HQ
It's been a pretty shaky fall for Xbox and a possibly even shakier spring where most of the talk has been about an unclear strategy for Xbox with games coming to competing formats as well as major layoffs and studio closures. The consensus among fans has therefore been that it is time to show what Xbox customers have to look forward to and explain why those who have not yet acquired an Xbox should actually do so.
This was the starting point for this year's Xbox Games Showcase, an event that was already declared one of the most important for Xbox for the reasons mentioned above, with many also saying that it's time to start showing off more of the upcoming games that are in the pipeline and what all of Microsoft's developers are working on at the moment. So did Microsoft succeed in doing all that? Yes, I actually think so, this is a candidate to be one of their best events ever.
It all started with a short presentation by Microsoft's gaming head Phil Spencer and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the latter being a move I thought strange. Not because it is not a hot game - but because we would get a half-hour presentation afterwards of Black Ops 6. Having it taking time from the regular event made me suspicious, fortunately that feeling didn't linger long because it was practically just a trailer with information that there will be more coming soon. It is after all ten years since Call of Duty appeared at a Microsoft event and that it is included with Game Pass is big news, so of course they wanted to show it. By the way, October 25 is the premiere date.
This is an ad:
So which game would get the honour of opening the event then? Well, it was Doom: The Dark Ages, which was shown off with a brutally heavy trailer that placed id Software's and Bethesda's action series in some kind of high-fantasy where Doomguy had a shield at his disposal alongside classic weapons. Somehow the new world seemed to fit like a glove and this should be meaty fun when it's released next year for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X.
HQ
State of Decay 3 was next, a game that was announced years ago, but has been quiet for a long time. It's clear that it has very different production values than when we last saw the series, and rarely has zombie slaying looked so genuinely good. We'll have to wait to find out exactly what game mechanics it contains, though, because the trailer ended without giving a release date, which means we should probably not hope for it in 2025.
One title that had been heavily rumoured beforehand was Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which will be the name of the fourth main instalment in the Dragon Age saga and hopefully BioWare's ticket back into the role-playing world's limelight after the Anthem fiasco. It was showcased as the fourth title during the Xbox Games Showcase. The trailer didn't say much, but the role-playing fans at the editorial office seem to agree that it promises good things and there were many happy faces when Varrik appeared on the screen. Releasing in fall 2024.
This is an ad:
More role-playing was on the cards when the Starfield expansion Shattered Space was finally shown, and it seems that we will get to know the Va'ruun faction, who were a bit secretive in the main adventure. The NASA punk theme from the main game seems to be put aside and in Shattered Space it looks like a darker and slightly horror-oriented adventure (with extra everything) awaits us space travelers. When the expansion will be released was not disclosed, but it was reiterated that it will be this year. At least we can comfort ourselves with a shadow drop of some other Starfield content available to enjoy now.
More Bethesda roleplaying ensued as this was followed up by Fallout 76 getting a new expansion called Skyline Valley, where we'll get to visit the Shenandoah region and check out Vault 63. Here, of course, live various Vault Dwellers and we will also meet a new type of Ghoul called The Lost. As if that wasn't enough, Fallout 76 players will get to play the Ghoul themselves in a new update coming next year.
One of the biggest surprises for myself was next, when the very stylish trailer for Expedition 33 was shown. This is a Kepler Interactive role-playing game (developed by Sandfall Interactive) which, set to atmospheric music, presented a seemingly dramatic adventure with gorgeous environments and huge bosses as well as four playable characters. It won't be released until next year so it will be a while before we see more - but I really think this could be something special.
Then it was time for South of Midnight, which was announced last year. The presentation started with an almost stop-motion animated sequence that showed some really nice visuals, which we are used to from Compulsion Games. But... when we now got to see gameplay as well, I was suddenly not as impressed. I hope it will be fun anyway, but it seems to be very standard third-person action in the swamps of the southern states. Premiere next year, anyway.
World of Warcraft: The War Within also hastily showed up with a short trailer, and was confirmed to premiere on August 26, before it was time for Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater to be revealed complete with a gameplay trailer. Let me state right away that this looks incredibly good, and hearing the music, seeing all the iconic details (like exclamation marks over enemies) gave enough nostalgic chills to make the hairs on my arms stand up at attention. However, Konami would not share a release date.
Sea of Thieves has been a staple at all Microsoft events since its release, and this year's Xbox Games Showcase was no exception. Season 13 was unveiled with a trailer revealing that there is new content coming to the game from July 25. This was followed by Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, which arrives on July 18th and is nicely included with Game Pass (something that seemed to apply to a clear majority of all games shown). Age of Mythology: Retold also got a presentation and the strategy enthusiasts of the editorial team almost broke out in a spontaneous dance. It will be released on September 4 and will actually come to Xbox Series S/X, besides PC of course.
The biggest surprise so far was the next one, because after years of fans begging to see Perfect Dark - it was now time for real gameplay. It is clear that it will not be the typical shooter but more in line with the original game. So expect well-defined missions, stealth, puzzle solving, some parkour and cool gadgets. But... towards the end of the trailer, things got out of hand for Joanna, who thus got the chance to show that it can indeed be hectic action too. To mark the special nature of this announcement, the Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty popped up to talk a bit and said he's looking forward to showing more. But we don't know when that will be, because while Perfect Dark promises good things, it will premiere... sometime. In fact, we didn't even get a release year confirmed.
More Blizzard came next and the expected Diablo 4 expansion Vessel of Hatred got a presentation where we got to check out a new class, a new region and learn about a new story. It is obvious that it seems to be more evil than ever before and that Diablo fans will love this when it is released on October 8.
Then it was time for one of the most requested games in advance, namely Fable. Playground Games' logo appeared on the screen, followed by a video with sometimes lovely presentation and gameplay. Clearly, this looks like it's going to be a great adventure and Playground has definitely managed to nail the Fable feel and British humour, and I also thought I sensed that the morality system is intact. It was also confirmed that it will premiere in 2025, so you can finally start looking forward to it.
Three shorter presentations were next, one of which was the team-based shooter Fragpunks where teams of five players have to shoot each other down, with the twist that we can change the conditions considerably by using cards. Among other things, we saw how we could enlarge the heads of our opponents, making them easier to see and, above all, easier to hit. A launch is coming next year. This was followed by the seemingly melancholic adventure Winter Burrow, which lets us take on the role of a little mouse, premiering early 2025. Mixtape was the third smaller title in a row to be showcased, with Annapurna offering a coming of age game about a group of teenagers. The style was a bit reminiscent of Don't Nod's previous adventures, but with a slightly faster and more sped-up presentation and framing.
After that, Asobo's logo appeared on the screen, which means it was time for Microsoft Fight Simulator 2024. It will apparently be released on November 19 this year and offers a whole range of new features such as flying commercially, fighting forest fires, being an ambulance pilot and much more. The graphics are still absolutely stunning. The Elder Scrolls Online expansion Gold Road was shown off after this, which launches on June 18, but nothing more in-depth was shown.
After that, Life is Strange 3 was announced and shown with a first trailer. Max Caufield is back to solve a murder mystery and this time we play in two parallel timelines that will help us solve the mystery. I think it looks promising and hopefully it will be an exciting adventure to dig into at the premiere on October 29 this year.
HQ
One game I was sure would be shown was Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. After all, it's due for release this year, so we got to check out lots of gameplay and a long sequence on a boat that was stuck high up in the mountains for some unknown reason. Naturally, they were looking for a mysterious artifact, and just as naturally, Indiana had some nazis on their tail. The entire editorial team agreed that Swedish developer Machine Games seems to be delivering a technically impressive adventure that definitely has a true Indiana Jones feel, much more so than the recent movie Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Unexpectedly (given that it's coming this year) we didn't get a release date, so I'd guess that Machine Games will simply work on it all the way to the bone and announce a date pretty close to the premiere.
Two more smaller titles followed next, as Mechabreak - which gave clear vibes of both Macross and Zone of the Enders - and Wuchang: Fallen Feathers were presented. Both of these are set to premiere in 2025.
Another game I was sure would show up was Avowed. Like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, it's actually coming this year, and just like Indiana's adventures, we were left without a release date. However, we did get to see a lot of gameplay and I stand by the fact that it looks very entertaining gameplay-wise. It has really fluid battles and several sequences that almost bring to mind Lara Croft's finest moments. If Obsidian can put this together with a good story, role-playing game fans will have something to look forward to when it premieres later 2024.
The strangest announcement of the day was from Rebellion, who presented Atomfall, a game I didn't understand much about, except that it seems to be an alternate British universe complete with rusty mechs in rural environments. It premieres in 2025, and I'm guessing it's about the second half, because a lot of it looked pretty early. Assassin's Creed Shadows was also given a quick look and again I can say that it looks very impressive.
This was followed by a thorough review of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, which is now about two years late - largely due to Russia's war, of course. Either way, we seem to have a downright astonishing looking game to look forward to, where several times I just sat and gasped. If it's fun to play and decently polished, the premiere on September 5 will be a little Christmas for myself while I explore the forbidden zone.
Finally, the new Xbox boss Sarah Bond showed up to round off the event. Among other things, she said once again that Microsoft is working on the next generation of consoles - but also presented three new Xbox models. Xbox Series S will be released in a white version with a one terabyte hard drive (previously only available in black), Xbox Series X will now come in a fully digital white version with a one terabyte hard drive and there will also be a Special Edition of the regular Xbox Series X with slightly different colour details and a two terabyte hard drive. However, Bond had one last surprise left...
It had been rumored beforehand that it was time for Gears 6, and there had even been talk of a remastered collection of the old games. But... there were some details that all the sources had missed, because none of this was correct, and perhaps information had been mixed up. What was announced instead was Gears of War: E-Day, a prequel of sorts where we get to follow the horrific decay of the planet Sera during Emergence Day, 14 years before the first Gears of War.
That means we get to mess around with Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago again in an adventure that seems to be more horror-oriented in line with the original game. The trailer was in-engine (Unreal Engine 5) and showed a blood-soaked battle between Marcus Fenix and a Locust that ended just as meaty as fans probably hoped, accompanied by a reinterpretation of the song Mad World (which has been associated with the series ever since the classic 2006 commercial). We don't know when it will actually be released, though, which probably means 2025 at best.
HQ
And with that, this year's Xbox Games Showcase was rounded off, which I dare say was significantly better than most of what Microsoft has shown before. In short, Game Pass will be really well stocked in the future and there are a lot of great games in the pipeline now that their studios seem to be picking up. Towerfall's absence was probably the most surprising thing, but then I'm really looking for something to complain about.
And with that said, what did you think was the best of everything we saw?
