Microsoft’s Xbox Showcase 2024 Review

Would the Microsoft Xbox Showcase 2024 be considered a bang or a bust? After the $68.7 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition in 2023, gaming community members waited in anticipation to see what would come from this massive merger. The gaming world wanted to see what Microsoft had in store for Xbox going into 2024. The June 9 Xbox Games Showcase revealed a collection of games from Activision, Blizzard, Bethesda, Xbox Game Studios, and third-party developers. Immediately after the broadcast, Microsoft and Activision showcased Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

Reviewing the Games

Altogether, thirty games were showcased at the Xbox Games summer broadcast. Let’s take a glimpse at each of these games, shall we? We’ve listed them in alphabetical order for easy reference.

Age of Mythology: Retold

The creators of Age of Empires present Age of Mythology: Retold as a game that explores the mythological world of gods, monsters, and mankind. The Xbox Showcase revealed this game’s release date is slated for September 4 on Xbox Series X and Windows PC.

Age of Mythology is a real-time strategy video game that was first released on October 31, 2002. It was developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios. AoM marked the first spinoff from the highly successful Age of Empires series. Age of Mythology: Retold was designed as a modernized AoM edition. According to Xbox Showcase, it’ll offer more options for players to enjoy one of the most beloved mythological-based games of all time.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Scheduled for the November 15, 2024 release for PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S, macOS, and iPadOS is Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The Xbox Games Showcase revealed the latest installment of the Assasin’s Creed franchise with enough theatrics to hype up fans of this iconic series. This time, the storyline is set in 16th-century Japan near the end of the Sengoku period.

The first Assassin’s Creed historical action-adventure game was released in 2007 by Ubisoft. The enormous success it experienced spawned a number of sequels and spinoffs and remains one of the most popular video games of all time. Although Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the fourteenth major installment of the series, it is the first to be included in the Assassin’s Creed: Infinity platform.

Atomfall

Slated for release in 2025, Atomfall is a single-player survival game set in Great Britain. Designed by Rebellion Developments Limited, the game’s storyline begins after a nuclear disaster has rendered the world virtually uninhabitable. Rebellion is the same company behind the successful Sniper Elite series and the Alien vs. Predator series.

Atomfall debuted at the 2024 Xbox Showcase as a first-person action shooter that starts with an idyllic British countryside besieged by auto mechs. The scene quickly moves towards striking underground caverns with arcane-powered ghouls. The inspiration behind Atomfall comes from the real-world nuclear scare England experienced in 1957. The game’s timeline follows a British-based post-nuclear world as if the 1957 scare became a reality.

Avowed

Expected for release on November 12, 2024, Avowed is an adventurous video game set on a mysterious island. Its presentation at the Xbox Showcase revealed an envoy of Aedyr sent to investigate rumors of a spreading plague threatening to destroy all in its path. This action role-playing game was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios.

Avowed shares the same universe as Pillars of Eternity and can be played in first-person or third-person mode. This is the first first-party AAA project by Obsidian since Microsoft bought the studio in 2018. Avowed was first announced at the 2020 Xbox Games Showcase. The 2024 showcase revealed its highly anticipated release date for Windows and Xbox Series X/S. It’ll also be available at launch for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. 

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

The Call of Duty series is the most successful game franchise. Since Activision released it as a first-person shooter game in 2003, COD has developed a cult following. However, most of its veteran players have voiced their concerns about Activision’s direction with the game. It was hoped Microsoft’s influence would restore Call of Duty to its former glory.

Did Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 rise to the occasion? Time will tell after its scheduled release on October 25, 2024. It’ll be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Game Pass. The video footage shared at the Xbox Showcase was impressive. However, many concerned gamers still ask Activision to drop its highly controversial SBMM. Since introducing its skill-based matchmaking system, it COD many of its veteran gamers. They each share the same concern Activision’s SBMM is poorly run and either needs to be revamped or removed entirely.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Sandfall Interactive debuted at the summer showcase with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Slated for release on Xbox Series X in 2025, this was revealed as a game where players assume the role of humanity’s savior.

Kepler Interactive is the publisher behind this highly anticipated role-playing game. This company was founded in September 2021 and is based in London and Singapore. It’s co-owned by a group of independent game developers, including Sandfall.

Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred

Coming from Blizzard Entertainment is the latest edition to the highly successful Diablo series. Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred is an expansion that debuted at the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase. The dramatic cinematic wonderfully displayed what made the Diablo series immensely popular with its gruesome RPG-style fantasy horror classic.

Diablo first began as a horror-like RPG video game in 1997. It was one of Blizzard Entertainment's most successful titles and has since earned a cult-like following with millions of fans worldwide. After Diablo IV’s release in 2023, the franchise continues to carry on the game’s legacy. Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred introduces a new character class, region, and story for fans to jump in and explore. The expected release date for this expansion is October 2024.

DOOM: The Dark Ages

The 2024 Xbox Showcase debuted DOOM: The Dark Ages. Microsoft and id Software teamed up to take this prequel to the DOOM Slayer series back in time. Its expected release is slated for 2025 but there hasn’t been an official date set yet. The footage shared at Microsoft’s first summer event since 2023 tickled the fancy of DOOM fans worldwide. It also showed what it’s like to ride a dragon.

DOOM: The Dark Ages continues the game’s legacy as a single-player action-packed FPS. You assume the role of DOOM Slayer as you battle against Hell’s demon horde. The first DOOM was released in 2016 and met with critically favorable reviews. DOOM Eternal was released as its sequel in 2020. 2025’s DOOM: The Dark Ages brings it all full circle. The impressive debut of this prequel has DOOM Slayers anxiously waiting to get their hands on a game that promises to be just as exciting as its predecessors.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Dragon Age: Origins was released by Electronic Arts and BioWare in November 2009. It met with tremendous success. Dragon Age: Inquisition experienced the same results after the November 2014 launch. Going into 2015, BioWare revealed a sequel was already underway. However, it was met with delays due to drastic staffing changes. It wasn’t until the 2024 Xbox Showcase finally revealed Dragon Age: The Veilguard as the next chapter of this highly successful fantasy role-playing video game.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s trailer showed off a group of allies working together to conquer their in-game enemies. It picks up where Dragon Age: Inquisition left off and is expected to be released for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S in Fall 2024. The showcase revealed seven companions that serve as more than simple NPC characters. The June 11, 2024 gameplay livestream presented how these companions have compelling stories and opportunities for intimate relationship development.

Fable

The first Fable release as an action role-playing video game was in September 2004. The game offered players to assume the role of a character who joins the Maze hero guild. From there, they can choose to play as a hero or more like a villain. The success of Fable brought Fable II in 2008 and Fable III in 2010. There was also a rebooted remake, Fable Anniversary, in 2014.

The 2024 showcase of Fable presented an updated, more polished trailer of the game that has yet to reveal an official release date. Fans of the series will have to keep waiting for their beloved game to become available to play.

Fallout 76

The Xbox Showcase revealed Fallout 76 is slated for a new update. The vault dwellers of Skyline Valley will have the opportunity to play as a ghoul in 2025. Skyline Valley is a new region of Appalachia that will dish out new mysteries as of June 12, 2024. And yes, it’s available on Xbox Game Pass.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn

Developed by A44 Games and published by Kepler Interactive, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is scheduled to release on July 18, 2024. This is an action role-playing video game that will be available to play on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. The showcase revealed a gameplay glimpse of a game classified as an explosive souls-lite game with lots of god-slaying RPG action.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is played from a third-person perspective. It comes from the same development team behind 2018’s highly successful action role-playing game, Ashen.

Fragpunk

The showcase revealed the world premiere Fragpunk as a five-on-five shooter that uses cards as part of its gameplay. It’s slated for release in 2025 but no official date has been set yet. We’ll simply have to stay tuned to see what its development team, Bad Guitar Studio, has in store.

Gears of War: E-Day

The Xbox Games Showcase presentation of Gears of War: E-Day was an emotional display that celebrated the legacy of the Gears of Wars franchise. Just as dark as ever, the latest installment of the series continues as a third-person shooter where the human race once again has to face impossible odds just to survive.

Gears of War was developed by Epic Games and exclusively published for the Xbox 360 by Microsoft Game Studios in 2006. It quickly became one of the most popular games of its kind. Over time, it has spawned six sequels and two prequels. It also has adaptations of books and comics to its credit. It also has a motion picture currently under development.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

The legacy of Indiana Jones begins with a 1981 movie called Raiders of the Lost Ark. It starred Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones and it was a blockbuster hit. Since then, the movie has spawned four sequels and a short-lived television series.

And then there’s the Indiana Jones video game franchise. The Xbox Showcase revealed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle as the latest installment to the infamous treasure hunter’s legacy. For gamers who love to solve puzzles, along with some roleplaying action, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle offers a new chapter to this cult classic.

Life Is Strange: Double Exposure

In 2015, Square Enix published Life Is Strange, an adventure game created by Dontnod Entertainment. The game released five episodes throughout 2015 and was met with positive reviews from the gaming community. Since then, Life Is Strange has released a prequel, sequels, a spinoff, and a comic book series. 2024’s introduction of Life Is Strange: Double Exposure is the fourth installment of the series and is slated for release on October 29 for Windows PC and Xbox Series X.

Mecha Break

From Amazing Seasun games is Mecha Break, a cooperative multiplayer battleground for players to unleash their mech warriors in combat. Designed as a fast-paced shooter, Mecha Break is slated for release in August.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

The showcase revealed Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater as a remake of 2004’s Metal Gera Solid 3: Snake Eater. It’s a modernized edition without compromising the game’s original storyline and design. So far, no release date has been scheduled but it demonstrated a taste of what’s to come for Metal Gear fans.

Metal Gear began its legacy as an action-adventure stealth video game developed and published by Konami. It was first released in 1987. Going into 2024, fans have witnessed this game continue revolutionizing the stealth game genre.

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Fans of the Flight Simulator franchise lit up when the Xbox Showcase presented Microsoft Flight Similator 2024. The choice is yours to fly as an aerial fighter, cargo transporter, commercial pilot, or search-and-rescue. Perhaps you’d rather work in agriculture. The presentation of this game revealed its scheduled release date of November 19.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 carries on the legacy of Bruce Artwick’s 1977 introduction of Flight Simulator. Over the course of time and through different development teams, Microsoft Flight Siulator established itself as one of the most beloved flight simulator games.

Mixtape

Presented at the Xbox Showcase, Mixtape is a video game that uses music to reveal a story as told by a graduating trio of high school teenagers. Beethoven & Dinosaur are the developers of this game, the very same who created the BAFTA award-winning The Artful Escape. Mixtape is scheduled for release in 2025.

Perfect Dark

The 2024 Xbox Showcase revealed Perfect Dark’s gameplay for the first time. This ambitious video game focuses on a near-future war over advanced tech that threatens millions of lives. The showcase presented its hero character, Joanna Dark in an adventure that requires firearms, high-tech gadgets, parkour talent, and stealth to save the world from disaster.

So far, there’s no official release date as of yet. In the meantime, Perfect Dark continues to draw in fans as they eagerly wait for a new adventure game to get their hands on.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

Developed and published by Ukraine’s GSC Game World, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is the fourth game released in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. video game series. It’s slated for release on September 5, 2024, and is the first S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game in fifteen years since the 2009 release of Call of Pripyat.

Sea of Thieves (Season 13)

The 2024 Xbox Showcase revealed the 13th season of Sea of Thieves is scheduled for release on July 25. The latest season will allow its players to assume the role of an evil pirate on the high seas. The Sea of Thieves franchise began as an action-adventure game developed by Rare in 2018.

Sea of Thieves became Microsoft’s most successful original intellectual property of the eighth generation as it attracted more than forty million players as of April 2024. A native Xbox Series X/S version of this game was released on March 13, 2024. On April 30, 2024, it became Rare’s first game released on a PlayStation console, namely PlayStation 5.

Starfield: Shattered Space

Starfield was originally released by Bethesda Game Studios in 2023. This action role-playing game takes gamers into open-world space as explorers who must venture out to collect mysterious artifacts. The 2024 Xbox Showcase revealed Starfield: Shattered Space as the first expansion pack to this highly successful game title.

Starfield: Shattered Space is expected to be released in 2024, along with an update to the core game. The content includes new bounties and opportunities for its gaming community to ready for a new chapter that dips into the creepiest depths of outer space.

State of Decay 3

State of Decay 3 picks up where 2018’s State of Decay 2 left off with its zombie apocalypse. The first trailer for this game debuted in 2020, hinting to State of Decay fans what’s in store. Additional footage revealed a bit more at the showcase but no official date has been set yet.

Undead Labs revealed the latest edition to the State of Decay franchise as an evolutionary approach to open-world zombie survival. Fans of the series witnessed the biggest step Undead Labs has taken so far as it promoted State of Decay 3 as a community-based survival game built on the foundations laid out by its original.

South of Midnight

Microsoft and Canada’s Compulsion Games showcased South of Midnight, an upcoming third-person action-adventure set in the swampy backdrop of the American Deep South. It blends a narrative with unique art direction and deep thematic gameplay elements.  Slated for release in 2025, South of Midnight will be available to play on Xbox consoles and Windows PCs.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road

The legacy of The Elder Scrolls began with Bethesda Games Studios (as Bethesda Softworks) in 1994. Since then, it has become a gargantuan action role-playing video game franchise with numerous highly favored sequels and spinoffs to its credit. The series focuses on free-form gameplay in an open world.

In 2014, The Elder Scrolls Online was introduced as a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Going into 2024, The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road serves as a 10th-anniversary celebration of one of the most beloved games of all time.

Winter Burrow

The showcase revealed Winter Burrow, a game featuring a little mouse returning home, only to find it has been destroyed and its aunt missing. Slated for release in 2025, the game has you creating a new home while looking for your aunt. This is a survival-based game developed by Pine Creek Games.

World of Warcraft: The War Within

On November 23, 2004, Blizzard Entertainment released World of Warcraft. With its expansion packs, spinoffs, and sequels, WoW became the biggest MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) in gaming history. The June 9, 2024, Xbox Showcase revealed World of Warcraft: The War Within as the latest edition to WoW’s saga.

World of Warcraft: The War Within is an expansion pack scheduled for release on August 26, 2024. It was revealed as the dawn of a new saga where darkness calls from the heart of the world. Fans of this fantasy world series were given a taste of what’s to come and they’re anxiously waiting to get their hands on what will no doubt be another successful WoW addition.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

505 Games presented Wuchang: Fallen Feathers at the Xbox Games Showcase. It’s a soul-like game set in the timeline of the late Ming Dynasty. According to the 2024 showcase, it's scheduled to be released on day one with the Xbox Game Pass title set for 2025. The story behind Wuchang: Fallen Feathers features Bai Wuchang, a pirate warrior suffering from amnesia. She’s also contending with a disease that grants her power as she slowly transforms into a new creature.

Reviewing 2024 Xbox Games Showcase

Microsoft’s summer Xbox Games Showcase presentation lasted for more than an hour as it hyped the audience with new games and release dates. There were huge expectations ever since Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard merged in 2023. The Xbox show didn’t disappoint as it issued DOOM: The Dark Ages as its first surprise, then Gears of War: E-Day a bit later.

The Xbox Games Showcase also announced a 1TB SSD Xbox Series X, a 1TB all-digital Xbox Series X console in white, and a new 2TB Galaxy Black special edition Xbox Series X. Microsoft’s summer showcase was a grand event that measured up to the expectations of Xbox fans worldwide. This includes the benefits of subscribing to the Xbox Game Pass so players can get their hands on both incoming and already available titles.