Every year at E3, Xbox makes promises about its first-party studios and the incredible games they are going to deliver. Now that E3 is approaching, it’s time for Xbox to dazzle its audience with brand new announcements of upcoming games and updates on previously announced games like Halo Infinite and Fable.
There are a lot of things to look forward to from Xbox this year. Each studio may have the chance to show off their newest creations to hungry Xbox fans.
Starting off with a studio that is confirmed to be showcased during the E3 conference, 343 Industries will be at E3 alive and well with Halo Infinite.
The Coalition is well known for bringing the Gears series to life starting in 2015 with the Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. Since shipping Gears 5 in 2019 and Gears Tactics in 2020, we can only assume that Gears 6 is in the works.The main concern is if they will be present at this year’s conference. Considering the release of the Hivebusters expansion in late 2020, it might be too soon to see a glimpse of the next title in the Gears franchise. EXPECTATIONS: It would be very surprising if The Coalition made an appearance at E3 this year unless it is for a non-Gears related title.
It is well known that Psychonauts 2 is coming this year.The original game recently arrived on Game Pass amongst rumors of Psychonauts 2 having a stealth release without any warning.
Ninja Theory is currently hard at work developing Hellblade 2.The first announcement of the game came back in 2019. Since there was no release window announcement, it is likely that this title will be shown at next week’s Xbox conference.Given that the original Hellblade looks fantastic and runs well on Series X, the need for a Series X update isn’t there.EXPECTATIONS: A cinematic will be shown for Hellblade 2 and will end with a 2022 release date.
Since The Initiative is a brand new studio that was built from the ground up, the announcement of the Perfect Dark franchise came only a few months ago. There was no release window for the newest game in the Perfect Dark franchise, but since it was only a trailer shown at The Game Awards, this game should be fairly far away.
It makes sense for Perfect Dark to be omitted from this year’s showcase since this year seems to be a Halo-driven one. Xbox wants to really put the emphasis on Halo without much distraction from it.
EXPECTATIONS: Perfect Dark will not be shown this year at E3 but will be heavily featured at E3 2022.
At last years Xbox showcase, Obsidian gave a brief glimpse of their upcoming RPG called Avowed.Avowed received a lot of buzz following the conference and was one of the most talked about games from the showcase.
The last title to be developed by inXile Entertainment was Wasteland 3 which arrived in 2020.Wasteland 3 reviewed fairly well and would most likely be given the green light for a potential fourth entry in the franchise and wouldn’t be put on ice so the team can work on another franchise. Seeing that Wasteland 3 was released last year, it might be too soon to announce a Wasteland 4.EXPECTATIONS: Alongside Compulsion Games, it would be a pleasant surprise to see a brand new IP being developed by this team, but it is less likely.
The Minecraft studio usually has a new update to show at the Xbox conferences, but of the number of games Xbox is planning on announcing, none of them will be from Mojang.EXPECTATIONS: The Minecraft studio stays on the bench this year as Xbox focuses on Halo and brand new IP announcements.
From the studio that created We Happy Few, Compulsion Games has not confirmed their next game in development.We Happy Few received decent reviews, but it would be a shocking move if this franchise received another entry in the series. EXPECTATIONS: Since Xbox will have a lot of new exclusive games to announce for the Series X, Compulsion Games should be the developer of one of them.
Last year, Playground Games was announced as the developer of the upcoming Fable game.
Last year it was revealed that Forza 7 was in development and looks incredible on the Series X.Recently, the rumors of a fifth Forza Horizon title have sparked up with the expectations that it will be revealed at E3 and will push Forza 7 to another year.EXPECTATIONS: Forza Horizon 5 is real and will be released this year. Forza 7 will receive an update on development alongside a 2022 debut.
Undead Labs is well known for being the developers of State of Decay.A third entry in the State of Decay series is in development and will most likely be showcased during next week’s conference. EXPECTATIONS: A State of Decay 3 trailer will be shown, accompanied by gameplay and a 2022 release date.
Rare has its hands full with Sea of Thieves updates, as well as its upcoming game Everwild.Everwild was announced a few years ago. Hopefully, this year should be the year we receive more information about the title.
Arkane StudiosUnfortunately, Arkane’s next adventure, Deathloop, is currently a PlayStation exclusive and is set to release in September 2021.EXPECTATIONS: Due to this partnership deal, Arkane will most likely not be present during the Xbox E3 conference.Bethesda Game StudiosThe biggest game that has been mentioned recently is Starfield.Starfield has had leaked screenshots and its potential release date has been the focal point of many conversations in the gaming industry.
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A Nintendo Switch trailer was also released.
According to SteamDB.
An announcement trailer was also released.