On Sunday, Microsoft held their Gamescom press event, and in general it was a little underwhelming. No huge reveals were really expected however, other than when the public could preorder an Xbox One X. While not many big things were unveiled, there still was a number of reveals and information that was sure to delight Xbox fans. Here are some of the more important pieces of news.
Xbox One X and Project Scorpio Special Edition Preorders Announced
During the event, Microsoft showed off a special, very limited edition of the Xbox One X: the Project Scorpio edition. The Project Scorpio edition has the original code name titled onto the system itself, as well on the controller. There is a special patterning on the front that was inspired by the original Xbox. The special edition and regular Xbox One X preorders went live following the event, however the Project Scorpio system is only limited to preorders, and when the preorders are fulfilled, that is the end of availability for the system.
New Xbox One S Bundles Announced
A couple of new Xbox One S bundles were announced during the event as well. The most important one for Microsoft is easily the Minecraft themed one. The 1TB system has the iconic grass block on the front and stone and redstone accents that light up on the back. It also comes with a creeper styled controller, and a pig controller will also be available. There will also be a Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Xbox One S bundle, available in 500GB and 1TB versions, which will be available at launch. Sadly it is not covered in elvish script, which would have looked fantastic.
Jurassic World Evolution Announced
From the developers of Planet Coaster and assorted amusement park simulators, comes Jurassic World Evolution. Players work to create the Jurassic Park of their dreams, building on Isla Nublar and the islands surrounding it. The game is aiming to launch next year around the same time as the next film, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and will come to PC and PS4 as well.
Microsoft to Publish PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
One of the biggest games of the year continues to be PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. The battle royale sensation continues to blow up on PC, and has now sold over 8 million copies, despite the game still being in early access. At E3, it was announced that the game was coming to Xbox One, and at the event, developer Bluehole and Microsoft confirmed that Microsoft themselves would be publishing the game for Xbox One. This should help move along development time and make sure the smash hit launches before the end of the year.
Sea of Thieves Receives PC Cross-Play
Rare was on hand at the event to show off some new gameplay of Sea of Thieves, which is now in alpha and looking to launch soon. However, it was revealed that the game will now have cross-play between PC and Xbox One players. This is great news for fans of the upcoming pirate game, and should help fill out crews on virtual pirate ships.
All in all there was some interesting bits of news that came out of Gamescom for Microsoft, but nothing too huge for them. Gamescom continues this week in Germany, so make sure to check back at BagoGames.
Source: Microsoft Press Event