Xbox/Bethesda Showcase Rumoured for this Month
Reports of an Xbox/Bethesda conference have been causing quite the stir in the gaming community this week. From confirmation that this will be a smaller showcase to the apparent exclusion of the highly anticipated Starfield, its becoming harder and harder to determine what Xbox is planning (if anything) in January. Leaks and speculation began towards the beginning of December- with Microsoft's lack of presence at the Game Awards (apart from Phil Spencer in the crowd of course) leading many to believe that Xbox was planning something on their own. This wouldn't be too surprising considering the impressive line up announced to be coming to game pass in the first half of 2023. This is coming from the June 2022 Xbox showcase at Summer Games Fest- where every single game showed was confirmed to be coming by the end of June this year at the latest. Of course, this is subject to change- but in an era of disappointing delays and rushed games, it would be strange to see Xbox confidently promise so much without assurance that each game could release in that time frame.
With upcoming releases including Redfall. Hollow Knight: Silksong and the Forza Motorsport reboot still slated for the first half of 2023, Microsoft is running out of time to announce release dates and build up hype for these titles. A confernese in January would certainly be the ideal time for fans as well as Xbox. Gamers finally get confirmation on when their most anticipated games could release while Xbox would be able to create the first big splash ahead of the competition in 2023- something vital considering their poor showings for their next gen consoles over the past two years. Given all of the signs and leaks, most are just waiting for an official showcase announcement.
One rumor that has fans worried, however, is that Bethesda's next big game, 'Starfield' may not make an appearance at the supposed event at all. The dubbed 'Skyrim in space' made its gameplay debut last year at Geoff Keighley's Summer Games Fest but, since then, we haven't seen much of he space epic. Aside from a confirmation that it will indeed launch in the first half of 2023, important features and details on Starfield are being kept under close wraps by Todd Howard and his team. This led many to believe that the rumored January showcase would have a Starfield trailer as its big finisher- with a release date to boot.
However, reports seem to indicate something else entirely. With the game apparently not being scheduled for the event at all, fans have become confused as to what this could mean for Starfield's development and release date. When a game isn't shown for a prolonged period of time, most cases point to a delay announcement. However, there is some hope for Bethesda fans, as other leaks point to a completely separate showcase specifically for Starfield, but date speculation on that is hazy at best. Either way, we won't know for sure until the actual Xbox show later this month.
Of course, given that these are just leaks and rumors, the show itself isn't set in stone just yet and a lot could change in the coming weeks. But given the lack of showing at the Game Awards, the slew of games without official release dates and the criticism of Xbox's weak AAA games showing yer the past couple of years, a January conference would very much be in Microsoft's favor to quell much of the unrest in the community. Regardless, whether. or not this showcase is actually happening, its already shaping up that Xbox will have a more impactful 2023 than it has in its first two years on the market- which is something they desperately need.
