With a mix of first-party and partner studio titles coming to Xbox in future, the summer showcase was a chance to get a first look at those games, with some new content for existing titles, followed by a deep-dive into the world of Starfield.
Fable
Opening the show was the highly anticipated reveal of the new Fable. Narrated by Dave, a ‘vegetable enthusiast’ (played by Richard Ayoade) and with a healthy dose of the franchise’s humour, the trailer gave fans a first look at the world of the new game along with some of the combat and interactions that will be a part of this new tale.
Fable is currently in development for Xbox Series X/S and PC.
World Premieres
The first selection of trailers brought to life tales from new worlds, a galaxy far away, a surprise sequel and new content for top releases:
- South of Midnight is a fantastical adventure with a touch of the bayou from Compulsion Games currently in the works for Xbox Series X/S and PC,
- Star Wars: Outlaws takes us to the world of smugglers and thieves with new protagonist Kay Vess, with the first gameplay set to debut during Ubisoft Forward,
- 33 Immortals is a top-down co-op battle adventure from Spiritfarer developer Thunder Lotus Games coming in 2024,
- Payday 3 brings a new world of heists, cops, gun battles and robberies gone wrong to players on September 21,
- After it was initially leaked by Atlus, Persona 3 Reload is officially confirmed to be released in 2024,
- Obsidian Entertainment premiered the latest trailer for Avowed, the first-person fantasy RPG set in Eora that will be coming in 2024,
Sea of Thieves’s latest story was unveiled and it will see players take their crews to the world of Monkey Island. The three-part story, The Legend of Monkey Island, will see players meet Captain LeChuck, Murray the Demonic Skull and even Guybrush Threepwood on their adventures when it comes free to all players on July 20.
Also getting new content is Microsoft Flight Simulator. Following the first look at some of the content coming to the 2024 edition, it was revealed that the game will be heading to the world of Arrakis, as the world of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic Dune will be coming to Microsoft flight Simulator on November 3 to coincide with the release of the second part of Denis Villeneuve’s film adaptation.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
Introduced by Senua herself, Melina Jeurgens, the latest look at Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 had Senua exploring an underground location, accompanied by the ever-present voices around her questioning every step and choice she has made. With stunning visuals and ending on a little bit of a cliffhanger, the trailer also confirmed the game’s release window of 2024.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is currently in development for console and PC.
Premieres and More
The next batch of trailers brought more good news for gamers looking for new adventures and new world to explore:
- The new trailer for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, releasing in 2024, had Ichiban Kasuga naked and confused on a beach,
- Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a clash of human and spirit creatures heavily influenced by Japanese art and visuals in development at Capcom,
- Fallout 76 will be heading to Atlantic City in a future expansion,
- Forza Motorsport unveiled 2 new cars from Chevrolet and Cadillac ahead of the game’s October 10 release,
- Overwatch 2: Invasion will bring story missions, hero mastery, new game modes and a New Heroes pack for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers on August 10,
- Persona 5 Tactica is a turn-based spinoff from Persona 5 coming this November.
Starfield Sneak Peek
Up next was a sneak peek of Starfield before the largest Starfield Direct, which followed the Xbox Showcase. The latest trailer expanded the universal setting of the sci-fi epic before it comes to Xbox and PC, showing off different biomes, environments and exploration that players will be able to experience for themselves when the game is released in September.
Starfield is currently set to be released on Xbox Series X/S and PC on September 6, 2023.
Previews Part Three
The third and final batch of trailers featured a wide mix of games coming soon and ‘in due time’:
- Jusant is an exploration, climbing platformer set to release in the fall,
- Still Wakes the Deep is an atmospheric title from Secret Mode and The Chinese Room set on an oil rig near the Scottish Coast out in early 2024,
- Dungeons of Hinterburg has plenty of puzzles, battles and some travels on a skateboard releasing in 2024,
- Cities: Skylines 2 will be released on October 24 and playable on Game Pass from day one,
- From the creators of Persona 3, 4 and 5, Metaphor ReFantazio is a new RPG coming in 2024,
- The hope of humanity rests with reclaiming the world beyond the belfry in co-op fighter Towerborne, which is coming in 2024,
- Clockwork Revolution is a steampunk, time-bending adventure from inXile set in an authoritarian city where humans and mechs live side by side.
There was also a look at the Phantom Liberty expansion coming to Cyberpunk 2077. Introduced by Johnny Silverhand himself, Keanu Reeves, the new look at the expansion provides new details on the story, and more on the new character Solomon Reed, played by Idris Elba. Heading to the new location of Dogtown, the story puts V and Johnny in the world of black market mercenaries and espionage as they are tasked with rescuing the President of the New United States after a shuttle crash.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty will be available on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC from September 26.
More Space to Come
Closing out the show, Phil Spencer had a couple of bonus announcements to make regarding Xbox consoles. First, he announced that more consoles are being made available to consumers globally to help more people be able to purchase the Series X and Series S. In addition, it was also announced that a new Carbon Black Series S console would be available from September 1 worldwide, and it would come with a 1TB SSD as standard.
Starfield Direct
After the presentation from Xbox came the Starfield Direct. This deep dive covered everything from character customisation to the size of the universe – including what has been described as one of the biggest in-game cities Bethesda has ever built and the over 1000 worlds players will be able to explore – and even meeting some of the crew which can accompany players on their journey.
There was also information on the game’s different editions, along with some of the hardware releases that will be coming later this year. The Chronomark Watch that players use in-game will be available to purchase as part of the Constellation Edition, along with a limited edition Starfield-themed Xbox controller and headset, with the design being inspired by the ship’s controls players will use in-game.
Starfield is scheduled to be released on September 6, 2023.
Watch the showcase in full below.
![[4K] Xbox Games Showcase + Starfield Direct](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qGtYn7DCIYo/hqdefault.jpg)
Words by Megan Roxburgh
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