The Xbox July event has already been confirmed to focus exclusively on games, but there’s one other key element about the event: it will be an hour long. The event will air on July 23 from 9-10 AM PT.
The aptly-namedXboxGames Showcase will show some games that haven’t been revealed yet, as well as “updated looks” from some games Xbox has already unveiled. This will include a first look atHalo Infinitecampaign gameplay. Xbox dropped ateaser on Twitter forHalo Infiniteearlier this month, and it’s really leaning into the “legendary” status both of Master Chief and of theHalofranchise’s role in making Xbox as popular as it is.
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Aaron Greenberg, General Manager of Xbox Games Marketing says that Xbox is “pushing the industry forward with a huge variety of games,” some of which will be revealed at the event. Microsoft is clearly trying to create high expectations for this event, although it’s difficult to know what people are supposed to be excited about whenmost of the sixty-minute block is unknown (although people have guesses).
Greenburg’s tweet drew a number of critical responses from people in regards to the time. User @laylow3o5 says that an hour doesn’t seem that long, and that making the show two hours long and “full of new game reviews” might be more satisfying to fans. Another user responded called one hour “insultingly low.” Not everyone is skeptical about the time limit, though. @TommyMacklin1 pointed out that Sony and Nintendo have shown that developers can “do a lot with around an hour.”
Halo Infiniteis one of the only confirmed reveals at the Xbox event, and it’s unclear what else will take up the sixty-minute presentation. Microsoft is playing its cards close to its chest here, most likely to drum up hype for what could still be revealed. Even those this event is “games only” and won’t discuss business or consoles, there’s still a lot that could be revealed for the future of Xbox in this event. Some people have pointed out that Microsoft needs to focus on what will be unique to Xbox to drum up sales for the Xbox Series X: specifically,Xbox Series X exclusives.
The Xbox July event is setting itself up for either a resounding success or another mediocre performance, depending a lot on the games they reveal. Fans can get a taste before the event with theXbox Summer Games Fest Demo Event on July 21. Microsoft has a big hurdle to get over with the disappointing May stream behind it, but the only way to see if the hype holds up is to tune in on July 23.
