Shack Chat: What is your biggest video game prediction for 2023?

At the start of each year we like to gather together and look ahead at the next twelve months. We like to plan out the year, decide what we’re doing, and set about getting things done. What we also enjoy doing is making wild predictions about what we think will happen. A few of last year’s predictions were quite close – let’s see how we do this year.

Question: What is your biggest video game prediction for 2023?

Conker returns - Ozzie Mejia, Reaching HARD for this one

I had to think hard about whether I wanted to be boring with my pick or go so far out there that people would wonder if I'm actually taking this seriously. This year, I'm doing the latter. I'm going to guess that Xbox has seen the positive buzz and strong results from December's High on Life, while Rare will look to continue its nostalgia kick… and yeah, we're getting a new Conker.

I have nothing to base this on, other than those seemingly unrelated trends. I have no proof. There are no signs it's happening. But I want to believe that someone at either Xbox or Rare has seen the niche that Squanch Games has been carving out and is thinking, "Can we do the same thing? And can we do it with a mascot who's been gone for 25 years?"

Look, man, we're getting more Crash Bandicoot in 2023. I like to think anything is possible.

Year of Luigi Part Deux - TJ Denzer, News Editor & Mansion Enjoyer

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Year of Luigi, named so for a number of games Nintendo put out in 2013 that prominently featured gaming’s favorite second banana. Now I don’t know about you, but I loved the Year of Luigi. We got a great Luigi’s Mansion game with Dark Moon on the 3DS, we got a fantastic sequel to Bowser’s Inside Story with Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, and there were plenty of other fun things like New Super Luigi U and Dr. Luigi.

I’d like Nintendo to revisit it in some way in 2023 and I think they have every reason to. After all, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon is still confined to the 3DS platform. How cool would it be if we got a Switch port of that game near its 10th anniversary in March 2023? How cool would it be to see some of the other spinoffs come back? Pretty dang if you ask me. Besides, I don’t want to sideline Luigi on such a prominent year for him. Have you seen his Mario Kart doom stare? Yikes.

Bloober’s Silent Hill 2 remake will be good, actually - Morgan Shaver, Doesn’t hate Bloober Team

I’ve seen a lot of pushback from people over the reveal of Bloober Team behind the creation of a Silent Hill 2 remake for Konami. The main reason for this is because a lot of people dislike the way Bloober Team writes its horror games. Regardless of how you feel about Bloober’s writing skills and whether they’re lacking, what Bloober has been tapped to do isn’t write or reinterpret Silent Hill 2’s story. The angle they were chosen for is tech related, and visually what we’ve seen of the Silent Hill 2 remake seems solid so far.

Silent Hill 2 is my favorite game in the series, and I feel like an outlier here in that I don’t hate Bloober Team or the idea of them working on the remake, so for me my prediction is that if the Silent Hill 2 remake does drop this year… it’ll be good, actually. So yeah, I’m looking forward to it. I’ll also add that I feel like the Dead Space remake will end up being a solid effort as well, and that we’ll see the remake trend continue with even more remake announcements in 2023 leading into 2024. Now if we could just get a F.E.A.R. remake…

Nintendo will announce a new console - Blake Morse, Super Co-EIC 64 DS

I almost feel like this is a nice, easy pick because the writing is on the wall with this one, so to speak. The Nintendo Switch is a phenomenal console, hands-down one of the most innovative and best ever made. But, you can’t argue that its age is starting to show. Just take a look at last year’s Pokemon titles or any number of watered-down ports that have come to the Switch and it’s not hard to see that this once spry pup has grown into an old dog. We still love it as much as we did the day we brought it home, but time marches on. I think the Switch still has another year or so to go, but that’s why we’ll get the announcement this year and a possible launch at the end of 2023, but I could also see us just getting the reveal and a year of hype leading up to the 2024 launch. I think the bigger question is: what is Nintendo going to call its next console?

Jet Set Radio returns - Sam Chandler, Understands the concept of love

SEGA and Microsoft formed a strategic alliance in October 2021 to make a “Super Game”.  It’s even been reported that SEGA is actually investigating Jet Set Radio (and Crazy Taxi) as part of an effort to revive some of its Dreamcast-era titles. I think this is the year we’ll get more information on a Jet Set Radio revival. Last year was all about Sonic. Sonic is done. You all got Frontiers, now it’s time for the JSR fans to feast. This year is when we get our groove back and start taggin’ up the world once again.

GTA6 gets a release date - Bill Lavoy, School of the Bear

Well, my prediction in 2022 was that Grand Theft Auto 6 would be revealed, and technically I was correct with that prediction. This year, I’m going to get wild and say that Grand Theft Auto 6 will get a release date. I suspect that release date will be Q2 2024 (pure speculation), and could very well be pushed back several times, but that’s my prediction. Grand Theft Auto 6 will get an official release date from Rockstar in 2023.

Bloodborne PC port is finally announced - Dennis White Jr., Fears the old blood

I am making this prediction because I want it to happen so badly. With Sony bringing more of its exclusive titles to PC over the past couple of years (and it paying off massively so far), I think that this may finally be the year that Bloodborne makes its way to PC and gets the much needed overhaul including a 60 FPS mode. At the very least, even an announcement that this version of the game is in the works would make me very happy. Since the game dropped in March 2015, a Game Awards reveal that the new version is dropping in March 2024 totally makes sense to me as well. FromSoftware is working on a new Armored Core and outside of Elden Ring DLC, this could be a nice way to make waves with the Soulsborne crowd and create new fans as well. The hunt begins anew!

XCOM 3 reveal - Donovan Erskine, Elite Operative

This is 100 percent just wishful thinking on my part, but I’m dying for some XCOM 3 news. The question isn’t “if” but “when?” With Marvel’s Midnight Suns (excellent game, by the way) in the rearview mirror, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that XCOM 3 is Firaxis’ next game. Even if it’s far off from release, just simple confirmation that it’s on the way would be music to my ears. Please, I can only replay XCOM 2 so many times.

Banjo-Kazooie, Snow Bros, and Game Boy Oh My! - Steve Tyminski, Stevetendo Show!

What is my biggest video game prediction for 2023? Anything could happen this year and I have a few options that would be cool to see actually happen. It would be great to see a new Banjo-Kazooie game finally. The success of Banjo in Smash Bros Ultimate shows that the world needs more Banjo. With the next Nintendo console being rumored, this and probably anything I would be interested in will probably be on the next console. I have been asking for a new Snow Bros game for years and still haven’t gotten my request fulfilled. That being said, if we’re going back to retro games, Snow Bros has to be there somewhere.

It would be nice to see more retro systems on the Nintendo Switch Online or if the next console is being teased, then have that ready to launch with Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games. If the new “Switch” isn’t being teased then bring those retro games to the system soon. So I would love to see a new Banjo-Kazooie game or a new Snow Bros game. I would also love to see retro systems finally getting added to the Nintendo Switch Online service. I’d also settle for the Legend of Zelda: Oracle games getting remastered like Link’s Awakening!

There you have it. Those are our predictions (and hopes) for what we’ll see from 2023. What are your own bold and out-there predictions for the year? Got a favorite game you think is coming back or some wild idea of what a company will do? Lay your predictions on us in the comments below!

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.