Amid a challenging period for Xbox and a successful standing for PlayStation, the most recent Xbox showcase provided the company and its devoted followers with hope for the future. The impressive lineup of 26 games, including new IPs, much-needed looks at previous announcements, and a detailed presentation of Starfield, outshined PlayStation’s earlier presentation in every way.
Before the showcase, the launch of Redfall, one of the few first-party releases in a while, was a disappointment for Xbox, with the game facing several bugs and a flawed game design that deviated from the developers’ simulation roots. From a financial perspective, Microsoft is not satisfied with its gaming division since it has suffered a 30 percent year-on-year decrease in revenue for Xbox Series X/S. Following this disappointing news, Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, faced tough questions from the Kinda Funny Xcast crew. He acknowledged the recent disappointments and promised that more games were coming, though fans have heard similar promises before without meaningful results.
Xbox needed a win.
With a focus on gameplay and major titles, Xbox undoubtedly had a superior showcase compared to PlayStation, which failed to highlight projects from its biggest studios. This victory demonstrated that Xbox is developing impressive games that will be available soon, bringing back a sentiment of anticipation that Xbox players haven’t felt in a while. So, what exactly did they show? Excluding third-party partners, there were 11 first-party games.
The showcase began with Fable, a reboot of the iconic RPG that was initially announced in 2022. Fable is a beloved Xbox title and one of the company’s most highly anticipated games. Starting the show with a significant game set the stage for something special. Additionally, the trailer showcased the classic Fable humor and demonstrated that Playground Games mastered its whimsical tone. We also saw South of Midnight, the first Xbox game from its studio, Compulsion Games. Although we didn’t get a clear idea of the gameplay or genre, the captivating setting and tone, exemplified by a tall man playing the guitar and a hideous monster emerging from a foggy lake, immediately captured our attention. It’s crucial to generate interest when introducing a game – something that most of PlayStation’s new IPs failed to do, likely due to their uninspiring appearance as live service games.
Following that, we were treated to the first gameplay look at Avowed, a highly anticipated game from Obsidian Entertainment. When it was initially announced that Obsidian was developing a new RPG, fans were thrilled at the potential. The studio is renowned for games like Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds, both celebrated RPGs that emphasize player choice. Thus, the excitement of seeing gameplay footage was palpable. Another highly anticipated game that showcased gameplay was Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. The trailer depicted Senua traversing a cave amidst a barrage of voices, leaving a melancholic feeling that starkly contrasted with the lighthearted game, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. The keyword for most of these games is “gameplay.” Most of the highly anticipated titles featured segments of gameplay. On the other hand, the games from PlayStation primarily consisted of cinematics and CGI, offering little insight into the games themselves.
In addition to new looks at previously announced titles, there were a few surprises. One standout was Clockwork Revolution, a game from inXile that appeared to be a steampunk RPG inspired by Bioshock that incorporated the concept of time. In comparison, the PlayStation announcements lacked eye-catching and intriguing elements like this.
Both companies concluded their showcases with major games set to release later this year. PlayStation presented a substantial chunk of gameplay from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which looked impressive but followed the familiar pattern of polished cinematic action that we expect from Sony’s high-budget games. Strangely, the release date for Spider-Man 2 was not announced during the presentation and was instead saved for Geoff Keighley’s showcase, which seems like an odd choice. However, I won’t pretend to understand the intricacies of the decision-making process behind these showcases. While it’s exciting to anticipate playing Spider-Man later this year, the Starfield presentation demonstrated an ambitious game of monumental proportions. With its vast number of explorable planets, sprawling cities teeming with NPCs and quests, ship-building mechanics, and boundless freedom, Starfield is undoubtedly taking a risk. I’m still uncertain whether Starfield will succeed, but its ambition left a much stronger impression compared to Spider-Man playing it safe.
Xbox delivered a solid presentation that has been a standout during this E3 season so far. However, one question remains: Can Xbox deliver on its promises? Time and time again, we’ve been given assurances about numerous games, only to wait year after year or be disappointed with something akin to the quality of Redfall. Ultimately, only time will tell, but when it comes to the presentation itself, Xbox undeniably had the strongest showing, providing a much-needed win for the company at a critical time.
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A Nintendo Switch trailer was also released.
According to SteamDB.
An announcement trailer was also released.