In the build-up to this year’s E3, Microsoft promised a conference to remember, and it certainly delivered a meaty showcase. Peppered into a slew of new game announcements that spanned world premiers and hotly anticipated titles were several notable new exclusives. It marked the return of some of the Xbox brand’s most iconic and recognizable IPs, as well as one or two new surprises.
Let’s recap all the exclusives we saw at the conference:
Halo: Infinity
Xbox One Exclusives E3 2018
A brand new Halo project is in the making, and though we didn’t get to see any actual gameplay footage there were some key takeaways from the trailer. Most notably, it served as a tone piece that seems to be teeing up that more poignant and substantial narrative we so desperately had hoped would form the basis of Halo 5 Guardians. It seems this time around 343 is determined to produce a more definitive storyline for its single-player campaign. Trailer
Gears of War 5, Tactics, and Pop
Xbox One Exclusives E3 2018
The announcement of not one but three separate Gears of War titles in the works was a big signal of intent from Microsoft. It’s clear that the Gears IP is destined to take the reigns as the company’s flagship series, transcending genres and even platforms with both a mobile and tactics spin-off sitting alongside the next mainline entry. Pop is sure to be a cute little distraction that helps boost brand identity for Gears, and the Gears franchise has always seemed ripe for a tactics style game.
The biggest takeaway, however, was obviously Gears of War 5. From what we saw, it’s looking far more like a story-driven third-person action game than the action-heavy cover shooter it always used to be. An evolution of the franchise is certainly a good thing. Dare we say it, though, Gears 5 looks as though it might be taking more than a few nods from Sony’s recent first-party library. Trailer
Forza Horizon 4
Xbox One Exclusives E3 2018
Rounding out the return of the holy trinity at this year’s E3 is a new Forza Horizon title – yes, we’re including the Horizon spin-off as part of that illustrious trio since developer Playground Games has now been officially absorbed into Microsoft’s first-party. Britain is the setting for the latest outing, which isn’t perhaps as exotic as previous games but fitting that Playground Games welcome to the Microsoft family will be a chance to show off its home country. We love the look of the changing seasons, and we’re looking forward to playing the chaos of its off-road action as a shared world experience online. Trailer
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Xbox One Exclusives E3 2018
As impressive as the heart-pounding action of Forza Horizon 4 and the intimidating beats of Gears of War 5 were, arguably the prettiest game of Microsoft’s conference was a 2.5D platformer. Ori and the Will of the Wisps looked utterly magical, with its beautiful artwork popping from the screen in vibrant, bright colors. The atmosphere it tees up is both charming and eerie at the same time, and we can’t wait to see where Ori’s next adventure takes us. Trailer
Battletoads
Xbox One Exclusives E3 2018
Battletoads is such an iconic franchise, and no we’re getting a reboot that’s sure to have retro game fans salivating. Unfortunately, we’ve nothing to go on except for a logo and some tongue-in-cheek comments regarding various gameplay features. We’ll have to wait a little longer to see whether this one is worth getting excited over.
Tunic
Xbox One Exclusives E3 2018
Originally announced as Secret Legend but now repacked as Tunic, the adorable Zelda-like really caught our eye. The isometric hack-and-slash combat, puzzles, aesthetic, and overall tone of the game were impressive, and the little fox protagonist looks set to make a big splash on Xbox One. Tunic launches as a console exclusive later in 2018.
That does it for the list of games announced at E3 that are actually exclusive to the Xbox One. We’re certainly impressed by the weight of Microsoft’s heavy-hitting franchises returning, but we still would have loved to have seen a new AAA IP. The intent, though, is clearly there, and with the studio acquisitions now in place, things are looking much brighter for the Xbox brand than they were this morning. Trailer
