Gamers will have to live through another summer without E3, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be starved for new announcements, trailers, and surprise reveals. In fact, Xbox and Bethesda took the stage this weekend to announce all of the big projects they have in the pipeline for the Xbox Series X, PC, and the Game Pass a la carte subscription service. This year’s showcase boasted tons of gameplay footage, giving us deeper looks at many of Xbox Game Studios’ most anticipated releases. Best of all, everything showcased at the conference was confirmed to be slated for release in the next 12 months, meaning we’ll likely get to play many of the games below very soon!

Unsurprisingly, highlighting this press conference were long-awaited projects from Bethesda Softworks and Activision Blizzard, which is currently in the process of being acquired by Xbox. In fact, this showcase was a good primer for how Xbox is seriously boosting its offerings now that Blizzard is joining the collection of studios under the platform’s banner. Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 were heavily featured, with the later even getting a confirmed free-to-play early access this fall.

But the main event was undoubtedly our first look at gameplay from Bethesda Game Studios’ highly-anticipated new sci-fi RPG Starfield, a mix of all the role-playing you’ve come to expect from the makers of The Elder Scrolls and the later Fallout games, but with a few new tricks thrown in, such as ship building and piloting. Starfield will feature plenty of planets to explore and galactic mysteries to discover. And it looks like it’s coming sometime in early 2023 after being delayed out of its original Nov. 2022 release date. You just have to wait a little bit longer, Xbox fans!

Fortunately, there’s no shortage of new games to play in the meantime, including a few smaller indies coming to Game Pass on day one. Just look at this graphic revealed by Xbox head Phil Spencer during the show:

Below, you’ll find all the biggest announcements, reveals, and trailers from the Xbox and Bethesda (and Blizzard) Games Showcase:

Starfield

The first real deep dive into the worlds of Starfield not only featured the type of action RPG gameplay players can expect when they step foot into this new galaxy from Bethesda Game Studios but also the skill trees, abilities, and locations you’ll be able to access during the journey. While the game doesn’t have a firm release date, BGS head Todd Howard did confirm the game is coming in 2023.

Diablo 4 Coming in 2023 with Necromancer Class

Blizzard hit the stage to show us the first footage of Diablo 4 running on Xbox. So far, it looks most impressive. While the game will also be available for PlayStation and PC, there’s no doubt Xbox is rolling out the red carpet for this one, now that Activision Blizzard is being acquired by Microsoft.

Blizzard also revealed the final starter class coming to the game: Necromancer, which can command the spirits of the dead, and can unleash powerful spells against opponents. This trademark Diablo class joins the Barbarian, Druid, Rogue, and Sorceress classes. There’s still no confirmed release date, but Blizzard said this one’s definitely coming out in 2023. We hope so.

Persona Hits Xbox

The fan-favorite Persona franchise is finally coming to Xbox and PC this year! You can expect Persona 5 Royal to his both platforms on Oct. 21. Persona 4 Golden and Persona 3 Portable will follow “at a later date,” according to a press release.

Hideo Kojima Is Making an Xbox Game!

The long-rumored Xbox cloud game being from Kojima Productions has been officially announced! Video game auteur Hideo Kojima himself made an appearance at the conference to speak briefly about the mysterious project, which doesn’t have a title or release date yet.

“There is a game I have always wanted to make,” Kojima said. “It’s a completely new game, one that no one has ever experienced or seen before. I’ve waited very long for the day when I could finally start to create it.

“With Microsoft‘s cutting edge cloud technology and the change in the industry’s trend, it has now become possible to challenge myself to to make this never-before-seen concept.

“It may take some time, but I’m looking forward to teaming up with Xbox Game Studios and hope to bring you some exciting news in the future.”

If Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding have shown us anything, it’s that this new Kojima game should at the very least be unlike anything we’ve played before.

Redfall

Arkane’s co-op FPS Redfall was first shown off at last year’s Xbox/Bethesda conference. While it was given the main event slot at that show, things had gone a bit quiet since then. Originally slated for release this summer, the game was eventually delayed to 2023. Well, the game is back this year, and while we didn’t get a proper launch date, we did get to see quite a bit of gameplay footage, showing several elements of this horror-tinged shooter, including the many weapons you’ll be able to unleash on your vampire enemies. This day one Game Pass title is coming exclusively to Xbox consoles and PC.

Overwatch 2 Goes Free-to-Play in October

Overwatch fans’ patience will be rewarded this fall! The sequel to the hit hero shooter will get a PvP early access release on Xbox consoles and PC on Oct. 4. Best of all, the game will be free-to-play, meaning you will be able to jump in as soon as it drops for no additional cost.

While only the PvP will be available in October, with the new PvE story mode coming down the line, players will also get a new Tank character to try: Junker Queen, who was first teased in a Junkrat animated short. The Junker Queen footage shown so far definitely teases the big Mad Max energy she’ll bring to the game later this year.

Hollow Knight: Silksong

It seems like this sequel to the 2017 Metroidvania indie darling was announced ages ago. Three years later, we finally have a new trailer for Hollow Knight: Silksong that shows off the epic battles and obstacles our little hero will have to overcome when this game hits Xbox consoles, PC, and Game Pass on day one. Unfortunately, the game still doesn’t have a release date…

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty from Team Ninja

Fumihiko Yasuda (Nioh) and Masaaki Yamagiwa (Bloodborne) are partnering up for the latest action game from Team Ninja. While it’s unclear if this will be another entry in the Soulslike genre, the Xbox Wire blog teases that “players will fight off deadly creatures and enemy soldiers using swordplay based on the Chinese martial arts, attempting to overcome the odds by awakening the true power from within.”

The game tells the story of a “nameless militia soldier” fighting his way through a “dark fantasy version” of the Later Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. This one’s out in early 2023 for Xbox consoles and PC, as well as a day one release on Game Pass.

League of Legends, Valorant, Legends of Runeterra, and Teamfight Tactics Join Game Pass

If you’re still wondering why Xbox Game Pass is still the mythical “best deal in gaming” for some, look no further than to the platform’s new deal with Riot Games, which is bringing its suite of free-to-play games to the service. League of Legends, Legends of Runeterra, Teamfight Tactics, and Valorant are all coming to the service for PC and mobile via cloud.

A Plague Tale: Requiem

The grim, atmospheric A Plague Tale series is back with Requiem, the sequel to the fan-favorite action-adventure game from Asobo Studio and Focus Home Interactive. Players once again step into the shows of Amicia de Rune and her ill brother Hugo as they navigate the dangers of Black Plague-ravaged 14th-century France. This game is out sometime in 2022 and will release on Xbox, PC, and on day one on Game Pass.

Forza Motorsport

Minecraft Legends RTS Confirmed

Halo Infinite Pelican Hits Microsoft Flight Simulator

High on Life with Rick and Morty Creators

Vin Diesel in Ark 2

Scorn Is Finally Releasing This October

Ara: History Untold

As Dusk Falls

Naraka: Bladepoint Comes to Xbox

Pentiment from Obsidian Entertainment

Cocoon

This is a breaking news story. Please refresh for updates.

The post Xbox and Bethesda Game Announcements Recap: Starfield, Diablo 4, Persona, Hollow Knight Silksong, and More Trailers appeared first on Den of Geek.