Three Microsoft exclusives skipping E3, will show at Gamescom instead

By Kris Wouk June 12, 2015

crackdown quantum break scalebound skip e3 microsoft 2014 header — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Microsoft’s Xbox E3 briefing kicks off just a few days from now on Monday July 15 at 9 a.m. PST, and while plenty of games will be making an appearance at the press conference, three exclusives will be conspicuously absent.

“Having a jam-packed lineup of games to show at E3 means that there simply isn’t enough time to give each of our upcoming titles its well-deserved time in the spotlight,” Spencer wrote in a blog post on Xbox Wire. As a result, Xbox One exclusives Crackdown, Quantum Break, and Scalebound will all be skipping E3, showing at Gamescom in August instead.

This isn’t a first for Microsoft, nor is it a first for one of the games skipping E3 this year. Quantum Break skipped E3 last year as well, with Microsoft showing gameplay from developer Remedy’s time-distorting action game at Gamescom 2014.

With Halo 5: Guardians, Forza Motorsport 6, and Rise of the Tomb Raider leading the lineup, Microsoft’s E3 showing will hardly be lacking for big-name games, so the decision to not show everything at once does make sense. Considering the volume of other titles that will be getting big-time attention — Fallout 4, for example — it’s understandable why Microsoft would want to show some of its titles when there will be less competition.

Microsoft isn’t the only company taking this approach, either. In April, Square Enix announced that it wouldn’t be showing its upcoming Final Fantasy XV at E3, opting to show the game at Gamescom instead.

Spencer mentions that there is “more news than we could fit into the 90-minute briefing,” urging Xbox fans to tune into Xbox Daily: LIVE @ E3, Monday through Wednesday. In addition to interviews and demos, the company will also apparently be making “additional game reveals” on the show.

The entire blog post wasn’t limited to E3. Spencer also mentioned the impending release of Windows 10, the Xbox One controller being included with the Oculus Rift, and more. To read the post in its entirety, head over to Xbox Wire.

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Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…

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