Microsoft outlines its plans for Xbox at Gamescom

By Gabe Gurwin June 30, 2015

quantum break launch parties gamescomquantumbreak — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Microsoft’s press conference at E3 2015 was among its strongest in recent years — Halo 5: Guardians and Gears of War 4 gameplay will certainly do that — but there were a number of Xbox exclusives noticeably missing from the show. Remedy’s Quantum Break was the most notable absence, but Scalebound and Crackdown, which were announced at last year’s E3 conference, were also nowhere to be seen. Fortunately, all three of those games are going to be shown off at the other big summer gaming conference, Gamescom, and Microsoft has announced just what to expect from the company at this year’s event.

On Tuesday, August 4 at 10 a.m. EST, Microsoft will host its Gamescom 2015 Xbox Briefing, and the company promises new information on Quantum Break, Crackdown, and Scalebound. While Quantum Break has been shown off on numerous occasions, including a 16-minute demo back in October, the latter two games have only been announced with cinematic trailers. Microsoft also has some surprise announcements in store, and the show will be available to view on Xbox consoles, Windows Phone, and Xbox.com.

If you plan on making the trip to Cologne, Germany for the event, the Xbox booth will be open to the public from Thursday, August 6 until Sunday, August 10, and will offer hands-on access to several Xbox-exclusives, including Forza Motorsport 6 and Rise of the Tomb Raider. As with E3 this year, there will also be an Xbox FanFest event at Gamescom on August 4 and 5, offering “exclusive access” to Xbox games for selected fans.

Microsoft has had to worry about getting “one-upped” by Sony at E3 the past few years, but this won’t be an issue at Gamescom: Sony announced last month that the company won’t be attending the show at all, instead opting to host an event in Paris on October 27 — why does that date sound familiar?

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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