Xbox marketing executive Aaron Greenberg has claimed the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase for 2023 will largely feature in-engine and in-game footage, to better represent games featured in spotlight trailers. This would differ from years prior, given several upcoming Xbox games – including many exclusives – previously relied on pre-rendered CG footage to drum up hype for future titles.
‘None of our first-party games in the show are full CG trailers,’ Greenberg said on Twitter, in response to a fan request for tangible gameplay. ‘Everything is either in-game footage, in-engine footage, or in-game footage with some cinematics. Each of our trailers will be labelled so it is hopefully clear for our fans.’
The comment presented to Greenberg was likely inspired by recent teasers surrounding a potential gameplay reveal for Playground Games’ long-in-development Fable reboot. On social media, the official Xbox Twitter account posted a video depicting a trail of glitter leading directly to the Xbox Games Showcase – a clear reference to Fable‘s classic navigation system, which included trails of glitter.
Given these teases, and confirmation from Greenberg, it’s highly likely Fable will appear during the Xbox Games Showcase, and that any footage shown off will be in-engine. So far, we’ve only seen a brief CG trailer for the upcoming game, so this should provide a more tangible reason to get excited.
Read: Fable 4 has reportedly been in development for four years
Moving away from CG trailers is a sound decision. It helps to create more realistic expectations for games, while also giving audiences firm evidence of game development progress. Bethesda hyping up The Elder Scrolls 6 way back in 2018 with a CG trailer may have led to a massive burst of excitement – but in the years since this reveal, enthusiasm has been dampened as each year passes with no updates in sight.
In 2022, Xbox and Bethesda chose to focus only on games launching within the following 12 months. Arguably, this approach generated more excitement, and allowed each game reveal to feel tangible and realistic – even though games like Hollow Knight Silksong were eventually delayed out of the timeframe.
While the same bounds have not been set for the upcoming ‘Summer Game Fest’ edition of the Xbox Games Showcase, a commitment to gameplay over pure CG footage lends hope that games shown off will be playable in the near future.
We’ll hear more about everything Xbox has in the works when the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 and Starfield Direct air on 11 June 2023. In the meantime, here’s everything you need to know about this year’s Summer Game Fest.
