What to expect from the Xbox Games Showcase 2024: A roadmap for the future, and big questions answered — but will you like the answers?
By Jez Corden
The Xbox Games Showcase for 2024 goes live on June 9, 2024. Here are our biggest predictions and expectations for this year's show.
The theme of this year's Xbox Games Showcase 2024 will be one of change. There will be some familiar beats — incredible looking games, sequels to beloved franchises, and revivals of some Xbox classics. But, a cloud remains over the overarching strategy, with Xbox publishing games more broadly than it ever has previously.
I've heard that Perfect Dark is shaping up nicely now — which is why I'd pin my hopes here for a more in-depth reveal among some of Xbox's more elusive titles.
Another title I'm incredibly eager to see is State of Decay 3, and it seems high time that we get a bigger glimpse at it on June 9.
However, I've heard via trusted sources that State of Decay 3 does look far more impressive than its predecessor, with more attention to visual presentation being a core pillar. In addition, State of Decay 3 will also lean more heavily into narrative elements to immerse you in the game's world. Your community in State of Decay 2 is your "main character," but their back stories rarely come into play while experiencing the game. State of Decay 3 will try to work individual community members backstories more viscerally into gameplay, to make their trials more impactful and immersive. Losing your favorite community member to the plague should be more of a gut punch in State of Decay 3 as a result.
There are some more obvious candidates too, given their launch windows. Avowed from Obsidian is almost certain to make an appearance, and I've heard the latest build looks a lot more impressive than its previous reveal. Southern-gothic action game South of Midnight could also get an official launch date, alongside co-op side-scrolling brawler Towerborne and 4X strategy title ARA: History Untold. There's also Flight Simulator 2024 to consider, and potential updates on some of Microsoft's service games like Sea of Thieves and Fallout 76. There are some potentially bigger, more headline-making games poised for a greater reveal as well.
But now, it might be time for The Coalition to step out of the shadows, with rumors abound that a Gears of War 6 reveal may be on the docket. There's also been some long-standing rumors that The Coalition has built a Halo: Master Chief-like collection of its previous games, comprising Gears of War 1 through 3, remastered with fresh visuals. If indeed the project is real, announcing it alongside a similarly theoretical Gears 6 teaser would be a welcome combo.
Perhaps we could also see some of Xbox's other pillar franchises, like Forza make a splash at the showcase too. It has been a while since we've had a new Forza Horizon title, perhaps partially owing to the development of Fable and the healthy concurrent player base on Forza Horizon 5. Speaking of which, could we see Fable appear here again? To guess, it may still be too early for a live demonstration, but we can't be too far off seeing that as well.
I previously noted that I've heard there are more Xbox-owned titles slated for multiplatform treatment in the near term. I think an obvious example that we could see go multiplatform, as in Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, would be the next DOOM.
Speaking of which, should we expect to see hardware teases at this show? In years past, Microsoft has generally not revealed hardware at its E3-season summer showcases. Perhaps the most you can expect is a vague tease, but we already have a picture of what the next Xbox looks like to some degree. It will be a device closer to Windows than ever, with Xbox CEO Phil Spencer teasing their desire to bring third-party Windows gaming stores like Epic to Xbox. 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.
The Starfield Shattered Space DLC expansion is undoubtedly going to get its debut, as Bethesda looks to fill in the gaps in its sci-fi RPG with ground vehicles and other much-wanted features. I suspect we'll also see Diablo 4's expansion, Vessel of Hatred, get some gameplay footage potentially. Since there's no Blizzcon this year, we could also get a glimpse of World of Warcraft: The War Within too, given that it's launching some time towards the end of the summer. We're also, of course, getting the Call of Duty Black Ops reveal, which is expected to be set during the Gulf War. Microsoft has also landed marketing deals for some major upcoming third-party titles too, with at least one gameplay debut that may bring solace to one weary fanbase.
There's also always the potential for total surprises too. I've heard about some nostalgic announcements that should chase away the blues for classic Xbox 360 RPG fans (MM - Blue Dagon?), Microsoft also has Killer Instinct developer Iron Galaxy back on board, working on the franchise again. Perhaps we see some other classic games revived, or a big new Activision-aligned backwards compatibility drop.
https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/x ... he-answers
always up for more DOOM from Microsoft
