The Xbox Games Showcase was a marquee event during Summer Game Fest 2024, with big trailers, updates, and new reveals for some of this year’s most anticipated titles, such as Avowed, Dragon Age, and Indiana Jones.
And many of these games are actually releasing this year, woo!
Despite wearing the albatross of studio closures and layoffs, Phil Spencer was optimistic and energetic about the future (as if he could be anything but). With the gigantic Activision-Blizzard acquisition, the showcase included big series like World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Call of Duty. And Bethesda (another acquisition) revealed new Doom prequel, Doom: The Dark Ages.
We’ve gathered the biggest news in the smallest chunks below.
Oh, and check out this literal trailer of trailers!
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
The third main Dragon Age game has a new name! Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is now Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The cinematic trailer focused heavily on the new party members, with a few familiar faces. The trailer looks inspired by the Marvel formula of quippy badasses. The official gameplay reveal will drop later today, hopefully quelling some concerns for this serious high fantasy series.
Release: Fall 2024
Avowed
Based on the Pillars of Eternity world by Obsidian Entertainment, Avowed is a first-person fantasy RPG that looks to satisfy that Skyrim itch. The new story trailer reveals several different paths and factions you can align yourself with as you explore a dangerous region known as The Living Lands.
Release: 2024
Fable
Once a crown jewel of gaming, cheeky action-RPG series Fable hasn’t seen much love in recent years. The new Fable still isn’t coming this year, but at least we have a 2025 release, and a trailer that’s far less jokey as we tease a powerful villain.
Release: 2025
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
The last half hour of the showcase was dedicated to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, which has been in development for four years. The newest CODBLOPS (I love that acronym) is set during the early 1990s, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union. The singleplayer campaign is stylized like a spy thriller, with the player forced to go rogue against their own government, while multiplayer will feature 16 maps, omnidirectional movement, and the return of the popular zombies co-op mode.
Release: October 25
Gears of War: E-Day
Once one of the biggest series on Xbox, Gears of War is going back to its roots, literally, with a prequel story starring Marcus and Dom. It’s set during Emergence Day, when the Locust Horde first emerged from below to being their war on humanity.
Release: TBA
Doom: The Dark Ages
Sci-fi action series Doom is going medieval with Doom: The Dark Ages. In this apparent prequel, Doom Slayer combines his awesome skills with new implements of destruction to mow down hordes of demons and monsters.
Release: 2025
Fragpunk
Fragpunk is a 5v5 multiplayer hero shooter with a fun twist. By activating power-up cards known as shards, players can dramatically alter the rules and visuals of a match, such as growing tall grass for hiding, or giving everyone larger heads for easier sniping. Fragpunk will feature 10 heroes and over 70 shard cards.
Release: 2025
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Winning my personal award of Coolest-looking New Thing at the Xbox Games Showcase, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG in a deadly fantasy world ruled by a powerful Paintress and inspired by 19th century surrealist French paintings. Dare I say the combat and menus are Persona-esque? You have my attention!
Release: 2025
Perfect Dark
An almost forgotten series that can trace its first-person shooter roots back to the Nintendo 64, this new, modern Perfect Dark is created by the Tomb Raider team. Agent Joanna Dark hunts down a wanted criminal in the streets of near-future Cairo in this first-look at gameplay.
Release: TBA
Age of Mythology Retold
Age of Mythology Retold is a remake of the 2002 fantastical spinoff of the Age of Empires series. It’s an old school real-time strategy game with modern graphics — and we actually get to see gameplay in the trailer! Players guide their historical factions through conquest and expansion by marching armies and unleashing the power of the gods.
Release: September 4
South of Midnight
Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight finally showed off some action-adventure gameplay, as protagonist Hazel and her giant catfish friend travel down the Mississppi in this intriguing world of magic and monsters in the Deep South.
Release: 2025
Starfield: Shattered Space
It’s not a hot take to say that Bethesda’s new IP didn’t win many fans like Fallout and the Elder Scrolls. But if anyone understands a game’s long tail life, it’s Bethesda. Shattered Space is a major expansion release for Starfield. As many guessed, it follows House Va’ruun, a mysterious faction that was absent in the main game.
Release: 2024
Mixtape
Channeling Life is Strange and every indie movie from the 2000s, Mixtape is game about three teenagers exploring their lives and friendship through a stellar lineup of licensed music, including DEVO, Iggy Pop, and The Smashing Pumpkins.
Release: 2025
Life is Strange: Double Exposure
Max Caulfield, hero of the original Life is Strange, returns in this all-new sequel adventure. Max’s time-rewinding powers have evolved into inter-dimensional travel, as she sees another world where her best friend hasn’t been recently murdered. She’ll need to explore two parallel realities to find the killer and save her friend.
Release: October 29
Atomfall
Fallout in the UK? Atomfall is a singleplayer, first-person survival-action game set in alternate 1950s England after a nuclear disaster has created a dark underbelly in the countryside.
Release: 2025
