The Coalition’s Gears 5 is taking a lot of interesting steps for the established franchise, introducing “dramatic contrast” in its world design, among other things. One of the bigger changes is having Kait as the protagonist. Introduced in Gears of War 4, she was JD Fenix’s squad-mate and love interest. However, in the sequel, she’s striking out with Del and Marcus Fenix to uncover the truth about her origins.

What motivated the decision to have Kait as the protagonist this time around? During an interview at Microsoft’s recent X018 fan fest, The Coalition studio manager Rod Fergusson said that the story of Gears 5, not unlike the previous title, is “organically” Kait’s. “It was a really natural decision,” said Fergusson.

“When we went back and we looked at what the story of Gears of War 4 was, like with Mad Max Fury Road, that movie is really about Furiosa’s story and Mad Max is helping her complete her story, and Gears of War 4’s story is really Kait trying to save her mom and JD Fenix is helping her.

“When we looked at the story for Gears 5, we were sort of delving into Kait’s past and her history, her family ties to the locusts, we felt like that’s a better story to not just witness but tell from her perspective. Organically we realized Gears 5 is Kait’s story again, so let’s play it from her perspective.”

Fergusson also spoke briefly about Gears Tactics, the turn-based strategy game that’s being developed along with Splash Damage. We haven’t heard much about the project since its E3 2018 reveal, but Fergusson revealed that development was in full swing. “We’re right in the heart of the development for Gears Tactics. One of the things we’re focusing right now is ‘PC first’, we’re really trying to make sure it’s true to what a PC experience has to be.

“What’s really funny is that when you take the gameplay and make it turn-based strategy, the dependency on your squad and cover feels like it’s Gears of War at its essence of that brotherhood and tactics, that’s what it’s really about.” Gears Tactics is currently slated to release in 2019 and will be coming to Windows 10 PCs.

As for Gears 5, it will arrive in 2019 for Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs. Just like with Gears of War 4, Xbox Play Anywhere will be supported, so purchasing the digital version on Xbox One will provide a free digital copy for PC (and vice versa).

At X018, Microsoft confirmed the acquisition of Obsidian Entertainment, developer of Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire and Fallout: New Vegas, after months of rumours. However, it also revealed that inXile Entertainment of The Bard’s Tale 4 fame would be joining its first party line-up as well. This obviously raised the question of what would happen to inXile’s current projects (Wasteland 3 is still in development).

It didn’t explicitly state what’s coming for future releases – and whether they’d arrive on platforms like GOG. However, inXile did say on Twitter that it was honouring backer commitments for The Bard’s Tale 4 and Wasteland 3. So if either title has goals and planned releases on a platforms like PS4, they will go through as planned. It even confirmed that Thief of Fate, the remastered third title in The Bard’s Tale Trilogy, is going through as planned.

For the future, it remains to be seen what inXile will be developing, now that it’s part of Microsoft Studios. The publisher has stated that inXile will remain independent in its decision-making and creative process. But whether the company will still specialize in old-school style cRPGs or venture into something else completely remains to be seen.

We're keeping our backer commitments for BT4 and WL3. Beyond that, it's hard to say. It's still very early in this new relationship.

— inile entertainment (@inXile) November 11, 2018

Ehh? No, Thief of Fate is still on the way.

— inile entertainment (@inXile) November 12, 2018

There were, however, no new game announcements made whatsoever (except for a handful of new indie games shown off as part of Game Pass or ID@Xbox sizzle reels). Nothing new from Microsoft’s first party portfolio, nothing from any third party. Even the new looks we got to have at previously announced games were shorn of excitement. Well, Just Cause 4 looks great, but nothing that we saw was new, it was stuff we’d known already. Jump Force, without getting into larger questions of that game’s apparent quality, again, had nothing new announced. Kingdom Hearts 3 was the lone exception here, showing us a new Winnie the Pooh trailer, and looking great in the process.

Even the updates for Microsoft’s games? They were all announced for stuff that’s already out. So—a new update for Sea of Thieves, a new update for State of Decay 2, a new update for Forza Horizon 4. All good. But what about maybe giving us more of a look at Ori and the Will of the Wisps? Why not show us more of Gears 5? We knew Halo Infinite was not going to be at the show, but why not any of the others?

We did get to see Crackdon 3 again, including the multiplayer mode at long last. The destruction looks great, and more than anything else, it looks like the game came together to at least be a coherent, playable package (whether or not it turns out to have been worth the five year wait remains to be seen). We also got a release date for it, which was cool. No more delays from here on.

A lot of the show was focused on Game Pass, which is what Microsoft sees as an integral part of its future strategy (though Xbox head Phil Spencer was very careful to note that it’s not a replacement for the traditional console gaming model). There were sixteen new games announced for the service, including Ori, it’s upcoming sequel, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, which, again, is great. I’ve no complaints with any of this.

Microsoft even announced a bunch of great Black Friday deals, including price drops across the whole Xbox One range (bringing the Xbox One X down to the lowest price it has been yet), price reductions on controllers, Game Pass, and even games. A bunch of new titles, mostly from Square Enix, were also announced for backward compatibility.

All of this was fine. The thing is, in terms of the scope of what was shown off, and their significance to Xbox in terms of where it stands in the market, this was a short term show. There’s nothing wrong with that at all, whatsoever. Microsoft has monthly updates to keep players updated on its short term outlook for its games, hardware, and services, and really, this was just a big, blown up version of that.

Which is where my problem is. The show was billed as a major event, with major announcements, but we really didn’t get much of those. We got some cool stuff, and Xbox fans and owners will probably be happy at the updates we did get to see a look at, but there was no one show stopping moment that reallky justified this being its own event, beyond an Inside Xbox episode. What I am trying to say is, Microsoft mismanaged expectations.

This isn’t unusual, incidentally. Sony had the same problem with PlayStation Experience the first time they tried it in 2014, although eventually, they managed to make it a premier event that fans look forward to every year. Nintendo had the same problem with its initial batch of Nintendo Directs, although now Nintendo Direct is the company’s primary way of communicating announcements and updates to fans. Microsoft is in no way alone in having hyped up the first in its series of events to seem far more important than it really was. But just as it detracted from what was otherwise a solid round of announcements at the first PSX, and at the first few Nintendo Directs, so it detracted from an all round solid show, because there was this nagging feeling that we were promised more, and we didn’t get it.

There was one exception to this. The closer to the show was Microsoft announcing more studio acquisitions, and they’re pretty major ones. Microsoft’s great big weakness in terms of first party output has been meaningful single player adventures so that gap can be filled now. That was a good announcement, but it didn’t feel like it needed an entire two hour conference. Microsoft could have just announced it in a video release, or a regular Inside Xbox, or maybe via press release. The end result would have been the same. Right now, the excitement is almost tempered by the feeling of minor disappointment from the rest of the show.

In the end, there was nothing wrong with X018 in and of itself. It was… fine. But Microsoft promised more than fine, and a short term look at their future felt a bit deflating after all that.

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.

Playground Games’ Forza Horizon 4 is a little more than a month old. But even with the different events and rotating rewards, the developer has more content coming with the first expansion. Announced during Microsoft’s X018 event, Fortune Island will release on December 13th for Xbox One and Windows 10 PC.

According to the developer, Fortune Island will be the “largest expansion” in the series yet. It will feature rougher terrain like ravines and roads atop cliffs. If you weren’t a fan of paved mountain switchbacks, then prepare yourself because Fortune Island has the longest stretch yet. The DLC is included with the Ultimate Edition (which costs $99.99 and includes VIP Access, the second expansion and more).

However, those interested in just the expansion will need to buy the Car Pass for $34.99. It will contain Fortune Island as well as the second upcoming expansion. Forza Horizon 4 was a very strong game at launch, and Playground Games has only added on to it with more Horizon Stories, a Route Creator, and much more. Check out GamingBolt’s official review for the game here.

After plenty of rumours, Microsoft announced at X018 that it would be acquiring Obsidian Entertainment – developer of Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity, and Tyranny. Not only that, but it’s also picking up inXile Entertainment, developer of Wasteland 2 and The Bard’s Tale 4. That makes it 13 studios under Microsoft’s current first-party line-up.

Though the developers will be a part of Microsoft Studios, they’ll be kept independent. Of course, given the pedigree of both, especially Obsidian Entertainment, it remains to be seen how Microsoft will use their talent for upcoming titles. With Obsidian promising that its next project is bigger than the recent Pillars of Eternity 2, could there be hope for something spectacular? Either way, it might be a while before we find out.

Microsoft’s first-party line-up is looking pretty strong at the moment. At E3 2018, it announced the acquisition of Compulsion Games (We Happy Few), Ninja Theory (Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice), Undead Labds (Stat of Decay), and Playground Games (Forza Horizon 4). It also formed The Initiative, which employs developers from high-profile studios like Rockstar.

Capcom’s Devil May Cry 5 has been a heavily featured part of Microsoft’s marketing since E3 2018. So naturally, the game received a new trailer during X018 as well- but this one is a little different. It’s a developer diary of sorts that showcases producer Matt Walker and director Hideaki Itsuno talking about Osaka and how the city offers inspiration for the team.

Of course, the real meat of the trailer is The Void. This is essentially a training mode which allows players to experiment with different weapons and Devil Breakers. If you want to hone your skills, then The Void will offer a number of customizable settings to pull this off. Itsuno also showcased some of the Devil Breakers, including the Mega Man-esque Mega Buster, and how it changes Nero’s movements.

Devil May Cry 5 will be receiving even more footage at The Game Awards 2018, which takes place on December 6th live from Los Angeles, California. Will we receive more details on the mysterious third character “V”? Time will tell. The game is set to release on March 8th, 2019 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Stay tuned for more information in the meantime.

Square Enix had its own presence at Microsoft’s X018, as a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts 3 was showcased. The next big Tetsuya Nomura-directed action RPG will be out in January 2019, but until then, we got a look at an old friend from previous games. If you haven’t noticed already, it’s Winnie the Pooh. Check out the trailer below.

As Sora, Donald, and Goofy travel to the 100 Acre Wood, they’ll encounter Winnie and his friends. Much like previous games, there will be numerous mini-games to complete. The trailer also showcases some new story beats for those interested. It’s good to see Pooh and his friends returning in the sequel.

Kingdom Hearts 3 will be releasing for Xbox One and PS4 on January 29th, 2019 worldwide. The long-awaited sequel will see Sora and friends battling the forces of Master Xehanort. We already know that Aqua, the heroine from Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, seems to have gone to the dark side. What other shocking twists await? We’ll have to wait until its release to find out.

Xbox Game Pass is getting its fair share of attention at Microsoft’s X018 event. Thankfully, the company confirmed a number of high profile games that would be coming to the service. Two of those include Bluehole’s PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Ninja Theory’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. The former is out on November 12th, while the latter arrives on December 14th.

Despite a number of controversies, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is the game that kickstarted the Battle Royale craze. It’s still extremely popular, especially on Xbox One, and Xbox Game Pass should help it reach a wider audience of players. The game is also currently free for a limited time on Xbox One.

As for Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, it’s arguably one of the most compelling third person hack and slash titles in a long time. The game was acclaimed for its depiction of mental illness along with its incredible story-telling, voice-acting, and music. Along with supporting HDR, Hellblade will also include 4K resolution support on Xbox One X. With Ninja Theory being acquired by Microsoft earlier this year, Hellblade coming to Xbox Game Pass is a nice benefit to behold.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B9KA8flOVg

Rare was on hand at X018, talking about what’s in store for its shared world pirate title Sea of Thieves. As it turns out, it’s The Arena, a PvP mode that’s out in early 2019. If you’re tired of hunting others in the open world, perhaps this will offer something that’s more of a challenge. Check out the announcement trailer below.

The Arena sees players competing in races to locate treasure. However, you’ll eventually come across other players and must fight them. The Arena can be queued for, courtesy of an upcoming tavern, and there will be a new trading company called The Sea Dogs attached. The latter will be your source for PvP achievements and rewards.

As an alternative to all the skeleton hunting and treasure finding, The Arena could offer a nice little grind for wannabe Pirate Legends. In the meantime, Sea of Thieves players will have the free Shrouded Spoils expansion to play around with in the near future. That’s not including smaller events like Festival of the Damned, which recently took place.

During its X018 event, Microsoft confirmed that Crackdown 3’s multiplayer portion would have a more specific name – Wrecking Zone. Remember the cloud-based real-time destruction possible with that first reveal trailer? That’s pretty much what Wrecking Zone is and it’s out with the game on February 15th 2019 for Windows 10 and Xbox One.

The mode sees two teams of five agents heading into arenas that are fully destructible. Two modes – Territory and Agent Hunter – were announced with two maps – Blackout Zone and Nova Station – also showcased. Players will be able to customize their agents and equip a variety of weapons. Of course, more will be unlocked over time.

A separate trailer for the entirety of Crackdown 3 was also shown off at the event, featuring Terry Crews and his predictably hilarious antics. Check out both videos below. Crackdown 3 is scheduled to release for Xbox One and Windows 10 on February 15th 2019, of course. It will be available for Xbox Game Pass on launch day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90bS4Ngjgcs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulPrpqAOA7U&t=0s