It Seems Some Physical Xbox Game Releases Have Been Canceled

Highlights

• Some smaller Xbox game releases have been canceled on GameStop and marked as “currently unavailable” on Amazon, raising speculation about Xbox’s hardware plans.
• Rumors about Xbox going fully multi-platform and abandoning its hardware have not been confirmed, so it’s important not to blow things out of proportion before official confirmations.
• Xbox needs to address the rumors about its hardware plans and provide clarity to the gaming community, especially considering the potential impact on future physical game releases.

It appears that some retailers may be canceling a few physical releases of Xbox games. Reports of these cancelations come ahead of the upcoming Xbox business update, which will respond to rampant rumors and speculation about the company’s role in the broader games market.

Discourse about Xbox’s approach to exclusivity began a few weeks ago, when it was rumored that Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush, a critical darling released exclusively for Xbox and PC, will be coming to the Nintendo Switch and PS5, along with fellow Xbox exclusive Sea of Thieves. The discussion about potential cross-platform ports of Xbox games became considerably more animated and fervent when additional rumors surfaced regarding Xbox’s plans to bring flagship exclusives like Starfield and even Gears of War to Sony’s console. Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming CEO, issued a tweet announcing an imminent business update that would address the rumors, though this did little to quell speculation.

Following the GameStop Game Pass controversy, sparked by the retailer referring to Game Pass with Microsoft’s branding rather than Xbox’s in an ad, more speculation has begun to swirl around leaked GameStop information. A recent tweet reveals that the games Welcome to ParadiZe, Taxi Life, Smalland Survive the Wilds, Tintin Reporter Cigars, and Hammerwatch 2 Chronicles, were marked as “canceled” in GameStop’s internal system, which ostensibly tracks which games will be getting shipped to the retailer’s locations. The games listed in the tweet have also been stamped as “currently unavailable” on Amazon.

Allegedly Canceled Physical Xbox Games

• Welcome to ParadiZe
• Taxi Life
• Smalland Survive the Wilds
• Tintin Reporter Cigars
• Hammerwatch 2 Chronicles

Looking at this news, it may be easy to assume that other, bigger Xbox games will follow suit and not receive physical releases. Indeed, this is just what many responses to the tweet seem to suggest, with some wondering if this is merely another step in Xbox’s overall plans to abandon its hardware and go fully multi-platform with its games. However, it’s crucial to note that rumors of Xbox making a total leap into software have not been confirmed. Moreover, these five cancelations could have numerous alternate explanations, especially since they are such small games.

Regardless of what this GameStop news indicates, it’s clear that Xbox needs to address the rumors about its hardware plans. The prospect of Xbox following the likes of SEGA and becoming completely focused on software isn’t out of the realm of possibility, but it’s important that the gaming community doesn’t blow anything out of proportion before any official confirmations.