Xbox E3 2018 Revisited

Xbox E3 2018 was about new studios, a new way to play games and generally just more titles from the company. It was a different attitude, in a new location for its conference and also the first year away from the show for the group. This all started early in the Microsoft Theater where there were a record fifty-two games on stage and that included eighteen console launch exclusives.

On top of that, there were fifteen world premieres. This was headline by the reveal of the next vision for the flagship franchise through a mysterious presentation of Halo Infinite. It was a shocking reveal as the title was noted as gracing Windows 10 PC alongside Xbox One. It’s also going to be a push towards the next generation of Xbox gaming. Another big title reveal was with Gears 5, the next entry in the continued franchise. This was a different tale, with a new setting that aimed to enhance the franchise further.

Forza Horizon 4 also rolled in hot alongside the acquisition of Playground Games. This fourth spin-off entry release brought seasons and an expanded world across a distinct new location. Ashen and Below finally got a sense of a release, after many years of development and so many teases.

When it came to partnerships there were big titles including Fallout 76; The Division 2, Kingdom Hearts 3, Devil May Cry 5, Battlefield, Metro Exodus and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. This line-up was all set to be Xbox One X enhanced and look best on the Xbox console platform. Going back to new studios, the Microsoft Game Studios family grew a ton. The brand new The Initiative was at the heart of this being a fresh studio for new experiences.

The legendary Ninja Theory joined up coming from their hot Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. The popular State of Decay franchise developers Undead Labs also shuffled in. Rounding off the group was the fun Compulsion Games with their We Happy Few title. Xbox Game Pass grew with high end titles and more announcements for launch day inclusions into the service. FastStart was a thing too, totally forgot about that as I haven’t really seen it in action.

Other games include an expansion on Gears alongside the fifth main entry. There was Gears POP! which is a mobile title and Gears Tactics which is for PC. Crackdown 3 was shown again, with another release date. That one ended up well… Black Desert, the MMORPG was also displayed and there was a surprise tease of Cyberpunk 2077.

There were of course some other showcases of what’s to come and update announcements. Overall it was a fairly intense event, the conference that is. When it comes to the floor, they used the same building in a smaller format. It was honestly a bit crowded in there, harder to play things during the party I attended and just less games really.

Our E3 2019 Hub
View More Revisited Games
Read Xbox E3 2019: What to Expect