Expectations were high going into Sunday’s Xbox E3 conference with fans waiting to see how Microsoft was going to demonstrate their long-term investment into new IPs, studios, and larger 3rd party support. In our opinion, they did just that and then some. It was a whirlwind of a conference highlighting over 50 games and many world premieres.
Most surprising was Phil Spencer’s announcement of not 1, but 4 new studios joining Microsoft Studios as first party developers including The Initiative (the AAA studio in Santa Monica headed by Daryl Gallagher), Playground Games, Compulsion Games, and Ninja Theory (a huge surprise!).
There is almost too much to show but here are the highlights along to links to where you can find all the content:
Halo Infinite
As we discussed in our E3 Bitcast, we predicted that the next Halo title would lose the number and rather go forward with merely a moniker. While we didn’t see an actual trailer of gameplay, nor did we get details on what the title entails, the team at 343 Industries have said that they are investing fully into a brand new engine titled “Slipspace” which allow the team to build the next Halo game to their vision. Here’s the full breakdown from the opening of the conference.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
One of our most anticipated titles, Ori and the Will of the Wisps was just as gorgeous as expected. Surprisingly, the title still isn’t coming until 2019. But we’re sure it will be worth the wait in the end.
Cuphead Expansion
We don’t think we need to say anymore about our love for Cuphead. We are simply overjoyed that new content is coming in 2019.
Crackdown 3
Crackdown 3 is a hugely ambitious title and it’s nice to see further polish in the gameplay. We were happy to hear it is getting additional time and funding to the best it can be and it presented well during the conference today.
Forza Horizon 4
It’s set in Britain! We don’t know how the Japan/Hong Kong rumor was so spread so far and wide but honestly, we are overjoyed at the thought of cruising around the UK in Forza Horizon. The seasons and worldwide dynamic settings are very, very cool and as usual, the gameplay looks incredible. It will also run at 60fps on the Xbox One X.
Jump Force
A huge surprise at the conference that received some of the loudest applause was Jump Force. Have a look!
Sekiro : Shadows Die Twice
The hotly anticipated title from From Software is titled Sekiro and the gameplay reveal was widely applauded.
Metro Exodus
The next gameplay trailer for Metro Exodus was shown and boy did it impress. The dynamic weapon building and large environments were particularly impressive.
Battletoads
Unbelievable! They are coming back in 2019!
Gears 5
One of our most anticipated titles was shown in detail and it looks to be a rather intimate story this time around. J.D. and Kait are seemingly no longer together and you will take the role of Kait as you embark to discover more about the Locust emblem left by your grandmother. The investment into the title looks substantial and Rod Fergusson stressed it was the largest world ever in a Gears title. Also notice that nowhere, on any official video or artwork, does it say Gears of War. It’s merely titled Gears 5.
Session
Another pleasant surprise during the conference was a new skateboarding title named Session. Many people were hoping for Skate 4 at EA Play and as we didn’t get it, the hype for this title seems high!
We Happy Few
Compulsion Games long anticipated title showed much more relating to the revised story than it had before. And the good news for fans is that even though Compulsion Games is now a Microsoft Studio, the game will still release on the Xbox One, PC, AND PlayStation 4 as originally planned.
Devil May Cry 5
It’s finally coming! It’s been 10 years since DMC4 and the team was very proud to announce the new entry in the series which received a huge applause.
PUBG
The PUBG train continues to chug ahead and there’s plenty of new content coming to the Xbox version this year including the next map, new modes, and more!
Gears POP!
One of the funniest announcements during the conference was Gears POP! – a mobile game coming next year in coordination with Funko and The Coalition.
The Division 2
One of the highlights of the conference was the follow up to Ubisoft’s massive hit (pun intended). We got a full gameplay demo of the title that will take place in Washington D.C. six months after the initial outbreak. It looks excellent. Apologies for the Gamespot link, we will resolve when Ubisoft puts up the official video.
Just Cause 4
We knew it was coming but it certainly showed off well. It looks to have a lot more variety in the environments combined with the crazy gameplay we’ve come to expect from Just Cause.
Dying Light 2
Another huge surprise was Techland’s announcement of Dying Light 2. The franchise has accumulated a large, dedicated following so it’s great to see a follow up that looks to take the series in even more exciting directions. The decisions you make in Dying Light 2 will impact your world in unique ways so that each player can potentially experience a different world.
ID @ Xbox Sizzle Reel
As they’ve done the past few years, Microsoft highlighted some of the ID@Xbox titles heading our way.
Cyberpunk 2077
The largest surprise was Cyberpunk 2077. While we believed it to be shown during the Xbox conference, it was shown at the very end in surprise fashion to HUGE applause. We finally have a look as to what to expect for the title we feel will change the industry.
You can find the full conference below and we’ll update with further videos and information over the next couple of days!
