Microsoft accidentally leaked several unredacted documents from Xbox’s antitrust hearing over the Xbox Activision acquisition. The FTC released some redacted versions of some documents during the hearings, though Bloomberg reports that a Microsoft official uploaded unredacted versions to a government court website.
Included in the materials (thanks, The Verge) were Microsoft’s plans for a new Xbox Series X console, emails between Xbox and Microsoft executives about acquisitions, and even a list of upcoming Bethesda games, such as a Ghostwire Tokyo sequel and even a Fallout 3 remake.
Microsoft originally submitted these and dozens of other documents pertaining to the company’s business model and plans at the FTC’s request in a bit to convince the agency that Xbox acquiring Activision Blizzard wouldn’t harm competition in the games space.
One of the more significant pieces of information in the leaked documents is Microsoft’s plan to launch a digital-only Xbox Series X in 2024, though if the leaked details are true, it’s not quite the mid-gen refresh we saw with the Xbox One. The new Xbox Series X, codenamed Brooklin, features a cylindrical design and some improvements to power consumption, along with an improved wireless controller.
Bethesda’s lineup consists of known quantities, such as The Elder Scrolls 6, and some surprises. Ghostwire Tokyo is apparently getting a sequel, and ZeniMax is working on an Elder Scrolls Oblivion remaster. Doom Year Zero, DLC for that game, a Fallout 3 remake, and Dishonored 3 also showed up in the list.
It’s worth noting that these plans may have changed. The documents were from 2019 and have the Doom game listed for Microsoft’s 2023 fiscal year. That fiscal year ended in July 2023, though some of the leaked emails suggested that shifting schedules and game delays were a common problem in the time after Xbox drew up that tentative release schedule.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
