Xbox 720 Release Date Could Be Fall 2013, Documents Reveal Possible Next-Gen Titles [SPECS]

No official release date has been set for Micrsoft's upcoming Xbox 720, but legal documents could provide gamers with a time frame. According to TG Daily, Activision and Bungie have formed plans for a joint publishing deal.

As a formality, the two companies were required to submit legal paperwork regarding the partnership's terms. The documents reveal that a title referred to as Destiny Games #1 will launch for the next generation Xbox console in the fall of 2013.

The game is also listed for the Xbox 360, and is said to be compatible with both consoles.

Some are speculating that could mean a game could be sold as one packaged product capable of running on either device, writes Mike Luttrell of TG Daily. A fourth quarter release for the Xbox 720 is essentially what people are expecting at this point.

Microsoft has previously emphasized that it will not unveil the new gaming system at this June's E3 developer conference.

But Xbox 720 isn't the only upcoming console alluded to in the Activision and Bungie paperwork. The two companies also reference a PlayStation 4 title in their documents. A game known as Comet #1 is planned for a 2014 release with a sequel slated for 2016.

Obviously these dates are not set in stone, and even if the first Bungie/Activision Ps4 game doesn't hit until 2016, it doesn't mean the console won't launch before then, Luttrell writes.

Some have also speculated the Xbox 720's features and overall direction by examining titles such as Halo 4, which is due for a November release date. The long-running franchise has evolved over the years with the Microsoft console, as noted by the Official Xbox 360 Magazine UK.

If we lose our way with 'Halo,' we lose our way with Xbox, Microsoft Games Studios vice-president Phil Spencer said to OXM last August. The publication outlined key points and conclusions that can tell fans more about the Xbox 720. The takeaways indicated that the first person shooter is turning out to be Microsoft's favorite genre, there will be an emphasis on first-party titles, the Xbox 720 will have more horsepower than its predecessor, next-gen games will resemble online services rather than games, and sequels may arrive more frequently.

However, there have been other indications that a brand new Xbox is currently in development. In early May IGN reported that the Xbox 720 is in its manufacturing stages. A source told the gaming website that hardware assembly had begun at the Austin, Texas division of Flextronics. This is the same electronics company that is responsible for manufacturing the Xbox 360 console and the original Xbox.