We’re back for another year of video game reveals at this year’s Xbox Games Showcase in downtown Los Angeles.
What’s Xbox planning on showing this year? We’re guessing Fable and Forza Motorsport at the minimum. I’d also like to see more Avowed, and we already know Persona 3 Reloaded and Persona 5 Tactica were leaked on Friday.
Let’s look at this year’s Xbox Games Showcase announcements below!
Fable
Xbox went X-tra large for today’s Xbox Showcase 2023 — kicking it off with a first-look at Playground Game’s revamped Fable.
While this opening trailer kind of broke the “no CGI” promise Xbox made, and also didn’t offer much in the way of gameplay, it calls up The IT Crowd‘s Richard Ayoade to continue Fable’s tradition of using British comedians as narrators and voice actors.
While it’s got me a little nervous to see what is seemingly just a heavy CGI trailer this late into Fable’s development, I am glad to see that Playground is retaining the franchise’s signature Monty Python-like humour — and adding some inspirations from actual Fables.
South of Midnight
Compulsion Games sold Xbox on a happy future together with 2016’s We Happy Few. And now, the pair are showing off their first collective offering, South of Midnight.
We’ve gone from an alternative timeline 1960’s Brittan to a Neil Gaiman-esque southern American bayou adventure. In the teaser, a yet nameless lead meets an eerie giant blues guitarist. All we really know so far is that our hero is on the hunt of a razor-toothed crocodile monster.
Star Wars Outlaws
We’ve know for a while now that Ubisoft’s Massive studio was working on something with Lucasfilm Games, and we now know that something to be Star Wars Outlaws. In today’s teaser trailer, we were introduced to Kay Vess, a young scoundrel that seems to be on a Rebel mission in Star Wars‘ first truly open-world adventure. I’m going to be honest, Massive and “open-world” scares me… a lot. I am not sure I’m down for another daunting world to explore, even if it is set in Star Wars’ ever-growing universe. But seeing a Rancor and a bustling cantina has me excited.
33 Immortals
Thunder Lotus could simply just ride the story-telling success of Spritfarer if they wanted, but it appears they would rather go back to crafting tight top-down action adventures with the teasing of 33 Immortals.
This is a drop-in raiding match-maker where you and friends or strangers take on God’s final judgment, and the hordes of monsters and bosses that come with it.
A beta is coming Fall 2023.
Payday 3
Oh my! This is a big showing… and the first of the show with seemingly actual gameplay!
Starbreeze looks to be out to make their third time out robbing banks the charm. There’s a wealth of co-op heist happenings to love here. And even better: it’s coming to Game Pass September 21st, 2023.
Persona 3 Reload
Xbox has been a great partner in helping Atlus in bringing the Persona series to a new generation and back to the ones who have been missing it. We collectively knew that Persona 3 was going to be the next offering and it’s looking pretty Unreal.
Atlus has completely moved the original over to Unreal Engine, where it appears to be shaping up smoothly and crisply.
There’s no timing on release yet aside from sometime this year. But there’s more than enough Persona content to keep us busy.
Avowed
Obsidian Entertainment proved to us — and Xbox — that they could take on Bethesda’s Fallout with The Outer Worlds. So, we expected they would do great at taking on The Elder Scrolls.
Today’s Avowed gameplay trailer seems to suggest they are going to nail the assignment once again. Avowed features a Medieval world full of magic, melee and giant spiders, which I love for us!
Sea of Thieves: The Secret of Monkey Island
Lucasfilms’ relationship with games seems to be going… to the depths of the ocean.
Surprise, the studio is also partnering with Rare to bring its much-loved point-and-click Monkey Island franchise to Sea of Thieves.
Players will be able to travel to Melee Island, visit the Scumm Bar and interact with classic characters like Stan S. Stanman, the boat salesman, and protagonist Guybrush Threepwood in a brand-new story.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
In case the year at the end of the title has flown over your head, Asobo Studio will have a new addition of Microsoft Flight Simulator ready for takeoff.
This one will give players the keys to all maner of aerial task simulations — including: agricultural aviation, mountain rescue, aerial construction, firefighting, cargo transportation and more!
For those who need a reason to revisit Microsoft Flight Simulator, Dune’s Ornithopter will join the game’s roster of fictional flights on November 3rd, 2023.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
Senua is still hearing voices… oh, she’s also lost in an impressive-looking cave.
Ninja Theory appears to be making the most of next-gen visuals to continue the saga of our favourite Viking shieldmaiden.
Still no release date, though.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
I am not sure what’s more surprising, the fact that Yakuza / Like a Dragon protagonist Ichiban Kasuga’s penis always ends up covered in the new trailer for Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth, or that he’s woken up on an American beach — meaning that the long-running celebration of all things Japanese appears to be going to America.
Fallout 76: Atlantic City
Do you feel like Fallout 76 needs more New Vegas to it? Well, it would appear that Bethesda is going to take you to the Vegas of the East: Atlantic City.
Today’s information trailer gives us a look at some of the stops and encounters along the way.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
Capcom has given us our first look at their new ancient Japan-inspired co-op multiplayer title, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. This one looks like it’s full of fantastical yokai, vibrant lands and plenty of the slick button-mashing combat Capcom is known for.
Forza Motorsport
Playground Games and Turn 10 have managed to put an official partner in the passenger’s seat of the next Forza game. Today, they are announcing a partnership with General Motors that will see the companies compare data and skillsets in order to improve the already incredibly realistic series. The partnership will also see GM and Buick cars with authentic tuning and customization.
Forza Motorsport is racing onto Xbox October 10th, 2023.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom
The Elder Scrolls Online teases a new expansion complete with a new entity called The One Who Knows. In this trailer, he espouses his all-knowingness, but adds that unseen forces move against him. It would appear that we are going to be helping him keep civilization going when The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom drops on June 20th.
Overwatch 2: Invasion
Toronto gets some screen time in Blizzard’s new Overwatch 2 content update, which is amazing! You know, even if the city has fallen to Null Sector, who is now sweeping the streets for Omnics.
The update will feature new game modes, hero mastery challenges, new co-op events, and maps. It also, finally, introduces Canadian Overwatch member Sojourn. And it’s all available August 10th.
Persona 5 Tactica
Persona 5 is going chibi and tactical in Persona 5 Tactica. All your favourite P5 character are back for a turn-based adventure in new worlds that will test your ability to manage intense strategy in ways that will feel familiar.
Jusant
Interactive story masters Don’t Nod are taking a leap of faith away from their usual brand of game to deliver Jusant, which appears to be a colourful, hand-drawn climbing adventure that looks like it will tell a story of lost humanity. This one was my big surprise of the show!
Still Wakes the Deep
The Chinese Room are masters of horror and emotion, so it would not be surprising for that to continue in Still Wakes the Deep.
True to their form, this short trailer gives us very little to go on aside from the fact that we play a man trapped on an oil rig in first-person, running from an unseen monster.
Dungeons of Hintenberg
Another surprise title! Dungeons of Hintenberg appears to be a cell-shaded Legend of Zelda meets Jet Set Radio, which is something I am 100% down for!
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Keanu is back to tease that V, and Johnny are back together in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. V must travel to a new region of Night City called Dog Town, which seems even more down on its luck than Pacifica. Her goal is to recover the kidnapped NUSA president.
It’s life or death for V, available on September 26th, 2023.
Cities Skylines II
Cities Skylines II looks to be emphasizing city building on you by adding a number of Quality of Life upgrades and better graphics. It also give some title screen love to a few of Toronto’s iconic buildings, including the CN Tower.
Get to building on October 24th, 2023, on Xbox Game Pass
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Atlus has finally given us a look at Metaphor: Refantazio, and it appears to be everything we could want from a Persona team production.
Fact meeting fantasy, over-the-top characters and a hero waking up to immense power. What’s not to love?
Towerborne
Stoic Studio is going back to the days of side-scrollers with a light-meets-dark co-op adventure game. Towerborne looks like it’ll be one that’s perfect for weekend raids!
Clockwork Revolution
InExile Entertainment is nailing the Bioshock meets Atomic Heart vibes with Clockwork Revolution. in perhaps the most cinematic trailer of the day, we are introduced to a steam punk world where messing with time has its consequences.
Starfield
Starfield is the star of the show. It got its own direct and the longest trailer. This game is looking to be big and very spacepunk. I am very happy to see that it contains all the markings of a great Bethesda game. Stuff like being able to escape combat because of the way your character practices religion. Or having NPCs give you bonkers quests that will send you across the galaxy for space cake.
Starfield lands on Xbox Game Pass on September 6th, 2023.
