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E3 2021: Xbox & Bethesda

13 June, 2021 - 5:47 pm by
About 8 mins to read

Xbox and Bethesda are teaming up to bring a double whammy of an E3 conference this year. It makes sense as Microsoft completed their purchase of the Elder Scrolls company earlier in the year and to celebrate the teams are going all out in probably the biggest show of the whole of E3 2021. Here’s a summary of what happened throughout the 2021 showcase

What happened during the showcase

Starfield

Out of the gate was one of Bethesda’s most anticipated games, their new IP Starfield. Unsurprisingly the game has been officially confirmed as an Xbox exclusive, coming to both Series X|S consoles as well as PC. What was a surprise was that its being released on 11th November 2022 and we have a short teaser below.

Starfield will be a first-person RPG much like the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series albeit set in space. You’ll be able to create your own character and explore a vast galaxy. Apart from that, details on the actual plot are thin on the ground. We’re anxiously waiting gameplay footage and you can bet we’re keeping an eye on Bethesda to see how the game pans out.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 Heart of Chernobyl

Game play footage of S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 Heart of Chernobyl was next on the list. Dropping you into the dangerous and ever changing Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 pits you against mutants and monsters as well as other survivors. The Series X version is targeting 4K resolution & ray tracing.

It was confirmed that S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 Heart of Chernobyl would be a Console Launch Exclusive which considering Starfield was an Xbox exclusive, we assume that the first person shooter will be appearing on other consoles at some point. The game will be available on 28th April 2022 across Xbox Series X|S consoles, PC and launches day one on Game Pass.

Back 4 Blood

Warner Bros. Games, Back 4 Blood made a brief appearance during Microsoft’s presentation. As the Burbank publishers had their own showcase shortly after this presentation, we’ll have all the details on that post, however it was confirmed that Back 4 Blood will be heading to Game Pass on 12th October – the same day as it launches across all platforms.

Contraband

The next Xbox Exclusive & Day One Game Pass game comes from the announcement of an open world co-op game Contraband from Avalanche studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. This team is known for the Just Cause series, so while nothing explicit was shown apart from this brief introduction and that it’ll be set in the 1970s, we expect to be thrown into a world of madness and insanity.

Sea of Thieves – Pirates of the Caribbean Crossover

This was a surprise to say the least. Jack Sparrow and the crew of the Black Pearl will be appearing in Rare’s Sea of Thieves’ third season in an official tie-in signed off by the House of Mouse. Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life will see Sparrow and his crew adventure through five ‘Tall Tales’ that looks remarkably similar to the movies – even Davey Jones will make an appearance.

We’re not 100% sure if it’s actually Johnny Depp lending his voice to the expansion, we suspect not since he hasn’t done any voice work in any previous video games, but if it’s not it sounds really close. Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life is a free update to the base game and will launch 22nd June. That’s not too far away!

Battlefield 2042

After being revealed a few days prior, we are introduced to the first look at gameplay footage of Battlefield 2042. As well as running around on the huge 128 player maps, you’ll be able to take to the skies in parasuits and helicopters, heck you’re even able to chase down an actual rocket launch. A more in-depth look at the game is coming in July, but Dice have teased that the tornado in the trailer can be manipulated and will change the course of the battle… interesting.

Battlefield 2042 will be out on 22nd October across all Xbox & PlayStation current and last gen systems as well as PC.

Twelve Minutes

Twelve Minutes has been gestating for a little while now so it’s great to finally hear some news surrounding the Annapurna published title. Starring the voice talents of James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley and Willem Defoe, tells the story of a man stuck in a twelve minute time loop. He is initially accused of murdering his wife and as each loop restarts you slowly begin to piece together parts of the puzzle.

Twelve Minutes also has a release date of 19th August 2021 across Xbox SeriesX|S, Xbox One consoles & PC. It will also be available on Game Pass the same day.

Psychonauts 2

25th August

Fallout 76 Expansions

Moving onto Fallout 76 and we were first treated to the up and coming expansion. In Steel Reign, we start back at Fort Atlas to find the tensions between Paladin Rahmani and Knight Shin have reached a boiling point. After swarms of Super Mutants start to appear and people are reported missing, the Brotherhood will need to be guided in order to survive.

Despite all of the flack that Fallout 76 received when it launched, it is still going strong and Steel Reign, the next free update that brings the culmination of the Brotherhood of Steel story line and will be starting on 7th July for all players. Looking forward, Bethesda also announced Fallout 76 Expeditions: The Pitt which will take players to the ruins of Pittsburgh in 2022. A short teaser was shown off reaffirming Bethesda’s drive to make Fallout 76 the best game it can possibly be.

Elder Scrolls Online Next Gen Update

This update will launch in just a couple of days on the 15th June. Of course Microsoft focused on their consoles, but the next gen patch is also coming to PlayStation 5 on the same day.

Redfall From Arkane Studios Is Announced

One final announcement from Bethesda is that Arkane Stuidos – the team responsible for Dishonored, Prey & Deathloop have been cooking up their next game called Redfall. Named after a town in Massachusetts, which is under siege by a legion of vampires who have blocked out the sun and cut the island off from the outside world. As with other games from Arkane, a mix of firepower and mystical powers are the order of the day as a team of survivors work to stomp out the vampiric threat.

From the initial teaser, Redfall looks gorgeous and is coming along nicely. It’ll be exclusive to Series X|S and available on PC next summer.

Xbox Series X Mini Fridge

Closing out the Xbox/Bethesda Showcase, Microsoft announced one final trailer. This time it was for the Xbox Series X mini fridge. A rather tongue in cheek jab at everyone who said the Series X looks like a fridge. However, it’s not a joke, the fridge will be available to buy in shops around Christmas time. It looks pretty swanky to be fair to it.