Arguably the main event of this year’s NotE3 and Summer Game Fest season, tonight’s Xbox Games Showcase had more fresh game announcements than you can shake a Series X at. If you missed it or just want a handy recap of every new trailer that went down, we’ve got you covered. Here’s everything that was announced at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023.
Kicking things off with a bang, we got our first proper look at Playground Games’ Fable. It will be a Day One Game Pass game, too, and will feature a giant veggie enthusiast called Dave played by British comedian Richard Ayoade. It sure looks like Fable all right, with daft jokes, fart jokes and other flavours of jokes. Us Brits like our jokes, all right? We also got to see tiny glimpses of its magic combat and the legendary beasts we’ll be fighting. Still no release date, though.
New game South Of Midnight is a stop-motion stunner
A crusty stop motion musician called Shakin’ Bones took centre stage here to introduce a brand-new game called South Of Midnight. In it, a modern-looking female warrior rocks up in a swamp asking where she could find a big old nasty monster. Mr Bones isn’t very talkative, it seems, but in classic fashion, said monster then rises up from the swamp behind her. The trailer doesn’t give much else away, but it will be a third-person action adventure set in a magic realist American South. No release date for this one yet, either.
The only thing we knew about Ubisoft’s open world Star Wars game before today was that Ubisoft was making an open world Star Wars game. Now, we’ve got our first look at it, albeit in cinematic form rather than any actual gameplay. In this flashy reveal trailer for Star Wars Outlaws, we see scoundrel heroine Kay Vess escape from some bad dudes and head to her ship. A proper look will be coming tomorrow during Ubisoft’s Forward showcase, and it will be launching in full in 2024.
Also coming in 2024 is a new game from Thunder Lotus called 33 Immortals. This co-op action roguelike will see 33 (yes, 33) players come together to fight monster hordes and biff bad bosses. If you enjoyed Thunder Lotus’ previous games Jotun and Sundered, you’ll probably dig this too.
After the intensely disappointing Crime Boss Rockay City this year, Pay Day 3 is back to show other bank heist games how it’s done. Probably. Personally, I’m amazed any of these bank robbers can see where they’re shooting with so many flashy effects going on, but I guess that’s just the way of things these days. Can’t claim you’re ‘next gen’ unless you’ve got sparks blasting from every crevice now, can you? It’s coming September 21st.
Atlus formally unveils Persona 3 Reload Remake
After accidentally leaking it during Geoff Fest on Thursday, Atlus gave us the first proper trailer for their Persona 3 remake, Persona 3 Reload. It’s coming in early 2024 and will be on Game Pass just like the other Personas. Huzzah.
It’s been a hot minute since we last saw Avowed, but that changes today with a very flashy-looking gameplay trailer. Obsidian Entertainment’s first person magic RPG looks like it’s shaping up very nicely indeed based on this footage, and I know Bethesda are in the family and all that now as well, but seriously, Elder Scrolls 6 eat your heart out. If all goes well, Avowed will be coming out next year in 2024, on PC and Game Pass.
What a very pleasant surprise. In the next free chapter for Sea Of Thieves, you’ll be visiting Monkey Island and hanging out with Guybrush Threepwood. Your adventure will begin on Mêlée Island, and Rare say this will be a “love-letter” to the classic adventure game series. You’ll be able to play it solo or with pals, and there will be three Tall Tales coming to the game over the next three months. The first one arrives on July 20th.
Loads of new jobs are coming to Microsoft Flight Simulator in 2024, and lots in particular for helicopter enthusiasts, including search and rescue, cargo transport, and air ambulances to name just a couple. There will also be mountain rescue missions, agricultural aviation flybys, skydive aviation, aerial construction jobs, industrial cargo transport and loads more. Seriously, the list is very long. You can even pretend you’re in an episode of Succession with its VIP charter service flights. Just make sure Logan Roy doesn’t get on your plane. Nobody wants that. And if that wasn’t enough, there will also be a Dune tie-in when the new film comes out later this year.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is coming in 2024
In a new trailer for Hellblade II, returning heroine Senua crawls into a creepy looking cave that may or may not also be the stomach of a giant nasty monster. Like the first game, Senua’s journey deep into the belly of whatever this mysterious thing is will be accompanied by the voices of the Furies, articulating Senua’s inner thoughts as the landscape shifts and morphs around her. They seem a bit nicer this time round, at least, so that’s something. The trailer as a whole is a lot more enigmatic than ones we’ve seen before for Hellblade II, but hey, at least we got a vague release window this time. It will be out in 2024.
Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth has a very cheeky Ichiban
Nope, it’s not Like A Dragon 8. It’s another Yakuza game called Infinite Wealth. Goodness knows what it’s about, or what kind of game it is. But it will star Like A Dragon’s hero Ichiban, and from the looks of things a very naked Ichiban at that. He wakes up dazed and confused on a beach, seemingly in America this time, but until Sega tell us more, your guess is as good as mine on this one.
Fallout 76 is now on Game Pass
It’s Fallout 76. On Game Pass. That’s it. That’s the headline.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path Of The Goddess is a gorgeous new hack and slash from Capcom
Holy heck Capcom, sign me the hell up for whatever this is. Steeped in Japanese mythology, this stunning-looking action game is one of the most colourful things I think I’ve ever seen in my entire life. It’s called Kunitsu-Gami: Path Of The Goddess, and from the looks of things you’ll be hacking and slashing all manner of eye-popping demon lads in the mountains of Japan, like a realistic Okami. Consider me psyched. It will be a Day One Game Pass game too.
Forza Motorsport sure looks like more Forza Motorsport
The official trailer for Forza Motorsport, everyone. Nope, I got nothing for this. I guess the cars look nice? It’s coming out on October 10th.
Elder Scrolls Online’s Necrom expansion got another trailer
ESO Online’s Necrom expansion came out earlier this week, but just in case you forgot or needed more persuading to give Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls MMO a try, here’s another trailer for it showing off its new locations, monsters and other mushroom-y based things you’ll be facing.
Overwatch 2 really wants you to think it’s cool
A new trailer for seemingly the basic concept of Overwatch 2 was up next, although looking further into it, the trailer was actually about Overwatch 2: Invasion, a big new update coming on October 10th. It will also come to Game Pass on that day as well, bringing with it new Story missions, a new PvP mode and a new support hero.
Persona 5 Tactica is a new Persona strategy game
What a time to be alive for Persona fans. Arriving on November 17th, Persona 5 Tactica is a new strategy RPG featuring the Phantom Thieves of Persona 5 along with some new faces. If you ever wanted to know what Persona might look like as XCOM-like, well, I think this might have the answer. It will also be on Game Pass.
Don’t Nod are making a chill climbing game called Jusant
Man alive, Don’t Nod sure are busy bees these days, aren’t they? Justant is a new climbing game with lovely cartoonish visuals that almost certainly won’t be one for anyone who’s afraid of heights. Then again, Xbox say it will be a “brand-new action-puzzle climbing game with meditative vibes”, so maybe it won’t be quite so vom-inducing as it first appears. In any case, we’ll find out for sure whether we’ll be losing our lunch over it later this Autumn.
The Chinese Room are back with oil rig horror Still Wakes The Deep
Well I don’t think I’d have pegged an oil rig to be a good location for a horror game, but yep, The Chinese Room have sold me on it. Coming in early 2024, Still Wakes The Deep looks like The Chinese Room will be returning to their Amnesia: Machine For Pigs vibes with this creepy first-person spook ’em up. According to the press release, you’ll be playing an offshore oil rig worker who’s fighting for their life in a vicious storm out in the North Sea. There’s no exit, no one on your radio, and only a terrible something or other for company. Consider my interest piqued.
Cel-shaded adventure Dungeons Of Hinterberg revealed
Coming in 2024, action adventure Dungeons Of Hinterburg looks like it has everything you could possibly want from a video game: there’s monster fighting, puzzle solving, magical powers and a lovely Alpine setting that’s seemingly tinged with an alternate fantasy reality. I’m intrigued by its visuals too, which look part cel-shaded and part rotoscoped. It certainty looks like a feast for the eyes, but whether it will be a feast for the thumbs remains to be seen. I guess we’ll find out next year.
We already know Cyberpunk 2077 has an expansion called Phantom Liberty coming, but tonight we had a little live chat with Keanu Reeves about it, who was teed up to introduce the official trailer for it. But why are you wasting time reading this when you could be reading Ed’s proper hands on thoughts of it? He’s been to play it in LA, so go on, off you pop. Then come back to read the rest of this. Phantom Liberty is coming out on September 26th.
City planners rejoice. Paradox didn’t just reveal a snazzy new trailer for Cities: Skylines 2 this evening, but we’ve also got a release date: October 24th. And if all that wasn’t enough, it will also be on Game Pass Day One. How very pleasant. I could tell you about its bridges, nuclear plants, road planning and housing layouts, but honestly, the trailer does a much better job of showing those off. Go and have another watch of it.
The makers of Persona have an incredible new RPG on the way
I could not tell you what the heck was going on in the trailer for Metaphor: Re Fantazio, at least not without watching it several more times in a row, but the only things you really need to know is that it’s a new RPG from the makers of Persona 3, Persona 4 and Persona 5, and it has the most incredible looking menu screens in existence. Seriously, just look at the things. That is some seriously gorgeous UI design right there. The battles don’t look half bad, either. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to watch that trailer another dozen odd times to soak in those lovely menus.
Towerborne is a new co-op game from The Banner Saga devs
Oh! A new game from the makers of The Banner Saga, Stoic, what a nice surprise. Towerborne is a co-op adventure game set in an ever-changing world according to the trailer, and it looks positively lovely. Very colourful. With some good looking frog lads, to boot. It certainly looks a lot more lighthearted than The Banner Saga, too, that’s for sure, and quite the departure in genre too, as an interview with Xbox Wire reveals this will have seasonal updates that constantly add new things to do in the world over time. It’s coming next year in 2024.
Capping off the Xbox Games Showcase was a brand-new first-person action RPG from InXile Entertainment called Clockwork Revolution. It’s being led by the creators of Arcanum, but is it me, or does its steampunk world of Avalon look suspiciously like an alternate reality cousin of Bioshock Infinite’s Columbia? Time travel is doing to be a major theme in Clockwork Revolution, as the evil Lady Ironwood appears to have been rewriting history behind the scenes thanks to a mysterious device she’s got hold of. It’s still quite early in development, InXile say, as it will be out “in due time”, according to the trailer.
NotE3 and Summer Game Fest 2023 is in full-swing – see everything in our E3 2023 hub, as well as our selected highlights in our rolling E3 and Summer Game Fest liveblog.
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