Wednesday, June 02, 2021
E3 2021 marks the world-famous game conference's epic return to the forefront of video game announcements and news, and Xbox and Bethesda have already announced an intent to participate. A 90-minute show overflowing with reveals and announcements from Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks, and third-party partners, Xbox at E3 is already promising to be an exciting and eventful show for fans and gamers.
It's been over a year since the last major first-party game event from Microsoft and Xbox (besides an extensive ID@Xbox showcase from March), so we're expecting big things from the Xbox and Bethesda games showcase at E3 2021. The event is confirmed to air on June 13, 2021, making Xbox one of the earliest arrivals at E3 2021, alongside the Ubisoft Forward event on June 12.
At the Xbox at E3 2021 event, we're expecting to see a ton of announcements for first-party Xbox Game Studios titles like Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, and Psychonauts 2, more games from the newly-formed relationship between Xbox and Bethesda, appearances from third-party partners, and a sneak peek into the future of Xbox Game Pass. To make up for the lack of a physical event (E3 2021 is purely virtual), Microsoft is also bringing Xbox FanFest back, as part of their 20 Years of Xbox celebration.
We've compiled the ultimate guide on Xbox at E3 2021, including when and how to watch, and more on what you can expect. Here's everything you should know about the massive Xbox and Bethesda games showcase at E3 2021.
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What is the date and start time for Xbox at E3 2021?
Before you can get too excited about the prospects of Xbox at E3 2021, you first need to make sure you have the date and time marked in your calendar.
The Xbox at E3 2021 event starts on Sunday, June 13, 2021 at 10 a.m. PDT / 1 p.m. EDT / 6 p.m. BST and will last for approximately 90 minutes. At the moment, there's no information about any pre-show or post-show events or programming, although it's very likely the Xbox team will follow up with additional streams on their official channels afterward.
How can I watch the live stream for Xbox at E3 2021?
The Xbox and Bethesda games showcase at E3 2021 is one of many planned events and streams, and will almost certainly feature numerous ways for fans to tune in to watch. While there may be more ways to watch as we inch closer to the official airing of the event, the Xbox team has already shared the four different places people can head to watch Xbox at E3 2021.
You can also bookmark the official Xbox and Bethesda games showcase website for more information. We'll continue to update this guide as we receive more information about how to watch Xbox at E3 2021.
What announcements can I expect from Xbox at E3 2021?
90 minutes may not seem like a lot of time, but we're fully expecting Xbox and Bethesda to pack their event at E3 2021 with all kinds of game announcements and reveals. From new never-before-seen projects to updates on upcoming games, the Xbox and Bethesda games showcase at E3 2021 should have something for everything that chooses to watch.
Expect to see games heading to Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Windows PCs, Xbox Game Pass, and Xbox Cloud Gaming through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Many of the games we see at the Xbox at E3 2021 event may eventually appear on our list of best Xbox games and even best Xbox Game Pass games.
We've already detailed all of our expectations, predictions, and dreams for Xbox at E3 2021, and you can watch our video on Xbox at E3 above. If you want every detail and possibility for Xbox at E3 2021, be sure to take a look! Still, I wanted to break some of those expectations down so you know exactly what to expect from the Xbox and Bethesda games showcase at E3 2021.
Xbox
As expected, Xbox Game Studios like 343 Industries, Obsidian Entertainment, and Playground Games are expected to dominate the Xbox and Bethesda games showcase at E3 2021 with all of the projects they've been working on recently. While there are dozens of projects across the expansive Xbox Game Studios family, don't expect to see everything that we know about making an appearance.
Games like Perfect Dark, Fable, State of Decay 3, and Everwild are all highly unlikely, as those projects are probably years away from release. Out of all the projects we know of but aren't liable to appear at Xbox's E3 2021 event, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II may make a brief appearance (but don't hold your breath for it).
What we do expect to see at the Xbox and Bethesda games showcase at E3 2021 is a triple trifecta of headliners from Xbox Game Studios: Halo Infinite from 343 Industries, Forza Horizon 5 from Playground, and Psychonauts 2 from Double Fine Productions.
Halo Infinite has a lot to prove for itself after its controversial debut at the 2020 Xbox games showcase, especially as the flagship franchise that will drive Xbox engagement and mindshare this holiday season. 343 Industries has released a ton of information and updates since then, but E3 2021 will be another opportunity to get people excited for the next chapter in Halo.
Forza Horizon 5 will be the latest in the long-running open-world racing series, and will indubitably establish itself as a visual and technical showcase for Xbox Series X|S. Possibly set in Mexico with a release date in 2021, it makes a ton of sense to reveal Forza Horizon 5 for the first time at E3 2021.
Finally, Psychonauts 2 is a psychedelic 3D platformer from the charming and innovative Double Fine and is a sequel to the 2005 cult classic Psychonauts. Psychonauts 2 has flown under the radar for a ton of people, but it's expected to show itself at E3 2021 with a possible release date and may surprise a lot of gamers with its depth and overall appeal.
Besides those three headliners, we may possibly see more information on Microsoft Flight Simulator for Xbox, Age of Empires 4, Obsidian's Avowed, Grounded and its next big early access update, some big news for Sea of Thieves, and more.
Bethesda
Bethesda and Xbox are now part of the same great big gaming family, and E3 2021 marks the first-ever joint conference from the duo. Bethesda also boasts of a large number of studios and innumerable possible projects in the works, so there's a lot to potentially be excited about. We're not certain we're going to see a ton specifically from Bethesda and its studios, but we know Xbox will be eager to highlight that both companies are part of the same family now.
If any Bethesda game is going to top the pile and dominate the Xbox and Bethesda games showcase at E3 2021, it's going to be Starfield. Starfield is an upcoming single-player sci-fi RPG from Bethesda Softworks (the same studio that works on Fallout and The Elder Scrolls), with little-to-no information currently known about it. We know it's coming, and there's a very good chance the game will make a big appearance at E3 2021, but that's about it.
We could also possibly see more about future projects from Arkane Studios (rumored to be working on a vampire-themed game alongside Deathloop), Machine Games (possibly working on Wolfenstein III and a new Indiana Jones project), and id Software (that just released the final DLC for DOOM Eternal), but there's no guarantee we'll see any of these studios at the Xbox and Bethesda games showcase at E3 2021. Even less likely is Tango Gameworks, a studio that is currently working on the PlayStation timed exclusive Ghostwire Tokyo.
Finally, I wouldn't expect to see anything about The Elder Scrolls 6 at this year's Xbox and Bethesda E3 conference. While many players are extremely hyped that The Elder Scrolls 6 is officially real, it's almost certainly several years away from being close to ready. Right now, most of Bethesda's attention is probably on finishing Starfield.
Other
While Xbox and Bethesda have more than enough content to fill the 90-minute window at E3 2021, Microsoft will also probably turn to some of its third-party partners and ID@Xbox developers for additional reveals and announcements. There could potentially be dozens of games spread throughout the Xbox and Bethesda games showcase at E3 2021 (Xbox has historically loved montage videos too), but there is a handful that stands out above the rest as being distinct possibilities.
Battlefield 6 is a likely candidate for making an appearance during the Xbox show, but it was just announced that Battlefield 6 is being officially revealed on June 9 before the show. The Ascent is a high-profile indie isometric RPG with strong cyberpunk vibes and gorgeous graphics coming to Xbox and PC, and could very well show itself off at E3 2021. Other games like Tunic, Scarlet Nexus, STALKER 2, and more are all possibilities at an event where Xbox and Bethesda are expected to pull out all of the stops.
With Xbox engaging with so many different developers and creators all the time, anything could happen at the Xbox and Bethesda games showcase at E3 2021. Of course, it's important to harbor expectations until you're actually watching the show. Still, everything here is well within the realm of reality for what could be the biggest Xbox event of the year.
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