Microsoft's Best E3 Presentation of the Xbox One's Generation
By: Jay Parks (GrimlockTheDino)
Microsoft came into E3 2018 as a big mystery. What do they have to show? Will they have exclusives? Can Phil Spencer continue to steer the Xbox brand in the right direction? All these questions and more were answered during the best E3 presentation for Microsoft in Xbox One’s generation.
50 games / 18 Exclusives / 15 world premieres
Phil and Microsoft came ready to show the one thing gamers care about: Games! They didn’t waste any time starting the show off by unveiling a new Halo trailer. From AAA to indie games, we saw a very strong, well-balanced display of games. Everyone who took the stage was ready to show passion around their projects and it just kept the hype train rolling. Here are a few of my favorite game reveals at Microsoft’s presentation.
Halo Infinite
Starting the show off with a new Halo trailer was the last thing I expected. We did not see much, but we did find out the name of the new engine used to develop this new Halo game: The Slipspace Engine. It felt good to see Halo back on the Microsoft stage and Master Chief still has the ability to put a smile on my face. Now the only questions are, what is Halo Infinite, and when do we find out more?
The Master Chief returns in Halo Infinite - the next chapter of the legendary franchise. Developed by 343 Industries and created with our new Slipspace Engine, Halo Infinite was revealed at the Xbox E3 2018 Briefing with a thrilling engine demo that provides a glimpse into the future of the Halo franchise, leading it into new and unexpected directions.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Ori is a game I have been waiting to hear more about since last year's E3 announcement, and Moon Studios did not disappoint. They showed new gameplay, cut scenes, new characters, and that beautiful Ori score. We did not get a specific release date, but it was confirmed to be a 2019 release.
Gears of War 5 / Gears Tactics / Gears POP!
Gears of War has long been one of my favorite franchises in gaming, and today they made me one happy fan. Starting with the smaller announcement,s they showed how the franchise will start branching out beyond the core games. Gears POP! will be a mobile game coming to iOS and Android in 2019. No gameplay was shown, but being a Funko fan, I look forward to this new venture between Microsoft and Funko. Gears Tactics brings the franchise back to the PC, but in a new way. Turn-based tactic games have never been my thing, but this game has my attention as they try to keep the fast-paced brutal action of the core Gears of War games. Microsoft did not stop with those two announcements, as they dropped Gears of War 5 with a trailer and gameplay footage that gave me goosebumps! Oh yeah, and Microsoft let us know that we will be playing Gears of War 5 in 2019!
Forza Horizon 4
As the McLaren started racing around the track, and the license plate read Horizon, we all knew that this was Forza Horizon's next installment. What we did not see coming for Forza Horizon 4 was the shared open world that will change every week via dynamic seasons. Driving around a lake in the summer time is great, but wait until winter when you can race on a frozen lake, which is just one example of how dynamic seasons will change the way you play Forza Horizon 4. We won't have to wait long to start racing together, as the game comes out October 2nd, 2018.
Cyberpunk 2077
CD Projekt RED decided to steal the show by hacking their way into the Microsoft presentation and giving us a world premiere for their upcoming game Cyberpunk 2077. We did not get any actual game play footage but it was still glorious. I cannot wait to find out more about Cyberpunk 2077 and hopefully we are not far from getting some game footage.
Above are just a few of my favorite game announcements during Microsoft's presentation at E3 2018.
Here is a list of games from the Xbox E3 presentation.
- Battlefield V (Electronic Arts)
- Black Desert (Pearl Abyss)
- Crackdown 3 (Xbox One and Windows 10 Exclusive)
- Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course (Studio MDHR)
- Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt RED)
- Devil May Cry 5 (Capcom)
- Dying Light 2 (Techland)
- Fallout 76 (Bethesda Game Studios)
- Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox One And Windows 10 Exclusive – World Premiere)
- Gears 5 (Xbox One And Windows 10 Exclusive – World Premiere)
- Gears POP! (iOS and Android Exclusive – World Premiere)
- Gears Tactics (Windows 10 Exclusive – World Premiere)
- Halo Infinite (Xbox One And Windows 10 Exclusive – World Premiere)
- Jump Force (Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc)
- Just Cause 4 (Square Enix)
- Kingdom Hearts III (Square Enix)
- Metro Exodus (Deep Silver)
- Nier: Automata Become As Gods Edition (Square Enix)
- Ori and The Will Of The Wisps (Xbox One And Windows 10 Exclusive)
- PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (Console Launch Exclusive)
- Sea Of Thieves (Xbox One and Windows 10 Exclusive)
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (Activision)
- Session (Crea-Ture Studios)
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Square Enix)
- Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition (Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc)
- The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit (Square Enix)
- Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 (Ubisoft)
- Tunic (Finji)
- We Happy Few (Compulsion Games, Gearbox Publishing)
My list may not be the full 50 games, but I think you get the point. Microsoft came to E3 ready to kick ass, and Phil and his team did not disappoint. We got to see 50 games, 18 exclusives, and 15 world premieres. Today you can hold your head high as an Xbox fan.
The Future of Microsoft Studios
Microsoft has had an issue with exclusives this generation, and they are aware it's a major problem, so at the presentation Phil Spencer announced five new game developers joining Microsoft Studios. The addition of these developers shows Microsoft is doubling down on exclusive development capabilities. This won't fix their current problem of lack of exclusives, but it does set them up for a brighter future. The list below will show you all 11 developers under the Microsoft Studios umbrella.
- The Initiative (new) (New studio headed by industry veteran Darrell Gallagher that is working to create groundbreaking new worlds, characters, and game experiences.)
- Playground Games (new) (Forza Horizon series)
- Ninja Theory (new) (Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice)
- Undead Labs (new) (State of Decay)
- Compulsion Games (new) (We Happy Few)
- 343 Industries
- The Coalition
- Turn 10
- Rare
- Global Publishing
- Minecraft
Xbox stood on stage and showed us just how serious they are taking the Xbox brand. From amazing games, to new first party studios and major improvements to Xbox Game Pass, we watched as Microsoft had their best E3 of Xbox One's generation.