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How to read this 2023 gaming outlook
GeekWire’s Thomas Wilde published the original outlook on December 26, 2022, looking ahead to the following year. Its game dates, hardware expectations, and strategic interpretations belong to that moment. They should not be treated as current availability or as a complete record of what ultimately happened.
The clearest retrospective evidence in the sources is specific: Microsoft’s June 2023 showcase recap and Sony Interactive Entertainment’s PS5 sales-through announcements. Other details below are presented as expectations or reporting from the original preview unless a later company announcement is identified.
Microsoft and Xbox: acquisition uncertainty and a high-profile slate
The preview treated Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard as the year’s major strategic uncertainty for Xbox. Its potential importance lay in the scale of Activision Blizzard’s publishing business and the possibility of expanding Microsoft’s mobile reach through King. The forecast discussed the proposal’s stakes; it does not establish the deal’s later status or outcome.
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For games, the preview expected Redfall, Forza Motorsport, and Starfield in 2023, and cast Starfield as a possible centerpiece for Xbox and Game Pass. A later, dated check came on June 11, 2023, when Microsoft recapped its Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct. Microsoft said the presentations featured 27 games, with 21 available for Xbox Game Pass and/or PC Game Pass. Its recap also announced an October 10 arrival for Forza Motorsport, described increased Xbox Series X supply, and announced a black Xbox Series S with 1 TB of storage. These were Microsoft’s event claims and announcements, not independent measures of game quality or sales.
Nintendo: Zelda at the center of its expected year
The 2022 preview identified The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom as Nintendo’s largest scheduled game for 2023. It also pointed to Fire Emblem Engage, the Super Mario Bros. Movie, and the planned opening of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood as parts of Nintendo’s wider entertainment presence.
The preview also raised criticism of the technical performance of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, along with uncertainty about Nintendo’s esports relationships. Those were source-dated observations and concerns, not a measure of later company decisions or outcomes.
Amazon: publishing, promotion, and an uncertain games pipeline
Amazon Games was described as both a publisher and developer. The preview highlighted Lost Ark, discussed Bandai Namco’s Blue Protocol and a then-unnamed Tomb Raider project, and noted promotion through Twitch drops and Prime Gaming. It also reported that Amazon Luna had exited beta in March 2022 while noting that Amazon had not disclosed Luna sales figures.
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The suggestion that Amazon might reveal more in-house games during 2023 was explicitly speculative. The preview does not establish that such a reveal happened, or verify the service’s availability today.
Valve, Steam Deck, and the wider PC market
The preview described Steam’s strength as a PC storefront and noted that some publishers had returned games to Steam after trying separate storefronts. It also treated the Steam Deck as an existing portable gaming PC with appeal for tinkerers and people entering PC gaming, while recognizing tradeoffs compared with more powerful or ergonomic handheld PCs.
A standalone Valve Index headset appeared only as a rumor in the preview. It was not presented as a confirmed Valve product announcement.
What developers said they were building for
The Game Developers Conference’s 2023 State of the Game Industry survey offers a separate, developer-side view of platform interest. Respondents could select multiple platforms, so these figures are shares of survey respondents—not consumer market share, hardware sales, or revenue forecasts.
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| Platform | Current project | Next project |
|---|---|---|
| PC | 65% of respondents | 57% of respondents |
| PlayStation 5 | 33% of respondents | 33% of respondents |
| Xbox Series X/S | 30% of respondents | 28% of respondents |
| Nintendo Switch | 18% of respondents | 19% of respondents |
In this survey, PC was the most frequently selected platform for both respondents’ current and next projects. That describes developers represented in the survey, not the relative size or commercial success of each platform.
Sony and PlayStation: a measurable PS5 milestone
The December 2022 preview discussed Bungie following its acquisition by Sony, highlighted Destiny 2: Lightfall, and described Sony’s stated interest in expanding games that receive frequent live updates. That is the strategic direction the preview reported at the time; it should not be read as a statement of Sony’s current portfolio strategy.
Sony Interactive Entertainment later reported two PS5 sales-through milestones. On July 27, 2023, it said the console had sold through to consumers 40 million times as of the week ending July 16. On December 20, it reported more than 50 million sold through as of December 9. These are Sony’s reported sales to consumers, not shipments to retailers. In its December announcement, Sony also cited more than 2,500 PS5 games and mentioned PS5 streaming for PlayStation Plus Premium members, PlayStation Portal, and Pulse Explore.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Other releases and gaming events on the 2022 calendar
The preview’s expected release slate extended beyond the platform holders’ own headline titles. Examples it named included Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Dead Space, Resident Evil 4, Street Fighter 6, Diablo IV, Alan Wake 2, and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. These were examples from the author’s December 2022 outlook, not a complete release database or confirmation of each game’s eventual timing.
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It also covered Panic’s Playdate, a small handheld system with monthly game delivery and a homebrew development scene, and anticipated E3’s return in 2023. Those notes show the breadth of the preview, but do not establish later event or product outcomes.
What the preview got at: different ways to reach players
The companies in the outlook were pursuing distinct routes to players: Xbox combined a major game slate with Game Pass and a proposed publisher acquisition; Nintendo paired first-party games with film and theme-park activity; Amazon leaned on publishing and promotional channels while its development outlook remained uncertain; and Valve’s PC position involved both Steam distribution and a portable PC. Sony’s later reported PS5 milestones supply the clearest numerical measure of platform momentum in the cited material.
That comparison is most useful when kept in its proper frame: announced or expected plans are not outcomes, a company’s event recap is not independent evaluation, and developer survey responses are not consumer demand. The year-end view is therefore a record of expectations alongside a small number of dated checks—not a basis for treating the 2022 forecast as a current guide.
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