Xbox Games Showcase 2023: Everything Announced
Technology

Xbox Games Showcase 2023: Everything Announced

Ani Harutyunyan

While E3 may not grace us with its presence this year, the summer of 2023 has an abundance of gaming events to keep us entertained. Sony kickstarted the excitement with the PlayStation Showcase, followed by the exhilarating Summer Game Fest Live. Now, Microsoft has joined the party with a dynamic duo of events: Xbox Games Showcase 2023 and Starfield Direct. It’s a jam-packed lineup of events, keynotes, and presentations, although somewhat scattered in nature.

The titles of Microsoft’s back-to-back events on June 11th left no room for ambiguity regarding what awaited the eager audience. The first event focused on showcasing Microsoft games for both Xbox and PC, featuring highly anticipated titles such as Forza, Fable, and Hellblade. The second event was an exclusive deep dive into Bethesda’s much-anticipated game, Starfield.

The events themselves were a whirlwind of announcements and trailers, delivering a rapid-fire barrage of excitement. Among the surprises was the unveiling of a new open-world Star Wars game, leaving fans in awe. Here, we bring you our comprehensive coverage of these events, ensuring you won’t miss a beat.

Starfield Direct – Gameplay Deep Dive

At Microsoft’s Xbox & Bethesda showcase last year, we were treated to an exhilarating 15-minute preview of Starfield’s gameplay. Today, Bethesda took us even deeper into their highly anticipated new IP, offering an extensive look at the game’s cities, settlements, skill trees, upgrades, and space combat.

With its release scheduled for September 6th, Starfield, described as “Skyrim in space,” is shaping up to be an impressive RPG. The capital city of New Atlantis, the largest city ever built by Bethesda, serves as the central hub where players will meet the Constellation, the last group of space explorers. With over 1,000 planets to explore, each with its own gravity and distinct characteristics, Starfield promises a blend of reality and fun.

Customizable ships play a crucial role in navigation, with purchasable upgrades allowing players to personalize every aspect, including cargo holds and living quarters. Character creation offers extensive customization options, and as players progress through the game, skill points can be unlocked to enhance abilities and tackle challenges. Outposts can be established on planets to harvest resources, which can then be used for crafting and modifying weapons. With promises of supernatural powers and future expansions, Starfield holds the potential to fulfill players’ dreams of venturing into a vast and immersive space exploration experience.

Playground Games’ Fable Revealed

The Xbox presentation commenced with an exciting showcase of Playground Games’ highly anticipated Fable reboot. The trailer featured the charismatic narration of Richard Ayoade from The IT Crowd, embodying the cheeky humor that the series is beloved for. Although the release date remains unknown, Xbox did confirm that Fable will be available on Game Pass from its very launch day, ensuring accessibility to a wide range of players.

Fable – Teaser Trailer | Xbox Games Showcase 2023


Forza Motorsport is releasing on October 10

After a long wait, racing simulation enthusiasts were finally treated to news about the next installment in the Forza Motorsport series. While Forza Horizon 5 delighted fans in 2021, the anticipation for Motorsport has been building since its last release in 2017. Turn 10 Studios has taken charge of the reboot, embarking on a ground-up reconstruction of the game. The excitement reached new heights when it was unveiled during the Xbox showcase, and to everyone’s surprise, it has an official release date of October 10th. The countdown is on for an exhilarating return to the world of Forza Motorsport.

Forza Motorsport – Official Trailer

In a delightful surprise, Xbox Game Studios CEO Phil Spencer made a memorable appearance at the conclusion of the main showcase. Not only did he address the ongoing Xbox console supply concerns, but he also unveiled a brand-new addition to the lineup: the Xbox Series S model. This sleek console, sporting a Carbon Black design to complement the Xbox Series X, boasts an upgraded 1TB of SSD storage, a significant improvement from the previous 512GB capacity. Excitement builds as fans mark their calendars for the release date of September 1st, when the Xbox Series S will grace store shelves with a price tag of $349. It’s a promising announcement that further expands the options for gamers seeking the next-gen Xbox experience.

A List of All Xbox One, Series X | S, PC, and Game Pass Games Shown at Xbox Games Showcase 2023

  1. Starfield received its own showcase and gameplay deep dive, plus a collector’s edition you can preorder today.
  2. Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment revealed open-world game Star Wars: Outlaws, which will receive a gameplay reveal at Ubisoft Forward on June 12.
  3. Persona 3 Reload was officially revealed, following a leak from developer Atlus itself, confirmed for Game Pass.
  4. Atlus officially announced Persona 5 Tactica after accidentally leaking its own game days earlier, confirmed for Game Pass.
  5. Rare and Lucasfilm are releasing new original story Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island on July 20.
  6. The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom got a trailer, launching on July 20, 2023.
  7. Payday 3 received a gameplay trailer and will launch in September 2023.
  8. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty got a new trailer introduced by Keanu Reeves and launches in September.
  9. A “Carbon Black” Xbox Series S with a 1 TB hard drive launches on September 1, 2023, for $349, with preorders beginning today.
  10. Forza Motorsport launches on October 10, 2023.
  11. Cities: Skylines 2 launches on October 24, 2023, on Xbox Series, PC, and Game Pass.
  12. Microsoft Flight Simulator is getting a Dune expansion on November 3.
  13. Fallout 76 is headed to Atlantic City soon.
  14. South of Midnight from Compulsion Games is a new third-person action adventure set in a magic realist version of the American South for Xbox Series X |S, PC, and Game Pass.
  15. First-person fantasy RPG Avowed received its first gameplay trailer from Obsidian Entertainment, coming to Xbox Series and PC.
  16. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II got a new trailer and arrives in 2024 on Xbox Series, PC, and Game Pass.
  17. 33 Immortals is a 33-player co-op action roguelike coming in 2024 to Xbox Series, PC, and Game Pass.
  18. Atlus and Persona 5 team Studio Zero announced long-awaited fantasy RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio, launching in 2024 on Xbox Series and PC.
  19. Developer inXile announced steampunk action RPG Clockwork Revolution for Xbox Series, PC, and Game Pass.
  20. The Chinese Room announced narrative horror game Still Wakes the Deep, arriving early 2024 on Xbox Series, PC, and Game Pass.
  21. Don’t Nod announced climbing-based action-puzzle game Jusant, out in fall 2023 on Xbox Series, PC, and Game Pass.
  22. Fantastical alpine adventure Dungeons of Hinterberg arrives in 2024 on Xbox Series, PC, and Game Pass.
  23. Capcom revealed Path of the Goddess, an action game currently announced for Xbox Series and Game Pass.
  24. Stoic announced co-op action-adventure Towerborne for Xbox One, Xbox Series, PC, and Game Pass.
  25. The last Forza Motorsport was released in 2017, and while racing simulation fans got the excellent Forza Horizon 5 in 2021, they’ve been waiting for news on Motorsport. Turn 10 Studios has taken the reins on the reboot, which is being built from the ground up, and it shined when it was revealed at the Xbox showcase. Even more surprising is that it’s releasing on October 10.
  26. Overwatch 2 still exists.
  27. Stoic announced co-op action-adventure Towerborne for Xbox One, Xbox Series, PC, and Game Pass.