Microsoft's Xbox Lineup for 2017 Is Not Led by FPS Halo or Gears of War, Exec Says

2017 will be something of a "different" year for the Xbox One as it relates to the games Microsoft puts out. In a tweet this week, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said Microsoft's Xbox One lineup for 2017 will not be led by a Halo FPS or a new Gears of War. Instead, Microsoft is focusing on "new experiences."

"[Xbox One] games shipping this year are different for us," he said on Twitter in response to a fan who asked about new IP. "Not Halo FPS/Gears led; new experiences with different IP. Will be fun year."

Spencer's "FPS Halo" qualification is a reference to the Halo RTS, Halo Wars 2, which comes out in February for Xbox One and PC.

You could say that 2015 was a Halo-led year for Xbox One, as Halo 5: Guardians came out in October of that year. 2016 could be considered a Gears of War-led year with Gears of War 4. Going off that logic, it sounds like there will not be a major new Halo FPS or Gears of War game coming out this year, though new entries in both franchises are surely in development.

No new Halo or Gears of War games this year would not be a big surprise, as there was a three-year gap between Halo 4 and Halo 5. The Gears of War situation is a somewhat different because Microsoft only just acquired the series in 2014. But it doesn't seem likely that a sequel to Gears of War 4, which hasn't even been announced, would be ready to come out in 2017. Also, the Gears of War series has never been annualized, at Epic or Microsoft.

Spencer's comment about "new experiences with different IP" leading the way for 2017 could mean a number of things. In terms of first-party games, Rare's Sea of Thieves and the Regeant Games-developed sandbox game Crackdown 3 are slated for this year. Platinum Games' Scalebound was scheduled for 2017 but was canceled last week. The Microsoft-published State of Decay 2 is also coming out this year. Of course, there is always the chance Microsoft announces something completely new for release this year.

Another element to consider is that Microsoft is releasing a new console, Project Scorpio, this year.

What are you hoping to see from Microsoft this year? Let us know in the comments below.