The biggest announcements at Xbox Games Showcase 2024
Sunday’s Xbox Games Showcase was packed with announcements from a number of studios, including Bethesda, Obsidian, Deck Nine, and more. Here is a roundup of some of the biggest games to look forward to.
Gears of War: E-Day
Gears of War: E-Day is a mainline prequel to the series that follows a young Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago during the first Locust invasion of Sera. Built in Unreal Engine 5 by The Coalition, the game will feature the iconic third-person cover-based shooting seen in past games, with early versions of classic weapons such as the Lancer assault rifle. E-Day has yet to be given a release date, but it is expected to be at least a year away.
Perfect Dark
The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics' Perfect Dark reboot made a surprise appearance at the show, despite rumors that the game was stuck in development hell. The trailer showed agent Joanna Dark sneaking around and defeating enemies in a near-future Cairo using parkour and a variety of gadgets. Perfect Dark is also still waiting for a release date, but it has been confirmed as a day one Game Pass launch.
Doom: The Dark Ages
Doom: The Dark Ages is a prequel to 2016's Doom and "tells the epic cinematic origin story of the Doom Slayer's rage." As expected, it will be a first-person shooter with plenty of guns, violence, gore, and demons, with a medieval setting that includes a rather cool dragon. The Dark Ages arrives on PC and Xbox sometime next year and will launch on Game Pass.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure
The next installment in Deck Nine's Life is Strange series will be released on October 29 for Xbox Series X/S and PC. Double Exposure follows returning protagonist Max Caulfield as she travels between parallel timelines to solve her best friend's murder and prevent it from happening again.
Indiana Jones and The Great Circle
MachineGames' first-person action adventure Indiana Jones game, set between Raiders of the Lost Ark and Last Crusade, was shown off with a new trailer featuring Indy and his new sidekick, Gina. The trailer shows the two discovering an important artifact in the Himalayas before clashing with some German bad guys, followed by a look at its gameplay, including some hand-to-hand combat and the use of the iconic whip. The game is arriving sometime this year for PC and Xbox, and will be a day-one Game Pass release.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Treyarch's next Black Ops title will be released on October 26 for PC, as well as past and current generation consoles. The sequel to 2020's Black Ops Cold War is a "spy thriller" set in the early 1990s in which the protagonists must uncover a government conspiracy. Details about its new movement system, multiplayer mechanics, and Zombies mode were also revealed during its dedicated showcase.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Dragon Age: The Veilguard (formerly Dragon Age: Dreadwolf) is the fourth installment in the series, set after the events of 2014's Inquisition. A gameplay showcase is scheduled for June 11, but BioWare has already shown off some of its companions and returning characters, as well as its new, controversial stylized visuals. The Veilguard is set to be released in the autumn of 2024, with an exact date likely to be announced soon.
State of Decay 3
Undead Labs is currently working on zombie title State of Decay 3 with no set release window.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Sandfall Interactive’s upcoming turn-based RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will arrive in 2025, and pulls inspiration from Persona, Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts with its mechanics.
South of Midnight
Gameplay from action-adventure title Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight was shown off for the first time, including exploration, combat, and a giant talking fish, and will launch in 2025.
FragPunk
FragPunk, a new 5v5 hero shooter, will be released next year, with players using its unique power-up cards to alter themselves, their team, and the world around them to gain an advantage over opponents.
Mixtape
- The developer of The Artful Escape returns with Mixtape, a nostalgic teen drama about a teenager who can control others by creating music mixtapes. It will be released in 2025 across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.