In case you missed it yesterday, E3 2021 is underway and Microsoft came stacked with an impressive roster. Before kicking off the show, Microsoft started the event with a special announcement: All of the games featured will be available on Games Pass on release day. Definitely an incentive to get more consumers to subscribe to Microsoft Game Pass!

Starfield

Starfield has had to be the most anticipated game this weekend and it didn’t disappoint. Even though The Washington Post leaked the trailer days in advance, the hype for it remained. Bethesda cut no corners while producing the trailer – everything looks crisp and clean, it was quite a shock to see this as the show opener. Starfield is due out as a Microsoft exclusive on November 11th, 2022.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl

STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl is a first-person shooter that has been in production hell for quite some time, even being cancelled at one point. It has the typical dark color palette that most shooters have made me think it’s just a run-of-the-mill FPS title. The only thing that got my attention was a humanoid creature with its lower jaw removed. As someone who is into Cthulhu mythos, I’m actually intrigued by what the story is and what it can be via DLC. STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl is due out April 28, 2022.

Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life

Sea of Thieves is getting updates, with the most recent update being the Festival of Giving in December 2020. In a working collaboration with Disney, they have now included an original story including everyone’s favorite captain, Jack Sparrow. It will release on Xbox X/S, with the free update on June 22nd. With a game like Sea of Thieves, it was never a question of “Why?” but “When will it happen?” The likeness of Johnny Depp makes it a lot more recognizable. However, while it uses his likeness, I can’t say the same for the voice. It sounds off to me, but it is close enough that it’s something that I’m willing to look past. If the story introduced is good, the voice might not even be an issue.

Back 4 Blood

Turtle Rock Studios was showing off with a new trailer to Back 4 Blood, with new enemies and ending with a release date of October 12th, 2021, a delay of 4 months after their initial release date. They also showed off the Player Vs. Player and Swarm modes. The beta of the spiritual successor of Left 4 Dead will be for people who pre-ordered the game on August 5th through 9th. Public Beta will be available from August 12th through the 16th. Ever since its original announcement, I wanted more. The closed beta last year fell flat for me, but the new trailer got me hype all over again. Knowing that Player Vs. Player and Swarm modes are now available, puts more value on not only the trailer, but the game as a whole. I can’t wait to get back into the beta the 2nd time around.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

The entire mainline Yakuza games including Yakuza: Like a Dragon is now on Ultimate and PC Games Pass. At the time of this writing, they are offering 3 months of Ultimate Games Pass for $1. Therefore, you can pick up and binge the entire Yakuza series for almost free. This also includes Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, which was once a PlayStation 4 exclusive. It made me get the Ultimate Game Pass deal for the 4th time! Great job with the deals, Microsoft.

Diablo II: Resurrected

Blizzard announced the remaster of the well-loved Diablo II back during Blizzcon 2021 after recovering lost pieces of the source code in 2019. The only questions asked were “Who will announce the release date?” and “When will it be released?”. Microsoft broke the silence as they announced the Diablo II: Resurrected release date as September 23rd, 2021. The trailer is what you would expect from Blizzard. A story explaining as much as possible within a short period of time while looking good at the same time. Any news about Diablo II: Resurrected brings back the nostalgia of the early 2000’s LAN centers. It’s safe to say that I’ll be purchasing this day 1. If you feel the nostalgia like I do, you’ll buy this and completely forget about Warcraft III: Reforged.

Halo: Infinite

As Xbox celebrates its 20th anniversary, it means that it’s the anniversary for Halo as well. To celebrate, they stated that Halo: Infinite multiplayer will be not only free to play, but feature cross-platform and cross-platform save progression as well. Initially named Halo 6, Halo: Infinite was in early planning all the way back in 2015. It was planned to be a launch title with the Xbox Series X/S. It is now releasing in time for the Holiday season this year. Every year that 505 Studios produces a trailer for E3, they go above and beyond. They always make sure that you are emotionally invested before their games are released. Will I pick up Infinite? Maybe if I had an Xbox. But will I be looking forward to the multiplayer? Ya bet your ass I am.

What announcements got you hype for gaming in the year to come? Let us know in the comments, or hit us up on Twitter!