Xbox Game Pass roadmap updates release dates for Xbox console exclusives Scorn and The Gunk

Geiger-inspired horror game Scorn is now scheduled to launch this fall, while Xbox console exclusive The Gunk will seemingly miss its initial September release date and instead launch a bit later this year. 

That's according to the updated roadmap for games coming to Xbox Game Pass this year. Previously, Scorn was broadly expected sometime this year, but we now know that it's specifically targeting this fall. We've been waiting on Scorn for around four years and its unnerving art style has never left our minds, so it's nice to have a more precise release window, though fall obviously covers an entire season. If you're looking for more details, we had an in-depth chat with the developers at Ebb Studios about their vision for the game last year. 

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Oppositely, when The Gunk was revealed in 2020, developer Image & Form was targeting September 2021. The game's current press fact sheet reflects this, and affirms that its Game Pass release will match its launch date. However, judging from its spot on the new Game Pass calendar, The Gunk is now expected later this year – likely sometime in October or November. The Game Pass timeline in this Xbox post, meanwhile, only specifies 2021. To be fair, Xbox made it clear last year that The Gunk was only "currently slated" for September 2021, so this apparent delay isn't a total surprise. We've reached out to Image & Form for clarification and will update our reporting if we hear back. 

The Gunk, in case you've forgotten, is a third-person action game set on an alien planet filled with resources and covered with the titular gunk. The pitch from Image & Form, who you may know from the delightful Steamworld franchise, is simple: "explore, gather, craft and survive." You play as a member of a team of explorers out to map the planet and harvest its resources, contending with the local flora and fauna all the while. Its art style caught our eye last year and we're always going to be interested in anything from the makers of Steamworld, so The Gunk will be one to watch as we get deeper into 2021. 

As our own Josh West writes, Bethesda and Game Pass combined have made the Xbox Series X impossibly attractive, in no small part because Game Pass makes games like these much more visible and accessible. If you're looking for games to try right now, have a gander at the Xbox Summer Game Demo Fest.