A big showcase today and one a lot of gamers were waiting for! It’s time to see what Xbox and Bethesda Games revealed during their combined E3 2021 showcase.
Starfield comes flying right out of the gate. In 2018 we heard about the new IP from Bethesda but haven’t gotten much info since. Finally, in-game footage is shown during this showcase. The space RPG looks very Bethesda-like based on the interior shots. Once the footage switched over to space exploration it becomes clear this won’t be a Fallout look-a-like. The release date is set for November 11th, 2022. As expected Starfield will be exclusive to Xbox.
Next up is S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl an is due for a release next year. This will be a true new console experience with 4K resolution and ray tracing. The footage shown continues where Stalker 1 left off. The same gritty surroundings, but looking remarkably better looking, are present. The sense of isolation and all-round weirdness is certainly back for another round of “stalking”. The Combat scenes show dark run-down rooms and epic mutated creatures. The game will be available day one for game pass owners.
The next trailer we get is another Zombie game by the creates of Left 4 dead. The onslaught of zombies and known classic 4 player combat looks awesome in 4K. The title is revealed as Back4blood and will be another Xbox exclusive releasing this fall.
Up next is Contraband an open-world game coming to Xbox and game pass.
Sea of Thieves by Rare is getting some love during the showcase. Announcing the addition of none other than Jack Sparrow to the game. A collaboration between Disney and Rare was not what I expected but it looks perfectly compatible. The humor shown in the trailer is very Disney-esque and fits the Sea of Thieves game seamlessly. “A pirate’s life” will be a free update.
The Yakuza games will all be available on Xbox Game Pass as of today. Even including Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
Pre-alpha footage is shown of a new FPS featuring ground battles as well as tank battles. Futuristic environments and a hail of bullets all around are what is predominantly shown. It is only revealed at the end this was Battlefield 2042. I have to say the game looked quite different than the previous entries. Release day is set for October 22nd 2021
One of the first more indie-looking games is up next called Twelve Minutes.
A personal favorite of mine is next: Psychonauts 2. The game’s been announced for quite some time. The inclusion of Double Fine under Xbox might have changed the development a bit but finally, we are shown some more footage. Classic humor from Tim Shafer is coming to Xbox on August 25th.
Bethesda is announcing more titles coming to Game Pass including Doom Eternal, Skyrim, Fallout 76, and many more.
More footage is shown to celebrate the next season in Fallout 76. Choose Justice or Duty and decide the fate of the Brotherhood of Steel in Steel Raign free for Fallout 76 players. We are teased with a teaser reveal of Expeditions: the Pitt coming in 2022 to Fallout 76.
Elder Scrolls Online is still going strong after the release of the new expansion called Gates of Oblivion. Bethesda announces more optimizations are constantly being released making this a true next-gen title.
Brawl across multiple stages with cutesy-looking animals. Party like an animal in Party Animals available on day one for Game Pass owners.
Hades was one of the best games to see the light of day last year. It was somewhat of a sleeper hit. The game will be available on Game pass on August 13th.
Somerville 2022 looks like it will be a strange experience. The trailer gives of desolate feel and the gameplay looks very atmospheric.
Halo is up next. Halo Infinite multiplayer is announced as being free-to-play to attract even more players. The new online season will launch this holiday. We are shown very slick-looking multiplayer gameplay making the hype for the game even more justifiable. Halo Infinite will be available on Game Pass on day 1 of release.
Diablo II will be resurrected and optimize for Series X/S. The footage shown looks very true to the original but with a new improved look. Time to go to hell with up to 8 players and battle hordes of dark creatures.
We get treated to a cinematic intro for a plague tale requiem available 2022.
As expected Far Cry makes another appearance during this Showcase. Ubisoft already announced it yesterday so nothing too exciting this time around. Nevertheless, the trailer looks very inviting. Far Cry 6 will be available on Xbox Series X/S.
After all the gritty uber-realistic trailers we get one featuring a colorful world in Slime Rancher.
Shredding on white powder is next. A new snowboard game is introduced featuring wide slopes and epic jumps and tricks. The game will be called Shredders and will be available on December 21st.
Explore the world of Atomic Heart. It looks like the main character has some psychokinesis abilities to alter the surroundings and defeat enemies.
A gritty-looking 2.5D world is shown next. 2.5 D has never looked so good, to be honest. The Neon filled nightly background in Replaced got me excited for sure. The game is announced for a 2022 release.
Grounded is up next. The game gets a new update named Shroom & Doom catering to what fans have been asking. Introducing a giant spider as the nemesis in this update.
The 15 player update in Among Us we already heard of, is announced with some added gameplay.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is up next. This JRPG features all the classic elements from artsy characters to exploration and classic Turn-based battles. All set in a very colorful world. Get ready for the new war available in 2023. Eiyuden Chronicle Rising is thrown in at the end, a title releasing in 2022 to keep you warm.
The ascent will be released on July 29th. The game is an action RPG with a cyberpunk setting developed by Neon Giant.
Rise through the ages in A new Age of Empires. Age of Empires is getting a release on october 28th. Go find your place in history.
The Outer Worlds 2 is announced as only a title for now. The Trailer shown had nothing to do with the game as they mentioned it very humorously. Good to see Obsidian continue their story.
The sky is calling for you in Flight Simulator coming to Xbox on the 27th of July with a free Top Gun expansion releasing in the fall.
The next Forza Horizon game has been anticipated for a long time. The first trailer shows great environments to race in. The extremely slick in-game footage looks almost real. Forza Horizon 5 will be available on November 9th. The environment effect looks extremely detailed adding to the sense of realism with 4K and ray-tracing. The surroundings are really shining by the sheer detail noticeable in the gameplay footage. If this is the way forward for next-gen games, we are in for some treats.
The final trailer for today is showing a new IP from the creators of Prey and Dishonored called Redfall. The gameplay features superpowers, awesome guns, lots of vampires, and other cult activity in a dark world. We are only treated to a lengthy cutscene for now but based on this, Redfall might turn out to be awesome. Releasing in Summer 2022 as an Xbox exclusive.
Conclusion
Despite the ongoing pandemic and the troubles this brought to the table for development, Xbox and Bethesda still delivered. Lots of highly anticipated games were announced for release in the coming year. New next-gen updates and many exclusives will make Xbox an even bigger competitor in the gaming world for sure. Despite no Fallout 5 or Elder Scrolls 6 announcement Xbox and Bethesda know how to keep the fanbase satisfied.
