The Xbox Showcase takes place on June 11 at 10 am PT/1pm ET and for a little fun we thought we’d take a stab at what we believe could make an appearance. Some of these are likely pie in the sky dreams, but that’s half the fun. Let us know what we got right and what we got wrong following the event.
I’ll take the layup to kick us off: I think we’ll get our first look at Fable gameplay! Fable was teased by the Xbox social media team on Twitter last week, so it seems likely that I’m going to see the thing I’m most excited about in the portfolio in just a few days! I can’t wait to see Playground’s take on this. And if it turns out that this is just a PC port or remaster of Fable 2 I’m going to riot.
I also think id Software will announce its next game, and it is a single-player Quake reboot that does for Quake what Doom 2016 did for Doom. I’m not saying the gameplay will be the same thing – not at all! – but that it will modernize and reinvent Quake for the 2020’s. It’s time; Doom Eternal shipped over three years ago now, and id already has its tech base in the form of idTech 666, which already got updated and optimized for the Series X.
I’m also hoping for a Gears 6 teaser, including our first UE5 look at it. Previous Gears games have always gotten a short teaser well in advance of their release. I think this is a Fall 2024 game – especially after what Rod said on the podcast last week – but a short teaser now makes sense. They’ll stay quiet for another year, then go into an all-out blitz of trailers and pre-release coverage.
We haven’t heard from Undead Labs on its zombie sequel in a while and I think we’re going to finally see gameplay. The survival genre has been very popular lately and the time is right to evolve the formula and show us something new.
A Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 release date seems likely. We've been talking about it so long and getting a release date and new gameplay will get us talking more. I'd guess early 2024. No reason why it would be, but if we get Gears 6 at the end of next year we could have this earlier in the year.
Compulsion Games announces its next project with a release window. We Happy Few, its last game, was released in 2018 and its most recent DLC was out in November 2019. According to videogameschronicle, which translated an interview from Xbox Squad, Compulsion is working on a third-person, single-player game and has doubled its team. In that interview from October 2021 the project was said to be "in full development."
I hope we see Ark 2. We got all that drama earlier this year about a remake of Ark 1 and moving all servers over to the new tech, presumably in preparation for Ark 2. So I want to say we get gameplay and finally a look at what Ark 2 is, because it’s supposed to be very different from the first survival game and it’s been a year since its original release date.
I think we’ll get a Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn release date too. Last year was the gameplay reveal so I feel like it’s time we get a date and a flashy trailer. Initially I wasn’t too sure about it, but the more gameplay I see, the more excited I get. It’s supposedly releasing before June 12th, so Flintlock would be great to feed into those Witcher 3 vibes.
I think we’ll get an Outer Worlds 2 gameplay trailer. Probably no exact release date but estimating a release window sometime next year. With a release cadence that Microsoft has been trying to spin up, this would fit quite well in a 2024 release window, so definitely time to tease some new details.
Phil Spencer teased to Kinda Funny that he’s played builds of Avowed that are looking good and I have to wonder if he tipped his hat about a reveal we could be getting during the showcase. Avowed would be the perfect closer and is a fresh take on the Pillars of Eternity universe. I love how death and reincarnation works and the deity system, and am very curious how it will evolve to play a little more like the Elder Scrolls games. Here’s hoping we learn more soon.
Microsoft has already confirmed that none of its reveals will be completely CGI, so Perfect Dark gameplay would be a welcome surprise at the event. Perfect Dark has had troubles according to reports, with many departing the studio since The Initiative was founded, but Microsoft remains confident in the team and even partnered with Crystal Dynamics to get it across the finish line.
I’m predicting inXile’s new RPG FPS, and I think it’ll be its take on Fallout. Obsidian created the hugely popular Fallout: New Vegas, but with the new Bethesda partnership there’s a lot it could do here. I’d personally love a remake of Fallout 1 on a modern engine. Furthering the rumor, Brian Fargo worked on Wasteland and that game took inspiration from the Fallout franchise. Here’s hoping.
Those are our predictions for the showcase. Are we setting ourselves up for disappointment or do you think we’re onto something here? Let us know in the comments, and let us know your predictions!
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Ryan’s Predictions
Fable
I’ll take the layup to kick us off: I think we’ll get our first look at Fable gameplay! Fable was teased by the Xbox social media team on Twitter last week, so it seems likely that I’m going to see the thing I’m most excited about in the portfolio in just a few days! I can’t wait to see Playground’s take on this. And if it turns out that this is just a PC port or remaster of Fable 2 I’m going to riot.
Quake Reboot
I also think id Software will announce its next game, and it is a single-player Quake reboot that does for Quake what Doom 2016 did for Doom. I’m not saying the gameplay will be the same thing – not at all! – but that it will modernize and reinvent Quake for the 2020’s. It’s time; Doom Eternal shipped over three years ago now, and id already has its tech base in the form of idTech 666, which already got updated and optimized for the Series X.
Gears of War 6
I’m also hoping for a Gears 6 teaser, including our first UE5 look at it. Previous Gears games have always gotten a short teaser well in advance of their release. I think this is a Fall 2024 game – especially after what Rod said on the podcast last week – but a short teaser now makes sense. They’ll stay quiet for another year, then go into an all-out blitz of trailers and pre-release coverage.
Miranda’s Predictions
State of Decay 3
We haven’t heard from Undead Labs on its zombie sequel in a while and I think we’re going to finally see gameplay. The survival genre has been very popular lately and the time is right to evolve the formula and show us something new.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
A Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 release date seems likely. We've been talking about it so long and getting a release date and new gameplay will get us talking more. I'd guess early 2024. No reason why it would be, but if we get Gears 6 at the end of next year we could have this earlier in the year.
We Happy Few Follow-up
Compulsion Games announces its next project with a release window. We Happy Few, its last game, was released in 2018 and its most recent DLC was out in November 2019. According to videogameschronicle, which translated an interview from Xbox Squad, Compulsion is working on a third-person, single-player game and has doubled its team. In that interview from October 2021 the project was said to be "in full development."
Stella’s Predictions
Ark 2
I hope we see Ark 2. We got all that drama earlier this year about a remake of Ark 1 and moving all servers over to the new tech, presumably in preparation for Ark 2. So I want to say we get gameplay and finally a look at what Ark 2 is, because it’s supposed to be very different from the first survival game and it’s been a year since its original release date.
Flintlock Relese Date
I think we’ll get a Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn release date too. Last year was the gameplay reveal so I feel like it’s time we get a date and a flashy trailer. Initially I wasn’t too sure about it, but the more gameplay I see, the more excited I get. It’s supposedly releasing before June 12th, so Flintlock would be great to feed into those Witcher 3 vibes.
Outer Worlds 2 Gameplay
I think we’ll get an Outer Worlds 2 gameplay trailer. Probably no exact release date but estimating a release window sometime next year. With a release cadence that Microsoft has been trying to spin up, this would fit quite well in a 2024 release window, so definitely time to tease some new details.
Destin’s Predictions
Avowed
Phil Spencer teased to Kinda Funny that he’s played builds of Avowed that are looking good and I have to wonder if he tipped his hat about a reveal we could be getting during the showcase. Avowed would be the perfect closer and is a fresh take on the Pillars of Eternity universe. I love how death and reincarnation works and the deity system, and am very curious how it will evolve to play a little more like the Elder Scrolls games. Here’s hoping we learn more soon.
Perfect Dark Gameplay
Microsoft has already confirmed that none of its reveals will be completely CGI, so Perfect Dark gameplay would be a welcome surprise at the event. Perfect Dark has had troubles according to reports, with many departing the studio since The Initiative was founded, but Microsoft remains confident in the team and even partnered with Crystal Dynamics to get it across the finish line.
inXile RPG FPS
I’m predicting inXile’s new RPG FPS, and I think it’ll be its take on Fallout. Obsidian created the hugely popular Fallout: New Vegas, but with the new Bethesda partnership there’s a lot it could do here. I’d personally love a remake of Fallout 1 on a modern engine. Furthering the rumor, Brian Fargo worked on Wasteland and that game took inspiration from the Fallout franchise. Here’s hoping.
Those are our predictions for the showcase. Are we setting ourselves up for disappointment or do you think we’re onto something here? Let us know in the comments, and let us know your predictions!
Continue reading...
