If you've been enjoying the mind-warping puzzles and subversive writing of The Talos Principle series on Xbox, I have some bad news for you.

Devolver Digital revealed The Talos Principle 3 yesterday, and fans are incredibly excited. The popular first-person puzzle series is among the best the genre represents in modern times, blending philosophical, thought-provoking writing with spatial and logic puzzles up there with the likes of Portal.

Reactions across social media have been pretty swift, as Xbox fans express their disappointment. It's a bit of an odd one, since Devolver has generally given Xbox customers decent support.

Last year's Ball X Pit was a breakout hit and marketed heavily on Xbox via Microsoft's ID@Xbox program, complete with Xbox Play Anywhere support. Other games Devolver publishes, like Cult of the Lamb, Trek to Yomi, Loop Hero, Death's Door, Astroneer, and many more, have also enjoyed strong support from Xbox, I would argue.

What stings here more than anything is the fact that Talos Principle 3 is the so-called "grand finale" of an established trilogy with a fanbase on Xbox. It's true that Talos Principle 1 didn't launch day and date on Xbox either, but Talos Principle 2 did, which begs the question: why exactly is the third not coming at launch, too?

Games often skip Xbox and other platforms, but the final entry of a trilogy?

It's likely that the third will eventually come to Xbox, but it's frustrating that Devolver has chosen to leave Xbox fans guessing rather than communicate with transparency. Croteam isn't a huge developer, sporting around 50~ people according to LinkedIn, but typically publishers like Devolver would step in to help with port duties here, and beyond that, Microsoft itself, with some kind of Xbox Game Pass deal.

Talos Principle 3 isn't a super huge franchise and undeniably resides within a niche, but it stings that little bit more when it's literally being billed as the "grand finale," and Xbox fans of the franchise will essentially be locked out of participating in the game's launch and discourse.

In 2026, games need to hit as many channels as possible to cut through social media noise and fuzz. Launching ports later, after the fact, when newer shinier objects are around, is essentially a guarantor of being overlooked. Unless you're a Forza Horizon or something on that level, launching late could often be described as pointless.

It could be that Xbox has created a universe where developers of niche genres effectively begin refusing to co-launch on the platform without an Xbox Game Pass deal, which creates another headache Xbox CEO Asha Sharma will have to deal with.

If there was some communication from Devolver about how they plan to distribute the game, I'm sure it would go some way to soothe Xbox customers who have been loyal to the franchise. But, corps gonna corp, at the end of the day. We've reached out to Devolver PR to comment, but I don't really expect a response.

The Talos Principle 3 is listed as "coming soon" to PS5 and PC.

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Jez Corden is the Executive Editor at Windows Central, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking exclusive news and analysis as relates to the Microsoft ecosystem — while being powered by tea. Follow on X.com/JezCorden and tune in to the XB2 Podcast, all about, you guessed it, Xbox!