Microsoft’s annual gaming event is fast approaching, with the Xbox & Bethesda Showcase arriving in just a few days. Here are our predictions for what we could see.
The Xbox & Bethesda games showcase is coming, folks, and at the time of writing it’s less than a couple of days away.
We’ve already covered why Microsoft needs to go big or go home, and while the publisher is understandably keeping things close to its chest, we do have some idea of what we could see announced on Sunday.
With that in mind, here are our predictions for what we could see, as well as what we might not see, at the Xbox & Bethesda games showcase 2022.
Be sure to bookmark this page and come back after the event to tell us how wrong we were.
What we’re unlikely to see at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2022
Before we get into what we’re likely to see, let’s jump into what we may not.
Halo
For one, we think Halo Infinite will skip the event. Season 2 recently arrived and hasn’t been the big, player-grabbing event that it’s clear both Microsoft and 343 were hoping for. Reports have suggested that the game’s battle royale mode, codenamed Tatanka, is coming with a future season, as is campaign co-op.
Fable
We’re sorry to say, but it’s unlikely we’ll see any updates for Fable. The game was announced two years ago, but since the team at Playground Games was still staffing up for the project last year, it seems a stretch that we’re anywhere near release.
Activision Blizzard
We’re also not expecting a great deal of news pertaining to Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard which is expected to close in 2023. That’s not to say we won’t get a peek at Diablo 4 (Diablo 2 Resurrected appeared last year) or another look at Modern Warfare 2, but don’t expect anything tying those franchises to Xbox outside of additional marketing opportunities.
Xbox VR
Finally, while Sony presses forward with PSVR 2, it’s clear that VR just isn’t really of interest to Microsoft. We still expect some hardware, though…
What we might see at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2022
New Xbox hardware… sort of
EXCLUSIVE: Xbox "Keystone" is a cloud gaming streaming stick, currently undergoing further iteration at Microsoft.
Details: https://t.co/2WYp5h96qb #Xbox #XboxGamePass
— Jez (@JezCorden) May 26, 2022
Following a leak in May, it appears Xbox has confirmed that a product codenamed Keystone is, in fact, a streaming box or stick that brings cloud gaming to your TV.
In a statement provided to Windows Central, Microsoft said: “Our vision for Xbox Cloud Gaming is unwavering, our goal is to enable people to play the games they want, on the devices they want, anywhere they want.”
- Read more: Which Xbox model to buy in 2022
“We’ve been working on a game-streaming device, codename Keystone, that could be connected to any TV or monitor without the need for a console.”
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
It seems highly likely that we’ll get a look at whatever shape Keystone takes at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2022, especially since you can now stream your Xbox cloud games to Samsung TVs without needing a console.
Starfield and Redfall gameplay
Starfield was slated to be Xbox’s biggest game of 2022, but it’s been shifted to 2023 instead. Still, after a series of “in-engine” showings, we’re finally expecting to see some gameplay of Bethesda’s ambitious sci-fi RPG. We wouldn’t be surprised for it to feature as prominently as Fallout 4 did prior to its launch in 2015.
Then there’s Redfall, with Arkane Studios’ vampire-slaying co-op shooter expected this Summer before also being delayed into next year. We’re yet to see gameplay, outside of some leaks, so we’re excited to learn more about the wild powers the developer is known for mix with the chaotic gunplay.
Gears of War will return
We’re not expecting anything more than a teaser for Gears 6, but with rumors of a Master Chief Collection style package of older titles, it could be that Marcus Fenix and co are back to salvage Xbox’s slim Holiday 2022 lineup.
Forza Motorsport gameplay and release date
In what could also be a big boost for Xbox’s 2022 lineup, it feels about the right time to get a look at the Forza Motorsport reboot.
We’ve not seen it since before the Series S & X launched, and Forza is riding high thanks to the excellent Horizon 5. Could we see it and get a date, too?
Still, if nothing else, it appears we’ll be playing Horizon 5’s Hot Wheels DLC.
Deathloop comes back round again
One of Dexerto’s game of the year picks for last year, Deathloop’s supernatural, time-bending assassination playbox is likely to come to Xbox in the coming months as its Sony exclusivity expires.
It’s also likely to be a day one Game Pass addition, meaning subscribers are going to get access to one of this generation’s finest titles at no extra cost.
Game Pass to take center stage
Xbox Game Pass has become a core part of Microsoft’s strategy, and it always gets plenty of new additions as part of June’s gaming events.
- Read more: Everything coming to Xbox Game Pass in June
Expect a surprise new addition, but we also think Microsoft will go big on a 2022 third-party title. After the lukewarm response to its gameplay reveal, our guess (and it is a guess) is that Gotham Knights could be one that Microsoft looks to as a tentpole Q4 release.
What else?
Xbox has a whole load of studios, but we’re still waiting to see what many of them are working on. We could get Indiana Jones info from Machine Games, or a glimpse of Rare’s Everwild, and there’s plenty more. One thing’s for sure — we’re excited.
Those are our predictions for the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2022. What are you hoping to see?
