That's not a secret Xbox is converting. The company, once poised to dominate the home console space, has seen market share decline over the past few years, losing to the PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and, as of last year, even the Nex Playground, a niche family gaming device that many core gamers haven't even heard of.
Xbox series console sales have coincided with a large migration of Xbox exclusives to other platforms. Gears of War, helloand ForzaOf course the “big three” of Xbox have made or will jump to PlayStation. The impact of this goes beyond the console war currency, as Xbox is clearly undermining the value of its consoles by nixing the practice of first-party exclusives. At any rate, it appears that Xbox is not only getting fewer exclusives, but fewer games in general, as at least some developers seem to be leaving the platform behind, which could be seen as another manifestation of the brand's declining relevance. There are many examples of this this year alone.
1348 East Votto
- 1348 East Votto PC and PlayStation 5 Release Date: March 12, 2026
A story-focused medieval adventure game, 1348 East Votto An Italian errant knight follows Etta as she searches for her “closer,” Bianca, who was kidnapped during a raid on their town. 1348 East Votto Inspired by real medieval history and combat, the companion is no different from a grand medieval adventure Kingdom Come: RedemptionHowever the former does not aim for the same breadth of content and freedom.
In a recent Twitter post, 1348 East Votto Publisher Dear Village has provided an update on its previously-planned Xbox port:
“While we had previously announced that the game would be released on the Xbox console, we have the unfortunate news that this is no longer the case. For the indie team as we approach release, priorities are constantly evaluated and sometimes must change to provide the best experience possible. With this in mind, we made the difficult decision to cancel the Xbox version to focus on the PC PS version efforts and the PCPS version.”
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Nickelodeon Splat Pack
- Nickelodeon Splat Pack PC, PS5, and Switch Release Date: January 30, 2026
Something more subtle and instantly recognizable, Nickelodeon Splat Pack Recently canned its planned Xbox port. Instead of having a new IP or a different spin on an existing one, Nickelodeon Splat Pack is a bundle of classic SNES and Genesis games based on Nickelodeon properties. Like other classic game bundles, Nickelodeon Splat Pack Simulates the original titles while adding small quality of life features such as modern save functionality. Splat Pack Three 90s Nick games include:
- GUTS
- Rocco's Modern Life: Spunky's Dangerous Days
- AAAHH!!! Real monsters
Nickelodeon Splat Pack was released on January 30, 2026; The cancellation of its planned Xbox Series X|S port was announced a few days ago. While dear villagers comments Ex Voto 1348The Xbox cancellations are unclear, Splat Pack Publisher Limited Run Games' explanation is mostly non-existent: a company representative told gaming outlet Gematsu that Splat Pack Xbox versions won't be getting it, though they didn't specify why.
Cleaning up!
- Cleaning up! PC, PS5, and Switch Release Date: April 15, 2026
The most recent to cancel Xbox, Cleaning up! In the vein is a lovely, top-down cleaning seam Power Wash SimulatorAlthough with a greater focus on whimsy and fantasy. Players are tasked with vacuuming, mopping and scrubbing various areas, from simple apartments to haunted libraries.
As in the case of Nickelodeon Splat PackSpecific reasons behind Cleaning up!The Xbox cancellation is not clear at this time. It's possible that the game will make its way to Microsoft's consoles at some point in the future, but there don't appear to be any plans for this at the moment.
What do these canceled Xbox ports mean, if anything?
A quick search for these aforementioned games online will return numerous claims from gamers that these cancellations don't matter because the games themselves are indies and re-releases and therefore unimportant. I can understand where these people are coming from, but such arguments completely miss the point. It's not about Xbox players not getting GOTY contenders. It's about publishers, for whatever reason, not seeing Xbox as a platform worth investing in at the moment.
It takes time and money to develop the various ports of the game, and it is expected that these costs will be recouped, and then some, once the port is actually released. For example, if I make a PS5 game and later have the opportunity to bring it to the Switch, I'll do that, but only if I think I'll get enough players to justify the extra development, marketing, and distribution resources on the Switch. The aforementioned cancellations suggest that publishers and developers are beginning to view the Xbox series of consoles as a low-priority, as their small install base (not to mention reliance on Game Pass) may mean fewer players.
If anything, the fact that these smaller titles are moving away from the Xbox can actually be seen as more damning for the future of the Xbox, as it suggests that up-and-coming games, which would undoubtedly benefit from being as easily accessible as possible, don't really need Microsoft's platform at this stage. But as with everything, we'll just have to wait and see how it shakes out: Xbox could get these games and more at a later date. But the immediate neglect of Xbox is still telling.
