Microsoft recently confirmed that the Xbox E3 2015 Press Conference will take place at 9:30 a.m. PST on the 15th of June. The company is already planning a strong lineup of Xbox One releases slated for later this year. Below, you can find our list of game announcements and showcases to expect in the upcoming media briefing.
Announced Exclusives
Halo 5: Guardians – The biggest Xbox One exclusive release this year is easily Halo 5: Guardians. With the multiplayer beta already done, we expect the company to finally show off the campaign. After the disappointing Halo 4 and the online issues of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, the 343 Industries development team has plenty to prove at E3 2015.
Halo 5: Guardians is available for preorder with this link on Amazon.
Gears of War 4 – In 2014, Microsoft bought the Gears of War franchise from Epic Games while announcing that the next installment of the series will be developed by Black Tusk Studios. While it may be a little early to provide an extensive look at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, a short teaser could be possible. Not to mention that a remastered version of the first Gears of War for the Xbox One will most likely make an appearance as its existence has been already been leaked.
Fable Legends – The first gameplay video of Fable Legends, which was shown at E3 2014, had long time fans of the series worrying. Instead of a traditional RPG experience, Lionhead Studios opted to go with a free-to-play multiplayer game. Hopefully, the development team will have a better showing for this year’s event before the game becomes available.
Forza Motorsport 6 – To no one’s surprise, Forza Motorsport 6 is coming to the Xbox One later this year. So Turn 10 Studios should be showcasing the racing simulator heavily at E3 2015, especially when you considered that Sony might be showing off Gran Turismo 7 at the same event as well.
Pre-purchase Forza Motorsport 6 here.
Crackdown – Crackdown was one of many games that were announced via a computer-generated trailer at last year’s convention. Hopefully, Microsoft has something more to show (especially with the cloud-based destruction) in the open-world action game.
Reserve Crackdown via this page.
Scalebound – One of the more exciting upcoming Xbox One exclusives is Scalebound, a new intellectual property from Hideki Kamiya, the director behind Bayonetta and Devil May Cry. The E3 2014 trailer showed off an epic battle between the character and gigantic monsters. Hopefully, we will be able to see actual gameplay at E3 2015.
You can preorder Scalebound on this link.
Quantum Break – Quantum Break was initially slated to arrive this year before getting delayed until 2016. The new intellectual property from the creators behind Alan Wake and Max Payne adds a time manipulation element to the third-person shooting formula. With any luck, we will get some sort of an update on the promising game at the Microsoft Press Conference.
Reserve Quantum Break here.
Phantom Dust – Phantom Dust was also shown in CG form at E3 2014. Unfortunately, it looks like the project is in jeopardy as the development team, Darkside Games, was shut down. With that said, Microsoft is still saying that the reboot will still happening. However, the new version will most likely won’t be at this year’s convention.
Third-Party Partnerships
Fans can also expect to see some third-party partnerships, such as the upcoming Rise of the Tomb Raider and The Division, being shown at the event. You can find a list of the other third-party games that we think will have some sort of Xbox One exclusivity attached to them at the press conference.
Joe Montana Football 16 – Madden NFL 16 won’t be the only football game in town this year. Joe Montana Football 16 marks the return of the classic game series for the current-gen. Rumors are swirling that the Unreal 4 powered title may be exclusive to the Xbox One. With E3 coming up, there is no better time to make a strong first impression.
Mass Effect 4 – Before becoming a multiplatform series, the Mass Effect brand started out as exclusive to Xbox. So it wouldn’t surprise us to see Microsoft strike a deal with Electronic Arts to get the marketing rights, and possibly first access to DLC packs, for the next Mass Effect game.
Fallout 4 – Another partnership that may be happening is Fallout 4, which will most likely be announced at the E3 2015. Microsoft previously teamed up with Bethesda to get timed-exclusive expansions for Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. With the hype surrounding Fallout 4 being through the roof, Microsoft can really help their Xbox one image by associating it with the highly-anticipated sequel.
Rumored Games
Finally, let’s check out a few rumored games that could show up at the Microsoft’s E3 media briefing.
Battletoads – After being relegated to Kinect games, Rare appears to be making a big comeback when it comes to developing more traditional games. A new Battletoads installment has been heavily hinted with Phil Spence wearing a t-shirt with the game’s logo along with the boss battle hint from the Xbox One version of Shovel Knight. So it looks like fans of the classic series, and Rare in general, should have plenty to look forward to at the media briefing.
Halo Wars 2 – Another potential announcement that may occur at E3 2015 is Halo Wars 2. Although Ensemble Studios has been shut down, Phil Spencer has shown some interests in continuing the real-time strategy spin-off to the first-person shooting franchise. Not to mention that the Phantom Dust E3 2014 teaser trailer include an Easter Egg from the first game. Hopefully, we will learn more about the sequel sooner rather than later.
Minecraft 2 – Last fall, Microsoft spent $2.5 billion dollars to purchase Minecraft. With such a big investment, we expect to see some kind of mention of the brand at the press conference. Even if it is not Minecraft 2, which will mostly happen sooner or later, the company could still show off some exclusive content for the Xbox editions of the original.
As you can see above, there are more than enough reasons to check out the Microsoft Xbox E3 2015 Press Conference.