Microsoft is holding X019 this week, celebrating the Xbox brand and family of studios — as well as Xbox fans — with an event in London that will offer announcements, gameplay demonstrations, and panels. If you can’t make it out to the show this year, you can still check out a special edition of Inside Xbox on November 14 that will include several new game announcements and information on the upcoming Project xCloud streaming service. Here is how you can watch, and what to expect from the show.
How to watch the X019 Inside Xbox show
Microsoft is offering several different ways to watch the X019 Inside Xbox presentation this year, so you can choose the service you most prefer. Official streams will be available on Thursday, November 14 at noon PT/3 p.m. ET, and you can find them via Mixer, Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. YouTube and Twitch will likely feature the most commenters, while Mixer has traditionally featured the most community interactivity with the show itself — Microsoft often gives away freebies to those who watch its shows on the platform.
What to expect
Microsoft said in its initial announcement that there will be 12 games from Xbox Game Studios shown during the presentation, including new game reveals and details on Xbox Game Pass and Project xCloud. Studios confirmed for the event include Rare, Obsidian Entertainment, Ninja Theory, inXile, and Mojang. Third-party partners include Respawn Entertainment, Annapurna Interactive, and Devolver Digital. Below, we’ve outlined what could be shown or announced during the presentation based on this information and recent rumors.
New Obsidian project
Obsidian Entertainment just released The Outer Worlds last month as a multiplatform release with Take-Two’s Private Division, but it was purchased by Microsoft over the summer and is now a part of the Xbox Game Studios family. It is likely not that far along on any new projects given the game’s recent release as well as Pillars of Eternity II only launching last year, but it’s entirely possible that we could hear about a new game in the early stages of development. With the backing of Microsoft, it will likely be larger than the studio’s previous games, but Obsidian won’t be moving away from the role-playing genre that has brought it such acclaim and recognition over the years.
New Age of Empires game
With its recent remakes, Microsoft has shown an interest in the Age of Empires franchise that we haven’t seen in years. It appears that could be culminating in an entirely new game, as Xbox games marketing GM Aaron Greenberg teased a vague announcement for the X019 presentation on his Twitter page. With very few strategy games available for Xbox, it would certainly add variety to Microsoft’s library.
Bleeding Edge
We learned about Bleeding Edge over the summer, and the multiplayer action game appears to be a big departure for developer Ninja Theory. As the first project for the studio since it was acquired by Microsoft, it also has a lot riding on it, as the company’s independent projects were cerebral and inventive in a way that most major AAA games are not. A gameplay demonstration showing show it stands out from similar games could be planned.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is due to release just one day after the Inside Xbox presentation, and Respawn Entertainment is scheduled to appear during the show. Unless an enormous curveball is planned, we expect its appearance to be related to a gameplay demonstration, potentially showing an area of the game that fans hadn’t seen in previous events and press conferences. Given the recent launch of The Mandalorian on Disney+ and Rise of Skywalker‘s launch next month, Star Wars is certainly on fans’ minds.
Project xCloud
We know Microsoft has something related to Project xCloud in the works for the presentation, but we don’t know what exactly it is. Given the recent preview tests and the impending launch of the rival service Google Stadia, it seems likely that Microsoft will finally announce a launch date for Project xCloud, as well as its official name. If we had to guess, we think the service will stick with the “xCloud” moniker, keeping it in line with the Xbox family’s branding.
