Throughout this current generation, Xbox has been beaten over the head with a stick over their lack of first-party games.
With PlayStation seemingly having at least two behemoth releases every year for the last 3-4 years, Microsoft has had to pitch its fabulous Xbox One X console as the best place to play third-party titles.
There’s no doubt that games like Red Dead Redemption 2 look far better on Xbox One X when compared to PS4 Pro. But, I’m sure Xbox would have preferred to show off the One X with a bunch of first-party titles rather than third.
Xbox has been forced to come up with other ways to convince potential customers that the Xbox ecosystem is the best place to game.
Game Pass has been a game-changer…(sorry) for the entire market. For the first time, console gamers were offered a fully functional Netflix-style subscription service with over a hundred games to download and play. As a side-effect, Game Pass’s success also forced Sony to improve PS Now markedly.
But it’s Xbox’s first party line up of games that will be generation-defining for Phil Spencer and everyone at Microsoft.
So what can we expect from the 15+ Xbox Game Studios in the upcoming first-party Xbox Series X showcase?
Halo from the Other Siiiiide
It’s crazy to think but this will be the first time that an Xbox console has launched with Halo since the OG Xbox. A massive oversight for Xbox that their Iconic IP and major system seller hasn’t had its development timed for release of a new console.
Thankfully, 343 industries has been developing Halo Infinite for god knows how long. It has been confirmed many times that Halo Infinite will be the headline game at Thursday’s event with the single-player campaign the main focus. There has been murmurings that this entry will have more of an open-world setting or a wide-linear setup compared to previous Halo games.
Fable 4
Possibly the worst kept secret in the gaming industry today. Playground Games , developer of the Forza Horizon series has been given the task of reviving the much-loved Fable franchsie.
The whole Fable series kind of passed me by to be honest. But, it’s impossible to miss the thirst out there for a new entry in the series since the previous attempt was shelved a few years back.
HellBlade: Senua’s Saga
The reveal for HellBlade Senua’s Saga has stuck with me since that day in December at. the. video game awards.
Judging by that, it certainly looks like it’s going to continue with those dark themes of the first game. Certainly some of the clips shown appear to show almost a cult-like atmosphere with an effigy of something or someone burning in the background.
This game has all the hallmarks of a 2021 release but there’s no reason why gameplay couldn’t be shown off tomorrow.
Forza…8
With Playground games the likely developer of the new Fable game, it means it’s Turn 10’s time to shine with their Forza Motorsport series.
Racing games are ALWAYS released at the launch of new hardware as they’re one of the easiest genre of games to show off the power of the systems.
Expect ray-tracing up to your freaking eyeballs and potentially 120fps performance mode with a lil’ less ray-tracing.
The Initiative
Of all the studio acquisitions that Microsoft made in the past two years, it was the creation of a brand new studio that intrigued me the most.
While we’re still a ways away from getting our hands on their new game – it’s Perfect Dark remake btw – we may see some delicious footage or a teaser.
They seem to be still hiring for crucial positions judging by job listing so we’ll wait and see.
Xbox Series X Release Date and Price
It seems absolutely bonkers that we’re just a few months away from these new consoles and we still don’t know the price or release date.
If Xbox were to reveal the price it would just show a new confident side of Xbox that we haven’t really seen since the 360 days.
The Xbox Games showcase starts at 5PM Irish time. Just click here to watch.