Xbox's Plans for Its Next Console

Project Helix, layoffs, lawsuits, and a lot of new games

G’day Gamers,

Back from the dead. I was supposed to have an issue out last week, but between a bout of gastro and celebrating a cricket grand final victory, it just wasn’t on the cards. I did spend some time playing Re9 and loving every second of it, I also ran some Super Battle Golf, and it might be the best $11 i’ve spent in a long time.

Anyway, enough rambling.

Let’s Get Into it,

Xbox Reveals Project Helix

At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco yesterday, Xbox VP Jason Ronald took the stage and laid out where the platform is heading.

The next Xbox console is officially codenamed Project Helix; the retail name will be announced closer to launch. This is the first time Microsoft has shared real details about it.

The hardware is built on a custom AMD chip, co-designed with next-generation DirectX, FSR, and ray tracing, with multi-frame generation coming to consoles for the first time. In short, this thing is going to be significantly more powerful than anything currently in your living room, and the gap between console and high-end PC should narrow considerably.

Ronald described the ray tracing jump as “an order of magnitude leap” over the Series X, and it plays your existing Xbox and PC games, which lines up with Microsoft’s broader push to make Xbox a platform that follows you across devices rather than a box you buy every few years.

Alpha dev kits don’t ship to developers until 2027, which makes a consumer launch sometime in 2028 the realistic expectation. One industry analyst has already floated a price above $900 USD, which will be a hard conversation when that day comes.

Also out of GDC: Xbox Mode for Windows 11 rolls out in April, bringing the full console interface to PC while keeping everything Windows already does.

The announcement that got the most noise, though, was one throwaway line from Ronald about backwards compatibility. As part of Xbox’s 25th anniversary later this year, the game preservation team will release “iconic games from the past that are now going to be able to be played in entirely new ways.”

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In Case You Missed It...

Nintendo sued the US government over Trump’s tariffs The Supreme Court already ruled them illegal in February, and Nintendo filed suit demanding a full refund with interest alongside over a thousand other companies including Costco and FedEx.

Sony is ending PC ports for its big single-player exclusives Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reported the ports weren’t making enough money, and Ghost of Yotei, Saros, and future first-party single-player titles will stay PlayStation-exclusive.

Epic is raising Fortnite V-Buck prices 25% on March 19 to help “pay the bills” The Battle Pass now costs 800 V-Bucks and pays back exactly 800, so you earn just enough to buy the next one and nothing else.

EA laid off staff across all four Battlefield studios despite BF6 being the best-selling game of 2025 DICE, Criterion, Ripple Effect, and Motive all affected, with EA calling it a “realignment” as the game shifts from active development to live service support.

Capcom confirmed a story expansion is in development for Resident Evil Requiem Director Koshi Nakanishi also teased a mystery minigame arriving in May, which is almost certainly Mercenaries mode.

Nagoshi Studio is facing closure after NetEase pulled funding for Gang of Dragon The Yakuza creator’s debut game needs another $44 million to complete and the studio has been running for four years with no backup publisher secured.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remake is officially confirmed Ubisoft dropped artwork this week as part of their 2026 AC slate, with no further details beyond confirmation it’s happening.

Slay the Spire 2 launched in Early Access on March 5 and went straight to the top of Steam’s charts I just downloaded it and am very keen to jump into it.

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Release Radar

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake (PS5/Xbox Series X|S/Switch 2/PC) - Out Now Full rebuild of the 2003 survival horror classic. Twin sisters trapped in a ghost-filled village, fighting spirits with a camera.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando (PS5/Xbox Series X|S/PC) - Out Now Co-op zombie shooter from the director of The Thing, with an original Carpenter synthwave soundtrack and up to four players.

Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf (PS5/Xbox/Switch 2/PC) - Out Now Sequel to the 2023 puzzle-platformer.

1348: Ex Voto (PS5/PC) - Out Now Medieval plague action-adventure starring a female knight voiced by Expedition 33’s Jennifer English.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection (PS5/Xbox Series X|S/Switch 2/PC) - March 13 AEDT Capcom’s monster-taming RPG spin-off returns with a new cast and a new ecosystem-based mechanic. Early scores are the strongest the series has seen.

WWE 2K26 (PS5/Xbox Series X|S/Switch 2/PC) - March 13 AEDT The annual instalment. Expanded roster, refined gameplay. GET THE TABLES!

Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! (PS5/Xbox Series X|S/Switch 2/PC) - March 16 AEDT Retro FPS set 25 years after the original film, with large open maps and a co-op campaign.

MLB The Show 26 (PS5/Xbox Series X|S/Switch) - March 17 AEDT The annual baseball sim, cross-platform as usual.

Crimson Desert (PS5/Xbox Series X|S/PC) - March 19 AEDT Pearl Abyss’s open-world action RPG. Previews have compared the combat to a mix of Breath of the Wild and Dragon’s Dogma 2. The biggest I don’t know what to expect on the calendar.

Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered (PS5/Xbox/Switch/Switch 2/PC) - March 19 AEDT Remaster of one of the most popular entries in the long-running hack-and-slash series.

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If you've been enjoying The Save File, the best thing you can do is forward this to a mate who'd get something out of it.

Till next time,

Jayden

P.S. Got thoughts on the issue, or something I missed while I was busy dying? Drop me a line at Jayden@thesavefile.com.au