Xbox just held a Live Developer Showcase in January, which showcased some of the games coming to the platform. Below is information about the games shown.
Avowed
First up is Obsidian Entertainment, which introduced the upcoming fantasy role-playing game Avowed, set in the same universe as the studio’s Pillars of Eternity series. The introductory trailer emphasizes the game’s first-person combat style, which combines both melee combat with swords and ranged magic with wands. Avowed promises to focus on player choice, both in how you build your character, your play style, as well as story decisions throughout missions.
Avowed will launch on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and on Game Pass in the fall.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Next up is Ninja Theory, who offers a new look at Hellblade’s sequel, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. According to the studio, Hellblade II will follow in its predecessor’s footsteps as a “shorter, story-driven” experience. They also claim the game will be faithful to the story “up to a point”, but will include surreal elements from the original game.
Like its predecessor, Senua’s psychosis will play a major role in season 2, with her seeing hallucinations as she moves through the world, allowing for new dangers alongside her own. enemies she will have to face. This will manifest itself in threats in the game as well as voices or noises heard everywhere.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II will be available on PC and Xbox Series X/S and will be available to Game Pass subscribers on May 21.
Visions of Mana
Square Enix made a surprise appearance to introduce Visions of Mana, the latest installment in the rich fantasy RPG series Mana. Visions of Mana was originally announced at The Game Awards 2023 and seemed like a return to its roots after the failure of the mobile game. Square’s trailer includes a look at the open world, cute creatures, and the return of action-RPG combat.
Visions of Mana will launch on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in summer 2024.
Ara: History Untold
Oxide Games presents Ara: History Untold. The studio calls it a “living world” within a strategy game, with the decisions of gamers as leaders influencing everything, including the environment, culture, and even scientific advance. Ara will react to the player’s decisions, allowing them to feel the feeling of dominating civilization and advancing history in their own way.
Ara: History Untold will launch on PC and Game Pass in the fall.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Closing the program is the most anticipated name: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle of MachineGames. The head of Bethesda, Todd Howard, once talked about how he had always cherished a game about Indiana Jones, even specifying the period in the famous adventurer’s life that he wanted to make (somewhere between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade). Todd Howard believes that MachineGames is the right studio to realize what he dreams of.
The first trailer confirms the game will be a first-person action game, with third-person cutscenes. This isn’t too surprising considering MachineGames’ history, given what they’ve done in the Wolfenstein series. But the actual gameplay seems to combine Uncharted-style stationary situations and puzzle solving, as well as fast-paced shooting combat, alongside hand-to-hand brawls and the iconic whip.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be exclusive to Xbox and PC, despite originally being a cross-platform game before Xbox acquired Bethesda. It will launch in late 2024 and will be available on Game Pass.
