Microsoft held its Xbox keynote this Sunday. The opportunity to find out which titles the publisher will highlight this year and in 2024.

On the program of the festivities: release dates for the most anticipated titles in the catalog of its console, in 2023, some surprise announcements and above all the first confirmations of the 2024 line-up.

Starfield

He was the star of the evening. The long-awaited Starfield, probably the console’s most anticipated exclusive in 2023, showed itself more through a long trailer and above all a proper presentation. The new game from the creators of Fallout and Elder Scrolls did not disappoint. He will offer to explore the galaxy aboard his spaceship and take part in multiple quests. On the program of the festivities: total freedom of action, a rich universe and hundreds of planets to explore. Microsoft touts Starfield as the most ambitious game ever made. And, good news, the title will be available from the end of the year on Xbox Series and PC.

Forza Motorsport

The other big confirmation for 2023 is the release of Forza Motorsport, the ultimate car racing simulation. Turn10’s racing game showed itself through a new trailer that blew us away. Microsoft promises a garage of more than 500 cars, ultra-realistic AI and extreme physics. The game is scheduled for release on October 10 on PC and Xbox Series.

Loads of extensions

Microsoft also took advantage of the event to present multiple extensions for its “serviceware” games.

• Sea of Thieves will be entitled to a crossover expansion with the Monkey Island universe, which will be available on July 20.
• A “Dune” expansion has also been announced for the game Flight Simulator. The expansion will accompany the release of the new movie and will be available on November 3, 2023.
• Fallout 76 also inherits a new expansion that will take players on a discovery of the city of Atlantic City and its coastal environments.
• The Elder Scrolls Online also inherits a new extension. Necrom: Shadow of Morrowind will be available on June 20.
• Overwatch 2 will be entitled to its share of new features with the addition of a shooting range and scripted missions, which will arrive from August 10 on all media.

On the side of third-party publishers

A few little surprises with the highlighting of many independent games during the showcase, but also the new project from the creators of Persona and especially the first Star Wars game from Ubisoft.

Star Wars Outlaws

If it will only be shown “ingame” tomorrow during the Ubisoft event, Star Wars Outlaws was talked regarding during the event. This new-gen game will offer players to dive into the far reaches of the galaxy and play as Gonzalez, an outcast who prepares the heist of the galaxy. The title is presented by the publisher as a big budget action game, which will obviously offer a great diversity of game sequences. The game is expected in 2024.

Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty

The Cyberpunk 2077 expansion will be released on September 26 on PS5, Xbox Series and PC. The extension promises to be ambitious in terms of its content, with a more narrative adventure than in the original episode and a title that will take full advantage of the capabilities of new-gen consoles since it is entirely developed on these platforms.

Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth

Another surprise: the announcement of a new episode of the Yakuza saga, with a very humorous trailer. Infinite Wealth will stand out from other opuses in the saga by its direction. The game will no longer take place in Japan but on the American coasts. The title is expected in 2024, a priori on PC as well as Xbox Series and PS5.

PayDay 3

Awaited for a while, PayDay 3 has finally shown itself through a long trailer presenting several gameplay sequences. The concept remains the same as in the second part: PayDay proposes to rob banks with a group of friends and to face the police. And, good news, the title will arrive on September 21 and will be integrated into the Gamepass as soon as it is released!

Persona 3 Reload / Persona 5 Tactics

Fans of the Persona license also got their money’s worth with the announcements of a Persona 3 remake and Persona 5 Tactica, a new spin-off from the series with a stylish chibi look. The license made its debut on Xbox with the release of episodes 3, 4 and 5 last year. Persona 5 Tactica will be available on November 17, the remake of the third episode will arrive in 2024.

Kunitsi-Gami : Path of the Goddess

Small surprise on the side of Capcom with the announcement of a curious adventure game / beat them all exploring Japanese folklore. Colorful, frightening and very aesthetic, Kunitsu-Gami remained however very mysterious, Capcom not having revealed the slightest narrative element on this curious title.

Still Wakes the Deep

Another very enigmatic title: Still Wakes the Deep presents itself as a first-person narrative horror game. Behind this title, we find the team of Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. In the shoes of a mechanic working on an oil platform, the player will have to face a terrible storm in the icy waters of the North Sea.

Downstream

The French from Dontnod also came to present their new project: a climbing game exploiting the full potential of new generation consoles. Aesthetically very impressive, the title will be released on consoles and PC in the fall of 2023.

Dungeons of Hinterberg

Merge Games had packed another little surprise with Dungeons of Hinterberg, an action-RPG combining exploration, combat and puzzles in a colorful universe inspired by alpine villages.

33 Immortals

The creators of Spiritfarer had come to unveil their new creation: 33 Immortals. In this roguelike, 33 players will have to cooperate to survive hordes of monsters and face gigantic bosses in a dark universe. An ambitious title that will be released in 2024.

Metaphor

And then of course, there was the announcement of Metaphor, the new game from the creators of Persona, an ambitious action-RPG, with inspired artistic direction, which is a continuation of the studio’s other productions. Metaphor is scheduled for release in 2024 on PC and consoles.

The excluded in 2024

If the program promises to be light in 2023, Microsoft has nevertheless presented a series of very big games for 2024, with Avowed and Fable as headliners.

Avowed

If its first trailer had impressed, Avowed had a much harder time seducing this time, with its first ingame video. This open-world action-RPG presents itself as an alternative to The Elder Scrolls, with a greater emphasis on action and combat. Technically, however, the title doesn’t really seem to take advantage of the capabilities of Microsoft’s next-gen console. Remember, however, it is the excellent Obsidian studio that carries this project, probably one of the best studios in the stable.

Flight Simulator 2024

Much more surprisingly, Microsoft has unveiled a new version of its Flight Simulator flight simulation. The 2024 vintage will be entitled to a lot of new content with new vehicles added: rescue helicopters, planes used in the field of agriculture, construction helicopters, cargo planes, VIP planes, gliders, hot air balloons or even racing planes.

Towerborne

Xbox Game Studios is also signing a collaboration with the creators of The Banner Saga. Towerborne presents itself as a superb cooperative beat them all in the purest tradition of the genre.

Hellblade 2

Another highly anticipated title, Hellblade 2 showed itself a little more with a new trailer that didn’t reveal much more regarding this action game in a fantasy universe, which had a lot of talk regarding it last . The good news is that the game should be released in 2024 and we should learn more in the coming months…

First-party games expected later

While previous titles are slated for release in 2024, Microsoft has also revealed several games that won’t be released until ready.

Fable

The most anticipated title of the evening, besides Starfield, was of course Fable, a reboot of an excellent action-RPG developed at the time by Lionhead, which passed through the hands of Playground Games (Forza Horizon). Visually, the title looks very impressive. The unveiled trailer, however, did not reveal much regarding this adventure game which seems to take on a very different tone from previous installments. Critics have also rocketed on Youtube, concerning the artistic direction of the game…

South of Midnight

The Compulsion studio also presented its new project, an action-adventure game in a fantastic and macabre universe, with a unique artistic direction. The game is not expected to release until 2025. The studio previously worked on We Happy Few.

Clockwork Revolution

Finally, there was the new game from InXile (Wasteland 3), a studio specialized in RPGs which delivers with Clockwork Revolution a new very ambitious role-playing game played entirely in first person. In the metropolis of Avalon, the player will be able to change the future by traveling to the past. Every player action will impact the world building of Clockwork Revolution.

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