Elite Dangerous expansion 'Horizons' heading to Xbox One before Q4 2016

Last year, Elite Dangerous received an expansion pass called Horizons, that promised to bring tons of significant new features to the PC version of the game. So far, Horizons has added planetary landings, allowing pilots to explore, loot and battle on the surfaces of planets in Elite: Dangerous' ridiculously massive reconstruction of our galaxy.

Xbox One owners haven't had chance to join the party yet, but a senior developer from Frontier recently mentioned that Horizons should hit Xbox One somewhere between Q2 and Q3 2016.

Responding to a question on Elite: Dangerous' official forum, Senior Producer Gary Richards said that Elite Commanders on the Xbox version can expect to gain access to the ship paint jobs DLC store and the Horizons expansion sometime before Q4 2016.

"We are continuing to work on bringing PDLC, Private groups and Horizons to the Xbox. To avoid any broken promises we haven't yet publically announce release dates, but once we are confident they won't slip, we'll let you know.""It's unlikely to be Q1 but before Q4, so that's ruled out 50% of the year for you :)""Horizons is definitely coming to Xbox, that's always been our messaging and that hasn't changed."

Horizons doesn't just include planetary landings — it'll also include a brand new loot system, crafting, multiplayer ship piloting, customizable pilot appearances, and the ability to allow larger vessels to house and deploy smaller ships.

While Elite: Dangerous is an impressive sim, specifically for its recreation of the entire galaxy, I find it a little lacking in raw gameplay features. However, Horizons looks incredibly promising so far and has proven popular on PC. There's little doubt it'll breathe new life into the Xbox One version in the months to come.

Source: Frontier Forums

Jez Corden
Co-Managing Editor

Jez Corden is a Managing Editor at Windows Central, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking exclusive news and analysis as relates to the Microsoft ecosystem while being powered by tea. Follow on Twitter @JezCorden and listen to his XB2 Podcast, all about, you guessed it, Xbox!