Unfortunately, Xbox fans didn’t have anything to cheer for at The Game Awards outside of Phil Spencer attending the event and a handful of Game Pass ads. While it’s understandable for fans to feel down with the lack of Xbox news, one insider believes that there’s a good reason for this. Apparently, Microsoft is saving things up for a much bigger showcase early next year.
According to Jez Corden of Windows Central, Microsoft has grander plans for an event in Q1 2023, saying:
Microsoft’s VP of Xbox Games Marketing Aaron Greenberg recently tweeted that Xbox fans wouldn’t have to wait long to find out more of what Xbox has in store for 2023. And indeed, I’ve heard some tentative, and unverifiable rumors recently that Microsoft may be exploring some kind of event for Q1, possibly in the vein of its X0 events of the pre-pandemic age. The most recent X0 was back in 2019, which offered a decent look at upcoming games while revealing some unannounced ones, such as Grounded. For the sake of Xbox fans, I hope this particular rumor turns out to be true.
Xbox marketing head, Aaron Greenberg, recently posted the said tweet, which is a response to Microsoft’s presence, or lack thereof, at The Game Awards.
Microsoft might’ve resigned to the reality that Sony has better exclusives but we know that the tech giant had bigger plans for next year than they’ve let on.
Plenty may have changed since, but it’s still imperative for Microsoft to give Xbox fans something. Otherwise, it’ll be way behind the competition. Keep in mind that there’s a strong slate of exclusive AAA titles that’s coming to the PS5 next year, starting with Forspoken ,followed by Final Fantasy 16 as well as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and the launch of the PSVR 2, among others. Not to mention, Horizon Forbidden West is getting its first DLC as well.
It wouldn’t hurt to drop trailers and release dates for upcoming top-tier Xbox games such as Hellblade 2, Avowed, Fable, Perfect Dark, and of course, Starfield and Redfall.
At this point, it’s becoming clear that the rumors about Microsoft holding off on its plans for upcoming showcases until it acquires Activision Blizzard are true. The last we heard, the FTC stepped in to block the deal. Microsoft might be prepared to offer the EU concessions as well as extend offers to Sony, Nintendo, and Valve, but things aren’t looking great for Microsoft.
If we believe that Microsoft is waiting on the approval, this Q1 2023 showcase might not be until the tail end of the next fiscal year or sometime around June or July. Does this mean to say that Microsoft is preparing to take on E3 2023 with its own showcase? If so, Nintendo and Sony will have gotten the jump on Microsoft already by then. The two usually schedule their showcases in February and March, respectively.
Ultimately, this is all speculation, so the best we can do is wait for official news.
