With the 2021 edition of Gamescom nearing its grand showcase, Microsoft has come out ahead of the hubbub with a central event of its own, highlighting many of the biggest games headed the way of Xbox. While the event wasn’t expected to house E3-level announcements, the Xbox Gamescom event nonetheless held quite a few worthwhile reveals, including a myriad of new confirmations for Xbox Game Pass.

Firstly, Techland offered an update on Dying Light 2, showing off the zombie parkour sequel’s “​​modern dark ages” in an all-new new trailer. A number of Microsoft Flight Simulator updates followed, touting ​​a number of enhanced region updates planned for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. ​​Dark action-packed shooter Into the Pit also notably saw a showcase, debuting a retro-style roguelite experience for PC, Xbox One, and Game Pass on October 19th.

Next, ​​Age of Empires 4 revealed a new set of educational unlockables, Xbox Game Pass was confirmed for consoles, and ​​Wasteland 3 unveiled its ​​​finale DLC, Cult of the Holy Detonation. A Borderlands shipset is coming to Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2 is getting a back-to-basics Homecoming expansion, and ​​​​Crusader Kings 3 is adapting its medieval RPG offerings for consoles in 2022. If that wasn’t enough, Stray Blade stayed sharp with a mystical hack and slasher, The Gunk cleaned house with some all-new footage, and Psychonauts 2 celebrated its long-awaited launch.

Closing out the Xbox Gamescom event was gorgeous racing sim Forza Horizon 5. Microsoft’s wheel-turning fifth entry was a particular focus of the proceedings, revealing a limited-edition wireless controller, the slick cars featured on the game’s cover art (the Mercedes-AMG ONE and the 2021 Ford Bronco Badlands), as well as the game’s stunning first eight minutes of gameplay. The event also saw a number of titles from Humble Games confirmed for a day-one release on Xbox Game Pass, including:

• Archvale (Console, PC, Cloud)
• Bushiden (Console, PC, Cloud)
• Chinatown Detective Agency (Console, PC, Cloud)
• Dodgeball Academia (Console, PC, Cloud)
• Flynn: Son of Crimson (Console, PC, Cloud)
• Midnight Fight Express (Console, PC, Cloud)
• Next Space Rebels (Console, PC, Cloud)
• Signalis (Console, PC, Cloud)
• Unpacking (Console, PC, Cloud)
• Unsighted (Console, PC, Cloud)

A full roundup of announcements from the Xbox Gamescom event can be seen below, as per Microsoft.

Dying Light 2

“In the world of Dying Light 2, your survival is all about being creative. Today, the developers at Techland gave fans a closer look at the game’s rich weapon modification system, which allows players the freedom to exercise a certain style of play or react to specific situations as they see fit. They also shared more about how they’re taking exploration to the next level with a new set of parkour skills and gear. From the new paraglider to a grappling hook, you’ll be able to traverse the environment with relative ease, sometimes hundreds of meters above the street level. For all of the details, read our Dying Light 2 blog post on Xbox Wire.”

​​Microsoft Flight Simulator

“We were proud to announce several exciting updates coming to Microsoft Flight Simulator over the next few months to Xbox Game Pass, PC and Xbox Series X|S. World Update VI, available September 7, celebrates the region of Germany, Austria and Switzerland with new aerial imagery, high-resolution elevation maps, brand-new 3D cities and the Junkers JU-52 aircraft. At gamescom, we also announced the VoloCity Air Taxi, releasing in November of this year, and our partnership with RARA (the Reno Air Racing Association) to bring the famous STIHL National Championship Air Races, the world’s fastest motorsport, to Microsoft Flight Simulator.”

​​Humble Games

“Humble Games announced that their lineup of indie games will be launching for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on day one and available with Xbox Game Pass. Gamers across the globe will be able to enjoy the unique stories and experiences being crafted by creative developers from around the world that are partnered with Humble Games. Here’s a quick look at some of Humble Games indie lineup that’ll be heading to Xbox.”

​​Age of Empires IV

“The Age of Empires team revealed an exciting storytelling element from the upcoming Age of Empires IV, called Hands on History. This series of twenty-eight unlockable videos was filmed on location with experts around the world and give players a deeper look into the way people lived, fought and ruled in the past. Fans got an exclusive first look at one of the videos today, highlighting everyone’s favorite medieval weapon – the trebuchet! For more information on today’s news, visit the dedicated Wire post here.”

Xbox Cloud Streaming for Consoles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BomfVh2PSkM

“We revealed we’re bringing cloud gaming to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One this holiday, enabling Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to play 100+ games right from the cloud and discover new games with the click of a button. It’s a way for console gamers to play some of their favorite games as quickly as possible, jump into games with friends more easily, and try out Xbox Game Pass titles before installing them. For more details, read our dedicated Xbox Wire post.”

​​Wasteland 3

“Deep within the Cheyenne Mountain military complex, mutant cults worship an ancient deity they call the Holy Detonation—a nuclear explosion held in stasis. Cult of the Holy Detonation expands the Wasteland 3 experience with entry into the Cheyenne Mountain complex, crammed with new characters, enemies, challenging combat encounters, and powerful new weapons and armor. It’s one last mission for the Rangers in Colorado, and the outcome is certain to be explosive—one way or the other. Cult of the Holy Detonation is the second and final expansion to Wasteland 3 and will be available for $6.99 on Steam, GOG, Xbox, and PlayStation. Xbox Game Pass members who want to purchase Cult of the Holy Detonation save 10%.”

​​Sea of Thieves

“During the show, Sea of Thieves surprised players with a stunning ship set designed in collaboration with the team over at Gearbox Software. Pirates will be able to earn the full Mayhem ship set by taking part in the Making Mayhem event, live from now until September 7! Head to the Sea of Thieves website for a full list of chaotic challenges you can tackle to unlock this eye-catching crossover livery”

​​State of Decay 2: Homecoming

“Trumbull Valley: where it all began. The original map of the first State of Decay game is coming to State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition as a fully remastered, open-world playable map on Wednesday, September 1, in the Homecoming update. In this new version of the iconic map, players will learn about the latest developments in this area, discovering new characters and storylines and resolving long-running plot threads. Players can also look forward to six new bases, as well as unique weapons and outfits that can only be found in Trumbull Valley. New missions and new achievements await those who choose to settle on this new map. Find out more in our State of Decay 2 post here.”

​​Stray Blade

“Today, 505 Games and Point Blank Games announced they’re joining forces to bring Stray Blade to Xbox Series X|S in 2022! In Stray Blade, you’ll fight to regain your freedom in hyper-responsive combat scenarios, explore ancient ruins for rare crafting materials, and survive glorious battles versus legendary foes. Learn more about this upcoming game that aims to blend Metroidvania elements with intense Souls-like combat. Read more about Stray Blade here.”

​​Crusader Kings 3

“Prepare to sit comfortably in your throne room as you command the fate of empires on your large screen television when Crusader Kings III conquers Xbox Series X|S later this year. Paradox Interactive’s grand strategy game lets you rule how you want. Power hungry strategy lovers on console can now experience the thrill of shaping or re-shaping history by guiding their dynasty of living and breathing characters with an adaptation specifically modified for the strengths of the next-gen console environment. Read more on Crusader Kings III here.”

​​The Gunk

“The Gunk is the first 3D project from the team that brought you the SteamWorld series, crafting a more cinematic and immersive experience than anything they’ve done before, with a story-driven sci-fi exploration game. With Smart Delivery support, you’ll be able to experience the best version available for your console. On Xbox One, you can expect a stable 30fps experience that offers the beautiful art design and graphical flourishes that you have seen in today’s trailer. If you’re playing on Xbox Series X|S, everything will be dialed up with a smooth 60fps gameplay experience at up to 4K resolution. Learn more about this upcoming ID@Xbox title here.”

Forza Horizon 5

“Ahead of the November 9 release of Forza Horizon 5, Playground Games shared the first eight minutes of pure, unadulterated Forza Horizon 5 gameplay featuring cargo planes, an active volcano, a race to the festival under beautiful Mexican skies, and more. The team also showcased Forza Horizon 5’s just-announced cover cars that will let you explore Mexico’s streets and vast terrain: the Mercedes-AMG ONE and the 2021 Ford Bronco Badlands. Lastly, Playground Games announced the Forza Horizon 5 Limited Edition Xbox Wireless Controller, inspired by the powder fireworks that go off throughout the day at the in-game Horizon Festival. For more information on all these announcements, read the in-depth post here.”

What do you think? Are you excited about the games included in the Xbox Gamescom showcase, or were you only looking forward to a few games in particular? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day! For more recent Microsoft headlines recently featured on DFTG, check out these next few news stories:

• Halo Infinite Won’t Have Forge Or Co-op Campaign At Launch (VIDEO)
• Quake Remaster Now Available For PC, Consoles, And Xbox Game Pass
• Skyrim Is Getting A 10th Anniversary Re-release Complete With Fishing

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