Xbox 2021 Showcase look back
We got 2022 out of the way; let's look at the year before, a showcase that's personally in my top 3 for Xbox of all time within the context of the time it happened. Some of my favorite games of recent memory were finally given solid release dates, while a large number of other titles were promising, but given the passing of time and seeing how they released, well, that's a different story. 2021 was huge; it felt like Xbox was finally ready to show they had big AAA titles in development. Bethesda was officially under the Xbox name, and rumors were starting about their next big IP now debuting as an Xbox exclusive, Starfield.
Starfield was featured as the leading title out of the gate, delivering a gorgeous looking trailer of in-engine footage of general space exploration themeing that ended surprisingly with a release date of 11-11-22. While we didn't get a lot of further information on the project, having it be the first thing we see for the showcase truly felt special, and it felt like the turning point of a new Xbox going forward. Gone were the days of the Xbox One; now were the days of Starfield, leading fans to a more pleasant future.
My favorite announcement from the entire showcase came about halfway through when Rare unveiled the "A Pirate's Life" expansion for Sea of Thieves. A massive story-based expansion merging the world that Rare has built up with Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean was an absolute delight to see, and to this day, it is still some of the best content to release for the live service project. Psychonauts 2, Halo Infinite, and Forza Horizon 5 all getting 2021 release dates was a pleasing change and almost unprecedented to have that much first-party content in a calendar year for Xbox. Sadly, as we all know, those 3 releases would be about it besides 1 or 2 projects for the better part of the next 2 years.
Third-party developers are always a staple at any showcase, no matter who you are, and this was no different. Yakuza finally coming to Xbox along with the most recent Like a Dragon launching into Gamepass was a surprise for many. The historically popular Playstation franchise coming over to Xbox was one of the first steps in their continued commitment to gain any sort of footing in the Japanese market. Battlefield 2042, Far Cry 6, Back 4 Blood, and Hades were all given ample time to show off their upcoming experiences. Although at this point in time I remember being completely burned out on Far Cry 6, it felt like with every showcase, trailer, and event, there was always a long, extended trailer everywhere you looked. This year was also the showcase that debuted Redfall as Xbox's "One more thing" moment to end the conference. At the time, I was hyped because the trailer looked fun and the team behind it had the promise of delivering a unique experience. Sadly, we've all now seen how that's turned out.
Honestly, the only downside to this show I can point out with criticism is that multiple titles were shown too far in advance. Outer Worlds 2, Contraband, and Eiyuden Chronicles Hundred Heroes were all shown off, and we were still waiting on them to release or even give out more information. We fully understand that Microsoft would want to pack their shows to the brim, but if you're doing that at the cost of radio silence for years, it comes off as not being prepared to launch the titles you are highlighting. This issue is even more blown up when you look back a year at the announcements of Fable, Avowed, State of Decay 3, and Everwild, all of which have been nowhere to be seen for 3 years now. In Everwild's case, reports came out last year that the project was restarted from the ground up, so who knows when we'll hear any mention of that again?
2021 was one of the strongest showings for Microsoft in recent memory. Strong first-party lineup with solid diversity from third-party developers. There was a steady stream of unannounced projects and updates on a few things we've known about, not really leaving any room for people to want more or question why there's a lack of content on the platform. Here's hoping that 2023 is even better. Xbox has every possible piece lined up to knock it out of the park this year and regain some goodwill they've since lost.