Either the Xbox Game Studios (XGS) team needs more time, or Microsoft is tricking us.

The Redmond-based company has already confirmed that an Xbox Games Showcase will happen on July 23, at 4 PM UTC. In it, we will likely see mostly the XGS titles, or in other words, the exclusives (343 Industries: Halo Infinite, Rare: Everwild, new Obsidian title? new Playground Games title: Forza Horizon 5? new Fable?).

VentureBeat’s Jeff Gruff says The Initiative will not participate in the event, even though we have heard rumours claiming the opposite until now. The reason behind it might be timing – the studio was founded in 2018, and they need time to show their first game in high quality, and not with a fake trailer (BioWare has done so with Anthem). The studio was founded by Darrell Gallagher (ex-Activision, ex-Crystal Dynamics), signing people from several studios (Electronic Arts – DICE, Take-Two – Rockstar Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment San Diego). We don’t know what they could be developing, but we have previously discussed that they might be using Unreal Engine for the game, and Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, said they are doing „new things and old things in new ways.” (Perfect Dark?)

And this is their Twitter account, which is still in this wiped state. Are they showing their game in August, during the rumoured Xbox Series S (Lockhart – the weaker, smaller next-gen Xbox) reveal event?

Meanwhile, VGC claims based on its sources that Microsoft is encouraging developers to make their games’ next-gen upgrade available for free, barring them from making these paid DLC. (So if you bought their game for Xbox One, they are allegedly not allowed to charge you for the Xbox Series X upgrade.) Then again, the developers and publishers can decide what to do (such as offer the next-gen version cheaper if you have the current-gen one), while the XGS titles will have the Smart Delivery program, which we previously discussed in detail, and multiple third-party companies will make good use of it. (Such as SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku=Yakuza Studio with Yakuza: Like A Dragon.)

Xbox Games Showcase, on July 23.

Source: WCCFTech, DualShockers

Please support our page theGeek.games on Patreon, so we can continue to write you the latest gaming, movie and tech news and reviews as an independent magazine.
Become a Patron!