Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase 2022 live report
Tune in at 6pm BST Forza all the news and reveals as they happen.
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It's the big one! Well okay it's the only one, as Microsoft is the sole platform holder to fully put on a show during not-E3 week, and understandably expectations are high. Will we see the recently delayed Starfield? Is it time for an update on Fable? And perhaps now's as good a time as any for the long-awaited reboot of the Forza Motorsport series. There's only one way to find out for sure! Join us at 6pm BST for all the fun as it happens.
Our live coverage of this event has finished.
Well hello there!
Today's live report isn't coming to you from a shed in south London and is instead coming from the inexplicably less glamorous surrounds of a hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
We've been over for Summer Games Fest these past few days, checking out games and chatting to devs (some of the first fruits of which you'll see hitting the site shortly).
And it's been... interesting?
Is it E3 or isn't it? Is this the future of shows like this? Will we ever get anything on the scale of E3 again?
I honestly do not know the answers to any of those, but I will say that the physical show they put on for Summer Games Fest was a modest but decent start for having these kinds of things back.
It's not so much about the quality of games - though with Sonic Frontiers there (I'm not sure I'm allowed to say as coverage is embargoed for a bit, but that didn't exactly stop people from grabbing shots of it on the showfloor these past few days and posting it online) as well as Street Fighter 6 there were enough big ticket games.
Plus Skybound Games had the excellent Glitch Busters and personal highlight of the show Vice Undercover, while Day of the Devs had ustwo's latest joint and legends like Glen Schofield and Aaryn Flynn were on-hand to chat their latest projects.
There's been enough to keep us busy, basically!
For all that, you can't replace the excitement of a proper platform holder show - for me that's what E3 is really all about.
It's just under 90 minutes until kick-off - excuse me while I go quiet for a while so I can attempt to write up some of what I've seen the last few days!
Kami says: The question is; does Martin's hotel room have a decently stocked minibar? :PIt bloody well does not. There's not even teamaking facilities, though of course that's always the way in US hotels. It's still shite though.
I miss my shed, basically.
Umang says: Hey, Martin, have you stocked yourself with a decent amount of beer, though? It might end up been a loooong night!It's just coming up to 9am in the morning in LA, so I'm steering clear of the beers for now!
MrZappa says: Porridge then?I had a Starbucks because I've zero imagination (also it's close and convenient)
Downtown LA's not a particularly fun place to go for a morning stroll to be quite honest.
Hophi says: Hmm, shouldn't the subheading be "Tune in at 6pm BST Forza news and reveals as they happen." Not "...Forza all the news..." Or am I missing something.I'm missing sleep so I'm blaming that. I believe it's fixed!
EXPECTATION MANAGEMENT TIME!
It's highly doubtful there'll be anything on Perfect Dark given its development issues, and without wanting to cause undue alarm I don't think we'll be seeing Fable for similar reasons.
Forza Motorsport and Avowed seem like safe bets - as does a glimpse at what's next for Halo Infinite and perhaps a nice expansion for Forza Horizon 5.
Phil has promised a couple of surprises - could we see the leaked KojPro game, or perhaps news of a new partnership?
Malek86 says: Still issues with the comments here. I see them in the smallest window ever. Not sure if it's a bug, or a feature to keep my sanity at manageable level.It looks fine this end but if you can take a screenshot and send it to me at martin@eurogamer.net - this new look live report feature still might need some fine tuning so happy to help where we can!
This isn't a live show, by the way - it's a 90 minute pre-recorded video that promises gameplay reveals.
There are some live screenings of it with fans in attendance - including one a few blocks away from here at LA Live.
If you head over there right now and see all the Xbox signage and a small crowd of expectant fans you could almost squint and convince yourself you're back at E3 proper.
It's been a slightly odd sensation being in Downtown LA at this time in June. There's still a massive takeover of the Figueroa Hotel with a big Modern Warfare 2 hoarding, there's still a contingent of hungover UK journos trying to fix their heads with coffee at the event space in the morning but everything's a bit muted.
spookelectric says: I just want Virtua Fighter 6 and Outrun 3. ?Oh please! That'd be the absolute dream.
PixelDragon says: I've just finished off a large bag of Rowntree's Juicers and now I feel sick.I have some special gummie bears here from a very special shop that they seem to have in California but I'm saving them for just before the flight home.
abcz says: It's almost Morbin time!I hate that I get this. Just as much as I hate how many times I've watched the Matt Smith dance video from Morbius now. It's very... compelling?
Bertie says: I hope you are having fun in your hotel robe and slippers.Fashion update! I'm fully dressed as I need to check out of the hotel some 15 minutes after the show ends. The glamour of reporting on the road!
The hotel robe does look quite comfy, mind. Almost makes up for the smell of dog wee in the hotel room.
Kami says: I've just made a pot of very posh earl grey tea, just love having a usable kitchen again!I've only been in the US since Thursday night and I miss tea so much. I don't think I'm made out for travelling any more.
doctorwho94 says: Maybe a world pack / expansion for Flight Simulator?I'd only just got stuck into the Top Gun Maverick expansion before I left. It's bloody ace - feels like hotlapping has made its way into Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Two minutes to go! Am I excited? It's so hard to tell anymore!
But as we're on the cusp of seeing Starfield running for the first time proper, let's go with 'excited'.
Kami says: If you're ever in my area Martin, I will have a pot of tea and cake/cookies/muffins on hand!If could bring some over to LA right now that'd also be ace!
Weebleman says: Alright martin, its been a while. I'll take the usual pint of 'how longs this one on for' please.90 minutes, we're told.
God the Morbius jokes in the chat on the stream are already unbearable.
I think the joke might be a bit old now people.
HERE WE GO!
We've got an age warning too! WOOHOO!
Does that mean swearing? Nudity? Gore? Maybe a gory nude doing a swear!
Malek86 says: Sooooo... about that JSRF?If Jet Set Radio Future does appear somehow I will be nude, gory and swearing.
And we're up and running!
Oh wow! It really is Morbius.
Or Redfall, Arkane's new thing, even.
smenj says: So, Prey but supernatural?I mean that sounds like enough to get excited for.
Weebleman says: Well, at least it aint in spaceAnd also this. It's funny how these things seem to come in small crowds, isn't it? I got to speak to Glen Schofield about it yesterday and was understandably a bit miffed about the remake of his old space horror game coming out so close to his new space horror game.
Redfall, though! It looks like an Arkane game - which is to say stylish and with some tangy systems, this time with a supernatural twist. Oh, and vampires!
Kami says: Left 4 Vampires? Vampires 4 Blood? (Both sound like terrible movies...)Terrible movies, but quite promising foundations for a game?
There's a much bigger action focus here than we've seen in previous Arkane games, no doubt because of the co-op play it supports. It does look like a departure from Arkane's earlier games, even if it's unquestionably their work.
Credit to Microsoft and Bethesda too - this is a proper gameplay reveal.
As we've just had five minutes of nothing but gameplay. It's a small thing, but it really helps!
Confirmed for a 2023 release. And wait, what's this?
Hollow Knight Silk Song at long last!
Do we get a release date? We're certainly getting a lot of gameplay.
It's coming to Game Pass!
But when? I guess that little bit of all-important information will have to wait.
Squanch Games, them that made the Rick and Morty-themed Trover Saves the Universe, are back for more Rick and Morty themed things.
Leading to 'Rick and Morby' jokes which really feels like the internet has run its course. Anyway, here's High on Life, coming in October 2022.
So here's the deal! Everything we're seeing from now on out will be in the next 12 months. And there's confirmation we will be seeing Starfield.
And 30 other titles besides! Ooh this is going to be busy.
From leftfield - well, not exactly leftfield seeing as they're one of the biggest games companies in the world - but here's Riot.
League of Legends, Valorant and more are all coming to Game Pass.
Well, they're free-to-play - but you'll get perks via Game Pass.
It feels a bit odd saying here are some free-to-play games coming to Game Pass, but I guess they'll be stickier with the perks on offer.
So for example in Valorant you'll have all agents unlocked if playing on Game Pass.
It is the kind of thing that would make me finally check out Valorant.
Before quickly noping out when seeing how toxic the communities are.
Anyway, that's all for Game Pass on PC and Mobile and is something of a big deal.
As is this, the next game from the Flight Sim studio!
As in it's the new Plague Tale, and it looks very assured. What a flexible studio Asobo turned out to be!
MrZappa says: Are all of these games 8 bit or is my stream just crap?They were confirmed to be running on the new 8 bit console (sorry about the stream quality)
FORZA IS HERE!
It looks a lot like old Forza.
It's coming Spring 2013 - will we find out any more about it beyond that trailer?
Ah yes we will - here's Dan Greenawalt and the game's director Chris Esaki. It's the most technically advanced racing game ever apparently!
Dynamic time of day is in, as is real-time raytracing which we're seeing in action at fictional circuit Maple Valley.
Have they fixed the godawful handling though? They say there's a 48x improvement in the accuracy of the simulation - but what does that mean, and how does it feel? I guess we won't find out for a while.
Weather and dynamic time are features of every track - take that Gran Turismo.
Oh my god.
They're talking about how track temp changes which is all well and good and standard.
But they've put the ill-fated Ginetta LMP1 car in there.
Like a lot of Ginettas, it had a tendency to set itself on fire. Or just not get moving at all.
A bold choice, basically.
I can't wait to see how it feels on-track - the raytracing stuff is all well and good but Forza really needed the most attention paid to how it handled. Not long to wait, though, as Spring 2023 will come around soon enough.
And before all that - gliders and helicopters in Microsoft Flight Sim!
An update timed for the 40th anniverary and coming in Noveber this year.
Ha, and what's this - the Pelican is also coming to Microsoft Flight Simulator. Do we also get to fly around a Halo ring?
The Pelican lands today.
Overwatch 2 next!
The Morbius jokes persist in the chat on the stream. I wish I could just turn the internet off sometimes.
Malek86 says: So what's the word on the OW2 beta? I hear it's mostly the same as the original, which feels like a bit of a missed chance.I heard it's mostly the same as the original which is a bit of a missed chance (Bertie played it and pretty much said the same!)
Confirmation, if you didn't know, what Overwatch 2 will be free-to-play unlike its predecessor. Which makes sense, really - the price tag of the original game never made sense given the fairly aggressive monetisation within.
Is this a new Firaxis strategy? A new Age of Empires? I'm sorry, I'm clueless when it comes to smarter games like this.
It's Ara History Untold - I've not heard of it before but it looks nice and familiar!
Here's Pete Meanz Heinz for the Bethesda bit.
Which means Redfall, The Elder Scrolls Online and...
Oh wait hold up a bit here's a trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online's High Isle update which is out next week first.
melnificent says: Thought that was civ 7 for a minuteGlad it wasn't just me!
Hold up a bit longer! Here's something on Fallout 76's The Pitt expansion which is coming later this year.
Then we'll get the big one?
Wet 2 that is lolololol.
Sorry that joke's as old as the Morbius ones clogging up the stream.
It's Starfield time... Oh wait, it's not.
Todd Howard will be along to show that later - so perhaps it's being saved as the big climax of the show.
We have the inevitable but nevertheless welcome Hot Wheels expansion for Forza Horizon 5 before that.
Ark 2 stars Vin Diesal - I think I knew that but forgot, and now I'm reminded of it that's a wonderful thing - and it's coming to Xbox.
And Game Pass too, obviously, though that feels like it goes without saying at this point.
This looks like Scorn, the grimdark Giger-inspired FPS.
It looks very stylish, and we've got a release date of October 21 which is welcome - it feels like it's been a long while coming.
Johnboyeee says: Do you think we’ll be able to play any of these games day one with Game Pass?I really couldn't say.
Kami says: Demo was what, four years ago? Five?Has it been that long? It actually kind of feels like it has.
Apologies for skipping Flintlock - it looks fine but unremarkable.
Now, though, we've got the world exclusive reveal of a new Mojang thing.
A new Minecraft thing, to be precise.
Minecraft Legends, a strategy spin on Mojang's staple that's coming next Spring.
It's hard to get a handle on what exactly it is when watching it via a 4-inch window on my laptop monitor - but it looks like a zoomed back take on Minecraft. Er, with more strategy.
Come here for the insight, stay for the potential of me falling asleep on my keyboard at any point.
A cutesy Mech surivial game, Lightyear Frontier looks like an awful fun time.
A quickfire montage to help us get to that count of 30 titles - is anyone actually keeping score? We're just over halfway through the show now and it feels like we're on target to see *a lot* of things. Like Gunfire Reborn, for example!
And The Last Case of Benedict Fox, a side scrolling adventure that's trying to make the name Benedict cool. And doing a pretty good job of it - that looked distinct.
Interactive dramaa As Dusk Falls is next - it's got the rotoscoped look of some of Richard Linklater's films like A Scanner Darkly.
Okay now we've seen it in action it looks less prestige drama and more something funky on Paramount's streaming services.
But hey it does look different!
And yay for having fellow chubby men as the lead in games. There's always that.
Another Console Launch Exclusive!
For Naraka Bladepoint, Netease's PvP action game that's been wowing on PC.
It's a different take on the battle royale, essentially - and it's coming to Xbox on June 23.
A World Premiere people!
The guessing game in the early moments of these reveals is always exciting, sometimes edgy.
The guessing game in the early moments of these reveals is always exciting, sometimes edgy.
Will you guess the game right? Will you think it's something new and exciting until people point out it's been on PC for a year where it's a bestseller?
Or will it be something cool like Pentiment that looks like a playable Bayeaux tapestry?
You can never tell!
Like I was just about to say this was a new trailer for Mythforce because those 80s kids TV vibes.
I would have been totally wrong though! It's instead an update for Obsidian's Grounded.
I would have been totally wrong though! It's instead an update for Obsidian's Grounded.
You're always on your toes, basically.
It's finally leaving Early Access, though, with the full game coming this September.
See, now I'm lost again - it's a new game from publisher Raw Fury, it has robots that look like they've come from Chappie and you can smash them in the face in a Tenchu-style stealth game with supernatural elements.
And it's called Freban - out 2023.
There's a relentless pace to this showcase, which is very welcome - they're showing off a lot - but makes it hard to have anything soak in.
These vampire games really aren't helping kill the Morbius chat off in the stream comments either.
It's Diablo 4, which now has a proper name.
Oh no it doesn't I misread the press release that just came in.
See, it's exciting isn't it? Anyway we're getting confirmation that the necromancer class is returning for Diablo 4.
I hadn't realised this was Diablo - we're used to seeing big lush cinematics and those cutscenes seemed quite budget in comparison.
In action, though, this does look like everything Diablo 4 promised to be - grim, gory and full of action.
Indeed, a proper open world Diablo looks very compelling indeed.
There's a dedicated PvP zone where if you get too good you'll be marked out so people will hunt you down for your loot, and there's some lip service being paid to the end game right now.
A 2023 release, confirmed for consoles and PC. Next year is going to be so busy.
Thankfully we've got the likes of Sea of Thieves to keep us tided over until then.
This feels more like a reminder of what's to be enjoyed in Sea of Thieves - which is fair enough, as there's a lot there with Season 7 bringing even more when it launches on July 21.
OMG is this Fable Legends returning?
I mean of course it isn't but wouldn't that be a thing.
It is instead Ravenlok, another 2023 release.
(That's also coming to Game Pass, of course).
A new Annapurna game now, this time from one of the talents behind Limbo and Inside.
And it looks aptly arty, enigmatic and melancholic given the track record.
Cocoon - another 2023 release. And probably not a tie-in with those amazing 80s sci-fi films.
Oh wow - a new Team Ninja game next. A new Nioh? Some kind of grimdark musou?
I'm playing the guessing game again, but this one really looks interesting.
Wolong Fallen Dynasty - another 2023 release, and presumably tying in somehow to the team's Dynasty Warriors series?
Perhaps most significantly it heralds a partnership between Microsoft and Team Ninja and more work begin done with Japanese devs.
Like Shin Megami Tensei coming to Xbox by way of Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5.
Malek86 says: There's like 300 hours of JRPGing hereThat feels like a conservative estimate.
Here's the big one then.
Kojima and Microsoft are best friends confirmed.
And here's what they're working on - using Microsoft's cloud technology to help bring Kojima's horror vision to life.
Kami says: I didn't hate Death Stranding!Seeing how Sony moved quickly on maybe they did?
I spoke too soon about the Kojima announcement - it seems they're not ready to reveal the project, but it's odds-on that it'll be the recently leaked horror project.
Around 10 minutes left, which feels like a perfectly Starfield-shaped whole to fill.
And indeed, we're ending on the big gameplay reveal of Starfield - we won't get to play it this year, but it's damn nice to see that it's an actual real video game we might get to play at some point soon.
SBandy says: If Goldeneye Remastered is a thing, maybe Nintendo gets the reveal.That actually makes some sort of sense? There was convincing word we'd be getting a Nintendo Direct next week which would be a nice opportunity to do so.
smenj says: Todd, please just tell us you've changed the engine finally...
Is it a Bethesda Studios game if it doesn't look a bit janky?
This doesn't actually look that janky.
ToastyJC says: The preroll said "Xbox Console Exclusive" Does that mean no PC?That means the only console it's coming to is Xbox - it'll be on PC too!
I mean it looks every inch the Bethesda Game Studios title with its exploration and slightly stiff third-person animation and combat.
It actually looks like a murkier No Man's Sky with its crafting and laser-mining tool.
There's a first-person shooter element that looks... functional.
And confirmation that lockpicking Bethesda-style is still a thing in the future of Starfield.
There's some more life in the captial city that's being explored - but after such a protracted wait I can't help but be a bit disappointed by Starfield.
These games aren't technical showcases, mind - they only come alive when you get to explore their worlds for yourselves so let's not read too much into it all right now.
Bennyjj81 says: Recommended. Saved you guys a job Martin. You're welcome.Printing this review now. Thanks!
See, this is the good stuff - the character creator that's looking enjoyably in-depth.
Skills can be levelled up and *ranked* up by using those skills in the field.
You can build outposts and hire characters to keep them up and running.
And you can build your own space ship and staff it with your own crew members.
And now this is coming into focus a bit more it's looking a lot more impressive - the visuals are typically underwhelming, but the possibilities of what you can do in the world seem truly exciting.
Like flying a ship!
I was not expecting to be reminded of No Man's Sky so much.
The space combat looks more convincing than the terrestrial combat.
And now we've seen it all together Starfield is indeed looking impressive.
We're finishing with a glimpse of the game's scale - see that moon over there? You can go there!
Or any of over 1000 planets. This will be a big game.
And that was a proper big video game show.
Quite something Microsoft put together there - ending on Starfield helped, but the KojPro news was something of an old-fashioned megaton (even if it had already leaked) and we got decent looks at Forza and Diablo with some nice new surprises besides.