Xbox Bethesda Developer Direct Reveals News on 5 Upcoming Games
Last night, Xbox and Bethesda brought fans a mini-direct style presentation showing off five upcoming games within the next six months. While it was known what four of these games would be prior to the direct, there were still a slew of surprises and, of course, release dates revealed for the first half of 2023. While the lack of Starfield left some disappointed (despite it being confirmed that a conference dedicated to the game would come at a later point), the presentation itself did a good job in showing more of what Xbox has in store for 2023. So, lets take a look into what was shown.
Minecraft: Legends- April 18th 2023
After the intro video, the first actual game we got to see details on was Minecraft: Legends. The spin-off to one of the biggest games of all time, the tactical RPG certainly seems to be taking things in a completely different direction. While the typical blocky graphics and familiar, charming mobs remain, the gameplay loop is completely different- which is probably a good thing if you still love Minecraft but have got tired of, well, the mining and crafting.
From an elevated angle, you control your Minecraft character in teams where you launch raids on other players’ bases with enemies from the base game of Minecraft. The goal of each game is to completely take over the opposition’s base, but getting there is a journey with exploration, resource gathering, and tense battles along the way. If you were a fan of the immensely popular ‘factions’ modes on the old Minecraft servers back in the day, this definitely seems like something for you.
Forza Motorsport- 2023
The next thing shown was an update on the upcoming Forza Motorsport from Turn 10. This is technically Forza 8, but the developers have decided to drop the numbering convention to really hit home that this is their biggest step up yet- even claiming that it’s a greater leap than the previous three games put together. We’ve already seen Forza’s graphical potential on the current-gen consoles with Forza Horizon 5 in 2021, but Forza Motorsport seems to be pushing the boat out even more.
Focusing on the overhauled physics engine, immersive sound systems, and, of course, new cars and race tracks, Forza Motorsport certainly does seem to be the next evolution in Forza. Unfortunately for racing fans, however, no release date was given yet. However, it’s still safe to say that this will release some time in the first half of 2023- barring no delays, of course.
Hi-Fi Rush- January 25th 2023
Now, the biggest surprise of the show was definitely the next project from Tango Gameworks. If you aren’t sure, this is the company that has most recently made the two terrifying Evil Within games and the eerie Ghostwire: Tokyo. So, what’s next from these masters of horror? Well, a third-person rhythm action game of course! While it was sadly leaked ahead of the show, Hi-Fi Rush remained a pleasant surprise when it was shown off.
By blending hack and slash with rhythm, Tango Gameworks has managed to create an engaging combat system that isn’t just button mashing. Similar to last year’s Metal: Hellsinger, Hi-Fi Rush looks to be easy to pick up but hard (and incredibly rewarding) to master. If you can’t wait to play this, you don’t have to. Hi-Fi Rush was released a few hours after the show- meaning you can pick it up right now. And better yet? It’s on Game Pass
Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom- June 20th 2023
The next announcement was for the Elder Scrolls Online’s next big chapter expansion. ‘Necrom’ is set to take place on the eastern coast of the Morrowind mainland- which will give fans of the original Morrowind a way to return to similar environments to the hit 2002 classic. Set around the never before seen Necrom, you will be able to explore the mushroom Telvanni towers and eerie depths below the city of the dead. But that’s not all that’s coming to the world of ESO.
Zenimax also announced a new class- which was a much-anticipated feature for the Elder Scrolls Online Community. This class is the Arcanist- which gives players the ability to call forth the knowledge of Apocraypha to fight for you. If that name sounds familiar, its probably because Hermaeus Mora’s realm was explorable in Skyrim’s Dragonborn DLC. Fittingly, it will also be playable when the next chapter of ESO drops this June. If you’re desperately awaiting for any news on the Elder Scrolls VI, this may be the best way to sate your appetite until then.
Redfall- May 2nd
Xbox ended the showcase with an extended look at Arcane’s upcoming ‘Redfall’. A vampire hunting simulator game set in a small coastal Massaucheussets town, Redfall looks to be very familiar to veterans of Arcane’s game design. With features of Dishonored, Prey and Deathloop merged into one, Redfall is taking the best of each experience and running with it. And it has Left 4 Dead-like multiplayer where you fight off vampires in a team of four, which hopefully hits a little harder than the disappointing spiritual successor Back 4 Blood.
A new element of Redfall for Arcane is the introduction of character classes. With four completely separate characters to play, gameplay will hopefully remain fresh (as long as you can indeed freely switch between classes). This is a similar style to Dishonored’s ‘power’ system, where you can mix and match abilities based on your playstyle. With dozens of upgrades individual to each character, this looks to be Arcane’s most customizable experience yet. Pair this with an eerie atmosphere and a town full of secrets to explore, Redfall looks better and better the more we see of it. We won’t have to wait too much longer, either, with Redfall dropping on May 2nd this year,
So, that was everything revealed at last night’s Xbox Bethesda Direct. Despite expectations put in check prior to the show, this was actually quite a good showing for Xbox. With Todd Howard’s Starfield set for a full conference for itself in the coming months, 2023 might just be the year that Xbox can turn things around in their so-far lacklustre track record for the Series consoles.
