Xbox

We got another look at Avowed during the Xbox Games Showcase yesterday, but no exact release date beyond a promise of 2024. After the showcase wrapped, Obsidian accidentally revealed Avowed is targeting a release on November 12th. The blog post was quickly edited after the release date mention was discovered, but not before I managed to take a screenshot.

Microsoft squeezed three new Xbox models into its bumper games showcase last night. There’s a new white disc-less Xbox Series X, a 1TB version of the Xbox Series S, and a “Galaxy Black” 2TB Xbox Series X. All three will be available later this year, just in time for plenty of new Xbox games over the holidays.

Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase is full of release dates today, but we still don’t have an exact one for Avowed. Obsidian’s upcoming first-person RPG is still arriving in 2024, though. I heard from sources a few months ago that it was targeting a November release. Last year, we got a good look at Avowed and a promise of a 2024 launch, and we’re getting much of the same today.

Bethesda’s Indiana Jones game still doesn’t have a release date, but we got an even closer look at the game during the Xbox Games Showcase today. Sources familiar with Bethesda’s plans tell me that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is currently targeting a December release.

Diablo IV’s next major expansion, Vessel of Hatred, now has a release date: it’s launching on October 8th. And naturally, we have a dark and gruesome cinematic trailer to go with the news.

Retold, which serves as a definitive edition of the classic RTS, finally has a release date: it’ll be hitting PC and Xbox on September 4th.

Microsoft announced that the MMO’s next expansion — which is called The War Within and kicks off a major new arc for the game — will launch on August 26th. In the meantime, here’s a classic Blizzard cinematic.

State of Decay fans have been waiting for this one. Microsoft just teased State of Decay 3 during its Xbox Games Showcase. We have no idea on a release date just yet, but Undead Labs originally revealed the game was in early development in 2020.

Xbox chief Phil Spencer, Xbox president Sarah Bond, and Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty are all on stage talking to the crowd that’s in Los Angeles to watch the Xbox Games Showcase. We’re around 5 minutes away and Xbox has a lot to prove this year and some big game announcements on the way.

Critical Hit Games’ Nobody Wants to Die got its first gameplay trailer during the Summer Game Fest’s Future Games Show.

A neo-noir, time-controlling detective story, Nobody looks like a slick. moody blend of Bioshock, Blade Runner, and maybe even The Fifth Element. So I’ll be buying it, no matter what reviewers say. It’s out July 17th on Steam, Xbox Series X / S, and PS5.

Sonic Generations was a good-ass game and I’m excited for its darker, edgier sequel Sonic x Shadow Generations. Just in time for the Sonic 3 movie, Sonic x Shadow Generations adds a gaggle of new levels to play as Shadow the Hedgehog — but let’s not get our hopes up that Keanu Reeves will make an appearance in this one. Sonic X Shadow Generations launches on Xbox, PC, and PlayStation October 25th.

Rumors suggested that the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launch would appear on previous-gen consoles, and now we have confirmation from Microsoft. A new Xbox store listing for Black Ops 6 lists that the game is playable on Xbox One. We’ll learn a lot more about the game on June 9th after the Xbox game showcase.

The Xbox Game Pass app on iOS and Android has been blasting out notifications to let people know “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is coming to Game Pass on day one later this year!” It looks like someone at Microsoft pushed the notification too early because it links to an article that doesn’t exist yet. Activision will debut a Black Ops 6 live action trailer at 10AM ET / 7AM PT / 3PM UK today.

A short video from Square Enix reveals that Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D, a remake of the 1988 RPG, will come to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Square Enix first announced it in 2021 alongside Dragon Quest 12, and we could soon get a release date. The charming art style is reminiscent of Octopath Traveler, which uses the same engine.

That’s according to Insider Gaming, which says the game will show up at Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase on June 9th. The site says the game has been four years in the making, and will be set in a “medieval inspired doom world.”

Until then, might as well relive 2016’s Doom and its sequel, Doom Eternal.

After plenty of teases and licensing news, EA is showing off the official covers for its NIL-enabled College Football 25 game, which is returning after a decade-long break. Even if they don’t have the backup QB from Texas, EA has signed the starter, as its cover features Quinn Ewers alongside Michigan running back Donovan Edwards, and Colorado wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter.

Headquartered in Poland, Elsewhere Entertainment — an all-new internal studio at Activision — is working on a new “narrative-based and genre-defining AAA franchise.” Elsewhere includes developers credited on The Last of Us, Uncharted, Destiny, Cyberpunk, and more. Activision’s new studio announcement comes just a week after its parent company, Microsoft, closed three Bethesda studios. It also follows job postings about a new Activision IP.

Despite the upsetting news that Xbox is shutting down Hi-Fi Rush studio, Tango Gameworks, there is still some time before the lights go out for good. The developers at Tango are using that time to finish some last minute projects including working with Limited Run Games to release a physical version of the game and one final patch that’s scheduled for today.

Update: And here’s the final patch notes.