The Xbox and Bethesda Showcase aired today and revealed the latest games in their line-ups as well as updates coming to their biggest titles.
What Was Announced?
The Xbox and Bethesda event was possibly one of the most anticipated events of the season. With Bethesda having teased upcoming projects in the past such as Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI, and Xbox still to deliver on their next-gen exclusives, fan’s expectations were understandably high. So, did the video game titans deliver on their promises? Well, some.
With the event totalling 1 hour and 25 minutes, we completely understand that not everyone has the time to sit down and watch it. So, if you missed the event or are just taking a toilet break at work, we’ve compiled a list of everything announced at the 2021 Xbox and Bethesda Showcase. If you did want to watch the event in full, you can do so here. But otherwise, enjoy.
The Xbox and Bethesda Announcements
- Todd Howard started off the event with an introduction to Starfield followed by an in-game teaser. They announced that Starfield will be an Xbox exclusive, and will launch on the 11th of November 2022 for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Game Pass (play it day one) and PC
- Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl got a gameplay trailer that showcased combat, narrative and exploration. It is “coming first” to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Game Pass and PC on the 28th of April 2022
- Back 4 Blood got a trailer ahead of the Warner Bros event later today. It showed off gameplay as well as its PVP mode, Swarm Mode, in which players take on the role of humans or zombies. It is launching on October 12th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC
- A new game from Xbox and Avalanche Studios (the folks behind Just Cause) was announced. It is called Contraband and it is a co-op open-world heist game. It is coming to the Xbox Series X/S and PC
- Sea of Thieves is getting a Pirates of the Caribbean crossover event called Sea of Thieves: A Pirate Life. It is coming on June the 22nd and will be free
- The entire mainline Yakuza games are now available on Xbox Game Pass including Yakuza Like A Dragon. You can read our review here
- We were treated to some action-packed pre-alpha Battlefield 2042 gameplay footage. It is coming on October 22 2021.
- Twelve Minutes an “interactive thriller” by Luis Antonio starring James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley and Willem Dafoe was announced. It is “about a man trapped in a time loop” and will be launching on the 19th of August 2021.
- Psychonauts 2 got a flashy trailer. It showcased “cranium combat”, “headsploration” and “thoughtcrobatics”. It was a truly Psychonauts trailer. Psychonauts 2 is launching on August 25th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC.
- Bethesda announced that 10 more of their games are coming to Xbox Game Pass. These include Arx Fatalis, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, Doom, The Evil Within 2, Rage, Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics, Fallout 3. This brings the total amount of Bethesda games on the platform to 30.
- Fallout 76 got a trailer for its upcoming free expansion Steel Reign. It focuses on a conflict within the Brotherhood of Steel in which the player must “decide the fate of the brotherhood”. It will be available from July 7th and will be free for all Fallout 76 players. They also announced that Fallout 76 Expeditions The Pitt is coming in 2022
- The Gang Beasts-esque game Party Animals is coming to Xbox in 2022
- Hades will be coming to the Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One on August 13th 2021
- Developer Jumpship announced their debut title Somerville. It is a side-scrolling adventure game set in a post-apocalyptic world and will be coming to the Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One in 2022
- Xbox showed off some Halo Infinite multiplayer gameplay as well as the announcement that it will be free-to-play. There will also be cross-play between Xbox and PC for Halo Infinite multiplayer. We were also shown a brief narrative trailer and a sweeping shot of one open area featured in the main game. It will be launching holiday 2021
- Diablo 2: Resurrected received a trailer. It informed us that the game will be optimised for Xbox Series X/S and will feature remastered visual and 8 player co-op. Diablo 2: Resurrected is coming on the 23rd of September 2021
- A Plague Tale: Requiem is coming in 2022 for Xbox Series X/S
- We got yet another Far Cry 6 gameplay trailer
- Slime Rancher 2 was announced with a stunning trailer. The “wiggly new adventure” will launch in 2022 for Xbox Series X/S
- The snowboarding game Shredders was unveiled with a December 2021 release date. It will launch for Xbox Series X/S
- We got a creepy albeit stunning trailer for Atomic Heart. It is launching for the Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
- A 2.5D pixel art side scroller titled Replaced was announced. It is coming in 2022 for Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One
- Grounded is receiving a huge update in the form of the Shroom and Doom update. It adds sitting, pets, mushrooms, and the brood mother spider
- Among Us is coming to Xbox soon
- Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes and Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising were announced for Xbox. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is coming in 2023, with Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising coming in 2022. They will both be launching on the Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One
- The Ascent received a trailer and will be coming out on July 29th for the Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One
- Age of Empires IV got a trailer and a release date of October 28th
- The Outer Worlds 2 was announced with a stunning and frankly hilarious trailer. It will be launching on the Xbox Series X/S exclusively
- Microsoft Flight Simulator is coming to Xbox Series X/S on July 27th. A free Top Gun expansion is coming in Fall 2021
- Forza Horizon 5 had a significant deep-dive into its gameplay. We were shown its open-world set in Mexico. It will apparently be the “biggest open-world” in the Forza Horizon franchise. They showed briefly the Expeditions campaign mode, as well as some mini-games and the battle-royale style mode “The Eliminator”. Finally, they announced that the events lab will allow players to create their own game modes and races. It will launch on November 9th 2021.
- The last big reveal at the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase was a brand-new game from Arkane Studios called Redfall. It is an “open-world immersive shooter” set in a futuristic world in which the player will fight against vampires. You can play alone or with friends. Redfall will be an Xbox exclusive. It is launching in Summer 2022 for Xbox Series X/S
What Did You Think?
This was certainly a huge showcase for Xbox fans. While anticipated titles such as Fable and Avowed weren’t shown off, the details about Halo Infinite and Arkane Studio’s newest title were certainly welcome. But what did you think about the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase? Did you find it was a little disappointing? Or were you overjoyed by the announcements? Let us know down below.