So EA kicked off the long weekend, and now it’s Microsoft’s turn. Are you ready for almost two hours of trailers and announcements? Let’s begin.
As always, basic housekeeping. If you want to have the stream going on a second screen, all the links you need are here:
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2018/06/e3-2018-xbox-microsoft-conference-live/” thumb=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2017/06/xbox-e3-2017-conference-410×231.jpg” title=”Let’s Watch The Microsoft’s E3 2018 Xbox Conference Live!” excerpt=”Last year’s Microsoft conference had new hardware, Sea of Thieves, Crackdown, a new Forza and a host of curious additions. What will Microsoft bring to the E3 2018 table this time around? Let’s find out.”]
As for the actual times, the conference itself will begin 0600 AEST / 0530 ACST / 0400 AWST / 0800 NZST. It’s the first of two conferences on the Monday, with Bethesda starting at 1130 AEST later in the day.
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2018/06/e3-2018-australian-times-dates/” thumb=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/05/e3-2017-ubisoft-presser-410×231.jpg” title=”All The Australian Times For E3 2018″ excerpt=”The annual ritual is almost upon us. waking up at ungodly hours, rugging up in a blanket and slamming several coffees until the hype kicks in. Welcome to E3 2018.”]
Right then, let’s begin.
1730 Sunday: So, starting nice and early this afternoon (so I can properly sleep, unlike last night).
Basic thing to keep note of: Xbox will be debuting – not necessarily exclusives – 15 games tomorrow:
Just wrapped our final #XboxE3 rehearsal. Feeling great about the show. Excited to world premiere 15 games tomorrow and much, much more #E32018 pic.twitter.com/NxPreEOXfw
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) June 10, 2018
Red Dead Redemption 2 will probably be counted as part of that. Question is, does that include modes like Battlefield V‘s War Stories?
1745: Another note: the conference will be approx. 100 minutes long.
We know we’ll see some Forza, Crackdown 3, Sea of Thieves, some RDR 2, probably a Halo update, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Ori in particular should be sensational, graphically if nothing else, although the original had a cracking soundtrack. (Although I totally understand if Axiom Verge was more people’s style.)
1755: Wal-Mart hasn’t leaked anything extra ahead of Microsoft’s conference, although last year a lot of those leaks started dropping around midnight Australian time. So we’ll see how things far on that front.
Something I’d like to throw out to people: Crackdown 3. Who’s excited for it, and if not, why? Xbox is putting a lot of investment into Sumo’s project, and I’m keen to know where everyone stands.
I didn’t have an original Xbox growing up, and didn’t grow up with the original Crackdown games, so I don’t have strong feelings one way or another. I do like Sumo Digital’s work, however, although Sonic All-Stars Racing is a far cry from blowing buildings up. (Reagent Games are working on Crackdown 3 as well, mind you.)
1815: Something I’d really like to see: a complete overhaul of the Windows Store. The Xbox UI has gotten several overhauls; and as Microsoft continues to talk up their efforts to promote gaming on Windows 10, it’d be nice if that was revamped to something a lot more usable.
1830: Fun aside: I’ve just finished playing a board game of Nightmare with friends. You know the one with the VCR tape? That, but you can play the videos on YouTube now.
It’s … it’s something. Would recommend playing again. But only once.
As for Xbox, something that would make an awful lot of sense to bring back: 1 vs 100. If you have any affection for that game, Patrick wrote a lovely story looking back at its history here:
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2015/09/that-time-microsoft-ran-a-live-game-show-on-xbox-360/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/1443673764478768453.jpg” title=”That Time Microsoft Ran A Live Game Show On Xbox 360″ excerpt=”Anyone recall Xbox Live Primetime, Microsoft’s push to do game shows on Xbox Live? No? That’s probably because 1 vs. 100, based on the television show of the same name, was the only one Microsoft ever produced.”]
1845: Bit of bad news for Kingdom Hearts fans: you won’t get your beloved sequel this year. Although it’s not too far away:
KINGDOM HEARTS III will be releasing on Xbox One and Playstation 4 on January 29, 2019! #KingdomHearts #KH3 pic.twitter.com/vpcpxbkreX
— Kingdom Hearts (@KINGDOMHEARTS) June 10, 2018
Others in the comments have bet Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Cyberpunk 2077 will get their global debuts tomorrow morning. I don’t know if Tomb Raider would count as a global debut – hasn’t it been shown off already? – but damn, I would love some Cyberpunk.
1915: So, I’ll call things here until just before 0500 AEST tomorrow morning.
Expectations seems to be quietly optimistic, which is nice considering the holiday lineup for Xbox looks a bit unknown at this stage. I’m also curious to see the software updates for the console – some UI updates would be nice, and some more discussion about in-built features like tournaments and what Xbox has planned for baked-in esports features.
I’d be surprised if there wasn’t more discussion about accessibliity, too, given the recent announcement of the Xbox Adpative Controller. But we’ll find out more in several hours (if not earlier, courtesy of places Wal-Mart/Amazon/ratings agencies/the usual folk).
Until then, sleep well: we’ve got a long day tomorrow.
0500 Monday: And we’re back. How have you all been?
Not too much has leaked overnight, although we do now know that NieR: Automata is landing on Xbox One in a fortnight. June 26, to be precise. That’s a start to proceedings.
0505: Some stuff from Metro: Exodus has popped up in the last few hours as well:
Metro was one of the first games in Xbox’s conference last year, so not a big surprise if we see a chunk of footage in the MS briefing again.
0512: Capcom will be joining the briefing as well:
Blanka is joining to #XboxE3 @Xbox conference . So excited;D#E32018 pic.twitter.com/aEydviniZR
— Yoshinori Ono (@Yoshi_OnoChin) June 10, 2018
Yoshinori is the executive producer for the Street Fighter series, FYI.
0525: Hearing that there was a talk on the Gameslice stream that someone mentioned – openly – that the hosts had to be positive. I’m assuming this is in relation to discussion of EA’s conference in general, as I’d assume hosts would be told to be cheery off-camera before everything starts anyway.
“A tough but fair crowd online,” Geoff Keighley quips, adds that the first game to be announced will be something people will be talking about a lot afterwards.
Cyberpunk, I wonder?
0530: So, time to crack the coffee open. No avoiding waking up Tegan this time – she bravely risked sleeping in the same room this time. Plus, mechanical keyboards buggered any chance of peace there. So, two coffees coming up.
0532: While I brew those coffees, a question for you all: what do you think Warner Bros’ next game is?
0542: Right, caffeine problem solved.
As for the show itself, Rae from Gizmodo is on ground for the team right now. Here’s a shot from the floor:
0552: Let’s talk Game Pass for a second.
It’s a huge drawcard for Xbox – at least, going forward. In the next console generation, having Game Pass out of the gate is a supremely easy way to convert users over. It’s an easy value proposition.
But why would you buy into Game Pass right now? The offering is a little threadbare, and games are pulled from the service every so often. So I’d like to see how many of these 15 exclusives will be added to Game Pass off the bat.
0555: A 360 degree photo from the show floor from Rae (let’s see if this embeds right):
0557: Another prediction: will we see Fable this year? Something involving mixed reality or VR on the Xbox would be good too: the Xbox One X is plenty powerful.
0600: And it begins.
0601: Rhinos crossing a field. Enscriptions in rock. Something floating underwater. A beach.
It’s Halo time.
Halo: Infinite, powered by the Slipspace engine. A ton of Xboxes are on the stage – 32 maybe?
0604: Phil Spencer talking about Fanfest and funds going to Gamers Outreach, which is a nice opening.
0607: 50 games in total – 18 exclusivity on Xbox – or 49, if you discount Halo Infinite.
“All demonstrate what true artisans can create,” Spencer mentions, followed by an Xbox exclusive from Microsoft Studios.
It’s Ori: Will of the Wisps.
0610: We’re dealing with some samurai. Nioh on Xbox?
Nope, it’s the next FromSoftware game.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, it’s called, which drops next year.
Now Todd Howard appears. Ooer.
0613: Fallout 4 is on Xbox Game Pass, today. “And since we’re here, we thought we’d give you an exclusive look at Fallout 76.”
It’s a Fallout prequel, apparently, four times larger than Fallout 4. Set in West Virginia (which we knew).
0615: Lot more foliage and trees than you’d expect in a Fallout game. That must be pushing the engine a fair bit.
0619: A new Life is Strange adventure, called Captain Spirit, which is free to download from June 26.
Crackdown 3 gets a run as well, then Nier: Automata on Xbox. Metro: Exodus then appears.
Launches February 22. Should be good.
0625: Fresh Kingdom Hearts 3 gameplay. We know this isn’t dropping until late January.
The sound mixing for this seems … very off. Like a lot of the background sound has been stripped out (which it must have). Just feels super weird.
0628: Now time for a bit more Sea of Thieves. Crowd seems a bit silent.
Forsaken Shores dropping in September. But, it’s time for a Battlefield V War Story. No gameplay though.
“Exclusive world premiere,” we hear, and then a McLaren shows up.
It’s drifting through some countryside and windmills – this looks like the Netherlands, or countryside Europe. Definitely not Japan. It’s set in Britain.
The entire open world is shared, apparently, so you’re playing with everyone in a shared instance. Doesn’t mention how many people can share an instance at once.
A 60fps mode is mentioned, which is nice. The in-game seasons change throughout gameplay, although it’ll be interesting to see how quickly a season changes. “They are synchronised for every player so the entire community will experience them at the same time,” the developer says.
Forza Horizon 4 launches October 2.
Phil Spencer’s back.
0639: Talking about “increasing our investment in our existing franchises that you already love”. But talk about investing in new worlds, too.
“We embarked on a quest, a quest to find creative teams that have the mastery of our art form,” he adds.
The Initiative is a new first-party Microsoft studio based in Santa Monica. On top of that, Undead Labs have been acquired – or rolled into – Microsoft Studios. Good reward for their efforts.
Playground Games has been acquired by Microsoft as well. “They’re bringing their open-world expertise to a new project – we can’t wait to share more about that later.” Ninja Theory have been bought by Microsoft as well, or at least signed up.
We’ll need to see more detail on what this “bring to Microsoft Studios” actually means. Glad Ninja has been picked up, though.
Fifth studio: Compulsion Games, makers of the recently banned We Happy Few.
0643: We Happy Few time.
We Happy Few drops August 10. You’ll need a VPN, anyway.
0645: Bit of PUBG love, as the Mixer stream lags to shit. Good stuff.
Oh, it’s an anime game on Xbox. That’s nice. And then Twitch stalls for me, so I’ve switched over to YouTube. Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition.
And here’s that Fallout 76 trailer, if you wanted to see more:
0649: This smells like The Division 2 for sure.
Time for some good old fake-team chat. Ah, Ubisoft, you never let us down.
Lot greener, more foliage, more life. Also, the fake team chatter isn’t quite as bad as usual. Some nice reflections in the water; that shimmering effect works nicely too.
0656: Head of engineering from Xbox Game Pass is talking about not having to choose between games. Straight ad for the subscription service so far.
Now talking about using machine learning to “invent” a way that starts games twice as quickly. “Unlike the ready to start system, faststart uses machine learning techniques based on how gamers actually play games,” we hear.
It’ll launch for select titles in the Xbox June update. Not really sure this is a game breaker for a ton of people, but the work on machine learning will be very handy down the road.
So as for what’s happening today: The Division, Fallout 4 and Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited all available through Xbox Game Pass.
0700: It’s ID@Xbox montage time. Below still doesn’t have a release date. The Xbox is getting a new golf game. There’s the Super Meat Boy expansion and Sable looks amazing.
0705: Shadow of the Tomb Raider gets a run – we’ll see a lot more of this tomorrow morning at Square though.
Next up: a console launch exclusive from crea-ture studios.
IT’S A SKATE GAME FINALLY
But not Skate 4: it’s called Session.
0706: A voiceover talking about losing her first lives, and working as a sorceress.
“Everything started to change when I started to ask the forbidden questions,” it continues. There’s a black stone in the middle of a desert.
This looks rather neat, actually. Ah, it’s Black Desert Online. Right then.
“All content shown rendered in engine and in real time.”
It’s a Capcom game featuring demons. It’s Devil May Cry 5.
The music is awful, though. Horrifically bad, almost. Due out autumn next year.
0713: Now, who’d like some Cuphead DLC?
That won’t drop until next year though. Next up: a game from a studio called Finji.
OMFG this fox is adorable.
Tunic is made by a one-person studio, Phil Spencer reveals afterwards.
0716: Bandai Namco’s new game. Finally. What are you making, Bandai?
Ah, there’s One Piece and it’s a cross-over game.
Is this anime Avengers?
0719: Next up is Dying Light 2. Bit of melee combat, and then Chris Avellone takes the stage.
That’s … an interesting choice for an Xbox briefing. What RPG have you got, sir? Oh, he’s actually the narrative director on Dying Light 2. That’s super intriguing.
He says “your choices” will have genuine consequences in the in-game world. A demo then plays illustrating how that works.
Avellone talks about being able to make hundreds of decisions.
0725: Battletoads is back!
I … what?
Now Just Cause 4 pops up, having already been spoiled by an ad on Steam. Thanks Valve!
0727: Another Gears game. But .. it’s cute?
It’s a Gears mobile game, Gears POP!. Drops next year. Looks a bit silly to have the gears logo on 40+ Xbox screens, though.
It’s a “unique mobile spin”, although Gears Tactics is being announced for PC too:
And Gears 5 is actually coming. Why not lead with that?
Gears Tactics does look pretty neat, amongst all that. Don’t mind the Gears 5 environments, either.
0735: Phil Spencer returns. We’re five minutes from wrapping up.
We’ve covered 50 games in total, and no Cyberpunk. Bloody hell. There’s time for one more game. Come on Phil.
Last piece: Xbox are working on a console-streaming service on any device. It’s the Xbox Steam Link!
The next Xbox is in development, too. We won’t see that for a couple of years, mind you. It’d be bizarre if it was manufactured before AMD’s 7nm process drops.
It’s Cyberpunk 2077 time.
0744: So that’s it, hitting just around the 100 minute mark with Cyberpunk 2077 to finish.
One of Xbox’s better conferences, although didn’t hear one iota about the console itself. This was all about games, reasons to buy the console.
What was your favourite game shown during the conference? Vote below…
0750: Note what we didn’t see: Red Dead Redemption 2. And no Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 either, which has always been a staple in Xbox conferences even with the Sony exclusivity.
But we’ll see them shortly enough. Beyond that, what’d you think? I thought it was better than previous years, or at least paced better. Some of the games looked pretty good too: Metro continues to look neat, and I’m fairly into a Gears XCOM game.
Either way, it’s time to chill for a bit (well, not for me) until Bethesda. See you in a couple of hours!
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