Preface: Obviously, I am two weeks behind getting this post written and published, and a lot has happened in that time. Regardless of recent events, I have been working on this post from the context of how I felt post XBOX Games Showcase, but sadly, most of the hype and goodwill XBOX has garnered from their showcase quickly dissipated. Between the rumors of mass layoffs and definitive studio closures, most of the excitement around the games and releases XBOX presented has fallen to the wayside, being replaced by anger and frustration at the potential closure of smaller studios such as Double Fine (Psychonauts 2), Compulsion Games (South of Midnight), and Ninja Theory (Hellblade), as reported by Bloomberg. I plan on providing my thoughts on the current affairs of XBOX’s studio closures in another post. For now, let’s re-live that excitement for the upcoming releases and remember, if we want smaller studios and games to thrive at XBOX, we must vote with our wallet and time.

XBOX Games Showcase Brought the Heat

Amongst the three major showcases that were part of Summer Games Fest, XBOX had the most on the line. They have been behind this entire console generation and struggled to show value from their major studio acquisitions. Now, as the dust settles following a week celebrating upcoming games, XBOX blew the rest out of the water. Immediately, they knocked it out of the park with their opening gameplay trailer, kept solid pacing with support from first- and third-party studios, and wrapped up with gameplay from what I consider to be the biggest franchise in gaming.

A Ripping Start

Starting the show with gameplay of Gears of War: E-Day and announcing it will be Xbox Platform exclusive set the precedent for the show. Gears of War: E-Day being exclusive to XBOX platforms is the right decision, given its long history as a tentpole franchise in the XBOX repertoire and how stunning the world and gameplay looks. Starting off in a vibrant world that is under attack feels more enticing to jump into for a first-time player. Especially when compared to the original games, which appear more drab with a world comprised of countless shades of brown.

Even more surprising than the expertly crafted world was the sense of nostalgia the gameplay elicited within me, even though I have never played through an entire Gears of War game. My experience with the Gears franchises consists of dabbling in co-op at a friend’s house growing up.  The Coalition was able to do something magical by getting me, a non-Gears of War player, to be excited not only to play the upcoming entry but also carve my way through the originals.

First Party Excitement

XBOX had no shortage of stellar announcements across the 28 games and expansion they presented. Of those 28 announcements, XBOX set out to show the world that their acquisitions were worthwhile, with half of the reveals being first party. I found myself getting more excited to boot up my Series X each time I saw the “Xbox Game Studios” banner pop up before a trailer. Unfortunately, some of the first party announcements weren’t of interest to me, especially when it came to the expansions.

Expansions Galore

While I was excited to see XBOX letting their studios shine, the actual reveals were not always of the utmost interest to me. Six of the first party trailers were expansions or content for live service games, all of which I have not and am unlikely to play. Luckily, one expansion did grab my attention, Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations.

Over the multiple Doom installments since 2016, I have struggled to become invested in the world or connect with the combat style of the series. However, every time I see the fast paced and brutal combat of Doom, I get drawn into the idea of diving into the demon infested world, taking control of The Doom Slayer, and ripping through hordes of demons. Doom: Dark Ages – Revelations is no exception. The seamless and fast paced combat of the most recent entry has a visual appeal that leaves me wanting to experience all the action firsthand. From the chain spear, which allows the player to fly high and perform ground shattering attacks, to the dual-purpose shield saw, the ways to slice and dice demons appears to be endless.

Just like Gears of War: E-Day, XBOX showcasing an expansion for a prequal makes it far more enticing to jump into a series that is far less familiar. Not needing to know as much of the lore and story makes the game more approachable, not that any background is needed to find enjoyment in slaying and ripping apart demons.

Sadly, the live service content expansions for Sea of Thieves, Fallout 76, and Elder Scrolls Online were the lowest moments of the showcase. I tend to avoid live service games, as I enjoy experiencing new games and want to make sure I spread my support across multiple developers. Nonetheless, I do think it is a positive sign for the gamers who are actively playing these games, or for individuals looking for a reason to get back into them. The continued support shows promise that XBOX will attempt to support these games in the future.

To wrap up the expansion, Ages of Empire 4 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 are another duo that meet the criteria of “not interested, but excited for the fans of these games.” These moments of indifference are friendly reminders that gaming is a diverse hobby, and XBOX is doing their best to cater to as many gamers as possible.  

A First Party Game for Everyone

Again, the diversity of first party games XBOX presented underscores their effort to make use of the studios they have acquired. They flaunted multiplayer experiences, sequels, a remake, and, arguably, the most anticipated game of 2027.

Based purely upon what appeared in the showcase, my most anticipated first party title is Clockwork Revolution. I know that Clockwork Revolution has been shown off at past events, but this is my first viewing and I am excited to see how inXile strikes a balance between the lighthearted comedy and serious politics of the world. The steampunk design and ability to use the environment to your advantage, or potential detriment, had me hooked. The announcement that this game would be exclusive was quite a surprise, which on initial reaction I thought was awesome. However, after stewing on it for a while this may not bode well for Clockwork Revolution and developing studio inXile.

Of course, I would be remised if I didn’t mention the grandest of them all, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4, DMZ. I am not a fan of the extraction shooters, making the closure of the show a bummer but it does bring another competitor into the genre. The success of DMZ hinges entirely on Infinity Ward’s ability to bring the FPS quality Call of Duty is known for to their version of an extraction shooter.

I want to wrap up the remaining first party reveals and showings along with a brief quip of my thoughts:

• Halo: Campaign Evolved – I am excited to take another crack at the OG game with quality-of-life improvements and better visuals. My only trepidation – I didn’t enjoy my time playing through the campaigns in Halo: Master Chief Collection.
• Fable – While Fable is the most anticipated game set to release in 2027, I found the trailer and antagonist reveal to be lack luster, in large part due to my lack of knowledge and recognition of actors and actresses. On the other hand, the 30-minute gameplay trailer that Playground Games released afterwards was superb and had me gushing to become the ultimate businessman.
• State of Decay 3 – I have nothing bad to say about this trailer, but this won’t be making it into the games I play next year.
• Senua – With no background knowledge of Hellblade or the Senua series, I don’t think I will be playing this game next year. UPDATE: Sadly, no one may get to experience this game due to the imminent closure of Compulsion Games.
• Minecraft Dungeons 2 – Oddly enough, this caught my eye as a potential game to play with friends on a chill evening. The casual nature of Minecraft mixed with ARPG gameplay is bound to be a fun time.

A Return to Exclusivity

The most notable return to form for XBOX, but apparently a rather controversial decision across the industry, was the announcement that both Gears of War E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will be exclusive to XBOX platforms.

The choice of games for XBOX to use in return to console exclusives appears to be a tad sporadic. I go into my full thoughts here, but it all boils down to: Gears of War: E-Day is a great choice while Clockwork Revolution raises some concerns.

UPDATE: The individuals who were decrying the move to exclusivity seem to be more correct by the day. With the closure of studios imminent at XBOX, this exclusivity could spell disaster for one or both studios developing these games.

Strong Support

The support from third parties at XBOX’s Summer Showcase was almost unparalleled when compared to Nintendo and PlayStation’s summer showcase. Not only did XBOX reveal two beautifully bespoke indie games, one of which was my game of the show, they also got the world premier announcement for Persona 6 and presented the release date for Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse.

Without further ado, I must talk about my “game of the show”, Bad Magpie. A game about a mischievous magpie who was left behind because of its injured wing, the trailer gave me the same feelings I had when I watched Ted Lasso, all of them. In the beginning I was laughing as I watched the troublesome protagonist light a branch on fire and proceed to let the world burn, only to be brought to tears a few moments later by the squawk let out by our magpie friend as they are left behind. I would be utterly shocked if this game doesn’t crack my personal top 10 games.

On the other end of the third-party game spectrum, was the world premier for Persona 6, which is a huge win for XBOX even if it was leaked just days prior. While I am not a Persona fan and have yet to play any games in the franchise, I do know the fans of Persona are numerous and vocal about their love for the franchise. Getting to see the first official teaser and logo for Person 6 is sure to help all fans of the franchise associate P6 with XBOX.

A few other notable games that I am excited for are Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, Spyro: A Realm Beyond, and Magicians: The Devil’s Deal, all of which delivered different kinds of excitement. Castlevania will be my second Metroidvania, but the first in the Castlevania franchise, Spyro will be a nostalgia trip from my childhood, and Magicians: The Devil’s Deal looks reminiscent of Bioshock but with a stage magic take on combat.

The Ultimate Winners

While numerous amazing and exciting games were showcased, the ultimate winners are XBOX Game Pass subscribers, who will have no shortage of games to play over the next year.  From my count, 23 of the 28 games and expansion shown will be available on day one of Game Pass,  including the highly anticipated Gears of War: E-Day, the remake of the OG first person shooter, Halo: Campaign Evolved, and what is sure to be an indie darling, Bad Magpie. Most of these games appear to be rolling out over the next 12 to 16 months, providing serious incentive to subscribe to Game Pass.

Cleaning up

XBOX needed to show gamers that they were ready to start producing hits, and they did just that at their showcase. I am hopeful for the future of XBOX after seeing them show off 14 first party titles and appear to be forming strong partnerships with popular third-party studios. With the XBOX Games Showcase wrapping up Asha’s first 100 days as CEO, it will be interesting to see what the next 100 will bring.

Release Calendar

As always, I want to make sure that I provide the release dates announced from the showcase. Cheers to a busy 2026 and beyond!

2026 Releases:

• Out now: Fallout 76: Infestations
• July 4, 2026 – Flight Simulator 2024: US National Parks
• July 7, 2026 – Doom: Dark Ages Revelations
• July 18, 2026 – Sea of Thieves: Custom Seas Season 20
• July 28, 2026 – Halo: Campaign Evolved
• September 29, 2026 – Minecraft Dungeons 2
• October 6, 2026 – Gears of War: E-Day
• October 13, 2026 – Valor Mortis
• October 15, 2026 – Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse
• October 23, 2026 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
• Fall 2026 – Age of empires 4 – Raiders of the North
• Fall 2026 – Flight Simulator 2024: National Championship Air Races

2027 – With Time Frame

• February 18, 2027 – Persona 4 Revival
• February 23, 2027 – Fable
• February 2027 – Metro 2039
• Early 2027 – Wo Long 2
• March 2027 – Join Us
• Spring 2027 – Spyro: A Realm Beyond

2027 – No Release Window

• State of Decay 3
• Bad Magpie
• Senua*
• Magicians: The Devil’s Deal
• Vivarium
• Clockwork Revolution
• Crazy Taxi

No Date

• TBA – Persona 6