Microsoft has wrapped up its Tokyo Game Show festivities, but news is still trickling out.
Microsoft's Xbox Tokyo Game Show presentation revealed a variety of titles from developers of all shapes and sizes, including a new Gungrave title, as well as new glimpses at Ninja Gaiden 4 and official ports for Monster Hunter Stories 1 and 2. The big headline act was Forza Horizon 6, which is officially set in Japan for 2026 on Xbox and PC.
In a new interview, Xbox lead Phil Spencer discussed a variety of topics and perhaps offered hints at where Xbox's increasingly strong first-party portfolio might explore next.
During the interview, Phil Spencer talked up games he'd played during the Tokyo Game Show festivities, including titles like the upcoming Ninja Gaiden 4. Spencer also noted he'd visited Capcom, Square Enix, and Game Freak of Pokémon fame, who Microsoft is partnering with on Beast of Reincarnation, although he said he'd let those teams speak up on their projects.
When asked why Japanese settings seem so popular in gaming right now, Spencer noted that it has gathered traction across the spectrum, from anime to TV shows and beyond. "I think you see that across western culture, you see that with Shogun, the TV series. Japan is such a wonderful place, a diverse place. Ocean vistas, Mount Fuji — the topography is fantastic."
Spencer then elaborated further on Forza Horizon 6, noting topography, and that they chose Japan to reveal the game in alignment with the game's setting. Spencer echoed previous comments from Xbox Games Studio lead Matt Booty that Japan was the most requested setting since as far back as Forza Horizon 1.
"When our game teams are working on stuff and when we're showing up in person, we like to align what we're showing off to delight fans here in Japan." Spencer elaborated on Forza Horizon 6, apologizing for the unintentional Forza Horizon 6 ad leak earlier in the day. Spencer added that we'll see more of Forza Horizon 6 next year, as rumors swirl of n first-half 2026 release.
Throughout the interview, Spencer reiterated recent Xbox commitments, such as the Xbox Ally, which was heavily advertised across the Tokyo Game Show convention center, while also touching on various known upcoming Xbox projects. Spencer also noted some of the most highly requested Xbox franchises for legacy IP, noting JRPGs Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, on top of Crimson Skies and MechAssault.
Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey were both developed by Mistwalker, who recently released the previously Apple-exclusive Fantasian onto Xbox systems. Lost Odyssey is, without a doubt, one of the franchises I receive questions about most frequently, although Crimson Skies and MechAssault are also up there. Crimson Skies was a dieselpunk dogfighting aerial combat game, and MechAssault, as its name suggests, was a mech-brawler action game. None of the above franchises has seen any action for decades.
Could we see new Blue Dragon, MechAssault, Crimson Skies, or Lost Odyssey games?
MechAssault is tied up with the BattleTech IP, which Microsoft doesn't fully own the rights for — making investment in the IP tricky. Microsoft licenses the franchise out to others, notably with the BattleTech strategy game from Harebrained, and also MechWarrior 5 from Piranha. Most likely, Microsoft legal hasn't fully greenlit the BattleTech IP for further development, since those apocryphal agreements of yore likely don't cover things like cloud gaming (which didn't exist) and things like merchandising. BattleTech was originally a tabletop strategy franchise complete with vast lore, books, and of course, video games — but it's now mostly dormant.
Microsoft owns the rights to create video games specifically among the IP, but ownership of the rest of the franchise belongs to Topps, known for trading card games and other collectibles. The chairman of Topps is none other than Michael Eisner, the former CEO of Disney. The patchwork of legalities and archaic licensing agreements will probably prevent Microsoft from doing much with MechAssault or BattleTech, beyond licensing it out.
BattleTech could've been developed into a tabletop franchise to rival things like Warhammer if it weren't for the Kafka-esque patchwork of licensing issues. I suppose we'll never know.
Unfortunately, Crimson Skies may be in a similar boat (plane?) with regards to licensing. It's unclear if Microsoft fully owns the Crimson Skies IP, which was also a tabletop franchise owned by FASA. Topps acquired some of FASA's assets when it folded, but it's unclear if they also ended up with any parts of Crimson Skies.
![Lost Odyssey - Xbox 360 Trailer [High Quality] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/BJ5rsHUbeOY/maxresdefault.jpg)
Microsoft seems more confident in its ownership of Crimson Skies; however, given that they added it to the Xbox backward compatibility program, but declined to add MechAssault. So perhaps there's a greater chance we'll see Crimson Skies take to the, err, sky, again, someday.
Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon are likely far better candidates for some form of revival, whether it's via a remaster, remake, or even sequels. Microsoft has naturally been investing more heavily in Japan recently, and to get Mistwalker back on board to explore these franchises again would be a huge get, especially in the post-Expedition 33 world. Turn-based JRPGs could be due a renaissance in the west, and it would behove Microsoft to get on board — particularly given its cloud and handheld gaming focus. These types of games are ideal for these platforms.
Microsoft has had mixed success in attempts to revive lost franchises. It has done incredibly well with Microsoft Flight Simulator and Age of Empires, but there are various notable failures, including Phantom Dust, and more recently, the cancelled Perfect Dark. Still, sitting idle isn't an option when Xbox Game Pass hinges on new and fresh content month in, month out.
Microsoft has dozens of games in development, per comments from its Xbox Showcase last June. It would be interesting to discover if any of the four mentioned IPs emerged as part of that lineup.
Which would you like to see return the most? Vote in our poll below, and let us know.
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