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Xbox’s Aaron Greenberg: There will be no ‘full CG trailers’ at the show
One thing that’s clear about the 2023 Xbox Games Showcase is that fans want to see plenty of in-game and/or in-engine footage. Evidently, Microsoft has heard that desire loud and clear, because VP of Xbox Games Marketing Aaron Greenberg has announced on Twitter that the presentation won’t feature “full CG trailers.”
“None of our first party games in the show are full CG trailers. Everything is either in-game footage, in-engine footage, or in-game footage with some cinematics,” Greenberg wrote. “Each of our trailers will be labeled so it is hopefully clear for our fans.”
This has us even more excited for the Xbox Games Showcase than we already were. Bring on the gameplay! — Brendan Lowry
The Xbox Games Showcase will run for ‘roughly two hours,’ says Microsoft
Wondering how long the show will be? Ahead of its arrival, VP of Xbox Games Marketing Aaron Greenberg has confirmed on Twitter that the showcase will last “roughly two hours,” meaning that fans can look forward to around 120 minutes of announcements, reveals, trailers, and more. Note that the Starfield Direct, a short presentation coming directly after the main showcase that will show off Bethesda’s highly anticipated sci-fi RPG, has been factored into this runtime.
This puts the Xbox Games Showcase in line with other events like Summer Game Fest, but if you were hoping for a longer show, don’t worry. Microsoft is holding an extended showcase on Tuesday, June 13 that’ll have multiple developer interviews and additional updates.
“Like last year, we’ll also have our follow-up stream, Xbox Games Showcase Extended airing June 13 at 10 a.m. PT, with in-depth interviews focused on the news from our Xbox Games Showcase as well as game updates from our partners,” wrote Joe Skrebels, the Editor-in-Chief of the official Xbox news website Xbox Wire. — Brendan Lowry
Here are our official Xbox Games Showcase predictions
It’s always fun to speculate about what Microsoft has in store for its fans with its Xbox Game Showcases, and ahead of the 2023 show, Contributor Miles Dompier and the rest of Team Windows Central decided to do just that with a list of our official Xbox Game Showcase predictions. Based on industry insights and development timelines, we expect that the games highlighted below will appear at Microsoft’s presentation.
Playground Games’ Fable reboot and Obsidian Entertainment’s fantasy RPG Avowed are at the top of our list, as neither haven’t been seen since their reveal trailers in 2020. Notably, Phil Spencer mentioned Avowed and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 when discussing titles that could arrive in the quarters following Starfield’s September 6 release date, suggesting that both games aren’t too far off and will likely appear at the show. We’re also expecting to see more of the Forza Motorsport reboot, as it was shown earlier this year during the Xbox Developer_Direct show.
Other games we could see include Compulsion Games’ Project Midnight, inXile’s rumored and teased steampunk FPS RPG Project Cobalt, and possibly even The Coalition’s Gears 6 on Unreal Engine 5. We wouldn’t be surprised if Avalanche Studios’ action-packed heist game Contraband, Stock Studio’s fantasy side-scroller The Wandering Tower, State of Decay 3, Everwild, or Perfect Dark appear, either.
In addition to closer looks at Microsoft’s upcoming projects, we could also see what its developers are working on for live service updates to games like Halo Infinite and Sea of Thieves. Halo Infinite Season 4 is slated to kick off on June 10, while Sea of Thieves Season 10 is expected to arrive at some point between July and August. — Brendan Lowry
This time of year is rife with unfounded rumors and wild expectations, much of which never coming to pass. However, it’s often fun to fan these flames and willingly explore your most ridiculous dreams and predictions. Our very own Alex Cope did exactly that with the Xbox Games Showcase 2023, highlighting what he’d love to see revealed during the event — Even if there’s little chance of these things actually happening.
These wild predictions are pretty specific to their author, but everyone has their own dreams for what could happen during the Xbox Games Showcase. Alex wants to see a revival of the Killer Instinct fighting franchise on Xbox; Final Fantasy games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake to actually come to Xbox; Capcom and Xbox announce a closer partnership alongside announcements like Monster Hunter: World 2, a retro Monster Hunter collection, and the return of the Breath of Fire JRPG series; Rare announce a long-awaited sequel to Kameo; and for Battletoads to get the ‘AAA’ treatment it deserves.
As for me? I’d love to see a high-budget, high-effort Viva Piñata sequel from Rare, the announcement of a third DLC expansion for Forza Horizon 5 or a remake of the original Forza Horizon, and all of the PC, Switch, and PlayStation indie games I want to release on Xbox announced at the same time as heading to Xbox consoles and Game Pass. Yeah, these are all pretty unlikely, but a person can hope, right? — Zachary Boddy
Hello everybody! It’s Samuel Tolbert, Windows Central contributor here, and I’m reporting live from L.A! While E3 may be dead this year, there’s a number of great gaming events going on, and I’ll be helping to cover the Xbox Showcase and Starfield Direct!
And since I’m a bit late to the conversation about what we’re hoping to see, I’d like to re-emphasize Starfield. From being Bethesda Game Studios’ first single-player game since Fallout 4 in 2015 (and first new IP since The Elder Scrolls: Arena!) there’s so much to be excited for, and I can’t wait to see what Todd Howard and the rest of the team have in store. — Samuel Tolbert, Windows Central contributor
We asked fans what Xbox needs to deliver at the show. Here’s what you said.
Between the poor reception to Arkane Studios’ Xbox and PC exclusive Redfall and the overall lack of gameplay footage and release dates in recent presentations, Microsoft has struggled to convince gamers that the future of Xbox is a bright one. With most conversations around the publisher’s platform being quite pessimistic and doubtful as of late, it’s not farfetched to say that Microsoft needs to show up big with the 2023 Xbox Games Showcase and set a more optimistic tone.
Last week, we asked you what Xbox needs to deliver at the Xbox Games Showcase on social media, as we were eager to see what you think Microsoft needs to do to win over the community and earn back its trust. Based on hundreds of responses, here’s a look at some of the things you want to see most at the show. — Brendan Lowry
- Actual Xbox gameplay: By far, the biggest request from Xbox fans for the show has been lots of actual gameplay rather than pre-rendered trailers and scripted cinematic sequences. While CG trailers have their place, many gamers are ready for a look at the type of experience they’ll actually be able to have while playing upcoming titles like Avowed. Redfall’s 30 FPS cap controversy in particular has highlighted the importance of showing gameplay on Xbox specifically, as the game’s launch marketing showed it being played at 60 FPS on a PC.
- Release dates: Microsoft has teased a wide variety of projects over the last several years that still don’t have official release windows, including Avowed, Hellblade 2, Everwild, State of Decay 3, Contraband, and more. While Microsoft no doubt wants to avoid getting itself into another “all these games are coming in the next 12 months” situation, lots of fans are asking (and expecting) updates.
- New reveals: While you mainly want to see gameplay and release date information for the Xbox projects that have already been shown, plenty of fans want to see some new reveals as well. Hopefully we’ll see some big announcements like Gears 6 or the official debut of inXile’s upcoming RPG, codenamed Cobalt.
- Xbox Game Studios partnerships: Announcements of collaboration with developers like Hideo Kojima and Avalanche Studios have been some of the most exciting in recent memory for Xbox gamers, so there’s definitely a high demand for additional partnerships.
Everything announced at Summer Game Fest 2023
Before tomorrow’s Xbox Games Showcase, there was 2023’s Summer Game Fest presentation on Thursday afternoon. Hosted by Geoff Keighley and streamed live from the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, Summer Game Fest gave fans around the world exciting sneak peeks at some of the biggest upcoming games that the industry is cooking up.
While Microsoft didn’t have much of a presence at the show — they’re saving all the good stuff for the Xbox Games Showcase! — developers and publishers like Ubisoft, NetherRealm Studios, SEGA, Remedy Entertainment, Epic Games, and Devolver Digital shared several of the titles they’re bringing to Xbox, Windows PC, and other platforms soon. Check out the list below for all the highlights, or head to our SGF 2023 live blog to see everything announced at Summer Game Fest 2023 as it happened. — Brendan Lowry
Hello everyone! I’m Brendan Lowry, and I’m excited to welcome you to Windows Central’s live coverage of Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase event. You can expect plenty of awesome announcements and reveals for games coming to the Xbox and Windows PC ecosystem in 2023 and beyond.
Before, throughout, and after the show, you can look forward to plenty of live reports, reactions, analyses, and more from Team Windows Central. Staff Writer Zachary Boddy and I will be covering the event from afar, with Windows Central Managing Editor Jez Corden and Contributor Samuel Tolbert sharing their unique perspective from the showfloor.
With games like Avowed, Fable, Hellblade 2, and STALKER 2 on the horizon as well as unannounced projects like Compulsion Games’ Project Midnight and inXile’s new RPG codenamed Cobalt in development, we expect that 2023’s Xbox Game Showcase will be a fantastic show (and don’t forget about the Starfield Direct!). Thanks for joining us for it, and make sure you stay tuned with us for all the latest updates and news drops. — Brendan Lowry, Windows Central Contributor
Greetings, friends! It’s your friendly neighborhood noodle, Zachary Boddy, here at Windows Central. It’s finally that time of year… When I have to work over the weekend. Oh, and it’s also time for 2023’s Xbox Games Showcase! We’re expecting to see a huge number of announcements from Xbox’s first-party studios and third-party partners, mostly centered around all the biggest games heading to Xbox over the next year or so.
I can’t wait, personally. I hope to see news on Fable, Avowed, and Forza Motorsport (2023). State of Decay 3 may be a bit of a far-fetched dream at this point, but I’d certainly love to see it appear, too. Whatever we see, though, the Windows Central team will be here with exclusive commentary, instant live updates, and all the information you didn’t realize you needed. Even if you’re watching the Xbox Games Showcase yourself, tune into Windows Central anyway. — Zachary Boddy, Windows Central Staff Writer