We're full speed ahead towards the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 right now here at Pure Xbox HQ, as we gear up for the big day on June 11th. We've already shared some of our predictions for the big show, and now Microsoft has shed some light on what to expect from the event.
The company hasn't talked specifics, of course, but it has revealed certain format plans for the show. Via Xbox's Aaron Greenberg, we now know that Xbox Game Studios won't be showing any "full CG" trailers during the showcase.
"None of our first party games in the show are full CG trailers. Everything is either in-game footage, in-engine footage, or in-game footage with some cinematics. Each of our trailers will be labeled so it is hopefully clear for our fans."
Replying to various fan questions on Twitter, Greenberg then went on to talk about other aspects of the event. Notably, the exec clarified that the showcase won't feature any kind of movie/TV show trailers - it's focusing on the games.
"Can confirm there will be no movie trailers in our games show."
Of course, the quotes still hint that we'll probably still see plenty of 'cinematic' footage, but the team seems to be making a big effort to avoid any full-CG reveals this year - at least from a first-party standpoint.
This is music to our ears - we're very much on board for seeing more real gameplay at the showcase, and we commend Microsoft's commitment to showing that off. We're starting to get real excited about what we might see in action this coming Sunday!
Are you glad to see Greenberg clarify this? Let us know what trailer you're keen to see down below.
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Just the way it should be but please no cinematic trailers, Nobody wants those. Only show actual gameplay.
Question is also how many first parties they are showing. Could be just one first party.
Xbox burned me too often, I keep my expectations in check, but still looking forward to watching it.
I'm looking forward to watching it
Cinematic trailers are hype moments but when reality sets in it’s always a long wait for the game. That Outer Worlds 2 “joke” cinematic a couple years back nailed it.
https://youtu.be/VDYtI7kUU4k
Really looking forward to it. Roll on Sunday.
In-engine is still BS to me - look at Halo:Infinite reveal and some of the Subsequent 'in-engine' cinematics that were NEVER in the game, nowhere near in terms of Visual presentation to the 'final' product. It was the equivalent of a CGI trailer regardless of whether it was 'in-engine' or not.
I prefer 'game-play' and sizeable chunks of it - not a few frames mixed in with crazy camera angles not in the game and in-engine 'CGi' that completely misleads...
Sneaking "in-engine footage" into his response, so that when there's still hardly any gameplay from first-party games, we can't say we weren't warned.
You sly dog, Aaron.
Great news! Well done Microsoft, it's a positive step.
@BAMozzy I agree, and I hope there won't be too much "in-engine" footage shown from angles that completely mis-sell the game. It's becoming more and more common and makes me think of the 'Whammyburger' scene in Falling Down where the difference between what is shown and what is reality is wide. AKA Bullshots
EDIT: To be clear. I think there is nothing wrong with any of the above, if handled well and in moderation. CGI trailers have their place, as do in-engine footage. But really, especially nearer launch, we need to see longer sections of gameplay, not some fast-cut best-of-showreel that leaves you none the wiser as to how the game actually plays.
I'm sure that "in-engine" comment is actually referring to Forza Motorsport when we get a close up look in Forzavista 😅🤣
Sounds good to me! I'm fine with some CG, but I think their approach sounds solid.
@Kaloudz Journalist Andy Robinson said today that Everwild is more Viva Pinata than survival game, which has me even more excited.
@LostInBlue0 @kaloudz 100% that sounds even better. I hope we see it but after hearing of the development reset I fear it will skip this year.
Just to keep my own expectations in check, I’m going to assume this does not apply to any third or second party titles, and is specific to games developed entirely by MS owned studios.
All for it, these events should use as much in-game footage as possible. Given how much Sony misfired with their latest showing, I'm really banking on this being a success..
@Techno92LFC I think they made it clear they won’t “only show gameplay”. They stared, intentionally, you will see a mix of cinematic and gameplay, just not pre-rendered concept trailers.
Hell, they left it with enough room that we might see some games with entirely in-engine cutscenes. If you go in expecting just game play, you can already consider yourself disappointed.
"Can confirm there will be no movie trailers in our games show.". Meow take that Sony
Good. I mentioned this a while ago that trailers should be clearly labelled so you know what you are watching. Sony were the masters of this, clearly labeling everything, but the last showcase a couple weeks ago they took some backwards steps and actually were alot worse than previously. Sony, MS, Nintendo, please be transparent.
And Microsoft, please show as much gameplay as possible, far to much cgi the other week from Sony, and cgi trailers are practically useless to the end cosumer
@themightyant Personally I feel there are 3 stages to a marketing cycle I would like to see applied going forward:
This of course would not apply to yearly cycle games, and it’s fine if more is revealed earlier.
Service games, imo, should just basically shadow drop unless they are part of a bit IP. The biggest ones have basically come out of nowhere.
@BrilliantBill I can't disagree - but then taking on an IP they didn't create, being built up from scratch to continue bringing Halo after Bungie wanted it to end (as a trilogy btw), its not too surprising they haven't lived up to 'expectations'. To 'buy' their freedom, buy their way out of being 'owned' by Microsoft, Bungie made ODST & Reach as well as gave up the Halo IP which in their mind was 'finished' anyway.
343i first task was to update Halo:CE to the Anniversary edition with Halo 4 arriving soon after. To some extent, they were almost destined to fail, never be as good as Bungie if they didn't 'innovate' and move Halo forward, but also those innovations can push the fans away.
The Coalition, who were also set-up to take over Gears with Epic deciding to move on having completed their 'trilogy' too, potentially played it very 'safe' with Gears 4 but don't get the same treatment as 343i. Its as if 343i can do 'no right' with Halo, but Gears is in 'safe' hands with the Coalition.
I think some of that is down to Halo itself - a 20yr old IP that is more 'Arena' shooter that got replaced by the more grounded shooters like CoD, Battlefield etc. Everyone wanted a 'Halo' Killer during the 360 era, but by the end of it, everyone wanted to make CoD 'killers' - Titanfall etc. Now, unless the FPS has some BR or Extraction mode, its struggling...
Cgi trailers are fine if the game is in very early development or its the games first ever reveal/announcement. So for games like Avowed, State of Decay 3 and Fable we should be looking forward to seeing some solid gameplay.
@Tharsman I like your list. I think it's always complicated by the fact that the early CGI teaser, or even vertical slice, is often NOT primarily directed at us gamers, but is directed at recruitment and/or seeking finance. I think in a perfect world these would be shown to those areas only and we gamers wouldn't find out about till it was nearly ready, but I understand why this doesn't happen.
I also like your separation of new IP. Something like a CGI teaser for a sequel, remake or even a remake is more acceptable than for something we have literally no idea about, as we always need to get an idea of how the game plays.
I look at something like the Concord reveal at the PS Showcase as the worst of the worst. It's a new IP, we found out later it's a multiplayer PvP game, yet their CGI trailer was a retro spaceship taking off with a sweaty burger in Styrofoam in a locker.
WTF?
That told us almost NOTHING about the game. I find it staggering that Sony greenlit that. Perhaps TLOU: Factions or something else was meant to be there and was replaced last minute, as it was a woefully bad first showing.
It's kind of sad that the state of the industry is 100% guaranteed not to be (too ) shopped!
Just please Microsoft keep 90% of what is shown is within the next 12 months to ship. And the 1 or 2 games you show beyond 12 months is in the next 24 months.
I love a great, Blur Studios quality CG trailer. This is "E3," it's supposed to be about hype.
Xbox team, please don’t embarrass your fans (again). We need some DUBS and bragging rights for at least a little while. Show us the wait has been worth it and that the quality AAA games drought is over!!!
@themightyant I think another critical bit is balance. A few years ago, basically everything Xbox shower was in the early tease state.
I think people would be a bit less critical if we were at a point were 1/3rd of things showed during a showcase were on each of those stages, as at least 1/3rd of things would be just months away and we would get both, ideas of what is coming next year and an idea what the long therm roadmap looks like.
As for Concord, that one was as bad as Contraband. Such a trailer fits the likes of Indians Jones and Wolverine, because we all know at least the character and the studio working on it. We can get hyped even without knowing if the final game is a third person adventure, first person game, or a beat them up. Knowing the IP and the studio reputation together can often just be good enough.
Avowed is an example of a game that is technically a brand new IP, and IMO the reveal was perfect. A bit of CG to show the fantasy setting and a bit of prototype gameplay footage letting us know it’s a first person rpg made by Obsodian, a master in branching RPG development.
@Tharsman 99% agreed on all points. Especially balance.
I was going to mention Avowed above but decided to keep my post a more reasonable length (for once) it was a great example of a CGI trailer imo - assuming it's roughly representative of the game's themes - and let us know what to expect.
That said it would be very frustrating if it was now an isometric top down dungeon crawler something mobile ads are the worst at doing. Video that is completely unrepresentative of the game. But I get it, flashy cinematics sell, even if it's a bait-and-switch
@BAMozzy Halo was done in engine by a 3rd party. Was it a mistake ? Of course and I'm hopeful they learned to do better. Remember Gears 5? The game actually come out better.
Cgi is fine especially if its running in engine on a normal pc or console mixed with some game play.
Is anyone else getting a kick w/Xbox feeling their oats on Twitter🤣. Boy but they better deliver of Phil will have to go back on tour lok
@Kaloudz man I love you're passion ! If they show all those games I may faint 😆
@old-dad I disagree that in todays world of video gaming that ANY company needs to rely on CGi to show off and/or reveal their games to the Consumers.
Years ago, when graphics weren't 'great', they utilised other means to tell us what they were going for, get their story across, introduce us to their Characters etc. Whether that was with box art, booklets with the game, the synopsis on the case, to using CGi and 'real life' action too.
However, games these days are capable of showing off their Visual Quality and almost be 'real' life in Cut Scenes they have in-games these days. They don't need to rely on CGi or 'in-engine' visuals which I think is 'worse' because that implies the 'engine' itself can deliver a game with that level of Visual Quality, that it is the intended look and what we can expect to see from that game running on that 'engine'.
Halo Infinite mislead entirely with their 'in-engine' reveal - and we kept hoping that they were showing the XB1 version because it looked nothing like all the 'in-engine' trailers - it made Halo Infinite look even more dated....
So I'd still rather they kept to showing only Game-play - even if that includes some pre-rendered Cut Scenes that appear in the game, its all still what we as consumers will be getting in our hands.
Anyway, that's my opinion and it won't be changed by your different opinion. I don't want to see 'in-engine' at all - its unnecessary with modern games and graphics. Show me what the game offers, not what the 'engine' could do but not in-game!
@BAMozzy All good. I just feel using a Halo as an example is a penalty MS has paid. 343 screwed the pooch on that one for sure. But if all they have is in game footage of Everwild or Sod3 I wanna see it lol. Just don't make it on some super pc by a 3rd party,. That is wrong.
@Kaloudz lmao I "feel" they will deliver. Hellblade 2 release date with gameplay.
Fable Avowed and Indiana Jones gameplay would be epic !
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