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2022 has seen numerous video games already, and there are tons more to come in the next half of the year. Entries like God of War Ragnarok and Saints Row are sure to get their due diligence, as most people are awaiting them eagerly.
But how about some titles still in development, which are probably flying under the radar for many people. There are many such video games scheduled for a 2023 release date that have been announced, but not much has been heard since.
And yet there are even more video games that might have made the rounds more, but so far have no release window even planned, not to talk of an exact date.
Note: This article reflects the writer's opinions.
Five video games in development that may come out in 2023
1) Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake was one of Remedy's older games, after their successful Max Payne series. Launched in 2010, the first Alan Wake video game told the story of the eponymous protagonist, a writer retiring to the town of Bright Falls for some peace to overcome his writer's block.
There, things take a turn for the weird, with shadow creatures attacking people and reality-bending nightmares occurring.
While the title ultimately sees Alan stuck in a different plane of reality known as the Dark Place, he does make an appearance in Remedy's latest game, Control. In the AWE DLC, Wake’s story is somewhat taken forward, although not to the point of being finished.
Then, in The Game Awards 2021, Alan Wake 2 was announced to be in development, scheduled for a 2023 release date.
This upcoming video game will take a turn from the action-adventure genre of the previous titles to a survival horror feel. The gameplay will be from a third-person perspective and use Remedy's own Northlight engine.
2) Dead Space (remake)
Yes, a Dead Space remake is in the works, this time being developed from the ground up by Motive Studios. It is supposed to be a recreation of the original Dead Space video game from 2008, retaining the same basic plot and featuring Isaac Clarke as the returning protagonist.
It was originally conceived as the idea of a Resident Evil-like title in space by creator Glen Schofield, who wanted to create the most frightening horror game he could imagine. Considering that the original Dead Space is still a harrowing experience for many new and even old players, it might be safe to say that Schofield came quite close.
The title saw the protagonist arrive at a seemingly abandoned mining vessel in space, named the USG Ishimura. He and his team witness horrifying mutated creatures, dubbed "necromorphs," killing and separating their crew.
Isaac, armed with only a plasma cutter (initially) is tasked with reuniting with his crew and escaping.
3) Black Myth: Wukong
Many people might have forgotten about Black Myth: Wukong and it's not hard to understand why. After showing some promising gameplay and very impressive graphics, this video game has mostly gone silent in the marketing department.
Yet, seemingly, the title is still in development, with a planned 2023 release date.
While details regarding the story are sparse, the video game takes much inspiration from the Journey to the West Chinese novel from the 16th century. While the novel itself tells the adventures of the legendary Monkey King, Sun Wukong, the game seemingly will not have him as the main protagonist.
Instead, players will take control of a different monkey wielding a staff, which bears a striking resemblance to the legendary hero.
The released gameplay showcases quite a lot of interesting moments, including a boss fight. The combat seems to be inspired by the Souls games, while the protagonist also has access to some exciting abilities like shapeshifting.
No new reports for the title have been available for a while, although the release window has not changed.
4) Assassin’s Creed: Infinity
After Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, Ubisoft seems to be taking a new direction with this fan-favorite franchise through its next game, Assassin's Creed: Infinity. Taking a bold initiative, Infinity is seemingly set to be a live service game that will receive regular updates to keep the momentum moving forward.
This game is set to include multiple historical periods where gameplay will take place, unlike previous installments, which completely focused on just one era. It will be intriguing to see how a possible co-op multiplayer Assassin's Creed game will feature in its gameplay, and how it can simultaneously retain its stealth roots.
With Valhalla's final piece of DLC releasing a few months back, Infinity is primed to take the stage in 2023, with a possible later release. Another, smaller game known as Assassin's Creed: Rift will to launch in late 2022 or early 2023, making Infinity's 2023 launch tentative.
5) Avowed
Much like how The Outer Worlds was Obsidian’s answer to the Fallout series, Avowed is Obsidian’s answer to the Elder Scrolls series. Taking place in the same realm as the Pillars of Eternity video games took place in, Avowed is a fantasy RPG set to release in 2023.
A short gameplay snippet was seen in its announcement trailer in July 2021’s Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase, which gave hints about the combat users can expect. In a look very similar to Skyrim, the character was wielding magic on one hand and a sword on the other.
With Elder Scrolls 6 still far from the horizon, Avowed might satiate gamers' need for a fun fantasy RPG, at least until Bethesda steps up. As with The Outer Worlds, players can expect a less serious take on the story, but with fun and enjoyable gameplay and equally fun and interesting characters.
Five video games unlikely to arrive any time soon
1) Marvel’s Wolverine
Insomniac Games has had a great deal of success with their Spider-Man video games, with the first being Marvel’s Spider-Man, released in 2018. This title was popular enough to launch a spin-off titled Miles Morales, as well as an upcoming sequel.
However, in September 2021, the developer surprised everyone by revealing their new Marvel game, set in the same continuity as Spider-Man, featuring fan-favorite X-Man, Wolverine himself. While only a teaser was shown, it was already evident that like the Spider-Man offerings, Wolverine would also be a great faithful adaptation of the comics.
Not much regarding this title is yet known, including if it will be released before or after the Spider-Man sequel, although the latter option seems more likely. As of now, it is yet uncertain what the gameplay or story will look like, but players can rest assured that they will be able to hear the iconic “snikt” sound effect as Wolverine unleashes his claws.
2) Kingdom Hearts 4
Kingdom Hearts 3 ended the “Dark Seeker Saga” and many were sad to see the series finally end. The original game launched in 2002 and was a delight for many Disney fans, who also enjoyed the aesthetic of the Final Fantasy video games.
Sora, along with his ever-present sidekicks Donald and Goofy, was just the right blend of the two genres.
However, to many fans’ surprise and delight, Kingdom Hearts 4 was announced in April 2022. The new title would herald the beginning of a new arc known as “Lost Master” and would be set in a realistic-looking world based on Tokyo, known as Quadratum.
While no release window was announced, users shouldn’t hold out hope of seeing it anytime soon. Developer Square Enix has its hands full with Forspoken’s upcoming release and Final Fantasy XVI coming next.
So it wouldn’t be surprising that Kingdom Hearts 4 might be scheduled for a much later date.
3) GTA 6
The official announcement that GTA 6 is in development came in the form of a few words at the end of a Newswire blog post in February 2022. So fans of the video game series can at least rest assured that the title will be released someday.
And honestly, after almost ten years of GTA 5 and Online, it's the best they can hope for at the moment.
Aside from this bit of official news, GTA 6 has had no other announcements or reveals, although there are a handful of rumors regarding the entry ever-present on the web. A much wished-to-be-true rumor is that GTA 6 will be set in modern-day Vice City, which hasn’t seen a return in the more recent games.
With the only official line being "active development for the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series is well underway", a release date in the near future feels like asking for too much. After all, GTA games are some of the largest ever made, and Rockstar Games does like to take their time with development.
If fans were to bet, 2024 would seem like a fine choice.
4) New Bioshock game
Bioshock is a series of video games set in a steampunk-like setting, created by Ken Levine. The first two titles exclusively take place in the underwater city of Rapture during the 1960s, while the last offering, Bioshock: Infinite, occurs before the events of the first game, in 1912, in the flying airship city of Columbia.
A new offering was announced to be in development by 2K Games, with a new internal studio known as Cloud Chamber, in December 2019. The title is seemingly set to return to its first-person shooter with RPG elements mode of gameplay.
A job listing leak also seemingly pointed out that this next video game in the series would feature an open world.
There has been little to no official news from 2K Games regarding this entry so far, so it is hard to expect the video game to release anytime soon. A 2023 release date might be possible, but if so, an announcement reveal or a trailer should at least have been showcased by now.
5) The Elder Scrolls 6
Like GTA 6, another video game with almost no official news whatsoever is The Elder Scrolls 6. At E3 2018, it was announced to be on the way by Todd Howard himself, although he did mention that it would release after Starfield.
And with Starfield getting pushed back to 2023, fans should not get their hopes up on seeing the sequel to Skyrim anytime soon.
The Elder Scrolls series is set in the land of Tamriel, where five of the nine nations have been visited in previous titles. It is a fantasy RPG series, with the later offerings being set in fully open worlds.
Gamers can engage enemies using various weapons and different spells they have access to.
In an interview after the main E3 show in 2021, Todd Howard mentioned that Elder Scrolls 6 is still in the design phase. This might just be the sugarcoated way of saying that the title hasn’t even begun proper development.
Other than the fact that the video game will utilize Bethesda’s Creation Engine, nothing else has been confirmed.
Note: This article reflects the author's views.
