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Microsoft and Bethesda Games Showcase, E3 2021: How to watch and what to expect

Andrew Zucosky
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E3 is here, and all of the big video game developers are unveiling their livestreams for the event. Microsoft will join companies like Nintendo and Square Enix in hosting a digital showcase highlighting its games. The 90-minute event is a joint Xbox and Bethesda stream detailing new games and content from Bethesda Softworks, Xbox Game Studios, and some third-party developers.

We can expect to see Starfield, Halo Infinite, and possibly an expansion to the library found in the Xbox Game Pass. Of course, completely new game announcements are expected as well, and perhaps even plans for the next line of Xbox Series consoles.

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When can I watch the Xbox Showcase?

Games, Games, Games 🗣️
World Premieres 🎬
New titles on @XboxGamePass ⏫

Save the date for the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase: https://t.co/ezcMtO6JM6 | #XboxBethesda pic.twitter.com/WHVbgZl5Fo

— Xbox (@Xbox) May 26, 2021

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The E3 2021 Xbox Showcase broadcasts at 10 a.m. PT today. That’s similar timing to other showcases, which begin mid-morning on the West Coast and in the afternoon on the East Coast. It’s the perfect thing to watch while you drink a morning coffee or have a lunch break (which might just be more coffee).

Where can I watch the Xbox Showcase?

Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase

The showcase can be viewed on Xbox’s YouTube channel and Twitch page, as well as Facebook and Twitter. So, regardless of your preferred platform, you will be able to watch the showcase this year.

What announcements will be made at the Xbox Showcase?

We can expect to see plenty of new game announcements, follow-ups on already announced games, and possibly something about the Xbox Game Pass. However, we don’t really have anything confirmed, so this is all speculation. We can make some safe guesses, though. Starfield and Halo Infinite feel like shoo-ins, as these games are the biggest games from Microsoft and Bethesda that are expected to come out this year.

We might also get more information about Psychonauts 2, which is set to release this year. It wouldn’t really be E3 if we didn’t get new Forza news. Elder Scrolls 6 is also a possibility, but it’s unlikely we’ll get any extensive information about it — expect another teaser, if anything.

Make sure to check out our E3 event guide, which breaks down all biggest livestreams worth watching during the show.

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Andrew Zucosky
Andrew Zucosky
Andrew has been playing video games since he was a small boy, and he finally got good at them like a week ago. He has been in…
With E3 2023 gone, other gaming events need to step up
A purple E3 logo floats in the air.

Despite how inevitable the complete downfall of E3 felt over the past several years, E3 2023’s official cancellation still strings as it’s a significant loss for the game industry. For gamers, press, and developers, the show served multiple purposes that digital livestreams and scattered publisher-specific events don't currently replicate. In lieu of E3’s cancelation this year, and potentially forever, it’s time for other gaming events to step up and help push the video game industry forward.
Why we lost E3
I’m lucky enough to have the experience of attending three E3 shows across 2017, 2018, and 2019 and many publisher-run events focused on specific games or tighter game lineups. In its final years, E3 felt like the perfect middle ground to the gamer-focused PAX and industry-focused GDC, where people from all walks and sides of the video game industry could come together, see what’s coming in the future, and share their love for games.

It also felt more freeing than publisher-run events, as I discovered and experienced games of all sizes that I may not have otherwise and got to meet many people from every angle of the game industry. Apparently, the Entertainment Software Association struggled to convince enough people that this style of expo was important four years after the last physical event.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Entertainment Software Association president Stanley Pierre-Louis blamed E3 2023’s cancellation on the Covid-19 pandemic, “economic headwinds” due to the current recession that impacted marketing budgets, and the fact that “companies are starting to experiment with how to find the right balance between in-person events and digital marketing opportunities.”
The first two are understandable and have impacted a lot of physical events over the past couple of years. Still, the last reason speaks to a bit more worrying of a shift for those looking to network, get attention from the press, get a broader look at the industry’s future, or even pitch a game.
What we lose
Events are a great way for indies to get unexpected and much-needed attention from players and the press; look at the chance encounter that got one of our team’s freelancers hooked on Homeseek at PAX East. Now, indies will have to hope to gain attention at those more indie-focused events like PAX or be cherry-picked to be featured in a more prominent company’s showcasing. There’s also the networking and pitch factor to it.

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E3 2023 has officially been canceled by the ESA and ReedPop
E3 logo

The Entertainment Software Association and ReedPop confirmed that E3 2023 has been canceled following a report that broke the news. E3 2023 was supposed to take place between June 13 and June 16.
Earlier today, IGN reported that two of its sources received an email from the Entertainment Software Association saying that this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo has been canceled because it "simply did not garner the sustained interest necessary to execute it in a way that would showcase the size, strength, and impact of our industry." Soon after, a tweet from the official E3 account confirmed that "both the digital and physical events for E3 2023 are canceled."
https://twitter.com/E3/status/1641546610218811393
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Basim showing off his hidden blade.

Ubisoft will no longer be attending E3 2023, even though it said it would participate in February. Instead, the game publisher behind Assassin's Creed and Far Cry plans to hold its own Ubisoft Forward Live event in Los Angeles this June.
Ubisoft confirmed its change in plans to Video Games Chronicle today, with a spokesperson saying that while Ubisoft "initially intended to have an official E3 presence, we've made the subsequent decision to move in a different direction." This is a change in messaging from just over a month ago when Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said, "If E3 happens, we will be there, and we will have a lot of things to show."
What caused this change of heart in Ubisoft is unclear. However, it seems like the company found that it could still successfully promote its game lineup without being attached to the Entertainment Software Association's event. We don't know much about the Ubisoft Forward Live event other than it'll take place on June 12 in Los Angeles, but Ubisoft tells VGC that "we look forward to sharing more details with our players very soon."
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ReedPop has not yet commented on the fact that Ubisoft is no longer attending E3 2023. 

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