A rumour surfaced earlier this week that more original Xbox games could be coming to Game Pass through Xbox’s backwards compatibility program, and a datamine of the Microsoft Store potentially confirms it.
As reported by TrueAchievements, XboxEra’s Nick Baker tweeted earlier this year claiming the backwards compatibility program wasn’t done, and that there would be a new batch of original Xbox and Xbox 360 games later this year.
Baker has tweeted again, saying a datamine has revealed the names of some games, but “sometimes OG and 360 games are tested for BC but don’t make the cut so I won’t list any games as to not set expectations.”
An update here. It seems some games may have been datamined, but sometimes OG and 360 games are tested for BC but don't make the cut so I won't list any games as to not set expectations. Just a heads up that there's been activity here so I'd probably expect something in November https://t.co/dBidwLcf8g
— Nick (@Shpeshal_Nick) October 4, 2021
TrueAchievements reports finding out that seven original Xbox titles had been added to the Microsoft Store from the old Xbox 360 store back in September — all of them had a November 30 launch date, meaning they could be coming next month.
The games are: Dead Or Alive 3, Dead Or Alive Ultimate, Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers, Gladius, Gunvalkyrie, Advent Rising, and Chicken Little.
That last one certainly is a strange choice, but Dead Or Alive 3 was one of the most well-received Xbox launch titles, and its availability on the Microsoft Store would be a nice gift for fans on the 20th anniversary of the console.
Again, it must be noted that this is currently all speculation, and you shouldn’t get your hopes up as games frequently get tested for backwards compatibility without ever getting launched again.
The backwards compatibility program was ended in June 2019 so that the Xbox team could focus on ensuring Xbox One games would be playable on the Xbox Series X|S — now that work has been done, maybe they have time to resume the old program to bring more fan favourites back.
In other news, Diablo IV has a new game director and classified tank information has been leaked on War Thunder forums — again.