Video game development is an industry in a near-constant battle with investors, deadlines, technology, and perhaps its largest adversary: the gamer. Rarely is a video game created and produced by one studio or a small group of individuals. Nowadays, it sometimes takes multiple teams over multiple studios that could total into the hundreds.
It’s frustrating when a game gets announced and it takes years to release any content, including an official trailer. In the early days of video game development, shorter time frames existed from announcement to release. As technology advances and gamers hungered for more engaging gameplay, video games took longer to create and program, often taking years. At least these days, most games take an average of 2-3 years to make. Sequels less time because those are usually worked on before its predecessors have even been released.
Rumors in the video game industry are like grains of sand in a desert: they’re always there. Clever gamers scour the internet sometimes in search of leaks - official and not-so-official - about their favorite game. A popular method of obtaining information about future content is called data mining. That’s when “hackers” pull programming from a game’s disc that hints at a franchise’s sequels or in DLCs.
Here are 10 Video Games Currently In Development (And 10 That Are Rumored).
In Development: Anthem
Anthem is a third-person shooter combined with role-playing and action elements. BioWare (Mass Effect, Dragon’s Age) is developing the game, and it will be published by Electronic Arts for the Xbox One, PS4, and Windows platform. In the game, you’ll play as a “Freelancer” who breaks off from their civilization to investigate adjacent areas. As a Freelancer, you have exosuites that are called Javelins. They allow you to carry unique weapons and gives you powerful abilities. You’ll be able to play solo and co-operative (with up to 4 others in your group) in what Bioware promises is a shared world.
The game was actually teased in 2014 and then again in 2017 (both teasers at E3).
Anthem was officially announced at 2017’s E3, and its original release date was Q4 in 2018. The game was shown with 2 different types of Javelins running on the Xbox One X. But earlier this year, EA announced the release was pushed back to some time in the early part of 2019 because the new Battlefield took priority for EA.
The Vice President of EA, Patrick Soderlund, stated in an interview that the developer will provide new content and updates well after the game’s release and that Anthem is “the start of maybe a 10-year journey.”
Rumored: Watch Dogs 3
When Watch Dogs released in 2014, many critics and gamers felt it was basically a Grand Theft Auto clone with computer hackers. Ubisoft promised one game and delivered a different game than it previewed prior to its release. However, Watch Dogs 2 was a grand improvement over the previous one, with a large world and rich personality with fun (and better) hacking mechanics. The sequel was received much better than the first.
A third installment is inevitable considering the success of Watch Dogs 2. While Ubisoft hasn’t mentioned anything in particular, several clues exist hinted at a Watch Dogs 3. After a patch for Watch Dogs 2 in February 2017, the ending became longer and the cutscene added an audio conversation between 2 unknown characters. They discuss the “rise of hacktivism” around the world in the Middle East and Europe. A coordinate system appears, and the waypoint sits at a section of London, England.
Early this year, when “Spax” by N.E.R.D. was played with the Uplay program open, s were able to click on a special profile command line. One command pulled up a list of unreleased games. The puzzle itself paid homage to the type of hacking found in Watch Dogs. And finally, a tweet on the Watch Dogs Twitter posted “This is everything.” It was immediately removed.
In Development: Shenmue III
The Shenmue franchise started in 1999 with the first game, with the sequel releasing 2 years later. At the time, Shenmue was the most expensive video game ever developed and release, hitting around $47 million in product and marketing costs. Games now easily hit over $100 million in budget. Although the first and second games have a strong cult following and have made many “Best of” lists over the years, Shenmue and Shenmue II were considered commercial failures.
That didn’t stop Yu Suzuki (the original director) from continuing Ryo Hazuki’s quest to find Lan Di. Sega licensed the franchise back to Suzuki and his video game development company, Ys Net. Shenmue III did spend over 10 years in development before Suzuki ran a Kickstarter campaign for Shenmue III’s funding. The target was $2 million, but ers easily matched that within 8 hours, making it the fast Kickstarter to ever hit that amount. When the campaign ended, Shenmue III just over $6 million.
The game has been delayed a couple of times, first to the last half of 2018, then again to 2019.
Suzuki reassures fans that because of “new technologies” the developer has discovered “new possibilities and expressions.” While this doesn’t inspire confidence, Suzuki adds that the game “has become bigger and more beautiful than I initially expected.”
Rumored: Doom 2
Bethesda Softworks rebooted the Doom franchise by releasing Doom in 2016. The game received consistently high ratings and positive reviews from most major gaming magazines and websites. Players especially loved the single-player campaign, comparing it to the quality of PvE of the newer Wolfenstein games. Doom (2016) was nominated for many awards and won 13 of them. With the popularity and success of the reboot Doom, a sequel could be on the horizon.
The biggest hint that Doom 2 is rumored to be something the developer is working or will work on is from the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Bethesda, Pete Hines. He said, when asked about the company’s plans for E3 in 2018 that “I couldn’t give you any guesses as to what we’re going to announce and when those games will be out. But I will say, we have a lot of new stuff to talk about at E3. Whether or not folks realize it, this is the hell on Earth time for us with E3. We are in the midst of so much planning and work for all of that content but I’m really excited.”
The phrase “hell on Earth” sealed the rumor of a possible Doom 2: That is the subtitle of 1994’s Doom II: Hell on Earth.
In Development: Days Gone
Exclusive to the PS4, Days Gone is an adventure-action game with elements of survival horror. It’s being developed by SIE Bend Studio, best known for their Syphon Filter franchise and PlayStation Vita Uncharted games. In Days Gone, a pandemic wipes out most of humanity and changed many of those who survived called Freakers, who are basically zombies that keep evolving.
You’ll play as Deacon St. John who used to be a bounty hunter. After the pandemic, he sticks to himself, constantly on the move. Days Gone starts 2 years after the first days of that devastating pandemic. Progression involves objectives to complete with stealth, long- and/or short-range weapons. One touted feature of the game includes the weather and day/night system: Freakers will be slow by day, but astonishingly aggressive at night.
The game officially went into production in January 2015 and uses the Unreal Engine 4.
At the 2016 and 2017 E3, the developer had stage demos of two different Freaker types and infected animals/human enemies, respectively. Originally, Days Gone had been planned for a 2018 release, but in March 2018, the game was pushed back to 2019 for unknown reasons. Those in the media who’ve been allowed to get early gameplay in were impressed with the visuals, but worried the main story won’t make the zombie-hunting any different from other, similar games.
Rumored: Star Wars Title From Respawn
Turning into less of a rumor since 2016, the announcement that Respawn Entertainment is making a Star Wars game was official. However, it’s interesting to note that over the past 2 years, barely any information about that game has surfaced. Even the executive Vice President of EA Studios, Patrick Soderlund, even said on the EA website in 2016 that more information about the game would be coming soon.
Respawn is best known for Titanfall, so hopes are extremely high that it’ll treat the Star Wars game franchise well.
In 2017, this “Star Wars” game still remained a video game secret, but it became more likely to move forward more quickly when EA acquired Respawn Entertainment for over $450 million in total with cash, equity, and performance bonuses. Even at that time, a Star Wars title was still on the books. In November 2017, a representative of Respawn Entertainment, Jay, answered questions on the website’s b a FAQ format. The second question was “What’s going to happen with Star Wars?” His written answer was “Respawn will continue to work on our Star Wars game. Development is going well and we have a great relationship with Lucasfilm.”
The purchase of the studio was after EA canceled the Star Wars project that Visceral Games had been working on. It’s possible that EA felt Respawn’s game was better and worth putting more money into. Some fans and media outlets are expecting at least a 2020 release.
In Development: The Last of Us Part II
The Last of Us Part II is another PlayStation 4 exclusive title that is the sequel to The Last of Us, released in 2013. Even though the game was announced the PlayStation Experience event in December of 2016, production on the game started in 2014, with motion capture of the actors beginning in 2017.
Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker return as Joel and Ellie, and Part II takes place 5 years after its predecessor.
In the sequel, you’ll play as Ellie as she continues on her next journey, presumably involving more survival horror with some action and adventure thrown in. Unlike the first game, which focused on the theme of love, director and writer Neil Druckman stated that Part II will be about hate. When the second trailer showed at Paris Games Week in October of 2017, it revealed that there will be three new characters named Yara, Lev, and Emily. There was also a fourth character shown who was unnamed at the time, but gamers learned she would be played by Laura Bailey.
Almost immediately on its announcement, Part II made it on many “Most Wanted” and “Most Anticipated” lists. The game has suffered a number of delays, but it’s been hoped by fans and gamers of the franchise that a release date would be communicated at E3 2018.
Rumored: Gears of War 5
Gears of War is a rare video game franchise ed by a devoted fan base. There are 5 games, a comic book series, a board game, and several novels that give gamers a rich universe to enjoy. The series has been the most played on Xbox Live.
At the end of 2017, Phil Spencer mentioned the franchise in ing. Whether he meant to or not is unknown; he spoke about the biggest exclusive franchises such as “Halo, Forza, and Gears of War” when mentioning “future unannounced games” being released globally and on the Xbox Game . However, other details are now known that means Gears of War 5 might soon get under development.
The company Splash Damage worked on other Gears of War games, developing the multi-player modes. Splash Damage posted listings for new jobs on its website that specifically list titles for the “Gears of War Franchise.” Gears of War 4 was released in 2016, so it’s timely that Spencer mentions the series and one of the major developers of a couple of the previous games have listed jobs. Note that some other listings are for “Unannounced Projects." It might be soon that the rumor turns to confirmation.
In Development: Metro Exodus
Based on the Metro 2033 that was created by Dmitry Glukhovsky and other writers over short stories, novels, and novellas, the Metro franchise extended into the video game media in 2010 with Metro 2033. Two other games followed with Metro: Last Light and Metro Redux - though the latter title consisted of re-mastered versions of the first two games.
4A Games is developed Metro Exodus, which continues the franchise: it takes place 2 years after the events of the first two games.
Players will take the role of Artyom, who is seeking a ride on a train called “Aurora,” which will take him to a new and safe life. The time frame of the game is over the course of one year. Anna is also in the game, returning from Last Light. She was also a main character in the novel Metro 2035, if you keep track of the books. She is now Artyom’s wife in the game.
The game will keep the survival horror and stealth mechanics that made the games popular and remain a first-person shooter. Microsoft announced the game at a press conference at last year’s E3 and started development in 2014. The planned release date is Q1 2019 for the PS4, Xbox One, and Windows platform.
Rumored: Splinter Cell
Sometimes, retailers inadvertently mention future games, although such details are quickly removed on discovery. Destiny’s DLCs have often been spotted months at GameStop’s website ahead of any official release by Bungie. The same thing has happened to a rumored Splinter Cell game when Amazon Canada let a link slip by.
Details were scarce, but the Amazon listing did state Splinter Cell 2018 was owned by Ubisoft, but no game platforms were listed. It could end up on any of the current consoles or PC - maybe an exclusive to one of them. There was no box art and no actual release date, even though the title of the listing included 2018. One other detail: the model number read “E3TomClancy’sSpinterCell2018_PC,” which encouraged rumors of some kind of E3 2018 announcement. It’s not know if the listing was posted on accident by Ubisoft or Amazon.
If you want further evidence that a new Splinter Cell game might happen, Ubisoft’s CEO Yves Guillemot said that Splinter Cell is “one of his favorite sires and is a franchise the company talks about a lot.” In a later interview, he also said that all the Tom Clancy series are “coming along nicely” and Splinter Cell “hasn’t been forgotten.”