E3 2021 Part 6: Microsoft and Bethesda Games Showcase

Table of Contents

Summer Game Fest 2021
Koch Primetime
IGN Expo Livestream
Guerrilla Collective Day 2
Wholesome Direct 2021
Ubisoft Forward
Devolver Forwarder
Gearbox Entertainment
Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase
Square Enix Presents
PC Gaming Show
Future Games Show
Limited Run Games
Capcom
Nintendo Direct

Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase

It’s strange having Xbox and Bethesda in together now that Microsoft bought Bethesda, and their joint show kicked off with Starfield… which leaked shortly before the show started. The trailer told me pretty much nothing, and it won’t be out until November 2022, so it’s quite a ways off.

Then they showed a really long trailer for Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl, which is coming out in April 2022. I’ve never played the first Stalker, but maybe I’ll try it sometime.

They showed Back4Blood, then a trailer for a new game called Contraband that showed basically nothing, but doesn’t sound like my sort of game (although the trailer music was good), and then a Pirates of the Caribbean crossover with Sea of Thieves called Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life. Gotta say, I didn’t see that coming.

Yakuza showed up briefly, but only because Yakuza: Like a Dragon is coming to Game Pass. They showed Battlefield 2042 and another look at the time loop game for Twelve Minutes.

Then, one of my hopes came true with a new trailer and August 25 release date for Psychonauts 2! It looks so good, and I can’t wait! (Although of course, it’s coming out right in the middle of all the other games I can’t wait for.)

More Bethesda games are coming to Game Pass, and they tried really hard to hype up new content coming to Fallout 76. They showed new content for The Elder Scrolls Online, too.

After that was Party Animals, which I don’t particularly care for, and a reminder that Hades is coming to Xbox. They also showed a game called Somerville, which looks pretty creepy. It definitely gave me Limbo/Inside vibes, and apparently the studio was co-founded by someone who worked on those games.

I was hoping to see more from Halo Infinite, and although they spent a good deal of time showing the multiplayer side (which will be free), they also showed a trailer for the campaign. I’m kind of interested in the story, although I never did catch up on Halo 5.

The next game they showed was Diablo II: Resurrected, but then they announced A Plague Tale: Requiem. That’s another where I haven’t played the original yet, but I’m intrigued. Maybe I should give it a try.

Far Cry 6 was featured again, and then the next announcement was Slime Rancher 2. I didn’t play the first one of those either, but it looks pretty cute.

New trailers for Shredders and Atomic Heart were next, and then a pretty cool-looking platformer called Replaced.

They announced a new update for Grounded, talked about Among Us, and then featured… Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes and it’s town-building spin-off Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising (which might be the first time it got a name). Unfortunately, Eiyuden Chronicle now has a release year of 2023, which disappointed me a little.

I didn’t care too much for our looks at The Ascent or Age of Empires IV, but they followed those with a hilariously self-aware trailer that turned out to be for The Outer Worlds 2! I was hoping that would get a sequel, and I’m definitely going to play it!

The show concluded with Microsoft Flight Simulator, Forza Horizon 5, and the rumored vampire game from Arkane, Redfall. It’s an open world co-op shooter, though, so it’s not really my thing.

Still, this was a pretty good show all around. Now let’s see what Square Enix has for us in the next show!