An industry insider has suggested that a new game in an existing Xbox franchise could be revealed next week at Gamescom Opening Night Live.
Insider Teases Surprise Announcement
NatetheHate, known for accurately leaking and predicting new game announcements – including Star Fox and the Zelda Ocarina of Time remake earlier this year – has teased online that Xbox is planning to reveal a sequel to one of its existing franchises, and it sounds like it’s going to surprise everyone.
Writing on X, NatetheHate responded to a fan asking if they knew anything about next week’s Gamescom presentation. They responded with, “I've heard of a neat Xbox announcement that should be at Gamescom.”
Not a Dead IP Revival
He later clarifies that he expects it to be a new game announcement, and one for an IP that Xbox has already established. “It's not the revival of a dead IP,” NatetheHate adds on a ResetEra forum.
“Once I get confirmation of the game being announced (or not announced) at Gamescom, maybe I'll share what it is to settle the situation.”
When asked if they could give any sort of hint, NatetheHate refuses to comment further. “If I give any further specifics, I may as well just say the game, tbh,” they say.
Banjo Kazooie Ruled Out
There is one IP that they’ve ruled out though – Banjo Kazooie. “Not Banjo. New game in a series,” they respond to another fan on X.
This has led gamers to speculate about which series it could be. The reason the announcement might be surprising is that it’s being handed off to a developer outside of Microsoft. “It's not being developed by a MS-owned studio,” NatetheHate clarifies.
Personally, the frontrunners for me would be Ryse: Son of Rome, or maybe even a new Ori game. That being said, Microsoft has a vast library of game IPs under its belt, so the reveal could be just about anything.
Microsoft's Recent Moves
Microsoft appears to be a little less frugal with who makes its games in recent months with the confirmation that Obsidian Entertainment is now working on a new game in the Fallout series. There’s also rumours that one of Activision’s studios could pick up a new Halo multiplayer game, using its Call of Duty expertise to do so.
Whatever the surprise announcement is, we won’t have long to find out what it is. Gamescom Opening Night Live is set to kick off at 8pm BST on August 25, 2026.
