6 Wild Predictions That Would Make XO18 Worthwhile

XO18 is this weekend, and it’s shaping up to be Microsoft’s answer to PSX, especially since there won’t be a PSX this year. Whether it proves to be as big as people hope remains to be seen but here are some announcements that might help Microsoft stick the landing.

6 Wild Predictions That Would Make XO18 Worthwhile

New Battletoads Trailer

At E3 2018, Microsoft hit us with a teaser trailer announcing the return of Battletoads. The game is being developed by Rare again and is set for a 2019 release.

What we’d love to see at XO18 is Microsoft showcase not only a new trailer but the game’s three-player couch co-op elements with an on-stage demonstration.

It doesn’t seem too out of left field considering Battletoads is set to come out in 2019. It only makes sense that they’d hit us with some more information, and a potential release date before we get into its release year, right?

Given the lack of any actual images of the game in action thus far, it’s a safe bet that XO18 will give people something more to talk about before we get into 2019.

Here’s a bonus moment that would this even wilder: Nintendo comes out at the end of this Battletoads presentation, and announce them as DLC fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! Now wouldn’t that be something?

6 Wild Predictions That Would Make XO18 Worthwhile

First Game From The Initiative

Ever since Microsoft announced its acquisition of Five first party studios at this year’s E3, we’ve been dying to know what they’re all working on. Of particular interest is the all-new studio, The Initiative.

It represents the coming together of a brand new team, comprised of several big-name developers from other studios.

Of course, where other their other studio acquisitions have proven track records, we’ve no idea what to expect from The Initiative. What we do know is that they’re already “hard at work” on their next title in a blog post on Xbox Wire, according to studio head, Darrell Gallagher.

What that title will be is something that only time will reveal, but the feeling that the formation of the studio and the subsequent blog post give off is that we could be finding out sooner rather than later. Just how much we find out is up in the air, but it’s not out of the question to expect a teaser at the very least.

6 Wild Predictions That Would Make XO18 Worthwhile

Gears 5 Gameplay

Gears 5 had a fantastic showing at Xbox’s conference at E3 2018. The announcement trailer made a big impression, showcasing what appeared to be an evolution of the typical third-person cover shooter we’ve played for years into something similar to a Naughty Dog Uncharted title.

Shifting the focus away from the bro-shooter vibes that the series has given off for years to something more focused on telling a personal story from the perspective of a female protagonist could prove the breath of fresh air that the series needed.

However, it seems fair to say that people might still need more convincing of the series’ new direction. Some more in-depth gameplay shown off at XO18 could be just what the doctor ordered.

It would be fantastic to see them explore some of the more action-adventure elements, showcasing some of the quieter moments that were shown in the trailer.

The sailing through the arctic biome, or rappelling down into the more tropical biome, seem to hint at more exploratory elements.

Although, Gears simply wouldn’t be gears without showcasing some of the more brutal kills and ridiculous weaponry that has always made the series so fun to play.

It is going to be interesting to see just how far Gears 5 derives from the rest of the series, or if it actually will at all. It’s a safe bet that we will certainly find out this weekend, at XO18.

6 Wild Predictions That Would Make XO18 Worthwhile

Elite Controller V2

XO18 is, first and foremost, an event for Xbox fans, and boy do they love their special controllers. There have been some rumors in the last year regarding a potential new iteration on the Xbox One Elite Controller, which is now three years old as of last month.

Microsoft filed a patent in December of last year, detailing an adjustable lock design for thumbsticks, along with LED lights denoting the life of the built-in batteries on the controller.

Yes, you read that right. If the rumors that started trickling out this past January and this patent prove to be true, Microsoft is indeed including a built-in rechargeable battery pack with V2 of the Xbox One Elite Controller. It only took Five years!

Following their initiative to create better gaming tools for disabled gamers (Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller) it only makes sense that they’d carry that creative momentum forward into a new design for the hardcore crowd as well.

If they are planning to release a follow up to the Xbox One Elite Controller, then there is no better place to announce it than XO18, after having not at this year’s GDC or E3.

6 Wild Predictions That Would Make XO18 Worthwhile

Fable Reboot

It’s only a matter of time, right? After the blunder that was Fable: Legends and the subsequent shutdown of Lionhead Studio, the franchise needed a long break. But Microsoft is need of heavy-hitting franchises to bolster its first-party collection, so now seems like the perfect moment to bring it back.

What’s more, the console desperately needs a more diverse line-up of games that includes RPG experiences. You only have to look at Sony’s success with Horizon: Zero Dawn as proof of the popularity of action-RPGs.

A rebooted Fable series would both interest fans new and old to the Xbox brand, but who would develop it now that Liohead is no more?

The video game industry is in dire need of that dry British charm and wit, and maybe Playground Games is the team that will step up to the plate? We’d love to see the developers of the Forza Horizon series –recently acquired by Microsoft– branch out and take on a new challenge.

6 Wild Predictions That Would Make XO18 Worthwhile

Halo Infinite Gameplay

The same question has been on everybody’s mind since its reveal at Xbox’s E3 press conference: what is Halo Infinite?

Well, first, despite not being called Halo 6, Microsoft did confirm that this is a sequel to Halo 5. It will indeed serve as the sixth core entry in the series. So we’re thinking that the story will center around Master Chief once again.

The subtitle “Infinite” implies that there may be more to the game, though. Could this be a reference to “games as service” model, a persistent world shooter akin to Destiny?

Possibly, though it could just as easily be something related to the single-player aspect of the game, or even Halo moving to a more open world design.

Yet, it wouldn’t be the most surprising thing if they played copycat with something like Destiny, given just how popular Bungie’s shooter has proven. We’ve already seen EA’s Bioware follow suit with its upcoming Anthem, after all.

Either way, the perfect opportunity for Microsoft to clarify the confusion is with a big gameplay demo at XO18.