Microsoft has confirmed it plans an Xbox Showcase event for June 2024.
In a tweet issued amid its long-awaited business update, Microsoft pointed to the likes of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Avowed, Ara: History Untold, and Towerborne as it revealed the June event.
Xbox is keeping our promise to bring more games to more players around the world.
With an incredible year of major releases like Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Avowed, Ara: History Untold, Towerborne and more — 2024 is going to be great for Xbox…
— Xbox (@Xbox) February 15, 2024
So, what can we expect from the June showcase? It seems likely we’ll see more of MachineGames’ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, of course, as well as Obsidian’s Avowed. Ninja Theory’s Hellblade 2 will have already been released (it comes out in May).
Overnight, Microsoft also committed to Xbox hardware, saying: “more console and controller options for you this holiday.” If that means new Xbox hardware is coming out late 2024, the June showcase would be the perfect place for a reveal. But what could the hardware be?
Xbox hardware will also continue to be a flagship experience for players and for game developers to launch games on with a robust and innovative multi-year hardware roadmap, including more console and controller options for you this holiday.
— Xbox (@Xbox) February 15, 2024
Although Microsoft has yet to announce new Xbox hardware, leaked documents published last year revealed that Microsoft had planned to launch digital-only hardware refreshes for both the Xbox Series X and S this year. Meanwhile, it’s also looking increasingly likely that Microsoft will enter the handheld console space. Those same leaked documents revealed plans for a handheld, and Xbox boss Phil Spencer has not ruled out making a move in the space.
Microsoft also said fans can expect more “controller options” this holiday. Last year’s leak revealed plans for a new Xbox controller codenamed Sebile, which reportedly features an accelerometer inside for gyro support. According to the leaked documents, Sebile was scheduled to be announced during Q4 of fiscal year 2024 and launch at the end of May 2024 for USD$70. These plans may be out of date, but a June showcase feels like a good spot for a reveal.
And here’s the big one: a big new next-gen Xbox. Last night, Microsoft announced it has a multi-year roadmap that includes a next-generation Xbox that will deliver “the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation”. Could Microsoft be ready to tease that console in June?
And what about games? Microsoft has a long list of video games due out over the course of the next year, a list that grew with the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Perhaps we’ll get a better look at Playground’s Fable reboot, The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics’ Perfect Dark reboot, and Undead Labs’ State of Decay 3.
And let’s not forget Bethesda, which has a Starfield expansion in the works, The Elder Scrolls 6, a new Fallout, and reportedly a new Doom from iD Software.
So, Microsoft’s June showcase could be one of the biggest for reveals in years, if it combines hardware reveals with big new games. While we wait, check out everything revealed in the Xbox Business Update.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.