Microsoft has hosted its 2019 E3 Press Conference in Los Angeles. Kicking off the annual event, the presentation featured content from dozens of titles from the studio and their partners.
Those who were gathered at the Microsoft Theatre, and watching live streams online, were treated to trailers and content from 60 different titles.
Cyberpunk 2077
One of the most anticipated games of the presentation, CD Projeckt Red revealed another look at the world of Cyberpunk 2077. Focusing on the male version of V after a mission, he soon finds himself having to fight his way out of another dangerous situation. The trailer then ended with the announcement that Keanu Reeves will be in the game, with Reeves himself taking to the stage to announce that the game will be released on April 16 2020.
Trailers Galore
As with previous presentations, this year’s event featured a host of trailers for upcoming games and expansions:
- Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds will be launching this October,
- Minecraft Dungeons will see players heading underground with up to three friends in a four-player co-op in Spring 2020
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps is heading to consoles and Game Pass in February 2020
- Ninja Theory announced that their upcoming melee adventure Bleeding Edge will be heading into technical alpha on June 27
- Players got another look at what they can expect from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- A new Blair Witch title, set during the strange disappearance of a young boy, will be released on August 30
- Spiritfarer is a 2D adventure title following a young woman named Stella on her travels
- Rare’s classic action title Battletoads is being remastered with three player co-op being introduced
- RPG Time: The Legend of Wright is a hand-drawn, table-top inspired adventured heading to console and PC in 2020
- Microsoft Flight Simulator will use up to date satellite data to provide the backdrop for players’ aerial adventures
- Wasteland 3 puts players into the dystopian setting of Colorado with a wild west twist
- All nine Star Wars films will be brought together in brick form with Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga in 2020
- A remastered Age of Empires II is in development with a new storyline – The Last Khans.
- There was a new trailer for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, set for early 2020 release
- Twelve Minutes is an atmospheric mystery about a man stuck in a potentially horrific time loop
- The new trailer for Dying Light 2 gave players an insight into the world through the eyes of Aiden, who is infected with the virus that is taking over the world
- Way to the Woods follows a variety of creatures trying to find their way home
- Phantasy Star Online 2 and Crossfire X will both make their console debuts on Xbox One in 2020
- Bandai Namco will be bringing not only their own title – Tales of Arise – in 2020, but they are also working with From Software and Game of Thrones creator George R.R Martin on Elden Ring.
- Finally, ID@Xbox showcased some of the projects that are being worked on by some of Microsoft Games Studios own teams and their partners.
There was also news about game expansions that are releasing in the next few months. The world of Lego will be coming to Forza Horizon 4 in the Lego Speed Champions Expansion launching on June 13, choices must be made in two new stories from the expansion to State of Decay 2 called Heartland, which is available now.
Fans of the Borderlands franchise were not only treated to a new trailer for Borderlands 3 but also the news that The Handsome Collection will be available on Game Pass and that a new story, Commander Lilith and the Fight for Sanctuary, which will bridge the gap between Borderlands 2 & 3 is available now.
A new trailer for Psychonauts 2 was also shown at the presentation, with Double Fine Studios’ Tim Schaffer joining Microsoft Game Studios head Matt Booty on stage to confirm that Double Fine would be joining the company, joining the likes of Rare and Ninja Theory.
Gears 5
First announced in 2018, Gears 5 will officially be launching on September 10. A new teaser trailer hinted at an internal battle within protagonist Kait Diaz, with several well-known faces from the Gears series appearing around her.
Along with the release date, it was also confirmed that an Ultimate Edition would be available, which would allow players access four days early – a perk also available to those with Game Pass Ultimate – and that a tech test for multiplayer modes would be coming in July.
Among those modes is Escape, which was showcased during the presentation. In this new mode, players will take teams of three new characters into a Hive, where they will have to plant a bomb before fighting their way out to safety. Players will not only be able to play this mode but also build it, as the mode will feature all the tools required for players to build their own Hives and set their own challenges for themselves and other players.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErqsgG0HRR8
Fans were also shown two very different trailers for upcoming content. First, the revelation that content from Terminator: Dark Fate would be available as a pre-order and Week One bonus and there was another look at the Gears Pop! Mobile game, which is now available for pre-order on iOS and Android devices.
Looking Ahead
During the presentation, fans were given some more information about changes coming to the Game Pass subscription service. As previously confirmed, a PC version of the service will be launching later this year, with the Open Beta and new Desktop App now available to download. In addition, Microsoft also announced the creation of Game Pass Ultimate, which will combine Gold Membership with Game Pass and Game Pass PC for a single monthly fee.
The presentation wrapped up with a look at Microsoft’s future plans. Along with the unveiling of the new series of Elite controllers and a look at the company’s new Project xCloud streaming service, fans were also updated with news about Project Scarlett – Xbox’s next console.
Working in partnership with AMD, the console will run in native 4K, with the possibility of 8K and 120fps in the future. It was also announced that the console will be released Holiday 2020 and that Halo Infinite will be one of the launch titles, with an extended trailer for the game being shown to round off the presentation.
Information about all the games featured can be found here. Watch the presentation in full below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeYQ-kPF0iQ
Words by Megan Roxburgh