Microsoft will show off a new Forza Horizon 4 expansion at E3 2019, and I've heard that rather than being location-based, it will be another brand-oriented partnership in a similar vein to the Hot Wheels DLC. I'm sure we'll be reminded that it's on the way, but it's more likely that Microsoft will talk Age of Empires II Definitive Edition and Age of Empires III Definitive Edition, leading into IV's eventual launch. You're not going to be grinding stats, put it that way.Īge of Empires will also feature at E3 2019, but despite some rumors of an info blowout, I heard whispers that developer Relic isn't ready to showcase Age IV yet. Halo Infinite has been rumored to be taking on some form of "RPG" approach to its gameplay, but I've heard that any progression systems are soft at best. Halo Infinite will launch on PC, complimented by ports of the Halo Master Chief Collection to Steam. Halo Infinite is a massive undertaking for Microsoft and 343i, as they seek to bring the franchise back to its former glory.
I wholly expect a Halo Infinite trailer this year, perhaps even featuring gameplay for the first time. I expect we'll see the new Battletoads in some form, even if it is brief. Still, there's no reason Rare wouldn't be able to outsource and contribute those IPs, similarly to what they're doing with Battletoads and Dlala Studios.
I've also heard that Rare is working on another multiplayer game, alongside Sea of Thieves, which may come as a disappointment to those expecting a return to Banjo Kazooie or Conker.
I'm not sure how true that one is, so we'll have to wait and see. I've heard credible rumors that despite winning awards for its single-player title Hellblade, Ninja Theory is, in fact, working on some sort of multiplayer game, in a similar vein to For Honor or Absolver. Multiplayer games factor in heavily to Microsoft's gaming-as-social push across Mixer and Xbox Live, in general, so I expect we'll see plenty more of that this year. The core cries out for single-player titles that match Sony's The Last of Us or God of War, but like any company, Microsoft plays to its strengths, and right now that is cloud tech and online infrastructure. Microsoft, like many big publishers, seems to also be facing a bit of an existential crisis when it comes to what types of games to pursue. The triptych of missed expectations has undoubtedly contributed to a drop in the way Microsoft's first party efforts are perceived, and one would hope Microsoft is gearing up to build confidence in the quality and variety of its in-house content. Microsoft has been pretty cautious with its game announcements following the cancellation of games like Fable Legends, Phantom Dust, and Scalebound. With a huge array of growing studios, alongside much larger operations such as 343i, Mojang, and Playground Games, we should begin seeing the fruits of Microsoft's gaming content strategy in E3 2019. While I do expect Microsoft to talk hardware and services at E3 2019, which officially begins June 11, many will be looking at the Redmond Giant to deliver an answer to its biggest criticism in recent years: it isn't investing hard enough in content. The Xbox One X remains the most powerful console ever made, Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service is driving new revenue streams, and with Project xCloud game streaming around the corner, Microsoft will attempt to tap relatively untouched market. That hasn't stopped the company from innovating, though. With merciless competition from Sony's PlayStation 4 (PS4) right out of the gate, alongside an evolving, and frankly, disruptive, Microsoft corporate consumer strategy, the Xbox team certainly hasn't had it easy. As the current console generation draws to a close, it's difficult not to look at this generation as the one that kinda, well, got away.