There’s been a lot of speculation about when we’d first see Xbox Series X games, but we need speculate no more. According to the official Xbox Twitter account, an Inside Xbox event on May 7 will show players first-look footage of Xbox Series X titles for the very first time.
Whether this means that Microsoft is about to reveal a launch lineup or simply demonstrate a third-party title is uncertain, but it’s a world-first, either way.
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Microsoft tweeted this information at 12:00 PM ET on April 30. The tweet itself is short and sweet:
You want to see games for the Xbox Series X? We want to show you games for the Xbox Series X. Check out First Look next-gen gameplay from our global developers partners within #InsideXbox on Thursday, May 7 at 8am PT. pic.twitter.com/xVdgIeRBJXApril 30, 2020
The most important information is that players will get their first look at Xbox Series X gameplay at 11 AM ET on May 7. This will probably come in the form of a livestream, which means Microsoft will share the exact link from its Twitter account as the date approaches. Microsoft's Inside Xbox events typically air on its Twitch, YouTube and Mixer channels.
The only other hint we have so far is that the most prominent response to the tweet came from the official Ubisoft account. (The content of the message was simply a pair of googly eyes; draw from that what you will.) Earlier today, Ubisoft released a trailer for its upcoming historical action game, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The trailer called out the Xbox One and Xbox Series X in particular, even though the game will also be available on PlayStation and PC.
As such, Microsoft is almost guaranteed to show off some gameplay footage from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla — which, coincidentally, will also be the first time that players get to see the new AC game in action. (The trailer consisted solely of prerendered cutscenes.)
The big question, of course, is whether Microsoft will use Assassin’s Creed Valhalla as an extended demo to show off everything about the Xbox Series X, or whether Valhalla will be a small part of a larger showcase. Judging by the responses to Microsoft’s tweet, fans are most excited about the possibility of seeing some Halo Infinite gameplay. At present, Halo Infinite is slated to be a launch title on the Xbox Series X.
Beyond that, we’ll have to wait and see what Microsoft has in store. With the cancellation of E3 2020, there’s no definitive schedule for hardware developers, meaning that Sony and Microsoft are free to schedule reveals essentially any time between now and holiday 2020, when both systems are slated to come out.
Alternatively, they don’t have to schedule reveals at all, as we learned with the surprise blog post about the DualSense controller a few weeks ago. Sony may have a similar games showcase planned for just a few weeks from now, with a recent rumor pointing to a June 4 reveal event.
Tom’s Guide will have more details on the Microsoft event when it airs. Until then, check out our Xbox Series X hub for more information on Microsoft's next-gen console.
