Learning from May’s bland “gameplay showcase” event, Xbox just went all out at the Xbox Games Showcase today, announcing a whopping total of 22 new console launch exclusives coming exclusively to the Xbox family, and every single one of them is coming to Game Pass day one. So without any further delay here’s all from today (from the main event):
Halo Infinite (Xbox One, XSX, PC)
The event took off with 9 minutes of brand new footage from probably their most anticipated exclusive. With Infinite, 343 seems to be returning back to its roots. And the speculations are now officially confirmed – the grappling hook is real. Halo Infinite comes to the Xbox family and PC this Holiday, and will seemingly run at 4K 60FPS on the Series X.
State of Decay 3 (XSX, PC)
Coming from Undead Labs, State of Decay is back once again, and hopefully this third game will do better than its predecessor which suffered a troubled launch. Though we only have a cinematic trailer, that too without a release date. Taking into consideration the last game’s troubled launch, don’t expect it to come out anytime soon.
Forza Motorsport (XSX, PC)
A new Forza game was pretty much confirmed for the event, however, I wasn’t expecting such mind-blowingly photorealistic visuals. It’s an in-engine trailer, but it gives a good glance at what’s to come. Again, no release date here.
Everwild (Xbox One, XSX, PC)
Everwild is a brand new IP from Rare set in a charming and colorful mystical world. We don’t know how will it play though, but Rare’s eyecandy visuals have certainly caught my interest.
Tell Me Why (Xbox One, XSX, PC)
Ah, Dontnod. Life is Strange’s developers’ latest new narrative-driven title is right around the corner. It looks to be a brother-sister drama, where two siblings kept apart for most of their lives are reunited and start to dredge through their (predictably dramatic) past. Tell Me Why comes out next month, August 27.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps (XSX)
Ori is coming to Series X. At 4K. Running at 120 FPS, for the first time on a console. Enough said.
The Outer Worlds: Peril on Gorgon (All Platforms)
So Obsidian finally revealed their upcoming expansion for The Outer Worlds, coming this September 9. This is one of their two planned expansions for the intergalactic choice-influential RPG.
Grounded – Xbox Game Preview/Steam Early Access (Xbox One, PC)
“If you are waiting for the biggest game of the year… then wait for Cyberpunk 2077.” Well, atleast they are being honest. Grounded is Obsidian’s take on a survival RPG adaptation of Honey I Shrunk The Kids (Just kidding, it’s not.. atleast not officially.) The game launches into Early Access this week.
Avowed (XSX, PC)
If those two didn’t catch your attention, the third announcement from Obsidian should. Avowed is a first-person RPG set in a fantasy world with heavy Skyrim vibes. Not much is known about the details yet, but coming from the devs of the best Fallout game and The Outer Worlds, you’d be forgiven for being excited without knowing much.
As Dusk Falls (XSX, PC)
This gorgeously animated IP comes from former Quantic Dream lead developer. As Dusk Falls’ story involves two families who meet in dramatic circumstances over the course of two generations, involving a bank robbery and stuff. Expect a strong narrative on this one.
Psychonauts 2 (Xbox One, XSX, PC)
The sequel to the original 2005 classic is coming soon, as an Xbox exclusive. The trailer at least shows off Jack Black lending his vocals to the soundtrack. Here’s hoping that he has an in-game appearance as well.
Destiny 2 Coming To Game Pass With All Expansions
Destiny 2 with all its expansions, including the upcoming Beyond Light, is coming to Xbox Game Pass. Although this will initially be limited to the console version of the subscription, but Microsoft says it’s working to bring this to the PC subscription “later in 2021.”
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 (XSX, PC)
It has been over a decade since we last saw S.T.A.L.K.E.R. as fans of the absolute classic have been waiting for a new entry since 2009. This was a totally unexpected announcement that blew away fans of the original. This is complete new sequel coming to next-gen, except for PS5.
Warhammer 40,000 Darktide (XSX, PC)
This “visceral 4-player co-op action game set in hive Tertium” sees you and your friends fighting off hordes of enemies, with a host of ammunition and military gadgets to do it. If you like Warhammer Vermintide, this is certainly something to keep your eye on.
Tetris Effect: Connected (Xbox One, XSX, PC)
The acclaimed Tetris Effect is coming to Xbox (finally), with a brand new Multiplayer mode. This is the 2018 comeback to the classic that won a ton of awards, especially due to its immersive VR experience. And yes, it’ll be coming to Steam.
The Gunk (Xbox One, XSX, PC)
From the creators of Steamworld comes a 3D action game that lets you… clean up “gunk”? The gameplay shows off some nice fluid animations and a beautiful neon-ish artstyle. The Gunk looks pretty, although we don’t know much of how will it play, this is one to keep your eye on for sure.
The Medium (XSX, PC)
“Nothing is what it seems, everything has an other side.” The Medium standed out from the other titles due to the dual-reality system. The game renders two sides of the world at the same time. That probably explains the overly demanding system requirements on PC: a GTX 1660 Ti for 1080p.
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis – (Xbox One, XSX, PC)
New Genesis is a kind of remaster to SEGA’s free-to-play MMORPG, with a whole new world and massive upgrades to the game engine and the overall game. This also includes a seemingly ridiculously-detailed and powerful character creation engine. New Genesis will co-exist as “twin universes” that allow you to carry across your same character with the base game.
CrossfireX Story Campaign (Xbox One, XSX)
Control and Quantum Break developer Remedy Entertainment is joining hands with Smilegate to bring a solid Call of Duty-esque campaign to the console-exclusive FPS. It’ll be interesting to see how this turns out, as it’s Remedy’s first time working on a first-person shooter.
Fable (XSX, PC)
Ah, Fable. The classic returns, with seemingly a reboot of the franchise. Fable is arguably the biggest announcement of the event, as fans of the series have been waiting for a decade for a new game. Also, the title being just ‘Fable’ instead of Fable 4 or something as such, combined with the introductory nature of the trailer fuels speculations for a reboot.