.
- If this is indeed an all-new unannounced Xbox studio, fans will most likely have to wait many years to learn about what it’s developing.
A recent Xbox job listing has fans speculating over whether Microsoft is spooling up a new internal game studio. While there’s already a sizable arsenal of development teams under the Xbox banner, one more studio may have been quietly added to the mix in recent memory.
As it stands, Xbox cumulatively owns over 30 game development studios across three core business verticals: Xbox Game Studios, ZeniMax Media, and Activision Blizzard. Most of Xbox’s first-party studios were purchased, with only The Coalition, Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries), Turn 10 Studios, The Initiative, and World’s Edge being homegrown teams. The most recent addition of these is the Santa Monica-based The Initiative, which was founded in 2018 and is working on the upcoming Perfect Dark reboot.
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While The Initiative did face some teething problems early on, development on the Perfect Dark reboot seems to have settled into a smooth pace. Now, it appears Microsoft might be in the process of kickstarting a brand-new game development studio, as hinted by a recent Xbox job post for an “experienced Executive Producer.” The listing mentions that the appointed individual will “lead” an unspecified game development team within the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City metropolitan area. Microsoft is also not accepting applications for the position until late February, further substantiating the notion that this team is being built from scratch and will be helmed by an Executive Producer down the line.
Xbox Might Have Established a Brand-New Game Studio
Notable industry insider eXtas1s, who first discovered the job listing, opined in a recent tweet that this supposedly nascent Xbox team is a “top-level secret,” and that a role vacancy of this sort usually opens up in the case of a “brand-new, unannounced studio.” According to the insider, Microsoft could be lining up a “big announcement” for this secret team, possibly in the same way it revealed The Initiative among the addition of five new studios to the Xbox brand at E3 2018. On the other hand, the Xbox job listing may not be seeking an Executive Producer for a single team, but multiple teams instead. This would explain why the post didn’t specify any studio names, but only time will tell which of these possibilities turns out correct.
Should there be a brand-new internal Xbox studio materializing behind the scenes, fans of the brand will likely have to wait a very long time to learn what it’s working on. Thankfully, they’ll have plenty to play in the meantime, as Microsoft has an incredible slate of Xbox games slated for release in the coming years. 2025 alone is set to bring heavy hitters like Doom: The Dark Ages, Avowed, South of Midnight, Ninja Gaiden 4, Fable, and potentially even more.
Xbox Series X
Microsoft’s ninth-generation console, the Xbox Series X is a powerful machine that can support 4K resolution and 60 fps, depending on the game. Released alongside the Xbox Series S, the Series X has a Custom AMD Zen 2 CPU, a Custom RDNA 2 GPU, and 16 GB of RAM.
- Brand
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Microsoft
- Operating System
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Proprietary (Windows-based)
- Storage
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1TB WD SN530 NVMe SSD
- VR Support
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No
- Resolution
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720p – 4K UHD
- App Store
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Microsoft Store
- Wi-Fi
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Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11ac
- Ports
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AC, Ethernet, USB x3, Storage Expansion, HDMI
- HDR Support
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Yes
- Original Release Date
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November 10, 2020
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$499
- Weight
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9.8 LBS
- Dimensions
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151 x 151 x 301 mm
- Processor
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Custom AMD 8-core Zen 2 3.8 GHz
