What if the next Xbox arrived much faster than gamers imagine? This is the statement made today by @TheGhostOfHope, a well-informed insider around the Call of Duty universe, who has reportedly heard that Microsoft’s next console could arrive as early as next year.
The new Xbox could arrive in 2026, with a Call of Duty as a launch game
On X, @TheGhostOfHope revealed that a source told him that the new Xbox could debut in 2026 and that it could be called “Xbox Prime”. At this point, he doesn’t know if this is just his code name or his final name. According to him, the fact that Microsoft’s next console would be planned for 2026 would only be an “open secret within the industry”.
Also, he would have been told that the next Call of Duty developed by Infinity Ward would be a launch game for this machine. This would be a title in which the multidirectional movement of Black Ops 6 would be integrated, as well as the fact of being able to run on walls, a feature which should arrive in Call of Duty 2025. Also, Infinity Ward would remaster the majority of the maps from Modern Warfare 3 from 2011, in addition to adding new maps.
These rumors should of course be taken with a grain of salt, but it is worth remembering that @TheGhostOfHope has already proven to be reliable in the past.
Indeed, he was the first to reveal that major additional content for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II would have been launched in production, information then corroborated by the very reliable Jason Schreier. However, a report shared by the Bloomberg journalist had revealed that the plans would have changed.
He had made other minor revelations which had been confirmed, such as the return of Resurgence mode for Warzone 2.0 for 2023 with a new map, or the integration of ACR and Intervention in Modern Warfare II.
Other clues about the next-gen Xbox
In September 2024, Jez Corden of Windows Central suggested that Microsoft could release its brand new machine during the fall of 2026. A perfect period since it will be the 25th anniversary of the first Xbox. According to its sources, in addition to the successor to the Xbox Series X, Microsoft would also launch its very first portable console.
Recently, we learned that Jason Ronald, known for his essential role in the development of the Xbox Series X|S, had been promoted to “VP of Next Generation”. In all likelihood, he has been tasked with driving Xbox ambitions for next-gen consoles and services.
We repeat, Xbox has confirmed that new consoles are in development. It is therefore not a surprise to see someone in charge of the hardware part of the project. This is all we officially know for the moment and Microsoft is careful not to give details on what is being prepared within its premises. But if you follow the news on Xboxygen, there are already some directions that we can guess about the next generation of the Xbox ecosystem.
- One of the leaked documents about Xbox strategy
- On the one hand, Xbox has stated several times in recent months that new consoles were in the works. In February 2024, Sarah Bond, president of Xbox, declared that her teams were working on “the achievement of the greatest technical advancement ever seen in a generation of hardware”.
- In September 2023, secret documents from Xbox teams leak and mention a “hybrid” console capable of combining the hardware capabilities of the machine with the power of the cloud. Microsoft also mentions technologies similar to what NVIDIA is doing today with DLSS, DLSS Frame-generation as well as its Reflex technology.
- The release of the new generation of Xbox consoles would be scheduled for 2028with the first devkits being sent to developers from 2027, according to the same documents. Shortly after, Xbox boss Phil Spencer declared that “a lot has changed” since the Xbox strategy was defined in the leaked documents, although we don’t know exactly what.
- In November 2024, Phil Spencer confirms the development of a portable Xbox and believes that this type of device will not be available for a few years. It would indeed be a real console, and not a simple device for playing via the Cloud. “I think it’s very important to be able to play locally” Phil Spencer indicated during the summer of 2024.
