2 of the games you listed it wasn't even their 1st E3, they aren't even in the same ballpark and I didn't even think the "E3 of Dreams" was that good (HZD was a better reveal than the big 3 imo and Sony's E3 2016 was a million miles better), but the reaction to TLG, Shenmu 3 and FF7R was because they were always dream announcements at E3 that never happened. Only really Half Life 3 is left in that tier and Banjo Threeie is getting there.In 2015, Sony hosted a conference finally revealing the release date for a long awaited game mired in rumors of development hell, helped a troubled creative visionary secure funding for his sequel to a bygone cult hit, and delivered a brief but tantalizing CGI trailer promising a Japanese RPG that wet dreams are made of.
Sound familiar?
This year Microsoft did nearly the same thing with Cyberpunk, Psychonauts 2, and Elden Ring, plus so much more (game pass deal, shockingly shiny Tales game, next gen reveal, etc), but If I find it funny that the reaction to them is so tepid. Maybe its because the circumstances are different, stuff leaked, and it just wasn't what people were looking for. Or maybe xbox fans (of which I am not), wanted AAA Sony beaters, and whatever 14 studios they have just didn't deliver (underwhelming games, no show).
I mentioned it briefly during the presser, but I do think it's time Phil stepped away from the stage. It just sounds like he's saying exactly the same things every year.
In fact, every time a Microsoft exec stepped onto the stage was a hype killer.
First of all, ironically I think the fact that they showed so many games did more harm than good. They spent too much time on already announced third party titles, some of which have actually released already, just to promote Game Pass.
In addition, this trend of no gameplay needs to finally stop, at least for titles that have already been shown (e.g. Halo).
Also, the Scarlett and XCloud announcements were also a complete joke with nothing substantial. After Stadia's announcement and Sony's interview they should have spoken only if they had sth more than this.
But ultimately the problem was that their heavy hitters like Gears and the few new titles like NT's new game looked meh.
Is it Halo has lost its lustre or is it that Xbox has and therefore Halo is trying to carry a console and isn't able to?
The problem with the showing yesterday is simple. It was a cut scene. People do not care about Halo cut scenes. They want to see Masterchief shooting stuff. I get some are into the story and universe. But trying to make Halo a heavy hitting emotional game? No chance.
Yeah I don't get it. Like LOL U R A LOAR. We got 59 games and not 60. Boycott
That there was no gigaton! but seriously a very underwhelming presser
Whoever leaked the Miyamato appearance rumour must have gotten Miyamato mixed up with Keanu.
Yeah I don't get it. Like LOL U R A LOAR. We got 59 games and not 60. Boycott
Be sure to watch Inside Xbox: Live @ E3 on Monday, June 10, at 3 p.m. PDT and tune in to live streaming on Mixer on Tuesday, June 11, Wednesday, June 12, and Thursday, June 13.
Read more at https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2019/06/09/xbox-e3-2019-briefing-recap/#Jq1WB8GoJOk3Gb40.99
Was it worth the time investment?I can't start my own threads yet (relatively new to these forums), but I did a write-up on the Xbox E3 briefing and didn't want it to go to waste.
Fact checking the Xbox E3 2019 briefing
A few weeks ago, head of Xbox, Phil Spencer said that they had "14 Xbox Game Studios games in the show this year", and, at the beginning of their press conference, he added that 60 games in total were going to be showcased.
Did he deliver? Let's see. Here's the full list of everything that was shown during the Xbox E3 2019 briefing:
- Outer Worlds
- Bleeding Edge
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Minecraft Dungeons
- Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order
- Blair Witch
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Spiritfarer
- Battletoads
- RPG Time: The Legend of Wright
- Dead Static Drive
- Pathologic 2
- Star Renegades
- Afterparty
- TABS
- The Good Life
- CrossCode
- Creature in the Well
- Killer Queen Black
- Riverbond
- Unto the End
- Blazing Chrome
- Felix the Reaper
- UnderMine
- Supermarket Shriek
- Secret Neighbor
- Ikenfell
- LOTR Living Card Game
- Night Call
- Totem Teller
- Metro Exodus
- Football Manager 2019
- Forza Horizon 4
- Imperator Rome
- Gears 5
- Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Halo Reach)
- Ark: Survival Evolved
- Prey
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
- Rise of the Tomb Raider
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
- Wasteland 3
- Psychonauts 2
- Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
- 12 Minutes
- Way to the Woods
- Gears 5
- Dying Light 2
- Forza Horizon 4 LEGO Speed Champions (DLC)
- Gears POP!
- State of Decay 2: Heartland (DLC)
- Phantasy Star Online 2
- Crossfire X
- Tales of Arise
- Borderlands 3
- Elden Ring
- Halo Infinite
Note: Titles 11 to 30 were presented during the ID @ Xbox showcase (20, in total). Titles 31 to 40 were presented during the Xbox Game Pass for PC showcase (10, in total).
Phil said, as part of his opening monologue, that this was "the largest showcase of games on any stage, anywhere, this year". He added that they were highlighting 60 games for us, including 14 games from Xbox Game Studios.
The list that I compiled includes every single game presented during their briefing, in order of appearance. Two of them were shown twice, once during the Xbox Game Pass for PC showcase, and again near the end of the conference: Gears 5 and Forza Horizon 4 (with a demonstration of its LEGO Speed Champions DLC during its second appearance).
Also, at the end of their briefing, Phil reiterated that they had shown 60 games - and that was before closing with Halo Infinite and a montage of everything that they had on stage, plus a few others, like Sea of Thieves, Madden 20, Doom Eternal (logo only), Ghost Recon: Breakpoint (logo only) and The Division 2 (logo only).
Realistically, at that point, they had shown 56 titles. So, what could the other four be?
At the very beginning of the show, they had a montage of Xbox Game Studios games. Those included We Happy Few (by Compulsion Games) and Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (by Ninja Theory). However, those were made and released (in early access, in the case of We Happy Few) before their respective developers were even acquired by Microsoft, so it would be doubly misleading to count them towards the total. Not to mention they were part of a smaller and rather insignificant highlight reel (the intro for Xbox Game Studios) within the context of the show.
Then, there's Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which is technically comprised of five games (six, if you count ODST's campaign). The argument against those being considered individually is the fact that the only title actually showcased was Halo Reach. We don't even know when the rest of the collection is being released, so, again, it would be extremely misleading to label a single release as more than what it is (even if it will, one day, be part of a larger sum).
In the same vein, it would be terribly disingenuous of Microsoft to consider Borderlands: The Handsome Collection (which includes Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel) and even worse, Commander Lilith & The Fight for Sanctuary (DLC), as separate games, mostly because the only things showcased were their logos and boxarts, as part of the trailer for Borderlands 3.
That leaves us with the only other games talked about during the presser: Batman: Arkham Knight, Metro: Exodus, Hollow Knight and Borderlands: The Handsome Collection - which were announced as joining the Game Pass service, and amount to the remaining number of four. They may have been represented only by their boxarts, but were still technically shown on stage. Not the most honest statement, but Microsoft have been very generous with their definitions in the past (I'll make a similar analysis about their E3 2018 briefing if there's interest).
And now, for the 14 games from Xbox Game Studios.
Before their E3 presser, the Xbox Game Studios website included 12 developers. This is what their home page looked like just a couple of days ago. And here's a list of those developers, in alphabetical order, with the projects they've shown on stage:
343 Industries - Halo Infinite
Compulsion Games - no show
InXile - Wasteland 3
Minecraft* - Minecraft Dungeons
Ninja Theory - Bleeding Edge
Obsidian - Outer Worlds
Playground Games - Forza Horizon 4: LEGO Speed Champions (DLC)
Rare** - technically, Sea of Thieves, as part of the closing montage
The Coalition - Gears 5
The Initiative - no show
Turn 10 - no show
Undead Labs - State of Decay 2: Heartland (DLC)
*Mojang isn't listed by its name as developer of Minecraft anywhere but on the footer of Minecraft.net (to which Mojang.com redirects).
**Battletoads is being developed by Dlala Studios.
After Microsoft's conference, two more logos were added to that page, as you can see in the current version of their website: those of the newly acquired Double Fine (developers of Psychonauts 2) and Age of Empires (likely based on the same decision that led Microsoft to go with Minecraft, instead of Mojang, for the developers of that game). Curiously, there's no mention of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the latest entry in the classic series that's also being developed in-house.
As I mentioned before, the conference opened with a montage featuring footage from many Xbox Game Studios games "screened" onto the sides of its logo, similar to the Marvel Studios intro. Then, the first trailer exhibited was from Outer Worlds. From there on, all Xbox Game Studios game trailers were preceded by a title card with the words "Xbox Game Studios Presents". Here they are, with their respective developers in parenthesis:
- Outer Worlds (Obsidian)
- Bleeding Edge (Ninja Theory)
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios)
- Minecraft Dungeons (Mojang)
- Battletoads (Dlala Studios)
- Microsoft Flight Simulator (first party)
- Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (first party)
- Wasteland 3 (InXile)
- Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine)
- Gears 5 (The Coalition)
- Forza Horizon 4: LEGO Speed Champions* (Playground Games)
- Gears POP! (Mediatonic)
- State of Decay 2: Heartland* (Undead Labs)
- Halo Infinite (343 Industries)
*DLC
A couple of observations:
First, there's one game missing from that list (which should add to 15), and that's Halo: The Master Chief Collection. As previously stated, it was shown briefly during the Xbox Game Pass for PC presentation in the form of Halo Reach, and, for that reason, didn't have the "Xbox Game Studios Presents" title card.
Secondly, you may have noted that some of the developers making those games aren't really part of Xbox Game Studios.
Moon Studios are "an independent video game development studio", according to their website. And even though they are not listed under the Xbox Game Studios banner, they became a Microsoft first party developer in 2011.
Dlala Studios are the ones responsible for the new incarnation of Battletoads, a Rare IP.
Microsoft Flight Simulator and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition have no specific developers attached to them, but are obviously first party titles.
Finally, there's Gears POP!, which is a mobile game in development by Mediatonic.
We can conclude, then, that out of the 15 alleged "Xbox Game Studios games", only 13 are actually developed by Microsoft first party developers.
Tl;dr: Phil Spencer promised 60 games, 14 of which made by their Xbox Game Studios. They did show 60 games, but only if you consider titles that have already been released (some of them a long time ago), and 13 of which that were actually developed by Xbox Game Studios, not simply "presented" by them (he had never used the words "presented by" before).
In 2015, Sony hosted a conference finally revealing the release date for a long awaited game mired in rumors of development hell, helped a troubled creative visionary secure funding for his sequel to a bygone cult hit, and delivered a brief but tantalizing CGI trailer promising a Japanese RPG that wet dreams are made of.
Sound familiar?
This year Microsoft did nearly the same thing with Cyberpunk, Psychonauts 2, and Elden Ring, plus so much more (game pass deal, shockingly shiny Tales game, next gen reveal, etc), but If I find it funny that the reaction to them is so tepid. Maybe its because the circumstances are different, stuff leaked, and it just wasn't what people were looking for. Or maybe xbox fans (of which I am not), wanted AAA Sony beaters, and whatever 14 studios they have just didn't deliver (underwhelming games, no show).
True. I guess it's just Gears and Halo that didn't show gameplay? Why is everyone freaking out about no gameplay then? I wanted to see Halo Infinite gameplay mulyself but I'll wait till there ready to show it.Re-watched conference. From XGS games
Trailers with Gameplay:
Outer Worlds
Bleeding Edge
Ori 2
Minecraft Dungeons
Battletoads
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Age of Empires II: Definitve Edition
Wasteland 3
Forza Horison 4 Lego Speed Champions
State of Decay 2: Heartland
Gears Pop
Unconfirmed:
Blair Witch
No Gameplay:
Gears 5
In-Engine not gameplay:
Halo Infinite
The sense i'm getting from many people is that, it would be one thing if this was just an off year for Xbox.
But many people are disappointed because they were expecting this to be a real return to form for MS...this entire gen, their software output has been lacking outside of the 3 mainstay franchises they have..and people were riding on this E3 along with the Scarlett reveal to really prove to people who were repelled by the MS brand over the past few years or those Xbox fans disaffected by the lack of investment into Xbox proper that MS could come back and do what they wanted them to do.
However they did not. MS had a decent showing, a lot of games i'm going to buy....on other platforms. It wasnt a reason for me to get excited for their ecosystem at all, and on the first party front, it showed a lot of things we already knew about, things from franchises that are past their expiration, or things that were not what people expected with an event essentially with MS having the floor to themselves this year.
People expected MS to show off much more than this when they've got bigger fish to fry at E3 2020?
This gen is slowly petering out. Next gen gives a chance to reset things. And the narrative will be largely shaped at E3 2020 when next gen consoles are unveiled, with their launch window games.
My big disappointment with the conference was more around the poor choice of showcase for Gears and the fact that there's no indication that they're working on a VR accessory.
I mean...again..it would be one thing if this was just an off year. But people have heard too much "wait for next E3" countless times this gen when MS doesnt do things people want. Its not really an excuse anymore, especially for people who are put out that they really did just abandon the gen early and not even try. You cant compare that to Sony in the PS3 days who took that catastrophic failure and turned it into win by the end by just pumping out content after content.
I'm not sure I get the point you're making. Are you insinuating that MS is abandoning this gen?
Apart from Halo which exclusive do you think will release in the launch window?People expected MS to show off much more than this when they've got bigger fish to fry at E3 2020?
This gen is slowly petering out. Next gen gives a chance to reset things. And the narrative will be largely shaped at E3 2020 when next gen consoles are unveiled, with their launch window games.
My big disappointment with the conference was more around the poor choice of showcase for Gears and the fact that there's no indication that they're working on a VR accessory.
People expected MS to show off much more than this when they've got bigger fish to fry at E3 2020?
This gen is slowly petering out. Next gen gives a chance to reset things. And the narrative will be largely shaped at E3 2020 when next gen consoles are unveiled, with their launch window games.
My big disappointment with the conference was more around the poor choice of showcase for Gears and the fact that there's no indication that they're working on a VR accessory.
Didn't feel like a new hardware announcement show.
Maybe its a sign if the times, where the market is headed, and what people want; but that second half was super flat for me.
Also, please say no to CGI and Vertical Slices. It Sony a while to learn that lesson too.
I thought it was fine. Like an 8/10. Had fun watching it. I like MS's direction, but it should have been far better considering the advantages they had this year. Keanu and Tim Schaeffer were the only real memorable moments, and neither were for new, unannounced games. I will forget about this conference and nearly all of its content by next week. And that's fine. What they did show looked good, but it still feels like a missed opportunity considering Microsoft's built in advantage this year. They had the ability to make this their year, and that absolutely did not happen.
Nope, Mixer didn't announce what was in it at any point yesterday and wasn't responding to people on Twitter asking. Maybe they're waiting to announce what was/is in it during Inside Xbox, which I think is pretty frustrating.
basically this, people have been saying just wait for next E3 this entire gen (if not longer)I mean...again..it would be one thing if this was just an off year. But people have heard too much "wait for next E3" countless times this gen when MS doesnt do things people want. Its not really an excuse anymore, especially for people who are put out that they really did just abandon the gen early and not even try. It doesnt give any confidence in the brand that MS are really going to do what they say at all. You cant compare that to Sony in the PS3 days who took that catastrophic failure and turned it into a win by the end by just pumping out content after content.
Again, i dont really have a stake in it cause MS burned their bridges with me a long time ago, and have given me zero reason to jump back in. I'm just repeating a lot of sentiments around the gamer sphere i've heard from Xbox fans who were disappointed or previous fans who wanted a reason to come back to the ecosystem this year with how MS were hyping up this conference.
Are you insinuating that they are not? You literally just said wait for next gen, an admission of that fact.
Apart from Halo which exclusive do you think will release in the launch window?
Thank youNope, Mixer didn't announce what was in it at any point yesterday and wasn't responding to people on Twitter asking. Maybe they're waiting to announce what was/is in it during Inside Xbox, which I think is pretty frustrating.
Forza 8 of course. Maybe one of the studios at Ninja theory will have something by then. To be honest, you don't really need more than 3-4 big games launching at the same time in the fall when you also have 3rd partiesApart from Halo which exclusive do you think will release in the launch window?
it's not out until 5 months after NEXT E3. Why would it be a new hardware show?