Microsoft's E3 plans have been turning in the wheel of development since the start of 2018. However, Microsoft has been keeping those plans close to the chest leading up to the big June event... until now. We now know exactly what the general plans will be for the Xbox press conference this June.
Xbox Games
Most major publishers are all attending E3 this year. It's a huge event that creates lots of lasting hype for some games for years to come. However, one of the major publishers, specifically THQ Nordic, has decided to opt out of visiting Los Angeles this year to attend E3 and the reason is quite hilarious. 
CD Projekt Red has been working arduously on the collectible card game, Gwent, and the company has finally made enough headway on the core mechanics to put in some time and effort into the single-player mode, which has finally received a release window. 
With Shenmue 3 set to launch sometime later this year, it looks like folks hoping to catch up on the series' story up to this point are in luck. According to Sega, remastered versions of the original two Shenmue games are on the way. 
The release of Minecraft on the Nintendo Switch has a weird caveat: in order to use the online multiplayer mode for cross-play, you need an Xbox Live account. Well, it's been revealed that playing the game on the Switch can also earn you Xbox Live achievements. 
Ghost Recon Wildlands is back for a second year of running, gunning and making things go boom and, to celebrate, Ubisoft has announced that the game will be free-to-play across all platforms through the weekend. 
If you're looking to save some money on games to carry you into the summer, then you'll probably want to check out the Xbox Spring Sale. And you'll want to be quick about it, too, because today is the final day of the promotion. 
Undead Labs released a brand new gameplay trailer for the upcoming release of the open-world zombie action game, State of Decay 2. The developers have been reserved about showcasing too much about the game and have been playing it close to the chest, but at PAX East a brand new two minute video reveals tons of details about the game. 
The news about Final Fantasy XV just keeps rolling in. The next big announcement that Square Enix made for the game came courtesy of a PAX East panel in Boston, Massachusetts, where the company announced that there are four brand new DLC packs in the works for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. 
If you're looking to spruce up your Xbox Avatar, pretend you're a superhero or just celebrate the upcoming release of The Avengers: Infinity War, then you can now do all of those things at once simply by snagging more than a dozen free items that have now gone live. 
It's Wrestlemania night, which means you fans of body slams and elbow drops already have plenty to look forward to. If, however, you are also a Rocket League fan, then you've got a little something extra to be stoked about. WWE gear is heading to the game, and you can even get your hands on a couple items free of charge. 
Well here's one branded cross-over a lot of people probably didn't see coming, but it makes a lot of sense given who the publisher is. Nevertheless, Square Enix announced that two of its biggest brands, Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy, are crossing over with upcoming content for both titles. 
There are a number of petitions out there for a number of worthy causes: petitions against corporate animal abuse, petitions against national violence, and petitions against certain political structures. But one thing you probably never thought you would see a petition for, is to ban a game because boyfriends are too addicted to Fortnite. 
The first Attack on Titan game was a solid retelling of the first season of the popular anime in video game form. Now the sequel is here, and it is also a solid retelling of the first season of the popular anime. 
Monolith Games has announced some big changes coming to Middle-earth: Shadow of War, including updated systems, new gear and the like. The biggest change, though, will be the permanent removal of microtransactions and systems tied to real-world currency. 
So it sounds like Lindsay Lohan's long-running lawsuit against Take-Two interactive over the supposed use of her likeness in Grand Theft Auto V has finally come to a close, with the highest court in New York ruling in favor of the game developer. 
Rare's Sea of Thieves has managed to stay in the headlines since its release, but it hasn't always been for the best of reasons. In fact, the latest controversy surrounding the game has centered around the community becoming disgruntled with the way the very first Legendary Pirate was crowned. 
After revealing that Shadow of the Tomb Raider is set to arrive later this year for home consoles and PC, Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix decided to tease gamers with the very first look at the upcoming action-platformer. 
Some games like taking pretty big risks by tackling subject matter that doesn't typically lend itself well to the sphere of interactive entertainment. PanicBarn seems to want to take on that very task with the upcoming satirical title, Not Tonight. 
April is shaping up to be a solid month for Xbox Games with Gold, with four new titles announced for the service that span genres and offer everything from puzzle solving and assassinating baddies to driving cartoon cars and strategically dismembering an undead threat. |
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