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The theme of this year’sXbox Games Showcase 2024will be one of change.
I am confident that we’ll start to reap the benefits of those acquisitions at this event.
You can bet money that we’ll see another glimpse of Obsidian’s upcoming RPG “Avowed” at this year’s show.
There’s so much we COULD see, but what WILL we see?
Microsoft has a truly massive slate ofpreviously announced Xbox gamesthat have largely gone dark since their original reveal.
Everwild, Fable, Perfect Dark, State of Decay 3, Contraband, amongst various others.
You can bet money that we’ll see another glimpse of Obsidian’s upcoming RPG “Avowed” at this year’s show.
Microsoft has likely learned some harsh lessons from announcing certain projects too early.
Perfect Dark is a sci-fi spy-thriller being developed by The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics of Tomb Raider fame.
The original has a cult following, developed by Rare as a successor to GoldenEye 007.
Last we heard, Perfect Dark’s reboot revolves around a climate crisis.
I would bet money on this making an appearance this year.
There are some potentially bigger, more headline-making games poised for a greater reveal as well.
Gears of War has been quiet in recent years.
State of Decay 3 should represent a visual upgrade over its predecessor.
If indeed the projectisreal, announcing it alongside a similarly theoretical Gears 6 teaser would be a welcome combo.
Speaking of which, could we see Fable appear here again?
We should be getting an update on that during the Xbox Showcase period as well.
DOOM: Year Zero leaked with FTC court documents last summer, could that make an appearance?
id Software’s legendary and pioneering first-person shooter franchise is now wholly owned by Microsoft.
Many have been probably wondering whether or not the next instalment would be held off competing platforms.
DOOM is already a prolific franchise on PlayStation, with every single title available to play.
If there IS a Gears 6 teaser at the show, there could be some cryptic hints about what kind of enhancements to expect. I’ve heard some tentative, unverified rumors that improving melee combat has been a focus for Gears 6, for example.
If there was one first-party multiplatform to expect from this show, it would be that one.
But what about more retroactive ports, like Sea of Thieves or Hi-Fi Rush?
Microsoft’s gamble here is that Xbox will continue to sell and be desirable even without console exclusives.
We will most likely see a glimpse at Diablo 4’s first expansion: Vessel of Hatred, at the showcase. There is no Blizzcon this year, and Diablo 4 is enjoying a resurgence right now thanks to Season 4’s positive reception.
Many are sceptical,including myself but perhaps that scepticism will be proven unfounded in the coming years.
What remains to be seen is how Microsoft positions all of this.
Will Microsoft mention PlayStation at its show?
Speaking of which, should we expect to see hardware teases at this show?
In years past, Microsoft has generallynotrevealed hardware at its E3-season summer showcases.
How will the economics of that work?
It remains to be seen, but I think it’s unlikely we’ll find out at this show.
I suspect a lot of the interviews and discourse during this week will revolve around Xbox’s overarching strategy.
Without exclusives, how will hardware sell?
Why should developers invest in Xbox’s future if Microsoft isn’t competing there?
The reality is, of course, very different.
Xbox has higher monthly active console users than ever, according to them.
What do YOU want to see?
There’s also always the potential for total surprises too.
Perhaps we see some other classic games revived, or a big new Activision-aligned backwards compatibility drop.
This could be one of Microsoft’s best ever Xbox showcases for raw gaming content.
Even if it’s a Fallout 5 logo, I’d be pretty contented with that one.
