There was a lot on show at the Xbox and Bethesda showcase during the Summer Game Fest event. From the first look at some hotly anticipated games to some surprise announcements and more, there was something for everyone to get excited about.
Redfall
Opening the show was Redfall, which is currently in development at Arkane Austin. When the titular town is taken over by vampires, it will be up to players – either solo in with friends in co-op play – to fight back street by street as they do battle with not only the creatures of the night but their cultist acolytes.
The first look at gameplay footage put players right in the middle of the action as they faced down their undead threat as they made their way through the streets of Redfall to try and end the vampire’s reign of terror once and for all.
Redfall is currently in development for an early 2023 release on Xbox Series X/S and PC with Day One availability through Game Pass.
Previews and Premieres
It wouldn’t be an Xbox presentation without a whole host of trailers coming thick and fast during the show. The first batch of these included:
- A new look at Hollow Knight: Silksong which will be coming to Game Pass,
- The first trailer of High on Life, a first-person alien shooter with a comedic twist from the creator of Rick & Morty set to launch in October,
- The announcement that Riot Games will be bringing their library of titles, including Valorant and League of Legends, to Game Pass later this year,
- A new trailer for A Plague Tale: Requiem gave players a new look at what they can expect from the game’s story.
Forza Motorsport
Up next was a look at the next Forza Motorsport. Using the fan favourite Maple Valley as the backdrop, this first look showcased the game’s new features, some of the roster of cars and some of the technical changes that are coming to the game, which is being built from the ground up for next-gen consoles and PC.
Forza Motorsport is currently in development for a Spring 2023 release on Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Previews Part 2
The next batch of previews and premieres at the showcase included:
- A first look at some of the content coming to Microsoft Flight Simulator for its upcoming 40th Anniversary, and the announcement that a special Halo Infinite add-on is available now.
- The announcement that Overwatch 2 will be free-to-play when it launches in October,
- The reveal of Ara: History Untold, in which players will be able to shape history through their own choices and actions,
- A tease of what players can expect from the upcoming Hot Wheels expansion to Forza Horizon 5, which is coming July 19.
Also making an appearance on the show was Pete Hines of Bethesda, who previewed some content coming to two of the company’s beloved franchises. First up was a new trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle expansion, which is launching on June 21. This new story will see the focus shift to the Breton people and take players to an area of The Elder Scrolls universe which has never been explored before now.
Over on Fallout, the next expansion to Fallout 76 will take players out of the Appalachians for the first time. Coming in September, Fallout 76: Expeditions – The Pitt will take players to what remains of Pittsburgh for a new adventure.
Following these were the next batch of teasers for upcoming releases:
- Vin Diesel will be among the cast of prehistoric survival tale ARK 2 when it launches in 2023,
- Scorn is a biopunk survival horror coming to Xbox Series X/S and PC in October,
- Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn will pit players against the Gods in a survival adventure coming in early 2023,
- Build your own farm in the future either solo or with friends in Lightyear: Frontier in 2023,
- Gunfire: Reborn is a rogue-lite shooter coming to console and PC in October,
- The Last Case of Benedict Fox will take players through alternate worlds, haunted houses and forgotten memories when it launches in 2023.
As Dusk Falls
Next on the showcase was the latest from As Dusk Falls, an interactive drama from Interior/Night. Set in the town of Two Rock, this story follows a host of characters as they try and reconcile their past with the reality of their present. Either playing solo, or in groups of up to 8 players, the story will be shaped by what players chose to do – or not to do – at any given moment.
As Dusk Falls will be available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC from July 19 and available Day One on Game Pass and via Xbox Cloud Gaming.
More Premieres and Previews
- Naraka: Bladepoint will be coming to Xbox and PC on June 23 with a new campaign mode,
- Pentiment is a medieval-themed narrative adventure set in 16th Century Bavaria launching in November,
- Grounded will be leaving Game Preview and launching with a full story mode in September,
- Ereban: Shadow Legacy will see players attempt to take down a host of mech hunters from the shadows when it launches in 2023.
Diablo IV
The fifth and final class for Diablo IV has been revealed in a new trailer. Joining the classes around the campfire will be Necromancers, magic beings who have embraced dark magic and who hold power over the dead.
Rod Fergusson of Blizzard Entertainment explained a little more about this new class and how they will integrate into the main story before introducing a second video package which took players through some more of the details of the upcoming game, including a look at character customisation, the open world and shared player map, the random local events and how there will be designated PvP areas in the game.
Diablo IV is currently scheduled for a 2023 release on console and PC.
Previews – the Final Part
The last batch of previews came with a couple of notable surprises:
- Season 7 of Sea of Thieves will allow players to become pirate Captains, bringing full ship and cabin customisation along with other new features, when it launches on July 21,
- Ravenlok is a new fairytale action RPG from the makers of Echo Generation coming in 2023,
- Cocoon is a new puzzle adventure from Annapurna Interactive set to launch in 2023,
- Chinese martial arts fantasy Wo Lon: Fallen Dynasty is the latest project from Team Ninja which is currently in development for a 2023 release.
There was also big news for fans of one of the most popular JRPG franchises ever, as Phil Spencer announced that the Persona franchise would be coming to Game Pass later this year to make the franchise’s 25th Anniversary. Starting with Persona 5 Royal in October, Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden will also be coming to the service in the next 12 months.
Finally, there was the announcement that Hideo Kojima and his Kojima Productions studio are working on a new game for Xbox. Details on the project are being kept under wraps for now but Hideo Kojima did give a short video message teasing fans over what might be coming their way.
Starfield First Look
Closing out the show was the first extended look at gameplay from Starfield, Bethesda’s highly anticipated space-faring RPG coming in early 2023. Taking players through the new footage was Bethesda’s Todd Howard, who explained that this game is the most ambitious project the studio has undertaken, both in terms of scope and content, with fully explorable planets, full character and ship customisation and a rich story with a whole host of characters to meet along the way.
There were also a few sneak peeks at some of the locations and organisations that will feature in the game, such as the explorer group the Constellation and their home city of New Atlantis. Players also got their first look at combat, both on land and in space in their fully pilotable ships along with resource gathering and base building.
Starfield is currently in development for an early 2023 release on Xbox and PC and will be available Day One on Game Pass.
More information about all the games featured in the presentation can be found on the Xbox website. Watch the presentation in full below.
Words by Megan Roxburgh
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