Microsoft Showcased Games
Halo 5: Guardians: Microsoft kicked things off with a long look at the newest Halo entry, first announced at E3 2013. It promised to reveal Master Chief and Spartan Locke’s uncertain allegiances on Oct. 27, 2015. Franchise Development Director Frank O’Connor also promised it wouldn’t share the same launch day network issues as The Master Chief Collection.
Where is it now?
Halo 5 managed to launch on time and without any major server problems. The game has since received a number of new mods, maps, and a free PC creation tool called Halo 5: Forge, which lets players create and play custom maps.
Fallout 4: Bethesda’s highly anticipated RPG, due to release Nov. 10 of that year, hit the stage for a long demo and the announcement of free console modding on the Xbox One.
Where is it now?
Fallout 4 received six sets of downloadable content — three Workshop add-ons (Wasteland Workshop, Contraptions Workshop, and Vault-Tec Workshop) along with three more comprehensive, story-based updates (Automatron, Far Harbor, and Nuka-World).
Fallout 4 modding for the Xbox One arrived on May 31, 2016. The feature appeared on PlayStation 4 later that year, in November. Unlike modding on the Xbox One, however, PlayStation 4 mods would not be able to use any external assets, limiting creations to textures, voice lines, and models already in-game.
Forza Motorsport 6: Microsoft brought in Henry Ford III and lowered a Ford GT from the ceiling to celebrate Forza Motorsport 6, set to release Sept. 15.
Where is it now?
After the game’s launch, Microsoft and Turn 10 Studios continued their partnership (and Ford love) with a Forza 6 limited edition console and three Ford controllers.
Tom Clancy’s The Division: Ubisoft dropped by to announce an Xbox-exclusive beta for The Division in December, while PlayStation and PC players would have to wait until 2016.
Where is it now?
The beta was pushed to 2016, and Xbox players instead got exclusive access to an alpha in December. Come January, those on Microsoft’s platform had access to the closed beta a day earlier than PS4 or PC players. Xbox also had a one-day headstart on the open beta in February.
The Division got two free updates and three paid DLC expansions after its Mar. 8, 2016 release. Two of these paid expansions, Underground and Survival, were available 30 days early on Xbox One. Due to a number of heavy bugs and balance issues, Ubisoft delayed the last two expansions in order to focus on repair.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege: Ubisoft’s second presentation was a trailer release date for the next Rainbow Six title. It would release on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC Oct. 13, 2015, though the Xbox version would include Rainbow Six Vegas and Vegas 2 via Xbox Backwards Compatibility.
Where is it now?
Rainbow Six Siege was delayed to Dec. 1, 2015, and received four expansion packs over the course of 2016. Ubisoft recently revealed their plan for Year 2, which will bring more maps and operators starting Feb. 2017.
Gigantic: Motiga’s free-to-play MOBA showcased a new trailer and August 2015 beta date.
Where is it now?
Its been a rough road for this PC/Xbox exclusive. Originally slated for holiday 2015, Gigantic was delayed to 2016 following closed beta feedback. The longer schedule and the team’s limited resources resulted in 16 Motiga layoffs in December. The company continued to face financial struggles, temporarily laying off a “significant” number of staff members in February 2016, and leaving the future of Gigantic uncertain. Things began looking up in May, when Motiga announced a partnership with publisher Perfect World Entertainment and renewed their goal to launch the game. The game’s beta is currently open on Xbox One and Windows 10.
“It has been a long road to this point, and we’ve been humbled by the amount of love and support that has come from the community throughout the journey,” said Motiga CEO Chris Chung. “There were friends who wanted to raise money for the studio through donations and crowdfunding. I received daily messages of encouragement in my inbox from our fans; it’s been an incredibly grateful experience.”
Tacoma: The makers of Gone Home brought Tacoma to Microsoft’s conference, a mysterious game set to release on PC and Xbox One in 2016.
Where is it now?
Tacoma was delayed into 2017 after playtest feedback pushed the team to “reexamine and rework a number of the core assumptions” they had for the title.
Ashen: This Xbox console exclusive appeared with little explanation and no release date. Ashen is set in a grim, gray world where relationships are core to survival.
Where is it now?
We’ve not really heard much from Ashen since then. The game’s website offers a little more insight into gameplay, but the title still has no launch date.
Beyond Eyes: This title looked to create a world from the point of view of a blind, young girl. Beyond Eyes was to release first on Xbox One and PC in Summer 2015.
Where is it now?
Beyond Eyes quietly released on Xbox One on Aug. 4, 2015. It later reached PC on Aug. 11 and PlayStation 4 on Sept. 8.
Cuphead: Inspired by 1930s cartoons, Cuphead was one of the more unique titles on display at Microsoft’s conference. The console exclusive was “coming 1936, (Plus eighty years)”
Where is it now?
Cuphead was delayed to 2017 to avoid reducing the scope of the studio’s vision.
Rise of the Tomb Raider: We saw world premier gameplay of Rise of the Tomb Raider during the conference. Unlike its predecessor, this Tomb Raider reboot title was introduced as an Xbox exclusive, and given a Nov. 10 release date.
Where is it now?
Rise of the Tomb Raider came to PC in January of 2016, and in October reached PlayStation 4 as a special 20 Year Celebration edition that included all DLC, a harder difficulty level, a co-op update to Endurance mode, classic Lara skins, the Blood Ties story chapter, the Lara’s Nightmare challenge, and the ability to play Blood Ties in PSVR.
Fable Legends: A portion of the show was dedicated to reminding us that Fable Legends, a free-to-play Microsoft exclusive from Lionhead Studios, was in development and coming holiday 2015.
Where is it now?
At the end of 2015, Fable Legends was delayed into 2016 to allow for extra polish. The team simultaneously announced a beta scheduled for Spring 2016, though this never arrived. In March, Microsoft announced the game’s cancellation, and Lionhead Studios shut its doors in April after 20 years of development.
