Contraband, an Xbox Game Studios title in collaboration with Avalanche of Just Cause fame, could have been revealed in an email, such was the nothingness of what was revealed. The Outer Worlds 2, to be fair, had an incredible CG trailer, but how far away is that one from release? Two years? More? And then the “one more thing” reveal.
This is the moment of a conference everyone is waiting for. It was another Bethesda game, but it was an entirely CG trailer for a new Arkane game. A brand new IP. I’m super happy Arkane is just a year from finishing another game, with Deathloop coming to PS5 and PC this year, and I like the magical vampire hunting concept, but that wasn’t a “one more thing” reveal. As good as Arkane truly is, they are not a Naughty Dog, they’re not Kojima Productions, at least in terms of consumer interest and awareness. Xbox needed to end on a big gameplay reveal for a game that has instance recognition or something that looked so impressive that didn’t matter. We got neither.
So, that’s where I’m at. I think everyone should be considering an Xbox Series X or S and Game Pass, and Xbox clearly has a strong future (
2021 releases look good, but 2022 and beyond will be even better), but when it comes to getting people excited Sony still can’t be beaten. Nintendo, too, is likely to have something to say about this.