Xbox at E3 2018: 9 biggest and best announcements

Microsoft’s E3 2018 press conference has come and gone, leaving Xbox diehards with new games to look forward to and dates to circle on their calendar.

Halo Infinite, Gears of War 5, Forza Horizon 4, Cyberpunk 2077, and a new game from FromSoftware are just some of the games that received exciting trailers and release dates during Microsoft’s press conference.

15 world premiere titles and 18 exclusives were shown during Microsoft’s keynote, which Phil Spencer kicked off by talking about gaming’s unifying qualities. So much happened during this year’s Xbox conference, but here are the biggest and best announcements you need to know about.

Halo Infinite brings Master Chief back

Halo Infinite is the sixth game in the franchise, and is set to bring Master Chief back to the franchise. A brief cinematic trailer for the game played at the beginning of Microsoft’s keynote, but no other information was given.

Cyberpunk 2077 trailer

A trailer for Cyberpunk 2077, the long-anticipated game from CD Projekt Red, the development team behind The Witcher franchise, has arrived.

The trailer demonstrates the anarchic future that citizens are forced to live and survive within. There are fancy cars, futuristic looking guns and tons of opportunity to hang out with cool-looking hackers.

There’s still no release date information at this time, meaning that hopeful fans will have to wait a little bit longer, but the trailer should be enough to go on for now.

Devil May Cry 5 announced

Capcom is introducing a new entry into the Devil May Cry series, and Hideaki Itsuno, the game’s producer, says it’s one of the best in the series.

Devil May Cry 5 is the first game in the series since Devil May Cry 4, which was released in 2008. Devil May Cry 4 was followed by Ninja Theory’s DmC: Devil May Cry in 2013, but Devil May Cry 5 is the next official game in the main franchise.

Nero, Devil May Cry 4’s star character, will return as a playable character.

Devil May Cry 5 will be released in spring 2019.

Just Cause 4 announced

A trailer for Just Cause 4 confirmed what we’ve known for a few days already: Just Cause 4 is in the works.

A trailer for the game returned the series to its roots, promising tons of explosions for players. There are some new additions, however, like a tornado that players will have to contend with during their missions. The game’s darker atmosphere is a slight deviation from the rest of the franchise, but an intriguing turn nonetheless.

Gears of War 5 announced

Gears of War 5 is the next game in Microsoft’s Gears of War franchise, and a new cinematic trailer provides a little tease on what players should expect.

Gears of War 5 is a direct followup to 2016’s Gears of War 4, and is the first title following Microsoft’s acquisition of the title from Epic in 2016. The game will again follow Gears hero Kait Diaz, and is said bring the game back to where it all began.

Gears of War 5 launching in 2019 for Xbox One.

The Division 2 heads to Washington, D.C. next year

The Division 2 will take place in Washington, D.C. — and the game’s tone may be a little too on the nose. A cinematic trailer for the game asked how a city and civilization is supposed to protect themselves when the enemy is coming from within and a corrupt government looms.

The gameplay trailer, however, focused on a forested area within the city that reeks of post-apocalyptic vibes. A crashed Air Force One plane can be seen deteriorating in the distance. The trailer focused heavily on combat between two groups of players in an abandoned parking lot somewhere in the city.

More Washington, D.C. statues could be glimpsed as the trailer came to an end, but the trailer focused heavily on players’ ability to wander around fallen historical monuments.

The Division 2 will launch on March 15.

Dying Light 2 announced

Dying Light 2 is the next game in the open-world zombie survival franchise.

A trailer for the game debuted during Microsoft’s E3 press conference, with a more in-depth look at gameplay airing directly after. The game returns players to the post-apocalyptic world, but introduces a few new ideas. Players’ decisions will directly influence the game and shape the society they live in, according to one developer.

Chris Avellone, who has a long history as a writer and designer on games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 and Fallout 2, is joining the game as a narrative designer.

FromSoftware’s next game is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is the next game developed by FromSoftware. It’s best described as a bloody action game, and a cinematic trailer for the game demonstrated just what players can expect from the game.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is coming to PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One in 2019. For more information, watch the video below.

Microsoft opens new studio, acquires other studios

Microsoft’s Phil Spencer announced that the company is acquiring a few different studios, and announced a new studio called The Initiative.

The Initiative will be led by Darrell Gallagher (former head of Crystal Dynamics), Spencer said. Gallagher left Crystal Dynamics earlier this year to join Microsoft’s executive leadership team.

Undead Labs (State of Decay), Compulsion Games (We Happy Few), Ninja Theory (DmC: Devil May Cry) and Playground Games (Forza) are all now a part of Microsoft Studios, Spencer said.