E3 2021 Microsoft & Bethesda Games Showcase Review
E3 2021 and all the conferences that werent part of E3 but were basically part of E3 have all concluded. The results were mixed with some conferences being drastically better than others. In traditional E3 format there was a lot of overlap and a lot of filler content, all of Monday comes to mind as a day that could have been completely removed, making for a tighter more cohesive event.
In our first recap, we covered the early parts of E3, and in our next E3 episode the plan was to go over the the Microsoft & Bethesda Conference alongside the Nintendo E3 2021 Direct, however after revisiting the Microsoft conference there was too much to try and also squeeze in the Nintendo Direct. Microsoft delivered a strong conference that should instil confidence in Xbox owners and should entice new people to the ecosystem.
Microsoft & Bethesda Games Showcase Recap
Heading into the Microsoft showcase, I would have assumed that Phil Spencer was going to come out first, introduce the team from 343 Industries and the revamped Halo Infinite was going to be shown. This theory was completely wrong and while it would have been a good way to start the showcase, Microsoft decided to go in a different direction. The direction of showing Xbox gamers what the purchase of Bethesda means moving into the future.
Starfield
Todd Howard, Director of Bethesda Game Studios came out to introduce one amazing logo, and a glimpse into their space RPG, Starfield, which is due out November 2022 but that it will also be Xbox Exclusive. Not only was not leading with Halo Infinite bold, but they led with a Bethesda title. Once the dust settles on the acquisition, they will likely both feel like one cohesive unit but right now, they still feel like separate entities. The reasoning for bringing out Todd Howard to show Starfield first is obvious: they are making a statement about what games are going to be exclusives moving forward.
The other benefit of displaying the exclusivity of Starfield is that it emphasizes just how amazing the value of Xbox Game Pass is and will continue to be moving forward. Right now, Game Pass has a lot of value just for the sheer content of games that are available. The only issue Game Pass has had thus far is having a high frequency of new and exclusive titles to the platform.
Microsoft is clearly aware of this issue and is actively trying to rectify the problem with high profile additions like MLB The Show 21, which hit the service in the spring as well as a pleasant announcement from the show. Game Pass is sustainable and Microsoft is going to stop at nothing to make this thing too big to fail.
Diablo 2: Resurrected
This was evident right after the trailer for Starfield ended, they made the announcement that they would be showing 30 games in the showcase and 27 of them were coming to Game Pass on day one. Sadly one of the three that isn’t coming to Game Pass was one of the low points on the otherwise consistently high showcase. Diablo 2: Resurrected is coming out sooner than expected in September but won’t be on Game Pass.
Working out a deal with Blizzard to get Diablo 2 on the subscription service would have been quite an announcement to make but the cadence of releases Microsoft has for Game Pass it will be unnoticeable. Also, Microsoft sometimes doesn’t announce Game Pass additions until very close to release like MLB the show was only about two weeks, so there is still hope.
The rest of the showcase could be broken down into pleasant surprises and expected announcements. As for the expected announcements, in our Microsoft predictions we were anticipating Microsoft Flight Simulator and 12 Minutes to get near future release dates which did happen. Microsoft Flight Simulator will be landing on July 27 on Game Pass with a Top Gun expansion to launch for free in the fall to coincide with the release of Top Gun Maverick which is perfect fit for a video game tie in. As for the highly anticipated indie, 12 Minutes, that will be releasing in August with both titles being available on Game Pass.
Pleasant Surprises
Back 4 Blood
The other portion was pleasant surprises and the two that piqued my interest the most were Back 4 Blood being available on Game Pass on day one when it releases in October. Not only does this make a great addition to Game Pass but it will also bolster the community of players because typically full price, multiplayer only games can have a tougher time getting traction. A new game from Turtle Rock Studios, who created Left 4 Dead and helped on the sequel returning to their comfort zone sounds amazing.
There is still a strong mindset from many gamers that paying full price for a multiplayer only game, which I was fully ready to do as I loved the original Left 4 Dead series, which other studios are still trying to emulate and exceed to this day. It looks like Turtle Rock want to be the ones to raise the bar again with many new additions to the formula, most notably, the card system.
Somerville
The second announcement that I wasn’t expecting was the first game from Jumpship, which is the studio formed by Dino Patty, who was the co-founder of Playdead who made Limbo and Inside, which were easily some of the most critically acclaimed indie titles of the past decade.
Jumpship was formed in 2017, after a falling out between the co-founders of Playdead, shortly after the release of Inside in 2016, which Patti posted on Twitter about leaving to seek new challenges after ten incredible years and leaving two dents in the gaming industry.
Back when the formation of Jumpship was announced GamesIndustry.biz had an interview where the team described Somerville as a science fiction action adventure. Dino Patti founded the studio with feature film animator, Chris Olsen, who has worked on Skyfall,, Thor and Avengers.
Somerville looks to follow very much in the aesthetic and moody footsteps of Playdead with the game looking like a cross between Limbo, Inside and War of the Worlds. Looking to blend 2D and 2.5D environments, this title is currently expected in 2022 and will be exclusive to Xbox, which is fitting as Limbo was a timed Xbox exclusive that put Playdead on the map.
Forza Horizon 5
Another pleasant surprise is that Forza Horizon 5 is coming, which was expected eventually but with the rotation of the Forza titles, Motorsport was to be expected first, especially considering it was shown off during the original first party showcase Microsoft held to introduce next gen titles. It is also coming sooner than expected, launching on November 9.
Halo Infinte
One of the big surprises of the presentation was where Halo Infinite was placed, right in the middle of the presentation. The free to play multiplayer pillar of Infinite was shown and it harkened back to classic Halo with huge sandbox battles as well as showing off new abilities and mechaincs that will help try to keep the series relevant without losing its identity like the grapple hook.
Halo Infinite didn’t come with a release date other than holiday 2021, but if you are judging by the post they made highlighting the additions coming to Game Pass then you can make some assumptions of when it will be released. Forza Horizon 5 will be released on November 9 and you can assume they want to give that title some room to breathe but you can also look at the history of Halo releases to narrow down the window as well.
Halo: Combat Evolved was released on November 15, 2001 alongside the original Xbox. November 15 doesn’t give Forza much room to capture an audience but then again those are two different crowds technically. November 15 is also a Monday this year, which games don’t usually release on but it would be pretty amazing to launch Halo Infinite twenty years to the day from the original Halo. That would be my hope but it seems less likely. The more likely release date of Halo Infinte would be November 23 as that would be two weeks from the release of Forza and the majority of Halo games have released in November. The latest in the year a mainline Halo game has released was the original.
Redfall
The one more thing moment at the end, showed Redfall from Arkane Austin, which is clearly Microsoft showing that they are aware that Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo are PS5 exclusive, at least for a certain amount of time but there are Arkane projects in the work, which looks like a co-op, open world, Left 4 Dead, Borderlands with vampires title coming in Summer of 2022.
Anything from Arkane is great as the history of the studio may not be full of commercial successes but they are full of critical hits and cult favourites that include Dishonoured 1 & 2, Prey (2017), as well as the upcoming PS5 exclusive Deathloop, which was absent from the showcase for obvious reasons.
Momentum
From the very opening of the Microsoft & Bethesda Games Showcase, the momentum was constantly moving forward with little to no filler and something for everyone. Microsoft highlighted what the rest of 2021 looks like for Xbox gamers with the next 6 months having six big titles hitting Game Pass almost every month.
First will be the console edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator on July 27, Psychonauts 2 on August 25, Back 4 Blood on October 12, Age of Empires 4 on October 28, however that is PC exclusive at the moment which is a slight letdown as they could have just made it require a keyboard and mouse on console, Forza Horizon 5 on November 9 and the biggest of them all, Halo Infinite with a Holiday release date. Every day that passes is another step closer to the vision Microsoft had when they started acquiring studios to bolster their exclusive lineup.
Considering that Microsoft didn’t show many big exclusives we already know about including Perfect Dark, State of Decay 3, Forza Motorsport, Fable, Avowed and many others, the future of Xbox has never been brighter. It’s likely that a few of the titles that we know about that weren’t mentioned will land in 2022 along with what they announced today, which is going to lead into Game Pass continuing to put pressure on Sony.
Phil said it during the Microsoft Bethesda roundtable “f you’re an Xbox customer, this is about delivering great exclusive games for you, that ship on platforms where Game Pass Exists. The creative capabilities we will be able to bring to market is going to be the best its ever been” Based off what Microsoft teased during this showcase, that looks to be true.