12. Kinect Something New – Rare

Following the idea that Rare is behind multiple AAA releases for the XBOX One it is not a stretch to assume they are working on a new Kinect game. Rare has experience working with the Kinect as they are behind the Kinect Sports series. There is also another potential picture tease during the XBOX One event. During the same screen that may have teased a new Crackdown, there was an image of what looked like a cartoony Knight on an island with the Rare logo in the top corner. Rumors suggest that the game will feature real-time physics, be set on an Island and will feature Pixar movie-style graphics. I assume this is a party or group game and the reason I say this is because it follows the theme of inclusive targeting and appealing to all types of gamers. This type of game easily gets the family/party market of gamers.

13. Kinect Something Old – Sesame Street or Nike

Yes this is lame and no I am not joking. If we examine the evidence that is present the possibility of this happening increases. If Microsoft is targeting the whole family then the only age groups I have excluded in this speculative piece are the small children or middle age market. XBOX One is trying to blur the lines between video games and television, which is what Sesame Street, would reinforce. Kinect 2 is very much a heavy focus for Microsoft, being a requirement for the XBOX One to function. Despite rumors of Microsoft considering ending their deal with Sesame Street, I believe they will determine their final decision on the game by having a launch title and seeing how it goes.

14. Black Tusk Studio Game – New IP

Black Tusk Studios, formerly known as Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver, has not been shy in saying that they are working on creating the new Halo. Mind you, this does not mean the next game in the Halo franchise, they are talking about creating a brand new AAA IP. A scan of current employees shows a very dynamic and skillful team. Some of these employees include Mike McCartney from NBA Street, Jeff King from Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, Damon Tasker from Crysis 2, Seng Lau from Luigi’s Mansion, Justin Liew from Dear Rising 2 and Hanno Lemke from Ryse. Needless to say this studio has a lot of skill working on …something. Whatever that something is, is still a guessing game. Rumors suggest it might be a co-op game and I would agree. Co-op and difficulty are two aspects of video games that are rarely done justice. Increasing the difficulty usually amounts to increasing the number of enemies, requiring them to take more damage to kill and allowing them to do more damage to you. Co-op often ends up being a shallow imitation of the single player experience that stands on the precipice of pressing a switch at the same time to open a door. Here is hoping for an immersive AAA co-op experience form Black Tusk.