We’re now less than a week away from the double-feature broadcast that combines this year’s Xbox Games Showcase and the Starfield Direct (airing on June 11th at 10 AM Pacific Time).
While fans are already plenty hyped, Vice President of Xbox Games Marketing Aaron Greenberg took to Twitter to stir them up even further. When Twitter user Stewy108 said he was looking forward to what was brewing, especially Starfield since it looks hot, Greenberg said to ‘bring an extra underwear in that case’, adding a mindblown emoticon to the reply.
There’s no doubt that Starfield is the most anticipated game by Xbox fans. It’s the first new IP created by Bethesda Game Studios in over 25 years and the first time they venture into a sci-fi setting. The game has a lot riding on it, between Bethesda Game Studios having to pull off a comeback after the partial failure of Fallout 76 (even though the game has grown and improved a lot in recent years) and Microsoft needing Starfield to justify its $7.5 billion purchase of ZeniMax and all its subsidiaries. The latter point has become even more pressing with the disappointing release of Arkane Austin’s Redfall.
More generally, Microsoft needs a big exclusive game to be a hit. That’s where they’ve historically lagged behind both Nintendo and Sony and why they acquired a lot of studios in the past five years. Starfield’s showing at last year’s showcase was very promising, but now fans are eager to learn a lot more about the game they’re getting in less than three months. Bethesda Game Studios has had nearly a year of delay to make it the most polished title they’ve ever released.
All of this will be demonstrated at the Starfield Direct, which is set to follow the Xbox Games Showcase. According to Greenberg, the combined broadcast will run for roughly two hours, with the Direct likely taking up half an hour.
The Xbox VP of Marketing also shared several tidbits of information on the Xbox Games Showcase. First, it won’t be like last year, when Microsoft decided to present only games that were supposed to be released in a twelve-month window. However, Greenberg confirmed that no first-party titles will be shown with CGI trailers; it’ll be a mix of in-game, in-engine, and in-game with cinematics, depending on the game.
There won’t be any movie or TV trailers at the event, so don’t expect a Halo Season 2 or Fallout trailer. Last but not least, Greenberg said he didn’t want to temper expectations this time, which is a shift from recent showcases.
Given the removal of the 12-month mandate, chances are we might see games like Perfect Dark, Fable, and Contraband alongside titles that will most definitely be there, like Hellblade II, Avowed, and Forza Motorsport. There might even be a surprise or two.
What are you most excited about for the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct? Let us know in the comments.
