XO19 PREVIEW/PREDICTIONS
XO19 PREVIEW/PREDICTIONS
November 14th is Xbox’s next marquee event, their XO19 (Xbox Only 2019) Showcase. Hosted in London, this event is a massive deal for the Xbox Brand, fan community, Xbox Game Studios (XGS), and media. Unlike the previous year’s event (XO18), this XO will have a sizable media presence, with Phil Spencer also sitting down for interviews after the main event.
Besides the main event, which will be an Inside Xbox broadcast on Mixer and other services, there will also be numerous fan centric activities and celebrations throughout the weekend. For the past week and a half, the Xbox marketing crew has been hyping up the event as big time, with a focus on games, so the intent clearly is on bringing the goods. With Phil Spencer and Matt Booty both being present and involved, alongside a media contingent, it’s clear that this will not be just a fluff piece event, but an event with substantial content, and newsworthy announcements. Odds are good that fans will be pleased with the showcase and its reveals.
XO18 RECAP
Before moving toward predictions for XO19, it makes sense to take a moment to recap its predecessor, XO18. While not always the case, past behavior can be an indicator of future actions/behavior. At XO18, which was held in Mexico City, Gamepass was front and center, with a heavy presence at the show. Along with a substantial amount of titles being announced for their subscription service, many accessories, controllers, and fun fan merchandise were displayed. The Final Fantasy XIII Trilogy and Civilization Revolution were all announced as Xbox One X Enhanced and Backwards Compatible. There was lots of talk about Gears 5, as it was the next big title coming from the First Party XGS, and Mexico is one of the largest hubs of the Gears fanbase.
The biggest announcement of the night by far, was the reveal from Matt Booty, that the renown RPG studios, Obsidian and inXile, would be joining the Xbox Family. These studios were a massive shot in the arm for Xbox, and monumentally increased the diversity and quality of the XGS. While Obsidian had long been rumored/reported as joining Xbox, inXile was a complete, and welcome, surprise. All in all, XO18 was a fun event for the fans, with a sprinkling of news.
CONFIRMED FOR XO19
- New Xbox Gamepass titles revealed (for both the Console and PC version of subscription)
- 12 Xbox Game Studios titles (including new reveals and PC)
- 24 Games playable at the event; Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, Battletoads, Bleeding Edge, Cyber Shadow, Doom Eternal, Dragonball Z: Kakarot, Forager, Forza Horizon 4: LEGO Speed Champions, Gears 5, Halo Master Chief Collection, Haven, Levelhead, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Minecraft Dungeons, Phogs!, Project Resistance, Roller Champions, She Dreams Elsewhere, SkateBird, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Streets of Rage 4, The Good Life, Tunic, & Wasteland 3.
- There will be big news regarding Project xCloud
- Age of Empires franchise will have a presence at event (Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition at the very least)
- Rare will showcase Sea of Thieves
- inXile will showcase Wasteland 3
- Mojang will showcase Minecraft Dungeons
- Microsoft Flight Simulator will be showcased
- Ninja Theory will showcase Bleeding Edge
- Matt Booty and Phil Spencer are both at event
- Media contingent at event, with a post-show sit down interview between Phil Spencer and IGN
PREDICTIONS FOR XO19
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order releases Friday, and Xbox has the marketing rights, so I’d predict at least something related to the game on the showcase
- Battletoads is playable at demo stations at the event, so a new gameplay reveal would make sense for XO19.
- Halo: Master Chief Collection is playable at demo stations at XO19, and with the PC version close to launch, it would make sense for them to announce a launch date for the Reach addition to the Console version of the Collection.
- Obsidian will reveal one of their two new projects in development. The one they reveal WILL NOT be the rumored Elder Scrolls esque Pillars of Eternity game
- Ninja Theory will tease one of their new games that are in development.
- The Fable game by Playground will finally be confirmed with a brief teaser, (You just can’t host a party in the UK, home of Fable franchise, and not announce the game.)
- There will be at least one new studio acquisition by Xbox, possibly two or three. While not a complete lock, this seems quite likely to happen. Will discuss in further detail below.
POSSIBILITIES FOR XO19 STUDIO ACQUISITION
Rumors have been running rampant about whom they are looking to acquire, with names of studios from all over the globe floating around. My personal prediction is that they announce Asobo, and possibly one or two more studios, as joining the Xbox Family. There is just way too much smoke around the idea of Xbox acquiring Asobo, with them working on Microsoft Flight Simulator, having a long-established relationship, and having crafted a Darkhorse Game of the Year contender in Plague Tale. As for studios who could possibly join Asobo as acquisitions by Xbox, there are several good possibilities. Iron Galaxy, the current caretakers of the Killer Instinct IP, makes perfect sense for acquisition, where being full members of the Xbox Family would give them access to more resources and funding. Bloober is another studio with an established relationship with Xbox, having just released Blair Witch for the platform, and are strong supporters of Xbox Gamepass. Having a First Party horror studio would give Xbox something very unique. Dontnod is a studio that makes a ton of sense for them, as well, with a specialty in crafting story focused, episodic titles that are perfect for Gamepass. Ready at Dawn is a studio that has frequently swirled around the Xbox rumor mill, and it makes a lot of sense. They are a California based studio, who did the graphically and technologically stunning The Order 1886. Bringing them into the Xbox Family would enable them to push to even greater heights. Hello Games, creators of the popular space sim, No Man’s Sky, would seem to be a good fit as well. As for studios in Japan, where Xbox has a well-documented deficit, SWERY’s White Owls is one to watch. With their title, The Good Life coming to Gamepass, and an already established relationship between SWERY and Xbox, they would be an ideal acquisition. Of course, leave the door wide open for the possibility of a wildcard, completely unexpected studio to be announced as acquired, like inXile was at XO18. With the event being held in London, announcing the acquisition of a European studio just seems like a good bet.