Microsoft E3 Press Conference: Xbox puts on a stunning showcase

Microsoft has just wrapped up its annual press conference at E3 2018 and boy did it put on a stunning show this year. It had everything from exclusive blockbusters, third-party juggernauts and plenty of intriguing indies. Microsoft also detailed plans for its future, leaving us wanting more after an incredible showcase of games. 

Trusted Reviews has compiled everything you need to know about the Microsoft E3 2018 press conference including how to watch it and all the big announcements from the show.

Microsoft E3 2018 Press Conference Summary – How was it?

What a phenomenal show that was. Microsoft had something to prove this year and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The company had over 50 games showcased during its conference, many of which were massive exclusives and third-party blockbusters launching in the next 12 months. Of course, it also featured plenty of indie darlings and a huge number of reveals we simply didn’t expect. Be sure to check out our pages on each of the games for the full details.

First up was Halo Infinite, a new entry in the sci-fi shooter series which will utilise new engine technology. Little else is known about it at the moment, but that didn’t stop its reveal at the start of the show from starting a trail of momentum that didn’t let up. From Software’s Shadows Die Twice also saw its first gameplay reveal, teasing a Dark Souls-esque adventure which seems to focus more on narrative than past games from the studio and takes us to an archaic Japanese setting, while Capcom revealed Devil May Cry 5 with an absurdly stylish trailer.

Fallout 76 received its second trailer while other upcoming titles such as Crackdown 3, Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Kingdom Hearts 3 received fantastic chunks of new footage we couldn’t help get excited about.

The final third of the show was where things got kicked into overdrive, with a range of exciting reveals for Forza Horizon 4, Just Cause 4, Gears of War 5 and the one and only Cyberpunk 2077. It was a standout show, and you can catch up with all the trailers and info below and across Trusted Reviews. 

If you want even more detail then you can watch the conference in its entirety below, or else scroll down for our liveblog where we detailed each of the announcements as they happened.

Microsoft E3 2018 Press Conference – How can I watch it?

The live stream may now be over, but you can still watch a recorded version of the conference on YouTube. We’ve embedded the video below for your viewing pleasure.

 

Microsoft E3 2018 Press Conference Live Blog – Everything as it happened

2100: The show has begun! Microsoft has opened this year’s conference with a trailer for Halo Infinite, a new title in the series powered by the Slipspace Engine. Now, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer takes the stage to explain exactly what we just saw.

Phil Spencer is expanding upon the potential of gaming and how it possesses no barriers between race, gender or religion. A genuinely sweet message before diving into the nitty gritty of tonight’s showcase. Tonight will feature 50 titles, 18 games with exclusivity and 15 world premieres.

2107: First up is a trailer for Ori and The Will of the Wisps. First teased last year, the gorgeous platformer takes place across a charmingly magical landscape filled with plenty to explore and puzzles to solve. It’s coming to Xbox One and Windows 10 in 2019.

2110: From Software’s Shadows Die Twice has been revealed and it’s being published by Activision, which is quite a surprising reveal in itself. Now known as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, it’s coming to all platforms in 2019.

2113: Todd Howard has taken the stage to present Fallout 76. But, before showing something new, Fallout 4 is now available on Xbox Game Pass. It’s a prequel to all games in series and is four times the size of Fallout 4. Set in the hills of West Virginia, you emerge from Vault 76 twenty years after atom bombs ended life as we know it.

2117: DONTNOD Entertainment’s Life is Strange has had a sequel in development for a while now, and now we’re finally catching a glimpse of it. Well, it’s more of a standalone effort it seems. It’s coming to Xbox on June 26th, and follows a young boy with a massive imagination as he explores planets, fights monsters and more.

2119: Terry Crews is here for a new trailer for Crackdown 3, and it seems he’s a starring role in the upcoming open-world title. Crackdown 3 is coming in February 2019 after a recent delay.

2120: NieR: Automata is coming to Xbox One as the Become As Gods Edition with all previously released DLC and enhancements for Microsoft’s Xbox One X console. It’s dropping on June 26, which is just a couple of weeks away!

2123: Metro Exodus is here with a new trailer showcasing a grim open world and a plethora of wonderful gameplay systems. It looks like something special, and will also include special enhancements for Xbox owners.

2125: Kingdom Hearts 3 is here with a brand new trailer, revealed a world set in the Frozen universe. Princess Elsa can be seen alongside the hugely popular film’s ensemble cast. The usual suspects of light, darkness, hearts and poppy bangers in the soundtrack are here in full.

2132: After a brief look at Battlefield 5’s War Stories, Microsoft is revealed a new racer in the form of Forza Horizon 4 with a stunning trailer featuring an abundance of vehicles, weather effects and outrageous terrain. Set in Britain, Horizon 4 features a huge, shared open world for players to explore and complete events within.

2138: Forza Horizon 4 will feature four dynamic seasons dictate how the game plays in exciting ways. Forza Horizon 4 is coming to Xbox One and Window 10 on October 2 and will be on Xbox Game Pass at launch!

2140: Phil Spencer returns to the stage to announce the creation of a brand new Microsoft studio: The Initiative. Undead Labs, the developer behind State of Decay 2, has also been purchased and is now part of Microsoft Game Studios. Playground Games, the creators of Forza Horizon, has also been acquired by Microsoft. Finally, Ninja Theory, the minds behind Hellblade, has also been purchased by the company. That’s not all! Compulsion Games has been purchased, too. Microsoft has been on a crazy spending spree.

2144: Compulsion Games’ We Happy Few takes the stage with a new trailer. This one seems to focus specifically on a story-driven mode of sorts. It’s being published by Gearbox Studios and will available in full on August 10, 2018.

2146: PlayerUnknown Battleground’s 1.0 will be arriving on Xbox One in Winter 2018. At the time of writing it’s part of the Xbox Preview Programme. Next up is Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition. The classic JRPG will receive visual and gameplay enhancements on Xbox One.  It’s launching this Winter, too!

2149: The Division 2 receives its first trailer and will take players to Washington D.C. It seems far more ambitious than the original in terms of scope and visual style, as the demo seems to take place in a city overgrown by leaves and other foliage.

2154: As usual, teamwork will play a critical role in The Division 2 as you work alongside friends to complete missions, defeat enemies and gather a bunch of sweet loot. It looks very similar to the first in terms of gameplay, but looks impressive nonetheless.

2158: Microsoft is improving how quickly titles will start on Xbox One platforms in future updates. Xbox Game Pass is also set to receive new games in the form of Halo: The Master Chief Collection and a bunch of upcoming Microsoft exclusives. Sounds good to us. Today, Fallout 4, Elder Scrolls Online and The Division are available on Game Pass.

2201: Time for an indie sizzle reel from ID@Xbox and a new trailer for Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

2205: Session, which looks an awful lot like Skate, is a new skateboarding title which was previously kickstarted earlier this year. The next duo of games is Pearl Abyss and Black Desert, the latter of which is an online MMORPG with a staggeringly good character creator.

2207: Devil May Cry 5 has officially been announced after a bunch of rumours and it looks totally rad. Coming in Spring 2019, it seems to star Nero as the main character while Dante appears to be the primary antagonist.

22:14 Cuphead is receiving an expansion in 2019, so expect some hard-as-nails platforming in the months to come. Up next is Tunic, an adorable indie dungeon crawler with a stunning graphical style.

2218: A new title from Bandai Namco featuring the likes of Naruto, Dragonball Z, One Piece and more has been revealed in the form of Jump Force. It’s anime as hell and we dig it. You can play it in 2019.

2220: Dying Light 2 is the new entry from Techland’s zombie series and seems to feature the same mixture of parkour, melee combat and terrifying encounters with the undead. Check out the trailer below:

The last game’s formula has been expanded with dialogue choices and moral dilemmas which will have a noticeable impact on how the world evolves around you. Survivors need water and food, and you can directly influence that as the game progresses.

2225: Battletoads is being rebooted. Yes, you definitely heard that right. The polarising retro hit will be back in 2019. Now we’re moving onto the world premiere of Avalanche Studio’s Just Cause 4, which was leaked ahead of tonight’s event.

2228: Gears of War is getting a mobile app in the form of Gears Pop. Now, a member of The Coalition has taken to the stage to chat about all things Gears of War. First up is Gears Tactics, a PC exclusive tactics title set 12 years before the first game.

2231: Gears of War 5 has been revealed. Kait from Gears 4 is the playable lead this time around as she sets out to discover the truth behind her family and the returning locust horde. It seems it will place a greater focus on an emotional narrative alongside all the running and gunning. It’s launching in 2019.

2237: Phil Spencer is closing the conference by talking about the future of Xbox, and the studio hopes to set the benchmark for console gaming and is committed to becoming the leader in first-party development moving forward. A very bold thing to say, but after today, Microsoft might just do it.

2239: It’s not over yet! CD Projekt Red is closing the show with a new trailer for the long-awaited Cyberpunk 2077. It looks fantastic, and you can see for yourself below:

What did you think of Microsoft’s E3 2018 press conference? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter @trustedreviews.