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Microsoft shows off first-ever gameplay from 13 Xbox Series X games

The next-gen news blowout has begun

Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Microsoft has revealed a first look at gameplay for 13 titles coming to its next-gen Xbox Series X console.

The footage came during this month’s edition of the monthly Inside Xbox stream, which was focused specifically on third-party Series X games.

The most notable game on display was Ubisoft Montreal’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. While Valhalla was formally unveiled last week, the Inside Xbox stream marked the first-ever gameplay reveal from the action-adventure viking game. The game is set to launch this holiday on both Xbox One and Xbox Series X.

As previously confirmed, Valhalla supports ‘Smart Delivery,’ which is, ostensibly, a cross-buy promotion between Xbox One and Xbox Series X. In other words, you’ll only have to buy Valhalla once to play it on both consoles, with the game being optimized to run as well as possible on the system that you’re currently playing it on.

It’s worth noting that Smart Delivery is a feature that is open to all developers, and many of the other games shown off during the stream — as well as other titles like Cyberpunk 2077 — are taking advantage of it. Further, all Xbox Game Studios releases, such as Halo Infinite and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, will support Smart Delivery.

Below is a roundup of the other 12 Series X titles that debuted during the stream:

The Ascent (Neon Giant/Curve Digital) — A cyberpunk action-RPG that can be played alone and with others via co-op. Chaos ensues after the world’s mega corporation is collapsed, leading players to get to the bottom of the mystery while stopping gangs and hostile corporations from taking over. [supports Smart Delivery]

Bright Memory Infinite (Playism) — A FPS and action game hybrid that takes place in the year 2036. Special agents investigate strange occurrences that are tied to an archaic mystery

Call of the Sea (Raw Fury) — A first-person adventure puzzle game set in the 1930s. A woman travels to a strange island in the South Pacific to find her missing husband. [supports Smart Delivery]

Chorus (Deep Silver) — A space combat shooter that follows an ace pilot with a haunted past and her sentient starfighter as they journey to take down the dark cult that made her. [supports Smart Delivery]

DiRT 5 (Codemasters) — The latest DiRT game boasts “new features, new innovations and a fresh approach” to off-road racing. [supports Smart Delivery]

Madden NFL 21 (Electronic Arts) — The latest entry in EA’s massively popular Madden football series. [buy on Xbox One, get it on Xbox Series X at no additional cost via EA’s ‘Next Level’ promotion]

It’s worth noting that only a few seconds of actual gameplay were shown. Instead, the trailer (which has yet to be published online) reflected on the decades-long history of the Madden NFL series.

The Medium (Bloober Team) — A psychological horror game from the makers of Blair Witch and Observer. Play as a medium named Marianne as she travels to an abandoned hotel resort to investigate a child’s murder.

Scarlet Nexus (Bandai Namco Entertainment): In this action game, a new psionic recruit uses his psycho-kinesis abilities to explore the futuristic city of New Himuka and uncover the mysteries of a Brain Punk future. [supports Smart Delivery]

Scorn (Ebb) — A first-person horror adventure game that features various interconnected regions that can be explored in a non-linear fashion and each contain their own story, puzzles and characters.

Second Extinction (Systemic Reaction) — In this three-player cooperative shooter, the goal is to wipe out mutated dinosaurs that have taken over the planet using unique weapons, abilities and skills. [supports Smart Delivery]

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 (Paradox Interactive) —  A sequel to the cult classic tabletop RPG, Bloodlines 2 features a choice-based story about a human in 21st-century Seattle who is killed and revived as a vampire. [supports Smart Delivery]

Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Sega) — This role-playing entry in the traditionally action-focused Yakuza series will be a launch title on Series X. Notably, Like a Dragon was previously only confirmed to be coming to PS4. [supports Smart Delivery and cross-save between Xbox One and Xbox Series X]

Other than Yakuza: Like a Dragon, no other title was given a release window. That said, Microsoft confirmed that all of these titles are Xbox Series X ‘Optimized,’ meaning that they support 4K resolution at up to 120 frames per second, hardware-accelerated DirectX raytracing, rapid load times and more.

The Xbox Series X is set to launch this holiday, although pricing and pre-order information has yet to be revealed. However, it’s important to note that this Inside Xbox stream was only the first in a lineup of ’20/20′ Series X reveals that Microsoft will hold monthly between now and launch.

So far, Microsoft has confirmed that July’s 20/20 event will be focused on new and already revealed first-party games. It’s safe to assume that this showcase will provide an update on Halo Infinite and this year’s new Forza game, among other titles.

The company hasn’t yet said what June’s 20/20 event will be about, with Aaron Greenberg, Xbox’s general manager of marketing, only confirming it won’t be presented in an Inside Xbox-style format. However, rumours suggest that this June keynote will be used to make major announcements about the Series X — namely, an unveiling of pricing and pre-order information.

Xbox is also one of the publishers participating in The Game Awards producer Geoff Keighley’s ‘Summer Games Fest,’ which is taking place between May and August. New games, demos and other related announcements are expected to come out of the show.

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