Xbox is working on a mystery sequel that it says could take 10 years to make

Xbox currently has a mystery sequel in development that could take as long as a decade to make, it’s been revealed.

As spotted by Axios’ Stephen Totilo, the game was mentioned in court documents relating to an ongoing legal challenge in which a group of self-indentified gamers are trying to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

At one point the document explains that triple-A games can take a long time to make, using Halo Infinite as an example (though the length and cost of development is redacted).

It then says: “For instance, according to one Microsoft executive, [redacated], a forthcoming title from the [redacted] franchise, may take a decade to develop.”

It’s not clear if this is a completely new game that hasn’t yet been announced, or something players already know about, such as The Elder Scrolls 6, which was announced at E3 2018 and is therefore seemingly at least five years into development.

Bethesda‘s Todd Howard said in 2021 that it was “good to think of The Elder Scrolls 6 as still being in a design [phase]“, suggesting the Xbox exclusive  is still some years away.

The case the document comes from involves a private anti-trust action that has been brought by 10 video game players in California, New Mexico and New Jersey.

Last December they filed a complaint in a federal court in California, arguing that Microsoft’s proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard could substantially lessen competition or create a monopoly in violation of the Clayton Act.

Further reading

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Gamers file amended lawsuit in bid to block Microsoft’s Activision deal

The group’s original legal challenge was dismissed in March

The case was dismissed in March after US District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley found it failed to present sufficient evidence to support their claims.

However, the plaintiffs were given 20 days to refine their legal challenge and earlier this month filed an amended lawsuit containing redacted information from Microsoft, including a strategy memo, and new information from the deal’s chief opponent, Sony Interactive Entertainment.