Yesterday, Microsoft revealed that the double Xbox Games Showcase + Starfield broadcast aired last month broke viewership records for an Xbox show.
According to Microsoft, the total amount of trailers, segments, and the whole broadcast registered over 92 million views, a 38% increase over the 2022 Xbox Games Showcase.
These numbers are not surprising, given all the hype for the show. It was supposed to be the event where Microsoft finally demonstrated the results of its many acquisitions, and it largely succeeded.
During the hour or so of the Xbox Games Showcase 2023, Microsoft presented Turn 10’s Forza Motorsport, Ninja Theory’s Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga, Playground Games’ Fable, Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight, Obsidian Entertainment’s Avowed, inXile Entertainment’s Clockwork Revolution, Asobo’s Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and Stoic Studio’s Towerborne. That’s in addition to Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield, of course, which received a detailed 45-minute gameplay reveal that got an overwhelmingly positive reception. On that note, we’ve just updated the Starfield recap article with all the latest info – you can check it out right here.
After the event, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer teased that even more games are on the way than those on the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 stage. In fact, Xbox Game Studios Head Matt Booty listed the remaining conferences scheduled throughout 2023, including Gamescom, The Game Awards, and possibly another ‘earlier in the year’.
Speaking of Gamescom, Microsoft mentioned it explicitly in the celebratory Xbox Games Showcase blog post.
In August, Xbox will be headed to gamescom in Germany, the world’s largest gaming event – and we’ll be setting up our biggest ever booth to show off the incredible games we have coming to you. We’ll have more news in the next few weeks about our presence at the show – stay tuned!
Could that mean new announcements and reveals coming next month from Microsoft? The possibility cannot be discounted. If they’re happening, they’ll likely manifest at Geoff Keighley’s Opening Night Live, due to air on Tuesday, August 22nd between 8 and 10 PM CET from the Koelnmesse event arena in Cologne, Germany.
