As Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox, was wrapping up the company’s E3 2018 Media Briefing, everything began blinking and spazzing out. The company’s E3 stage was “being hacked,” they’d like you to think. Of course, it was a tease of just one more game: Cyberpunk 2077. And we think it’ll be the first thing Xbox shows at their show this June.
All eyes are on CD Projekt Red as they head into E3 2019, as they have said that Cyberpunk 2077 will be there. What bigger way than to kick off the show at the only console manufacturer to even host a live press conference?
There’s actually a bit of a pattern here. With the exception of last year, in two of the last three years, Microsoft has closed their Xbox show with an announcement that opened their show the following year.
In 2015, Gears of War 4 was announced via a short gameplay demo, followed by an extended reveal to open Xbox’s E3 2016 briefing. That same year, Project Scorpio closed out the show, only to open right up into E3 2017’s briefing to kick start the middle of Xbox’s generation.
Microsoft has also done this in the past, with the surprise Halo 4 teaser at the end of Xbox’s 2011 Media Briefing which opened the show at E3 2012 with a proper gameplay demo.
If this does end up being how Microsoft decides to begin their E3 briefing this year, it will be the first time they’ll be doing so with a third-party title. As such, it may make more sense that they open with last year’s opener, Halo Infinite. In doing so, however, it may be leaving the end of the show up to another game like Cyberpunk 2077 to leave a lasting impressions in gamers minds as they finish the presentation. So our money is firmly on Cyberpunk kicking off Xbox’s show.
Of course, there are other titles Microsoft will have in store to both open and close their briefing. They could begin with Gears 5 or Forza‘s 2019 entry. They’ve got a rumoured Fable game in the works at Playground Games, as well as any other number of titles they could show off.
We just think Cyberpunk 2077 is the best way to do it.