Xbox Games Showcase Rumors: Black Ops 6 Release Date, Xbox Handheld, New Doom, Starfield PS5, And More
Rumor mill
The highly anticipated Xbox Games Showcase is just days away, with the event scheduled to kick off on June 9. Ahead of that, a report from The Verge's Tom Warren has revealed a lot of what could appear at the showcase, including the release date for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, a new Doom game called Dark Ages, a Halo: Combat Evolved remaster for PS5, a fresh look at the new Fable, and more.
Bear in mind, all of this information is unofficial and should be taken with a grain of salt prior to the Xbox Games Showcase. There may also be additional announcements and surprises to come that haven't been leaked as of yet, so keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.
Microsoft is conducting its Xbox Games Showcase amid a tumultuous year for the company. So far in 2024, Microsoft made dramatic decisions like laying off thousands of people and closing studios.
Halo: CE Remaster
The report said Microsoft is working on "some form" of a remaster of Halo: Combat Evolved, and that it could launch on rival systems. This game may not be announced during the showcase, though, as the project is described as being in the "early days" of development.
Microsoft released a Halo: CE remaster under the title Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary in 2011 alongside co-developers Certain Affinity and Saber Interactive. It is included in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
Bringing a potential Halo: CE remaster to rival systems like PS5 would not be a big surprise, given that Microsoft is putting more and more of its games on competitors' consoles lately as part of a strategy shift.
Warren reported that this new strategy is internally known as "Project Latitude."
Starfield on PS5 + Project Latitude
According to Warren, Project Latitude is the internal name for Microsoft's new plan to bring more of its games to rival systems. The first batch of these (beyond Minecraft) were Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves, Pentiment, and Grounded. These have been made available on PS5 and Nintendo Switch, and more could be coming.
The report said Microsoft is considering bringing an unspecified Gears of War game and Starfield to PS5 later this year. It's also possible that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle comes to PS5, Warren said, but not until "several months" after it comes to Xbox.
Project Latitude could also see Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition come to "rival consoles" in early 2025, the report said. Age of Mythology: Retold and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II may also come to PS5 down the road, the report said, adding that nothing is certain and that Microsoft is continually weighing its options based on a number of considerations.
The Xbox Games Showcase on June 9 is not expected to include many details on Xbox games coming to rival platforms, as the showcase will instead focus on the Xbox platform specifically, the report said.
Black Ops 6 release date (and more dates)
The report also revealed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is expected to release on October 25, which tracks with previous rumors and reports. Black Ops 6 will have its own dedicated showcase taking place directly after the Xbox Games Showcase, so fans are likely to get many more details on the game very soon.
The report added that Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will launch in November, with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle coming in December.
Diablo IV's Vessel of Hatred DLC, meanwhile, is reportedly set to debut in early October with World of Warcraft's The War Within expansion landing in late August.
It was also reported that Towerborne could hit early access this year, while Obsidian's RPG Avowed is said to be targeting a November launch.
New Doom And Gears
The Xbox Games Showcase will have two major first-party game announcements, the report said. The first of these is said to be Doom: The Dark Ages, which is expected to launch simultaneously across Xbox and PlayStation 5 in 2025. No other details about the game were revealed, however, but id Software is likely the developer.
A new Gears of War game will be announced at the Xbox Games Showcase as well, the report said. This may not be a Project Latitude game, however, and is expected to be exclusive to Xbox and PC.
Microsoft's long-in-development new Fable game, from Forza Horizon studio Playground, is expected to get a new look at the Xbox Games Showcase, the report said. South of Midnight, the next game from Compulsion Games, may appear as well. The report said both the new Fable and South of Midnight could launch in 2025, and both games are said to be in consideration for Project Latitude.
Xbox hardware?
Finally, the report said it "feels possible" that Microsoft might show off an Xbox handheld device during the showcase. Microsoft has also spoken about a powerful new gaming console, so it's possible this could be revealed, or hinted at, during the event.
Microsoft has also said it's working on "more console and controller options" for Holiday 2024, and Warren said he wondered if this might be the time that Microsoft reveals a white Xbox Series X with no disc drive.
Didn't see anyone post the video, so I figured we'd have our own reactions thread! Who else is ready for Xbox Games Showcase today?! Starts at 1PM EST. If there is one thing Xbox does right, it's their game shows. Tend to be fun with a lot of interesting reveals and announcements.
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