Microsoft Announced Games
ReCore: We first met ReCore at Microsoft’s E3 2015 conference. The new title from Keiji Inafune was to release in the Spring of 2016.
Where it is now?
ReCore was delayed and released on Sept. 13, 2016 for both Xbox One and PC, becoming the first game of Microsoft’s Play Anywhere initiative. Microsoft launched the game with a $40 price, hoping to build a strong fanbase for the franchise, but ReCore opened to less than positive reception.
Backwards compatibility: Arguably Microsoft’s biggest announcement was the backwards compatibility program for the Xbox One, allowing users to play their older games natively (and for free) on the current-gen console.
Where is it now?
Backwards Compatibility launched in November of 2015 with 104 games. Its library continues to grow to this day, sporting over 300 titles at the start of 2017.
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2: After announcing EA Access for the Xbox One, EA brought in the official announcement and world premier trailer of the second Plants vs. Zombies game (though it had been technically revealed in an earnings report a month earlier). Wacky weed warfare was due for Spring 2016.
Where is it now?
PvZ: Garden Warfare 2 landed on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on Feb. 23, 2016. In the following months, it would receive three free content updates that brought new characters, maps, and challenges.
Dark Souls III: The fourth Souls entry debuted on Microsoft’s stage, aiming for an early 2016 release.
Where is it now?
Dark Souls III launched worldwide on Apr. 12, 2016. Its first expansion, Ashes of Ariandel, explored the Painted World of Ariandel in October, and the second DLC is expected some time in 2017.
Ion: Dean Hall, creator of DayZ, took the stage to announce Ion, “a game that is not a game.” It was to be a universe built on the laws of science, “a simulation MMO that explores mankind’s expansion into space.” Hall unveiled a short, mysterious trailer that ended on a “Coming Soon,” and said the title would be hitting PC and the Xbox Game Preview (AKA early access) program.
Where is it now?
Ion went silent after 2015, with no updates available on the team’s Twitter, Facebook, or web page. The latter recommends you check out the Ion subreddit, as “those guys are on it.” So we checked the subreddit, and it’s generally a collection of abandonment at this point.
Rare Replay: In honor of the studio’s 30th Anniversary, Rare announced a collection of 30 games to release on Xbox One on Aug. 4, 2015.
Where is it now?
Following Rare Replay’s release, owners of the game had special testing period access to Battletoads character Rash in Killer Instinct Season 3.
Sea of Thieves: Rare also took their time on stage to reveal the exclusive Sea of Thieves, a shared world pirate game with no release window just yet, dubbed “the most ambitious game Rare has ever created.”
Where is it now?
Initially intended for a 2016 release, Sea of Thieves was delayed to 2017, though Rare keeps the game’s website up to date with new gameplay vlogs and developer interviews. In December of 2016, Sea of Thieves saw a small technical alpha that gave 1000 players first (and NDA-bound) access to the game.
Minecraft on Hololens: Microsoft flexed their in-development AR technology by playing Minecraft on a table.
Where is it now?
The Hololens became commercially available in 2016, though we haven’t seen much more of Minecraft for the device. Demonstrations at Minecon a month after E3 2015, however, revealed that the experience is a little more limited than what was demonstrated at Microsoft’s conference.
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition: Noting that the first Gears of War debuted on Microsoft’s stage 10 years ago, co-creator Rod Fergusson announced Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, a remastered version of the series’ first title. It would be hitting Xbox One in 1080p, and with 60 FPS multiplayer, on August 25, 2015.
Where is it now?
The remastered edition encountered a pretty severe display issue on launch, though updates later cleared this up. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition later released on PC Mar. 1, 2016.
Gears of War 4: The fun wasn’t over for Gears fans just yet, as Fergusson continued to reveal a new entry in the series, due holiday 2016.
Where is it now?
Gears of War 4 released Oct. 11, 2016, introducing to the series a new enemy faction, the Swarm, and a new squad led by Marcus Fenix’s son, JD Fenix.
