Not everything was perfect during Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase, but we can be reassured on one point: Xbox Series X owners will have plenty of fun.
Avowed, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 and the new Fable: if we had to remember only three, it would be them. Thursday, July 23, at 6 p.m., Microsoft was playing the short-term future of the Xbox Series X. After a failed first meeting in May and a response from Sony a month later, the multinational was to retaliate. The conference, alas limited to a 1080p stream with questionable compression, lasted about an hour. There was filling (hello Destiny 2 coming in Game Pass), as always, but also games – promising, what’s more.
No one expected to see S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, whose predecessor will have marked PC gamers at the end of the 2000s thanks to its plunge into Chernobyl. Avowed, for its part, is on track to replace the aging Skyrim in the minds of RPG fans in first person view and set in a heroic-fantasy universe. As for the new Fable, it was the obvious one more thing fans were hoping for. We will see what will give the saga in the hands of Playground, but there is already something to be intrigued. With ambitions and resources, Fable can become a great and beautiful adventure.
Games, games and more games
Microsoft did not forget to mention a few figures during its presentation. Scramble: 10 games announced as world exclusives, exclusive launches, project previews of 9 of the 15 Xbox Game Studios, and release line-up of over 100 games for the Xbox Series X (thanks to the old titles optimized, in the wake of Gears 5 and Forza Horizon 4). By stacking these numbers, the Redmond firm is drowning a bit of the fish between what will be exclusive to the Xbox Series X, what will not and what will only be temporarily (S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will be, for example). The marketing terms used – Game Pass, Smart Delivery, Xbox Series X Optimized – are starting to be too numerous to really navigate. Whatever, there will be a catalog.
We asked Microsoft for gameplay. He may have shown a little too much with Halo Infinite, which kicked off the conference as expected (we already knew him). In fact, there was never any question of visual showcase in this Showcase, because Microsoft knows that it is difficult to appreciate shiny graphics on a web format depending on many factors (flow, bandwidth, device where the video is playing). However, we know one thing: the next Forza Motorsport, developed by Turn 10, will push the Xbox Series X with 4K definition, framerate at 60 fps and ray tracing. We also know that the optimized version ofOri and the Will of the Wisps will hit 120 fps. Gears 5, Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon 4 will also offer a second youth on the Xbox Series X. These new versions will allow Microsoft to artificially inflate the catalog of its product.
Phil Spencer did not forget to mention the Xbox Game Pass, the best argument of the brand at the moment. The subscription provides access to an evolving catalog of games, sometimes with new features on the day of their release. This will also be the case for all the titles presented in the context of this Showcase, proof that the service is more than ever integrated into Microsoft’s strategy. It will even evolve into a true Netflix-style model, once it offers mobile streaming option thanks to Project xCloud.
In short, this weapon called Game Pass becomes one of the main arguments of Microsoft, which allows to take its competitors by surprise. What is more, in areas where they cannot yet venture. Good game.
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