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Looking ahead to 2025's Xbox Games Showcase at Summer Game Fest this weekend, it'd be all too easy for the publisher to rest on its laurels. Microsoft's gaming division is up by 5% in revenue as of its latest earnings call, and with digital services like Xbox Game Pass making up for hardware sales setbacks, this growth is a testament to all the brilliant new games Microsoft has released over the last six months.
True, some of these games have seen more commercial success than others. South of Midnight's modest reception felt lukewarm after the breakout hype over Avowed, undoubtedly Xbox's standout first-party exclusive of the year so far, while Bethesda and MachineGames' already popular Indiana Jones and the Great Circle became a cross-platform favorite when it launched on PS5 mere months after its Series X debut – and hey, remember when The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered got shadowdropped five days later?
2025 is shaping up to be one of the best years for Microsoft Gaming in a very long time. That makes it even more important for the Xbox Games Showcase to make a strong case for the rest of the year, showing off its in-house upcoming Xbox Series X games while championing the flagship console as the best place to play imminent third-party hits. Especially since, you know, the showcase is coming three days after the Nintendo Switch 2 launches – and I'd be surprised if that didn't cast some kind of shadow.
Thinking outside the (x)box
Join GamesRadar+ as we count down to Summer Game Fest 2025, helping you make sense of the busy weekend ahead. Check out the Summer Game Fest schedule for a full list of events.
With the promise of both first and third-party Xbox titles on June 8th's lineup, as well as a dedicated The Outer Worlds 2 deep-dive from developer Obsidian immediately after, Xbox Games Showcase 2025 has an opportunity to be not only celebratory, but preparatory.
The success of Avowed earlier this year cements Obsidian as the latest Xbox posterchild, with a litany of successful games released since the studio's acquisition by Microsoft in 2018. It makes sense that Xbox is positioning Obsidian front and center as it sets its intentions for the coming months; even as the publisher bears down on its cross-platform "Xbox Everywhere" initiative, first-party exclusives will still be of special interest to many tuning in this weekend.
There are plenty of likely showstoppers I can think of in that vein. We haven't seen much of Fable 4 since its delay to 2026, while Perfect Dark and Gears of War: E-Day have both been MIA since their respective reveals this time last year. We're also fairly light on State of Decay 3 and Clockwork Revolution news, as despite both currently sitting pretty on our list of expected new games for 2025, rumors and estimates have them likely to be delayed.
I'm especially keen to see if we get any new Marvel's Blade intel, despite how Arkane Austin said it would be "going quiet" for some time in 2023 to focus on its production stages – but hey, a girl can dream.
Xbox Games Showcase is Microsoft's chance to keep the good times rolling.
Xbox has many third-party partners it could be showcasing this weekend, drumming up some hype around announced games with release dates already set for the imminent future.
Borderlands 4 is an especially hot topic, with the release date mere months away at this point, as is Mafia: The Old Country and Supermasive Games' Directive 8020. It would also be a brilliant time to firm up some ballpark-2025 release windows for games like Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 (which was delayed to October for a "technical quality overhaul" in response to early gameplay feedback), Crimson Desert, and Chucklefish's cozy new pixel RPG Witchbrook.
After all, now that GTA 6 has been delayed to 2026, there's surely no time like the present for an avalanche of new release dates to help iron out the rest of our 2025 gaming calendars.
The road ahead
Xbox is positioning Obsidian front and center as it sets its intentions for the coming months
I know, I know – that's a lot of games, and a lot of educated assumptions besides. Perhaps the most interesting potential third-party partner we might see at Xbox Games Showcase, though? Ubisoft.
Despite being listed as a Summer Game Fest partner, the Assassin's Creed publisher has yet to confirm whether a Ubisoft Forward showcase will be going ahead. Bummed as I am at the prospect of waiting even longer for a look at Assassin's Creed: Codename Hexe, though, a cryptic tweet depicting an extreme close-up of Splinter Cell hero Sam Fisher's face has led many fans to believe that this could be a teaser for a long-awaited remake Ubisoft announced some four years ago.
If this is true, it could come at any point over the weekend's festivities – including the inaugural proceedings on June 6 – so it's definitely one for Xbox sleuths to watch for.
After an impressive start to 2025, Xbox Games Showcase is Microsoft's chance to keep the good times rolling. It's an opportunity to impress console and PC gamers alike, not giving up on the strength and utility of its hardware even as console unit sales slow down, and prove that Xbox intends to carry this momentum into Q4 and beyond.
It'll be no small feat to draw attention away from the Switch 2 hype, but if Microsoft brings the goods I know it's well equipped to, the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 should be well worth postponing a Mario Kart World race for.
Tune into the Future Games Showcase on June 7 to check out a litany of brand new games on the way this year, hosted by Matt Mercer
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