In previous years, Xbox’s annual mid-year showcase was usually filled with palpable excitement, with Microsoft known to surprise with out-of-nowhere reveals (remember Keanu Reeves?). But ahead of the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, they’ve had their guts spilt all over the news; there is little unknown about the fracas happening around Microsoft’s gaming division.
Layoffs, studio closures, and exclusives heading to their rivals—it is an understatement to say that there is a massive elephant in the room. There are many questions surrounding Xbox’s future, and the need for transparency is now more pertinent than ever.
Luckily for Microsoft, many of these questions can be answered through games. What exactly have Xbox Game Studios been working on? Are there any new IPs to look out for? Will Conker be revived again? Many questions, only so much time. We look at what fans will get out of Xbox Games Showcase 2024.
Confirmed/Likely to Appear
Gears 6
This first one should be an easy lock. While Xbox’s recent slate of games has gotten bad press, the Gears series has largely gone untroubled — their last main game, Gears 5, was a more than decent game.
But that came out in 2019. We are due a new instalment in the Gears franchise; however, there has been nothing but silence since 2020’s Gears Tactics. If there was ever a time for good vibes, announcing Gears 6 would be just that.
Gears 6 would ostensibly continue Kait Diaz’s story after she assumed a lead role for the last game. While the iconic visceral gameplay of Gears is sure to return, what is less certain is whether it will stay an open sandbox. It was implemented in Gears 5 and was one of the game’s less defining features. We’ll see firsthand when it is revealed at the show.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Call of Duty remains a sales behemoth for Activision, but the series has seen some missteps recently. The latest was the flat response to last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. However, there is hope that the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will buck the trend.
Like Starfield in 2023, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will receive a dedicated ‘Direct’ — Starfield’s was 45 minutes long, so we can expect the one for Black Ops 6 to have a similarly extended duration. Beyond its first look, the exciting thing about the game is that it has had time to cook. Previous Call of Duty games only spanned a two/three-year development cycle, but Black Ops 6 has been in the works for four years. While longer development doesn’t necessarily mean a better game, it certainly doesn’t hurt its chances.
From the few teases we’ve seen, the game looks to be set during the 90s, specifically focusing on the Gulf War. Given that we are getting unprecedented in-depth coverage, we should be getting fairly lengthy looks at the campaign, multiplayer, and Zombies mode for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, all of which should be exciting for fans of the series.
Avowed
Obsidian Entertainment has been on a rampage with its last two games (Grounded and Pentiment) and is looking to continue the streak with Avowed.
Set in the same universe as the Pillars of Eternity series, the game is another addition to Obsidian’s impressive action RPG portfolio. We’ve seen lots about Avowed, including combat, questlines, and the world, so for Xbox Games Showcase 2024, the next thing to be shown should be the characters, especially since companions are a big part of the game.
But the most important detail we should be getting is the release date. Avowed is already slated for a Fall launch, so a release date reveal would be an excellent way to cap things off.
A New DOOM
It’s about time for another DOOM, isn’t it? The 2016 DOOM reboot brought the series back into relevancy, and its sequel, DOOM Eternal, iterated on the signature fast-paced combat and heart-pumping music. We are looking forward to what is next.
Rumours are swirling about what will come next in the DOOM franchise. One report says that this new game will be called DOOM: The Dark Ages, with the name indicating a medieval setting. That isn’t much to go on, but it certainly paints a very vivid visual of what the Doomslayer will be up to next.
With the long gap between DOOM Eternal and this potential sequel, we hope the game will be far along enough to see a substantial portion of it, with a cheeky release period at the end telling us it is coming soon.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Next up is MachineGames, which isn’t working on a new Wolfenstein but instead is diving head-first into a popular existing franchise: Indiana Jones.
Though it may seem like a massive deviation, MachineGames’ upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle game isn’t all that different to their Wolfenstein series. It has over-the-top action, Nazis, and you’re playing in first-person; sound familiar?
For its reveal trailer, we got lots of information on the story of Indy’s journey, as well as snippets of gameplay. Xbox Games Showcase 2024 will likely feature more of the gameplay; an extended slice going through a level would be our best guess. With the game expected to launch this year, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see it end with a release date reveal as well!
Fable
The Fable series has been long dormant but is still highly regarded, so to learn that Xbox has revived it has naturally excited fans. And to see it helmed by an out-of-left-field developer makes it all the more intriguing.
Though the new Fable reboot is being made by Playground Games — stewards of the Forza Horizon series — the studio comes with excellent pedigree; you only need to look at the review scores for the Forza Horizon games. So, with the game in good hands, what can we expect to see with the game in good hands?
Well, for one, we need to see gameplay. The game finally had a proper first look last year with its entertaining trailer featuring the delightful Richard Ayoade. Now, the time has come to see how it will play. Will it be the same as the original Fable but with modern graphics? Or will Playground Games bring something new to the table? We await its presence at the show.
Up in the Air
State of Decay 3
The State of Decay series is similar to Gears in that we should be getting a new game in the franchise soon; the difference is that it has already been announced. State of Decay 3 was revealed back in 2020, but it is the same story — it is all quiet on the news front.
Well, not completely. A 2022 report detailed a troubled development for the game. A toxic work environment and lack of design vision have contributed to an extended delay in the making of State of Decay 3. This news makes it a toss-up whether it will reappear for Xbox Games Showcase 2024.
But we are hopeful. And if it does make the show, it would be interesting to see what they show. We already have a tease that seasons will play a role in the third game. What other new features will be present?
Everwild
What the hell is actually going on with Everwild? Announced by Rare in 2019, fans were understandably excited to see the company tackle a new IP, with the trailer teasing a gorgeously vibrant fantasy world to uncover. But since 2020, we have seen squat.
We aren’t even quite sure if it will be the same game as it was first shown. Suggested initially as a survival third-person adventure game, news articles have since revealed that Everwild has been overhauled completely and now has gameplay similar to Viva Piñata —what a throwback, huh?
The rebooted development supposedly happened around 2021. Has enough time passed for it to make a triumphant comeback? We’ll soon see.
Halo
Halo as a series is a big question mark as we head into Xbox Games Showcase 2024. Halo Infinite was released to good reviews after needing time to fix the universally ridiculed graphics. Still, fans were disappointed with the post-launch content, or rather, the lack of it. At the very least, it sounds like developer 343 Industries is slowly fixing the game to what it should be.
We don’t expect 343 Industries to make any announcements regarding Halo Infinite for the show, but there might be a slight chance that Certain Affinity will take their place. Though they are primarily a support studio, Certain Affinity is said to be working on something big for Halo, possibly even a separate project.
It is rumoured to be a multiplayer project built on Unreal Engine 5 instead of the Slipspace Engine used in Halo Infinite, with speculation being that it is a battle royale game. However, the studio also recently announced mass layoffs a few months ago, around 10% of its workforce. It remains to be seen whether or not this has an effect on the project’s development, but we are putting them as only a maybe in terms of appearing for Xbox Games Showcase 2024.
The Elder Scrolls VI
Wake me up when The Elder Scrolls VI comes out. In hindsight, it was a daft decision by Bethesda to announce The Elder Scrolls VI alongside Starfield in 2018, which itself was just revealed — it would go on to be released only last year. But with Starfield now done and dusted, is it time for it to reemerge once again?
The truth is that it is very unlikely. According to a March 2024 update for The Elder Scrolls series’ 30th anniversary, while development is actively continuing for The Elder Scrolls VI, Bethesda Game Studios is still only playing early builds.
You’ll more likely see the studio talk about Starfield’s first expansion, Shattered Space, at Xbox Games Showcase 2024. But context is also key. Bethesda only announced The Elder Scrolls VI because it needed something big to close out an otherwise unspectacular E3 conference. With Xbox coming in with all this bad press, perhaps they may turn to this fan-favourite franchise to regain the hype.
Contraband
Contraband is a strange one to talk about. It comes from Avalanche Studios, the developers behind the Just Cause series, proposing an interesting premise—an open-world co-op smuggling game set in the 1970s. Revealed at the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase 2021, it marked another exclusive for Xbox gamers to get excited about.
But the silence around it since its announcement is deafening. With nothing to show, murmurs have been in overdrive. Reliable insiders have indicated that the game has experienced development difficulties and has internally been delayed to next year. While an appearance at the Xbox Games Showcase 2024 isn’t impossible, it’s best to have it stew a little longer before showing it off officially.
Forza Horizon
For nearly a decade, there has been a formula for the Forza games. One year will see Forza Motorsport release and then Xbox will alternate with the Horizon spin-off series for the next. However, that has recently stopped — after Forza Horizon 4 in 2018, there was no Forza Motorsport in 2019. Instead, another Forza Horizon came out in 2021, before last year saw Forza Motorsport once again hit stores.
The reason for this background is that where previously we knew what was coming out on the show, now it is a mystery whether a new Forza Horizon will appear at the Xbox Games Showcase 2024. And the fact that Playground Games is also developing the new Fable makes it even more difficult to predict.
As much as we would like to see the next Forza Horizon, the expectation here is that the developers would be more inclined to focus on Fable instead as it gears up for launch. But time is a flat circle; history may yet repeat itself, and we could see Forza Horizon 6 make a surprise appearance.
Bonus Surprise?
New Xbox Handheld
Games will undoubtedly be the show’s main focus, but that does not mean that the Xbox Games Showcase 2024 will comprise entirely of it.
Microsoft has been touting its Xbox Cloud Gaming feature for several years, aligning with its initiative to let gamers play Xbox games anywhere. Currently, you can use this service on devices you already own, like PCs and smartphones, but there is some appeal in having a dedicated gaming system; just take a look at the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck. So, why not have a handheld Xbox?
Well, that seems to be exactly what Microsoft is thinking. A leaker alleges that the company will confirm a new Xbox portable system at the showcase, but there are no details as to what type of device it would be. Functionally, it could act exclusively like a streaming device like Sony’s PlayStation Portal, or it will be able to play games natively like the Steam Deck. The odds are that it would be a hybrid of the two — you’re able to play classic titles on the device, but for modern games, you’ll have to stream.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has stoked the flames by saying that the hardware team is exploring “different hardware form factors”, and having it shown at the end would bring things full circle. An Xbox handheld is an intriguing prospect (Xbox Series P, anyone?), and we’ll see how Microsoft sets itself out from the growing pack of portable consoles.
What Do You Want to See?
The Xbox brand is at a pivotal point, and that makes the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase 2024 all the more exciting. They have to go all in; it could be their last shot.
The Xbox Games Showcase 2024 will air on 9 June at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST / 10 June at 1am SGT and will be available to stream live on YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook.
If you can’t catch it live, we’ll list the biggest announcements from here, Summer Game Fest, and more once the non-E3 period has concluded, so keep an eye out on our website! For now, let us know what you are looking out for at the Xbox Games Showcase on our socials: Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok!
Visuals courtesy of Xbox, Bethesda Softworks, and Activision Blizzard.
