Microsoft is expanding its Optimized for Xbox Series X program, adding Forza Horizon 4, Gears Tactics, Sea of Thieves, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps. As part of Microsoft’s big cross-generation Xbox plans, a substantial number of Xbox One games are getting next-gen upgrades for free once the Series X arrives.
Both Sony and Microsoft are pushing backwards compatibility and cross-generation releases to bridge the gap between their current and next-gen consoles. As with most of its next-gen messaging, Microsoft has been more forthcoming with what it has in store, and that includes its cross-generation plans. Microsoft previously revealed the Optimized for Series X program, which will recognize Xbox One games that are being upgraded for Series X. Games that receive updates specifically to improve their performance on the Xbox Series X will get a special badge on their box covers denoting that they offer an improved experience for next-gen console owners. Microsoft is also encouraging publishers to give free next-gen upgrades to players who buy cross-gen games on the Xbox One, whether or not they’re official Optimized for Series X titles.
The latest batch of games getting the Optimized for Series X badge includes a wide range of excellent titles. As Microsoft was announcing brand new games as the recent Xbox Games Showcase, it also revealed upgrades for Forza Horizon 4, Sea of Thieves, Gears Tactics, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, all of which will get their Xbox Series X upgrades for free. Their upgrades will include faster load times, higher resolution graphics, and boosted frame rates. Of the announced games, only Sea of Thieves is confirmed to launch on the same day as the Xbox Series X.
The optimized games announced today join a growing list of titles Microsoft has already revealed in the program. Gears 5, the latest mainline title in the series, will also receive upgrades, as will previously released and upcoming games including Destiny 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
Microsoft’s Optimized for Xbox Series X program offers some assurance to early adopters that they’ll have a decent library at launch even if they can’t shell out for a handful of new games. The games already in the program show a good amount of variety, offering multiplayer action, strategy, platforming, and more. That should help take the sting out of purchasing a new console, at least until $70 next-gen games start arriving.
Source: Xbox/Twitter