We are approaching E3 2021, an all-digital event, but one that at least exists this year after being cancelled last year completely due to the pandemic. Some publishers aren’t showing up and doing their own thing, which is not unusual, both others like Microsoft try to use E3 as a big stage to dominate headlines for not just the week, but often for the rest of the year.

With Sony not attending E3 anymore, virtually or otherwise, Microsoft has used it as a big Xbox showcase with great success the past few years in particular. Though this time around, there’s a lot riding on the 2021 show, given the following:

Halo Infinite - Was delayed a year after a disastrous preview, and Microsoft now must show the game is in great shape and looking promising for a holiday 2021 release.

Bethesda Games - Microsoft may finally need to be explicit about future Bethesda games that are coming to Xbox and PC and not PlayStation, to put an end to that debate once and for all. All eyes are on Starfield, Bethesda’s next big game that we currently know nothing about, but Microsoft may be banking on it being a big 2022 release, according to recent reports.

Fable, Forza, Avowed, Perfect Dark - All of these games have been announced, but none exist in any form other than title cards or cinematic trailers. At this point, Microsoft needs to start laying out some sort of loose schedule for its big releases so we know if something is supposed to be a year away, or five years.

Microsoft has a lot of promising games coming, but PlayStation is outpacing them for what they’re actually putting out in the wild. Fans need to know that’s going to change for the rest of the Xbox’s new lifecycle, and this should be a blockbuster show for them.

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