But the intervening years have seen the game hidden away behind a veil of mystery. Yes, there were trailers that tried very hard to tell us that the upcoming title was Fable as we always remembered it, but there’s only so much they could do in the absence of a good look at what its RPG ambitions were going to look like once they were in the hands of its players. But the latest showcase of the game has changed that.

Yes, the reboot’s bringing a very interesting combat system, a version of Albion that we can’t wait to explore, and environments that might be hard to explore when you’re stopping to admire the sights so often. But while those are all great things to have in an RPG of this scale, they’re also present in several other of the game’s competitors. Fable needs something to set itself apart, and the latest showcase has demonstrated that Albion itself might be the ace up its sleeve that it needs to stand toe-to-toe with the genre’s greatest titles.

A World That Makes Life Itself Extraordinary

The glimpse of the game that we’ve been given does show off how exploration and combat have been woven into the experience. There are quests for you to take on, of course, and a lot of the humor and unique tone that gives the franchise its identity. They’re all welcome additions, to be sure, but they’re not what we’re here to discuss in this one. Instead, we’re going to focus on how Albion seems tailored to respond to you in ways that you can predict, and in others that could have you quite surprised at their complexity.

To us, the most exciting facet of Fable isn’t that you’re going to be taking on enemies and monsters as a Hero whose abilities continue to grow and evolve as you engage with Albion. It’s in how that world remembers who you are as a person, and the kind of Hero you’ve been that has us very eager, impatient even, to get our hands on a copy.

A world in which NPCs feel sentient definitely stands out. We’ve seen games filled with hundreds of nameless characters that are largely relegated to the background, acting as a sort of decorative presence to present the illusion of worlds that are alive. Yes, some of them are vendors, or perhaps quest givers, but they’re largely nameless crowds who have no real bearing on the outcome of your adventures, or even your actions other than to present surface-level responses to what you do in their presence.

Even the ones you can interact with are limited to serving their intended functions, and not much else. A blacksmith, for example, isn’t going to be interested in much else beyond helping you upgrade your gear and weapons. Granted, they might have a bit of dialogue to make them feel like they’re responding to you and your presence in their smithy, but they don’t know you beyond the fact that you’re the main character in a story where they’re playing a small, and rather negligible part. They’re nothing more than a map icon for when you need the game to help you fulfil a specific function.

But Albion looks like it’s built around the very NPCs that other games often neglect. There are actual systems guiding their actions, and the subsequent interactions you have with them. Jack the Beggar responds to your kindness, and actively forms an impression about you when you behave charitably towards him. While that’s impressive on its own, that very same act of kindness drives the local tailor to forming a more disdainful opinion of you, her personal morals giving her the impression that your actions do not address the root cause of why Jack was in his dire straits.

Every NPC has their own routines, hobbies, likes, dislikes, and the ability to think for themselves, and those opinions form a complex web of opinions that you’re then left to navigate as you see fit. You could buy their businesses and homes, choosing to disrupt their lives and face the consequences of their displeasure, or use your new purchase to help make the lives they live better. And they remember it all, and either help or hinder you based on what they think of you. If Playground pulls this off on a scale that covers the entirety of Albion, its NPCs might be more important than its map size, and that’s a welcome deviation from a rather predictable script in the open-world RPG genre.

Playing to Its Strengths

Of course, those of us who’ve played the original Fable know that the Morality System and your Reputation were important parameters that influenced the trajectory of your story. The franchise may not be known for RPGs that are mechanically deep, but they’ve definitely been remembered for the funny, often exaggerated ways that their worlds have responded to our actions in-game. There was a personal touch, a feeling that the world around you was actually in sync with what you were doing.

You could be loved or feared, celebrated or mocked for who you were, exalted as a hero or reviled as a diabolical villain, or infamous as a morally grey individual whose unpredictability was the only certainty when you entered the room. The world made your choices feel visible, and presented tangible responses to them to make your time with any of the franchise’s offerings feel special. Fable was at its best when it (conveniently) forgot that you were the chosen one who would shape the trajectory of its world, and instead chose to treat you based on the merits of your actions. You could be a benevolent landlord, loved by your tenants, or a menace to be reviled by the locals.

You could be a spouse that was devoted to their loved one, or a local fool who couldn’t be trusted to achieve even the simplest of goals. The world you were exploring had a soul of its own, and it was one that you had to work to capture, and subsequently keep satisfied if you wanted things to go in a direction you decided. That’s precisely what the reboot is trying to recapture, and we must say that it’s doing a reasonably great job at that if that preview was any indication.

Think about how you have even a stable hand being entirely indifferent to your presence when you first enter a town. You’re a nameless entity, and one that its denizens have no reason to trust or hate since they’ve never seen you before. But one set of decisions, of all things, and you were then a person who was interesting enough for NPC to sit up and take notice of. The aforementioned Jack the Beggar, and his subsequent new lot in life as a local bartender, all stem from you.

Of course, word travels fast and while some find you to be compassionate and kind, others might think you’re naive, and yet to see the bigger picture of a world that allows systemic inequalities to exist between the people in it. But it’s those inequalities that allow you to shape lives by becoming a landlord or business owner, offering employment and housing to those who need them, and earning their trust and benevolence in the process.

It’s a world in which people aren’t afraid to show their pleasure or displeasure to your face, with tangible reactions on the visual front, and systems that can help or hinder you based on who you’re interacting with, and what they think of you. A sense of sentience permeates the very air of Albion, and its one that’s always watching what you do and responding to it in ways that mimic what a Hero would face in the real world.

Fable isn’t just giving us a reactive story next year, but a reactive society, which is a distinction that automatically sets it apart from other titles. It’s a recipe for some truly chaotic outcomes the more we think about it. You could be a landlord whose tenants cannot stop singing praises of, while being a Hero whose actions aren’t necessarily in the best interests of the people you’re fighting for. You could be kind and compassionate, being revered for it even as that very kindness ruins local economies.

It’s a great way to ensure that no two playthroughs of the game are going to look alike. Playground has realized that Fable doesn’t need to be a serious RPG, but an interactive fairy tale in which every Hero can walk away with absolutely ridiculous stories. And with player agency being as central to the experience as it is, the potential for a title that players keep coming back to of their own free will is right there.

A Positive Influence

When you think about the kind of experience that it offers from the perspective of other open-world games, it’s easy to see why we’re quite hooked on the idea of a world that isn’t judged on its scale, the length of its questlines, the density of markers on its map, its loot and crafting systems, upgrade trajectories, or cinematic presentation. That’s not to say they aren’t a part of the experience that Fable’s offering, but they’ve taken a backseat to a world that makes the little moments matter.

Where other games could have you already thinking about where you want to go next after you conduct your business ina town, Fable aims to have you staying back to try and learn more about the population. It makes you wonder if the people around you truly know you for who you are, and whether your presence can enrich their lives, or ruin them entirely. You’re given the power to shape their destinies, but how you do that is completely up to you, and there’s enough unpredictability to make your efforts succeed, or fail so spectacularly you’re going to have to work to understand how your plans unravelled.

It’s a far more interesting pitch than having yet another massive world full of lifeless interactions to explore, to be sure, but we must consider the possibility of the effort backfiring, just as how your attempts to be a Hero for the ages can lead your people to ruin. Can these systems continue to have an impact across the entire experience? Can they remain meaningful – and compelling – once you’ve spent about twenty or thirty hours in Albion?

We’re a tad worried that it can be too easy for NPCs to get you if you have enough money to bribe town criers, giving you a way to get a clean slate in a given town that seems too convenient for an experience like this one. We would have liked to see the preview visit how your criminal actions at the end of it affected your relationship with the owner of the general store, whose last interaction with you was one of familiarity and goodwill considering all the good things you had done up until that point.

Is the sheer amount of player agency you’re offered going to have actual consequences to your decisions, or is it just a way of letting the game amuse you with funny reactions from the people you’re engaging with? Fable’s systems worked well in the demo, but we’re wondering if they worked too well in the curated slice of a larger pie that we were allowed to see.

But concerns aside, that demo gave the upcoming reboot a sense of identity that it sorely needed over the past few years. Fable isn’t trying to be a big fantasy RPG for the Xbox, but a world that makes Albion feel social, reactive, messy, amusing, and most importantly, personal. It puts you at the front of the experience, and lets its world draw you in by giving you a life that’s full of the chaos and joy that such a world would offer.

It’s a recipe that could have you wanting more if it succeeds, or otherwise leave a bitter aftertaste. But like any journey worth undertaking, we’d say that the effort must count for something.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Thankfully, Playground Games has since clarified that “the guards haven’t all taken up tea drinking mid-shift.” Instead, this was on “Story” difficulty, which offers the “gentlest way” to traverse Albion. “Should you prefer a sterner welcome, other difficulty levels will ensure the guards remember their training and are less… polite.”

It didn’t go into detail about how to make Fable more challenging, but it’s still good news for those who prefer much stricter consequences to their actions. Who knows? Your Reputations may have some kind of effect in mitigating them if you’ve spent enough time in a location (which becomes superfluous on lower difficulties, but I digress).

Either way, these options are just another ingredient to letting players explore Albion on their own terms. You could settle down and have a comfy life sim which seemingly goes on forever, and go the bloodthirsty route of killing all 1,000 handcrafted NPCs. Or live as your average adventurer, embarking on quests, resolving disputes, exploring caves for rare equipment, and so on.

Fable launches on February 23rd, 2027 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, so expect even more details on combat and difficulty in the coming months.

“We’ve got a really fantastic cast of actors who have come in and recorded tons and tons of dialogue, which is what you’ve heard today voicing our NPCs,” said Playground Games. “All of our NPCs are fully voiced. We cast around 100 actors to voice our Living Population alone.”

The use of generative AI for voice acting became a major talking point for many players and developers alike when ARC Raiders developer Embark Studios spoke about using it for the extraction shooter. The company had confirmed this just a few days after ARC Raiders was released, with studio CCO and co-founder Stefan Strandberg revealing that the title used “a combination of recordings of real actors and [text-to-speech].”

Studio head Patrick Söderlund and parent company Nexon’s CEO, Junghun Lee, even went on to talk about how they wanted generative AI to be used in game development so that the development teams could be “free” to be more creative.

As for Fable, Playground Games revealed through a 30-minute gameplay overview that the open-world RPG will be an “endless, interconnected live sim”. This is largely possible because the studio worked hard to handcraft more than a thousand NPCs. The process of these NPCs being created also meant that the studio had to figure out a “very different way of building a game”.

“They’ll get up, they’ll go to work, they’ll have some leisure time, they’ll go back to their home, and they’ll go to bed,” explained studio founder Ralph Fulton.

“And immediately, you know when you hear that, certainly as a developer, you start going, ‘Oh, okay, so every NPC, and there’s more than 1,000 of them in the game, needs a bed.’ And you have that conversation with the environment art team, and they’re like, ‘they need what now?’ Which is, it brings you to a very different way of building a game, because it needs to be functional as well as beautiful.”

This also means that Fable players can expect there to be plenty of shops throughout the world of Albion. The studio has confirmed that, in its entirety, Fable’s world will feature more than 120 different shops, each with its own unique stocks. In the same gameplay showcase, the studio also revealed details about the Blacksmithing system, which will give players new ways to make gold.

Fable is being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and is slated for release on February 23rd, 2027. Xbox CCO Matt Booty has confirmed that Playground Games worked with Blizzard to create some of the RPG’s cinematics.

Owning a business carries its share of consequences as well. You’ll gain the Rich and Entrepreneur Reputations – great for charming certain folk, but Rhiannon the tailor in Oakshire won’t like you, resulting in heavily increased prices. On the bright side, there are over 120 different shops in the world, each with unique stock, so you can always go somewhere else (or venture to more dangerous places since they carry “rare” outfits).

The overview also showcases Blacksmithing, which you can take up at any time to earn cash. Hit the hotspots just right, and you’ll gain a gold modifier, though being quick is also good. Purchasing properties is another key element, and you can evict tenants or pay them to leave.

And while some houses are quaint, Playground Games promises a lot of variety, including mansions. So with all this being a nice guy, what’s it like when you’re not? Firing an employee bestows the Heartless reputation, and shooting arrows everywhere will make people think you’re Reckless.

But what about injuring someone or committing crimes like murder? Not only does that attract the guards, but you’ll gain Reputations like Killer and need to pay a fine. As long as you’re a criminal, you’ll constantly be under attack, but it’s a great opportunity to unleash magic like suspending targets, slamming them back down, teleport slashing, or just turning them into chickens to then cook with fireballs.

With over two hours of high-quality performance cinematics equivalent to those seen in the trailers, Fable promises a very deep experience with production values to match. It’s out on February 23rd, 2027 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

You’ll visit many different-sized settlements with their own traits, landmarks and populations, but for now, the objective is Silverbrook. Your mission is to investigate the connection between Isabel and the magic incidents occurring in the settlement. Associate game director William Kennedy notes that the 1,000 handcrafted NPCs in Fable aren’t scripted, touting emergent behavior based on real-time systems.

They’re also affected by your reputation, so if you walk up to a random stablehand and ask him to follow, he’ll decline due to indifference. However, intervene in a commotion that involves a butcher and a talking pig named Colin, and you can slowly build your reputation with “hundreds” of branching dialogue choices. Careful though, as every decision has a consequence.

Saving Colin, for example, requires paying the butcher. Alternatively, you can fight him. Take the less violent route, and you gain various reputations like Merciful, Shrewd and Virtuous. This in turn will affect how NPCs view you – like Jack the Beggar thinking you’re principled if you’re Virtuous. Give some gold to him, and you’ll gain the Kind reputation as well.

There’s so much more to cover, so stay tuned for updates. Fable launches on February 23rd, 2027 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

“So, I can tell you how we are thinking about it,” Ball said. “We have an internal framework and strategy that we are using to approach exclusives on and off the platform. We announced yesterday that there were two titles, one coming this year, one coming next year. Doing two titles was important. We could have announced Clockwork was going to be exclusive later at the end of the year, when we got closer and closer to the 25th anniversary. We could have kicked off 2027 by talking about that as an exclusive.”

“It was important for us to include two titles so that people understood this was not a one-off; it was not commemorative. We were not saying it’s our 25th anniversary, it’s Gears’ 20th anniversary, we’re returning to Xbox, here’s an exclusive. This is the start of a program.”

He went on to note that it is now an important thing for XBOX that its supporters continue to find value in their investment in its consoles and ecosystem. This also means that the company wants to keep them as XBOX users even going forward. To achieve this, the company will go back to featuring exclusive console releases in the future, since it is important for the company’s branding and growth as a platform.

“Players can expect a reliable pipeline that validates their historical investment in the Xbox platform, keeps them as Xbox players going forward,” he said. “And everyone in the industry understands that exclusives are important to the growth and branding of that platform.”

However, it looks like XBOX might be taking a Sony-styled approach with its games, with major live-service titles still getting multiplatform releases. Referring to Halo: Campaign Evolved and Fable, Ball said that, since the company had already announced that they would be coming to PS5 as well, it will be going forward with those commitments.

“We have a third bucket of titles, those titles that we have previously announced or previously committed with our partners, with players, with teams, that we’ve decided to maintain those commitments,” he explained.

Ball credits this new strategy of returning to console-exclusive releases as being the result from new XBOX CEO Asha Sharma. According to him, Sharma “has been clear” about the state of XBOX’s business these days, and has started initiatives to turn things around. However, he acknowledged that these initiatives won’t result in an overnight turnaround for XBOX, and that it will still take the company some time to regain the trust and adoration of its users.

“Every day we are going to come more and more outwards about what we’re doing, why we’re doing it,” said Ball. “And the reason why I say that is, today I should give you a more comprehensive answer. Here are all the titles that players can expect this year, next year, and thereafter that are going to be exclusive.”

“We know what those are going to be. We know how we’re going to make those decisions. We know how we’re going to be evaluated against those decisions. But what’s important there is that framework has to be external eventually. Everyone in this audience is an expert, an aficionado of the field, and I understand why they are saying we still don’t quite get it. We have to communicate that internally. We have to communicate that to our partners.”

“But then most of all, at the end of the day, the average player, the average current Xbox player, and the player that we want but don’t have today, have to understand it very simply. And that’s where we’re going. We’re just not ready to do it yet.”

But it doesn’t stop there. A post-launch story expansion, Order of the Hero, is also in the works. As announced on the official site, it sees players drawn into “the secrets of a dark, ancient cult hidden deep within the perilous beauty of Albion.” You’ll explore a dangerous new region which also seems to hold some mysterious, forgotten power.

It’s also possible for you to win over the cult and become their overseer, thus guiding its direction and conducting rituals. Of course, as the developer teases, there must be a reason why the position is vacant, and it could mean dire circumstances for Albion’s one true hero (read: You).

Order of the Hero doesn’t have a release window just yet – obviously, since the base game isn’t even available – but it is included in the Premium Edition. Unlike Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution, Fable will launch on PS5 alongside Xbox Series X/S and PC next year. Stay tuned for updates and further gameplay in the meantime.

The trailer features plenty of in-game footage, giving us a look at what the world of Fable will look like. Things are kicked off with Isabel – as played by Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) – talking about how she felt when her powers first came to her. Isabel seems to be a rival-styled character for the protagonist, since she already has the title of Hero of Wraithsmarsh, and seems to be talking directly with the protagonist about other heroes.

Isabel’s words are punctuated with scenes of the protagonist taking on a wide variety of flora and fauna as they help out local townsfolks with monster infestations and other quests. She goes on to say that, “A real hero knows how to wield power, and doesn’t waste time with trivialities. A hero knows how to live with their choices.” She ends her speech by noting that “Albion is broken, and I’m going to mend it. Albion doesn’t need heroes. It needs a hero. And that hero… is me.”

Interestingly, the trailer ends with a character being scared of a mysterious person with a white mask and red cloak walking out of some flames. This character, as fans of the Fable franchise will note, bears a striking resemblance to the original Fable’s primary antagonist – the Jack of Blades.

Following State of Play, it’s the Summer of Gaming with one major showcase after another, starting with the Summer Game Fest showcase on June 5th. It’s followed by the Future Games Show Summer Showcase on June 6th and a double feature on June 7th with the Xbox Games Showcase and PC Gaming Show. There’s also the possibility of a new Nintendo Direct to outline what’s coming this year (and potentially beyond), but here are our picks for some of the biggest announcements that you could see, and it all begins with the return of a beloved franchise…

Gears of War: E-Day Release Date

Say what you will about XBOX, all caps or not, they know that fans are hungry for more Gears of War. Hence, the dedicated Direct for E-Day will feature its first-ever gameplay and other details. Since it’s allegedly out in the second half of 2026, all eyes are on The Coalition to finally announce a release date, which is looking to be September based on recently announced sponsorships. Either way, it’s been far too long without the king of cover-based shooters, and we’re looking forward to beginning the fight anew.

Fable’s “Major New Look”

Now, this one is interesting, especially since XBOX has already confirmed a delay to February 2027. So what could this “major new look” hold? Perhaps a walkthrough of a quest? The return of a beloved character? Showcasing the extent of consequences that are possible with increasingly hilarious results? It may end up just showcasing another well-known British actor in the game, but hey, we’ll take it if there’s solid gameplay.

Halo: Campaign Evolved Release Date

Halo Studios has been rather mum on this remake, which is odd for several reasons. Yes, it recently confirmed there’s no in-game store, but… that’s pretty much it. There’s been no new gameplay since its reveal at the last Halo World Championship, and it’s reportedly launching next month. Will marketing kick into overdrive after the showcase? Time will tell, but from every angle, it seems fans won’t have to wait long to go hands-on.

Phantom Blade Zero Gets New Trailer

Launching in September, being in the “intense, final stages of development” according to the developer, only one other big showcase until its launch – if ever there was a time to start marketing for Phantom Blade Zero, it would be at Summer Game Fest. As always, the question of what could be showcased always pops up – obviously, you want to get the people excited without spoiling too much. Alternatively, if S-Game wanted to drop that demo promised long ago, next week wouldn’t be the worst occasion to do so.

Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 3

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has said that marketing won’t begin until Summer, clarifying that it won’t be for another few weeks. However, it doesn’t exclude the possibility of a new trailer, and it certainly doesn’t stop Rockstar from opening pre-orders. Could it stop short of the latter and release a new teaser, hyping up a reveal in the coming weeks? Sure. Does it need to do it at any of the upcoming showcases? Probably not, but it would be cool. Either way, expect to hear a lot more about the title this month, even if it’s when you least expect it.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword Release Date

We’ve seen more than enough gameplay, know more than enough the story – so if the long-awaited Onimusha revival doesn’t get a launch date at some point in the coming days, I may lose it. Granted, the developer could always pull the patented, “Tune in to the Online Special Program later in June for more,” but like Pragmata at last year’s The Game Awards, it’s probably just going to cut through the noise and announce a date with pre-orders.

Monster Hunter Wilds Expansion Reveal

Now this is a classic example of potentially debuting a trailer and revealing more information later. Monster Hunter Wilds’ expansion is confirmed to receive more details this Summer, and given the franchise’s history at Keighley’s shows, a title reveal seems very likely. We could then see a proper Monster Hunter Showcase next month or in September, right before the so-called Summer period ends.

OD Update

It’s been a year since Hideo Kojima took the Summer Game Fest stage, promoting Death Stranding 2. With how close he is to Keighley, and the fact that there hasn’t been any update on its next title, OD, since September 2025, a new teaser would hardly be surprising. Then again, since Xbox Game Studios is the publisher, it may even appear at the upcoming Xbox Showcase. The real question is: Will Kojima attend both? It’s certainly not impossible, even if it would be excessive.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis Release Date Reveal (or Delay)

It really doesn’t hit you just how many games could be released between June and October, simply to avoid “competing” – which is already a strong word – against Grand Theft Auto 6. I’m not sure that Amazon Game Studios would want to take the risk, even after announcing a 2026 release window, and rumors of a delay to 2027 may feed into that. An appearance certainly seems on the cards, but for now, it’s a toss-up on whether it launches this year or next.

Resident Evil – Code: Veronica Remake Announcement

Rumors have circulated about this remake since June 2024. Resident Evil Requiem was announced in June 2025, at the Summer Game Fest no less. With a supposed launch in the first half of 2027, odds are looking good that Resident Evil could steal the show once more with the long-awaited Code: Veronica Remake. Get your “welcome back, Claire Redfield” signs ready in advance.

Virtua Fighter Crossroads Reveal

Call it a mistake, an accident or just an honest-to-goodness leak, the new Virtua Fighter’s gameplay has seemingly leaked. The final name is apparently Virtua Fighter Crossroads, and admittedly, it looks quite good. Is Sega saving the announcement for a big show like Summer Game Fest, especially since it was announced at The Game Awards 2024? Possibly – it’s not like there’s any other shows it could fit in.

Sonic Frontiers: Definitive Edition Announcement

Add another game to the potential Nintendo Direct, as Sega seeks to bring Sonic Frontiers to Nintendo Switch 2 at long last. While previous rumors suggested a rewritten story, the Definitive Edition is allegedly closer to a standard port, complete with all updates, except that it should run better than the Switch 1 version. Again, if it’s indeed real, expect an announcement and release date soon.

Metro 2039 Gets More Gameplay

After its surprising reveal and the even more surprising First Look, Metro 2039 seems poised to appear at the Xbox Games Showcase. Not for the sake of filling up time, mind you – rather, to showcase more of the horrors that players will allegedly face. I’m skeptical about a release date, especially since 4A Games still has time to narrow things down – and decide whether it wants to fall on the 2026 or 2027 side of its Winter release window – but stranger things have happened at an Xbox show.

State of Decay 3 Gameplay and Updates

Meet one of the stranger things. I know, I know – Undead Labs is conducting closed tests, and it’s seemingly making progress after years and years of nothing. And while it could outright say “2027” as a release window, something tells me the team will simply provide new gameplay, an update from recent tests, and the assurance of providing more opportunities in the coming months. Playing things safe before it really decides to commit to something.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 Release Date

Launching this Summer and already unveiling everything that sets it apart from the original, Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 seems like a lock for Summer Game Fest. A release date seems a given, but it feels like something else is needed – a little je ne sais quoi. Maybe a brand new big bad that would replace the Queen as a major threat? Hard to say, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it arrives as soon as next month.

Valor Mortis Release Date

A first-person Souls-like set in an alternate 19th-century Europe focused on fighting Napoleon’s zombie soldiers after returning from the dead, developed by the team behind Ghostrunner 2? Sign us up, and more importantly, give us a release date, since it’s already confirmed for Fall. That may end up closer to October than November for the obvious reason, but I’m more interested to see if a demo or open beta ends up happening, especially with all the closed testing done so far.

Ananta Trailer and Launch Window

Geoff Keighley’s showcases have a thing for games – see the frequent appearances by ZZZ, Honkai: Star Rail, Wuthering Waves, and, more recently, Arknights Endfield. Ananta is interesting because it’s foregoing a character system while retaining the urban open-world fantasy we’ve seen thus far. It may not launch this year, but with most of its competition, particularly NTE, already released, a new trailer at least seems a given.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Release Date

What should have been rated recently by PEGI, but Bandai Namco’s next Ace Combat? Smarter minds will probably be able to tell you why its pre-release date is May 30th on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, but it’s further proof of a potential release announcement. And honestly, with how good Wings of Theve has looked, both the first-person cutscenes and the actual combat, we’re hoping it drops sooner than later.

The Duskbloods Release Month

Say what you will about its recent multiplayer focus – FromSoftware generally does a good job convincing millions to try its next game, regardless. The same will hopefully hold for The Duskbloods, and with rumors of a launch later this year (and not this Summer, apparently), it could appear at that alleged Nintendo Direct set for mid-June. Maybe Elden Ring Tarnished Edition will be shadow-dropped in the meantime.

New 3D Mario Announcement

Nintendo isn’t above announcing big names a good while before they actually launch – just as it has no qualms holding back finished titles, waiting for the right launch window. And with insider NateTheHate claiming that a new 3D Mario would be announced for 2027, that supposed mid-June Direct isn’t the worst place to announce it, especially after the success of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

Pokémon Wind and Waves Release Window

Perhaps one of the safest possible bets for the Direct is the release date announcement for Pokémon Wind and Waves, especially with listings spotted on Amazon Germany. If it follows, say, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, then January/February 2027 aren’t outside the realm of possibility. Again, a safe bet, unless Nintendo goes in another direction (like saving the info for a Pokémon Showcase in July).

Hollow Knight: Silksong — Sea of Sorrow Gameplay

Geoff Keighley loves his Silksong teases, but that was for one of the most-anticipated games of all time. What are the chances the trend repeats at this year’s show, revealing the first gameplay for Sea of Sorrow, its free DLC? Probably low, but don’t forget about XBOX – they’ve featured Silksong on numerous occasions, and would probably jump at the opportunity to feature the title on their showcase, complete with a release date.

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra Update

Game delays can be funny, especially when something like Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra – the next big game from Uncharted creator Amy Hennig – announced a delay beyond early 2026. That doesn’t mean 2027, but at this rate, with very little to actually show for it, we wouldn’t be surprised if it appears with a new trailer confirming it’s skipping 2026 entirely. Which is fine, but you’d have to expect a closer look at the game at some point.

Star Wars Zero Company Release Date/Delay

Star Wars crossed with XCOM sounds like a dream come true, and based on previews, it makes for an excellent tactical strategy experience. But there’s otherwise been relative silence – not even a peep during this year’s May the 4th. If it’s meeting that 2026 release window, then a new trailer at either the Xbox Games Showcase or Summer Games Fest is possible. Then again, EA could choose not to foot the bill and just drop these details at some random time.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Title Reveal

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was first announced during the original’s 25th Anniversary Celebration livestream in June 2022. So close enough to the Summer of Gaming at the time, but still nothing. However, its gameplay trailer would appear at the Summer Game Fest in 2023, followed by another trailer at The Game Awards, and so on. With director Naoki Hamaguchi already claiming more than 40 playthroughs and promising to share more updates on the overall project than ever before this year, a Part 3 reveal – if not a release window, then perhaps its name – seems very likely.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy Release Date

Oh, look – another game that appeared at last year’s Summer Game Fest with a release window of 2026. Asobo Studio offered a substantial update last April, confirming “final tweaks, last recording sessions, the closing notes of the score,” and much more as it focuses on refining the prequel. It’s been four years since A Plague Tale: Requiem, yet the developer is focused on delivering “an experience as challenging as it is unforgettable.” We could thus see Resonance appearing next week to announce a delay to next year, if only to allow it to shine all the brighter.

Palworld 1.0 Release Date

With all the big announcements, I think back to Palworld, which exited early access this year. Pocketpair already said that Version 1.0 wouldn’t just be randomly revealed on Discord, and it has a history of featuring on these big shows. So what better time to reveal all the new content and a release date than Summer Game Fest, with further info dumps planned for the coming months? Again, there’s kind of a time limit given the elephant in the room called GTA 6, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Pocketpair decides on January 2027 of all months.

Nivalis Release Window

At this time, developer ION LANDS posted a new update for its cyberpunk restaurant management title, going over level design, visuals, how it’s handling simulating thousands of characters, and so on. However, one little bit stood out – the shift towards “final polish” ahead of release. From bug fixes to localization and optimization, the team has been busy. It will share a release date when it’s ready, so a shadow drop seems unlikely, but at this stage, a release date still seems very possible, especially in the coming week.

Light No Fire Appearance

Of all the studios and publishers sweating about November and finding the right days to release their titles, Hello Games has it made. No Man’s Sky continues to succeed, and it continues to receive quality free updates that deepen the experience. So when it comes to Light No Fire, a small teaser could be released at Summer Game Fest with very little context, much less a release window, and stand out. And if no one wants to feature an indie title that simply wants to remind people that it still exists, well, that’s alright then, because development will roll on until something concrete. The point is, at the end of it all, Sean continues to hold all the cards.

Minecraft Dungeons 2 Release Date

As if its first-party line-up for the coming months wasn’t enough, Mojang’s Minecraft Dungeons 2 is also launching in 2026. It’s not a huge title by any means, but the original had 25 million players, so the prospect of new locations and a brand new threat could be appealing…and you just know it’s going to be at the Xbox Games Showcase, showcasing its various new zones that totally weren’t leaked a year ago.

While it’s set to receive a new look at the company’s showcase on June 7th, XBOX chief content officer Matt Booty provided a progress update during the Official Xbox Podcast. “We talked about Forza Horizon 6 and how the team at Playground is doing really well. Also doing really well on Fable. The game is in great shape. The team feels really good. We’re excited about where the game is.

“We want to make sure that the game has a window all to its own, so we are going to move it from this fall to February. And again, we really just want it to have its own moment to shine.”

He also teased that fans would be “seeing more of it” at the Xbox Games Showcase. “We’re going to have plenty for people to see. It really is coming together well, exciting stuff, and then we’re going to move to February.”

For what it’s worth, Playground Games revealed tons of details on the open-world RPG during the Xbox Developer_Direct last January. These include implementing 1,000 handcrafted NPCs with their own schedules and morals, and a massive shift to the original’s Morality system.

Instead of performing good or evil acts and watching your character’s appearance change, you can now build different reputations in locations based on your actions. So if you’re known as a chicken kicker who evicts his tenants in one city, you could turn a new leaf and become beloved in another. But what happens if they intersect?

Hopefully, we’ll get to see some of that on June 7th during the Xbox Games Showcase and Gears of War: E-Day Direct. Stay tuned for all the coverage live.