Phil Spencer’s favorite game suffers a delay: it won’t arrive on Xbox Game Pass until 2026

The most anticipated title by Phil Spencer for Xbox Game Pass postpones its release to 2026.

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One of the most anticipated titles from Annapurna Interactive won’t be arriving this year. The studio Beethoven & Dinosaur has confirmed that Mixtape, the new project from the creators of The Artful Escape, has been officially delayed until 2026. Although development is practically complete, the team assures that they’re still fine-tuning details to deliver an experience that lives up to the hype.

In a lighthearted tone, the studio shared an anecdote about their creative process: “During the development of Artful Escape, our 3D artist Mikey created a model of an oven. It was an excellent oven, with all its knobs. That’s who we are at Beethoven & Dinosaur: we do everything with care”. A way of highlighting that the team prefers to take their time before releasing something unfinished.

Phil Spencer had already mentioned it as one of his favorites

After the last Xbox Games Showcase, Phil Spencer himself mentioned Mixtape as one of the titles that had impressed him the most during the summer events. The head of Xbox highlighted its soundtrack and atmosphere, as well as the close bond between Xbox and Annapurna Interactive, a publisher that has strongly committed to releasing games on Game Pass from day one.

Although the delay news will disappoint many, the team has made it clear that the project is already in the final production phase, and its arrival on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series, and Xbox One is still guaranteed, albeit in 2026.

While developing Artful Escape, our 3D artist Mikey, made an oven asset. It was a nice oven – the work of a true pro. He even put the knobs on. And that’s who we are at Beethoven & Dinosaur. We put the knobs on. Mixtape is almost complete, we’re just putting the knobs on. 2026 pic.twitter.com/vyK3wZzVKE

— MIXTAPE by Beethoven & Dinosaur (@bnd_studio) November 10, 2025