Microsoft and Bethesda wrapped up the Summer Game Fest weekend events with their highly anticipated showcase Sunday, touting titles for the Xbox and Microsoft's subscription game service. The company showed off 30 games, highlighted by an extended look at Bethesda's upcoming space RPG, "Starfield," as well as two games from Blizzard Entertainment, "Overwatch 2" and "Diablo IV." Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, is scheduled to go through in June of next year.
Microsoft wins not-E3 in year with little competition
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Microsoft didn't bring down the house with its Summer Game Fest showcase, but it didn't need to. Amid an epidemic of pandemic-born delays and a procession of ho-hum presentations even from the likes of "world exclusive" wizard Geoff Keighley, all Microsoft needed to do was shake the walls a little. It managed that with a handful of strong first-party offerings — Arkane's "Redfall" and Bethesda's "Starfield" chief among them — and a shotgun blast of games from various third parties that ranged from intriguing to derivative.
Quantity paved over potholes when quality was lacking. To an extent, that was the point: Microsoft clearly wants viewers to know that its Game Pass subscription service is best in class, whether you want to blow through your backlog or play creative new fare on Day 1. Microsoft also announced unexpected perks like unlocking all playable characters in popular Riot PC games "League of Legends" and "Valorant." Especially with some recently expressing Game Pass fatigue, this presentation gave Game Pass a shot in the arm and showed it's far from limited to Xbox consoles.
'Starfield' lands on Kreet, with first gameplay revealed
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"In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1."
In one of the most anticipated moments of Microsoft's Sunday showcase, Todd Howard, the game director at Bethesda Games, debuted a gameplay trailer for "Starfield," a long-awaited interstellar role-playing adventure the studio has been working on.
'Persona' games will make their way to Xbox and PC
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For years, the long, Japanese narrative role-playing "Persona" games were PlayStation console exclusives. That changed eventually, with "Persona 4: Golden" becoming available on PC. Atlus is continuing the trend with Xbox, announcing that "Persona 3," "4" and "5″ will come to Xbox consoles, Game Pass and PCs. The news helps older "Persona" titles become accessible to new fans who may not own a PlayStation 2, for example.
"Personal 5 Royal," a more decked-out version of the original, is coming out on Oct. 21, after initially arriving on PlayStation in 2019.
'Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty' brings supernatural combat to Chinese history
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As part of Microsoft's Summer Game Fest presentation, "Ninja Gaiden" and "Nioh" creator Team Ninja debuted a new game called "Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty." Set in the later Han dynasty, it focuses on a nameless militia soldier who will cross blades with both popular Three Kingdoms historical figures and demons. It'll be out early next year.
Hideo Kojima is working with Xbox, he says
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Hideo Kojima came to the Xbox showcase to say hello and that he's happy to work with Xbox. If you were expecting a game announcement, he didn't have one, though he said they're working on "the game I always wanted to make."
From the designer behind 'Limbo' comes 'Cocoon'
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The designer for both "Inside" and "Limbo," two indie darlings that make use of shadows and lighting in a puzzle-platformer adventure, is working on "Cocoon," a top-down puzzle game with a similar frame of mind.
In the trailer, players take control of a mothlike protagonist traveling through a series of puzzles that appear to use glass orbs that act as portals to other realities. So, at first glance, it looks like a multiverse puzzle game of sorts. The entire trailer is dedicated to the various tasks players need to complete to jump through these multiple realities and solve the puzzles. The game is expected to release next year exclusively to Microsoft's Xbox and Game Pass.
'Diablo IV' is coming out in 2023
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In conjunction with a new trailer for the Necromancer class during Microsoft's Summer Game Fest showcase, embattled developer Blizzard announced that its long-awaited action-RPG sequel "Diablo IV" will come out sometime next year. In an accompanying news release, the company said it will release on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 as well as PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, with cross-play supported on all platforms.
Blizzard recently launched its first games since a slew of harassment allegations and a Microsoft purchase: "Overwatch 2′s" beta test and mobile game "Diablo Immortal." Both have been met with mixed reception, the former because of similarities to the first game and the latter because of a focus on monetization that's proved a turnoff for longtime fans of the series. Blizzard is probably betting big on "Diablo IV," but it remains to be seen if the game will get it back onto the winner's podium.
'Ereban' looks like an Assassin's Creed with robots
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"Ereban Shadow Legacy" debuted at the Microsoft showcase Sunday. Based on the trailer, the game can be best described as an Assassin's Creed-like game with robots instead of Templars.
In the trailer, an assassin jumps across the rooftops of a Mediterranean-looking city in a cell-shaded world. She then nimbly disables robots who are patrolling the streets below in a fashion that would scratch the itch of any Assassin's Creed or Dishonored fan.
Obsidian teases new narrative game 'Pentiment,' releases in November
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Obsidian Entertainment just revealed a new narrative murder mystery coming to Xbox Game Pass in November. Called "Pentiment," it appears to be filled with tongue-in-cheek humor where dialogue choices matter and could lead to different story outcomes. The art is highly stylized and has a storybook or Renaissance-like quality to it. It's set in what looks to be the Renaissance era in Europe and comes to Xbox consoles, PC and cloud gaming in November.
One character in the game said, "I'm sorry, father. There's nothing to be done. He's dead," while Socrates said at another point, "Truth." As more about this game gets unveiled, it's clear it's going to be funny, maybe in a tragic way.
'The Last Case of Benedict Fox' brings supernatural scares to an old-timey mansion
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"The Last Case of Benedict Fox" is a side-scrolling game that looks like a slow (or fast) descent into madness. The trailer begins in an old-timey mansion but quickly departs our mortal realm in favor of hellfire-lit caverns and fragmented memories. The vibe is uniquely tense and menacing. It comes to PC and Xbox in spring 2023.
'Lightyear Frontier,' an open-world farming game
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Mix together portions of "Minecraft," "No Man's Sky" and "Stardew Valley" and you're bound to end up with a game like "Lightyear Frontier."
At the showcase, the trailer from Frame Break and Amplifier shows a life of solitude. In the game, you collect resources on an idyllic wooded planet to eventually farm and build a home. You pull off all of this manual labor using a giant mech, like one you'd see from the "Titanfall" franchise. The trailer also touted a mystery you uncover during the course of the game.
'Minecraft: Legends,' an action strategy spinoff, will arrive in 2023
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"Minecraft: Legends" is a new spinoff strategy game from developer Mojang that looks to be as fun as "Minecraft" and "Minecraft Dungeons." In the same blocky style, it will feature lots of combat as players defend some small friends. The title will land next year, across all platforms.
According to the announcement, Mojang worked on the game in partnership with Blackbird Interactive, the developer behind the upcoming strategy game "Homeworld 3."
'Flintlock' is an action role-playing game coming in 2023
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"Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn" is coming to Xbox consoles, PC and cloud gaming in early 2023. It's a new title promising guns, gods and vengeance in an open world. The main character seems bent on fighting the gods with an array of weapons and special abilities. It'll also be on Xbox Game Pass.
A closer look at 'Scorn,' a biopunk horror game
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In what has to be the creepiest trailer so far at the showcase, Ebb Software debuted a trailer for "Scorn," a first-person horror game that uses the word "biopunk" to describe the collection of odd organs and ligaments that make up this game. The trailer starts with your character pulling an umbilical cord out of their body, and that really sets the tone for the rest of the in-game clips strung together.
"Scorn" is expected to release Oct. 21 as a Microsoft exclusive.
Subscriber engagement editor on the audience team
We're only 15 minutes into the Microsoft showcase but here's something that caused me to say, "Woah."Microsoft and Bethesda Games will be showing off 30 games today — which is a lot! — and all 30 are expected to come out in the next 12 months. That's not something developers or studios ever really promise at these types of showcases. Studios often show trailers for games that are still two, three, even four years away.Sarah Bond, a vice president at Xbox, said at the start of the showcase that all the games shown today will also be on Microsoft's streaming service Game Pass. It's clear Microsoft is going all in on letting players stream games from anywhere.
Video games reporter focused on investigative features
Netflix is claiming several indie titles as part of its Netflix games brand, even when the streaming service had no involvement with development: See titles like "Spiritfarer" and 2013′s "Kentucky Route Zero." Contrast that with, say, Apple Arcade, which saw the tech giant partnering with some of the same developers to fund the development of their games.That's not to say Netflix won't have original games at some point. Netflix has also delved into third-party game development and original games, though the timeline for releasing its own games is much further out. For now, the platform has just slapped its name onto several existing games.
Assignment editor for Launcher, focusing on video games, esports and the Internet
There were some cool games shown during the Netflix gaming stream, but I can't escape the feeling that the showcase was a bit deceptive. It was hard to discern which of the games Netflix showed would either be on mobile or playable through a Netflix app or subscription. There were also some games shown that had already been released or announced by other publishers. What's the value add of the Netflix name, exactly?
Video games reporter focused on investigative features
Some of the titles Netflix is discussing today may sound familiar, such as "Reigns," which even has its own "Game of Thrones" spinoff. That's because Netflix's approach to what makes a game "a Netflix game" is a bit cavalier. If they've agreed with developers that they can put Netflix's name beside a title, that makes it a Netflix game, even if it's a preexisting title that Netflix wasn't involved in the development of, outside of marketing efforts.
"POINPY"!
Video games reporter focused on investigative features
As Netflix shows off indie titles like "Lucky Luna" and "Desta," which it compellingly described as a mix of "Hades," dodgeball and "Inception," the gaming audience in chat seems super bored. Those following along on YouTube are posting snoring noises ("zzz") and demanding an update on Sonic Prime, an upcoming Netflix animated series. Twitch, which is attracting a considerably larger viewership, has users demanding a "Dota" update in all-caps.There are also plenty of shout-outs in chat to Morbius, the living vampire.
Assignment editor for Launcher, focusing on video games, esports and the Internet
For all of Netflix's talk about games, its first showcase offering is … a TV show. A TV show based on the video game franchise Dragon Age! But still just a show.
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Between the PS5 and PC remake of "The Last of Us Part 1," the first game in Naughty Dog's hit not-zombie drama, and HBO's upcoming TV series — which "Last of Us" director Neil Druckmann said will be the most faithful video game adaptation yet — we're basically getting two "Last of Us" remakes within a year of each other. What a time to be a fan of games in which basically everybody is no longer alive.
Assignment editor for Launcher, focusing on video games, esports and the Internet
Commendably, Keighley has focused attention on a handful of games from Eastern European developers, at one point shouting out developers and players impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The invasion prompted outcry and support for Ukraine from across the industry and in esports.
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Between "Aliens Dark Descent," "The Callisto Protocol" and "Fort Solis," the influence of EA sci-fi horror classic "Dead Space" is alive and well at Summer Game Fest. Seems like we can look forward to plenty of claustrophobic space station corridors and gory dismemberment — via gigantic blender, in at least one case — in the near future. I'm not complaining!
Assignment editor for Launcher, focusing on video games, esports and the Internet
Nintendo, likely understanding the waning influence of over-the-top industry events like this one, showed up to Summer Game Fest with a powerpoint presentation of games and release dates that lasted maybe 20 seconds.
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Watching Summer Game Fest devote a substantial portion of its runtime to "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," it's hard not to think back to Geoff Keighley's comments about Activision Blizzard ahead of last year's Game Awards."There is no place for abuse, harassment or predatory practices in any company or any community," Keighley wrote at the time. He followed that with a similar statement during the show itself. Activision Blizzard games, meanwhile, had no presence at the show.Now, several alarming reports and one Microsoft buyout later, Activision Blizzard is front and center at Keighley's latest showcase. It's a marked change, for sure.
Oversees editorial operations for Launcher, the Washington Post's home for coverage of video games and esports.
The gameplay footage shown for "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2″ highlights some of the dynamic elements the new game engine will provide going forward. In the scenes shown, the operators move across the deck of a ship as cargo containers slide dangerously back and forth and waves splash over the rails while the soldiers exchange gunfire. Another new feature gives players the ability to rappel down the sides of buildings and choose whether to do so feet or head first. The game looks as good as it ever has, and a return to the world of Modern Warfare is very welcome after "Vanguard's" exceedingly uninspiring campaign.
Assignment editor for Launcher, focusing on video games, esports and the Internet
Over the past few days, the schedule on the Summer Game Fest website has ballooned from four events to eight. As the editor in charge of planning The Post's coverage of the event, I just think that's swell.
Oversees editorial operations for Launcher, the Washington Post's home for coverage of video games and esports.
Xbox said Thursday morning, it hoped to bring "as many titles as possible" from the Activision Blizzard library to Game Pass following the completion of the acquisition in June of next year. So will Call of Duty end up on the subscription service?My guess is new Call of Duty games will start outside of Game Pass to not interrupt the yearly revenue new Call of Duty games generate. I'd also guess that past titles — at least their campaigns — will be added to Game Pass similarly to how Xbox has approached Halo.We may not have a final answer until 2024, though. Bloomberg reported earlier this year that there would not be a new installment of Call of Duty in 2023.
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While there's no telling what exactly "world exclusive" wizard Geoff Keighley has up his sleeve, this year's show looks to be a light one. Many of 2022′s top releases — including Nintendo's "Breath of the Wild 2" and Bethesda's "Starfield" — have been delayed to 2023. Keighley himself strained to rein in expectations. "What I would say is that a lot of the games we're going to show you are going to be [already] announced," he said in a Twitter Space earlier this week, calling some of the rumors he'd seen "crazy."
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