Xbox deflects Redfall controversy by announcing Starfield showcase date

It’s not an exaggeration to say that Microsoft’s summer showcase has some weighty expectations that it desperately needs to live up to. 2022 wasn’t exactly a thrilling year for Xbox owners and Microsoft’s promises that 2023 would make up for it have yet to bear fruit, if anything it’s been worse so far.

The past several months have continued to lack any prominent exclusives and Arkane’s Redfall, which Microsoft’s been bigging up as a major first party title, has quickly garnered a very negative reputation.

Perhaps in a bid to get everyone’s attention on Starfield again, Microsoft has confirmed an exact date and time for its big not-E3 showcase: Sunday, June 11 at 6pm BST.

While Microsoft hasn’t said how long the showcase will last, it has already been claimed that it will be a hefty two hours. Which is certainly believable considering what Microsoft has planned for it.

The Starfield demonstration is being treated as a separate showcase, which takes place immediately after the main presentation and promises to show ‘tons of new gameplay, developer interviews, and behind-the-scenes insider information.’

The same source as the two hour rumour claims it will be 30 minutes long, so the non-Starfield stuff will last an hour and a half.

Two days later on June 13, Microsoft will also host an extended follow-up stream that’ll provide some extra insight on its new announcements.

‘Join us for some new surprises and first-looks from our incredibly talented internal studios, and our many creative partners around the world,’ says Microsoft.

‘This is the day gamers have been waiting for to see what is coming to Xbox, PC, and Game Pass.’

There’s no hint at what sort of games are planned for the showcase, but there’s a decent list of titles that are in dire need of an update.

It’s been suggested that, with both games still a long way off, that the next big Xbox games after Starfield will be Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 and Avowed, both of which are also overdue an update.

Forza Motorsport is still supposed to be coming out this year too and it’s been hinted that Microsoft is gearing up to announce a launch date soon, no doubt at the showcase.

There’s also the matter of The Elder Scrolls, Bethesda’ Indiana Jones game, and Hideo Kojima’s cloud game, plus rumoured projects like the next Gears Of War.

Microsoft is facing an increasingly sceptical, even bitter, audience, so it really can’t afford to rest on its laurels and has to give Xbox players a reason to stay invested beyond Starfield. Although it may not just be the players. Microsoft management is also reportedly less than thrilled with how things are going.

This isn’t even getting into the furore surrounding the Activision Blizzard acquisition, which is now in jeopardy thanks to UK regulators opting to block it. Microsoft has already appealed but even if successful, the deal still won’t be finalised until 2024 at the earliest.