Microsoft has revealed a general roadmap for the year leading up to the release of the Xbox Series X, including development updates and monthly digital events called Xbox 20/20. Xbox Chief Marketing Officer Jerret West has published a post at Xbox Wire outlining what to expect.
Microsoft reiterated that the Xbox Series X and Halo Infinite are both still on track to launch this holiday season despite the difficulties presented by COVID-19. With this in mind, the publisher confirmed that all 15 Xbox Game Studios teams are working on next-gen games. For the remainder of 2020, Microsoft promises more Xbox Game Pass titles as well as Project xCloud support on new devices and in new countries.
The previously announced Inside Xbox event scheduled for May 7 will be the first episode of Xbox 20/20 with following episodes lined up to take place throughout the rest of the year. Each month’s presentation seems to have a specific theme or topic to focus on, with this week’s featuring “next-gen gameplay, trailers, and sneak peeks from a wide variety of publishing partners and independent developers.” The recently unveiled Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is one such game already confirmed to be in attendance. Additionally, the May 7 outing will confirm games that take advantage of Microsoft’s Smart Delivery feature. Every game shown will be “Xbox Series X Optimized,” so in other words, Thursday is shaping up to be our first long-form look at what the next generation of console gaming will look like.
Xbox marketing manager Aaron Greenberg explained on Twitter that Thursday’s event will be shorter than an hour, along with a couple other details.
Common Qs: Thursday show will be under an hour. June news will be done differently than Inside Xbox show. July is the big Xbox Games Studios show, we will go around the world to see first looks & even new game announcements from those creative teams. Will answer more in replies. https://t.co/qMgwS0IRx7
— Aaron Greenberg 🙅🏼♂️❎ (@aarongreenberg) May 5, 2020
There is no word on what Xbox 20/20 will focus on in June, but the July showcase will feature first-party content.
You can watch the 8 a.m. PDT May 7 stream as well as all future Xbox 20/20 events via Xbox’s Mixer, Twitch, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts.
As an added bonus, the Xbox YouTube account uploaded a teaser video for the Thursday showcase, which includes what many believe will be the Xbox Series X startup sound and animation. See for yourself below.
