Just in case you hadn’t heard, the Xbox Partner Preview featured yesterday and offered us a look into the third-party titles coming soon to our Xbox consoles, both unannounced, and older fan favorites you know and love. We saw release dates ranging from just a few weeks away, to glooming “Coming Soon’s” with no clear indication of if they’ll release this year or next. Regardless, we’re here to break it down for you into a few simple categories:
Here's what premiered for the first time during the Xbox Partner Preview:
SLEIGHT OF HAND - Announcement
“A Hard Boiled 3rd Person Stealth Sim” is what they’ve described Sleight of Hand as, and while I’m not convinced on what that’s supposed to mean, we can appreciate the use of card play and a mysterious noir vibe telling us we’ll be able to get up to no good. Having a neatly wrapped smoke bomb or snare trap folded into your pocket and the size of a card would be pretty nifty, even if I can’t think of a practical use for one.
While we don’t get any look at the Gameplay in this announcement trailer, at least we’ve been teased with some criminal fun in the making.
Release Date: Unannounced
Genre: Tactical, Stealth, Action, Adventure
Game Pass? Yes
CREATURES OF AVA - Announcement & First Gameplay
If there’s one game that feels like I’ll be consumed to the moment it releases, it’s Creatures of Ava. This vibrant, creature-filled world seems to be following that “fix up the planet” vibe I’m so often chasing but blends it with beautiful creatures to be tamed and taught. While freeing a magical deer from an oil spill might not be your idea of a good time, it’s certainly ours, so you can expect this one to be on our Watch & Coverage lists for sure.
Release Date: Unannounced
Genre: Action, Adventure
Game Pass? Yes
THE SINKING CITY 2 - Announcement
I’m a huge baby when it comes to all things horror, so you can expect us to avoid this title like the plague, but that doesn’t mean we won’t feature it and keep you informed about the next entry in the Sinking City series. While the reviews for the first are mostly positive, with a few more negative takes mixed in, we’ll at least include a heavy “viewer discretion is advised” if you’re interested in this one, as its themes are incredibly dark.
Release Date: 2025
Genre: Horror, Lovecraftian, Adventure
Game Pass? Yes
MONSTER JAM SHOWDOWN - Announcement & First Gameplay
The only racing games I’ve ever been able to get into are Need For Speed Street, Forza Horizon, and Mario Kart, and while this one doesn’t capture my interest enough to give it a try, I know too many lovers of Demo Derby’s and hilarious driving games not to at least give it my respect. Fans of Monster Truck rallies in general will appreciate that the team is attempting to bring them an entertaining experience from the comfort of their own home.
Release Date: 2024
Genre: Racing, Sports, Driving
Game Pass? No
These might not be new games per se, but there were a fair few updates and gameplay reveals for titles we've known , or fan favorites that are being updated and reborn.
UNKNOWN 9: AWAKENING - First Gameplay Reveal
Unknown 9: Awakening feels like an Assasins Creed meets Infamous with their blend of planned energized attacks and master assassin mechanics, having us scale vine-covered walls, or blending in with the bushes. I particularly enjoyed the themes and music we glimpsed in the trailer, so it’ll be exciting to see if this new RPG will offer the dimension-bending experience it’s teasing us with.
Release Date: 2024
Genre: Action, Adventure
Game Pass? No
THE ALTERS - First Gameplay Reveal
We got a far more in-depth look at the game “The Alters”, which will be a PC & Xbox exclusive at launch. It’s a good thing too considering it gave us more clarity into the functions and features of the game. It’s transformed from what seemed like a Story-Driven RPG, to a Social Management Sim where all the people are you. It’s an interesting concept and one that seems to have derived from the science of the machines you have at your disposal, so we’ll be curious to see what that looks like. All-in-all, a seemingly solid entry into the RPG and Survival worlds for sure.
Release Date: 2024
Genre: Base-Building, Adventure, Management
Game Pass? Yes
FINAL FANTASY ONLINE - Release Date Reveal
The dreams of all Xbox Final Fantasy fans have been answered this month as console owners can expect to see FFXIV Online available to purchase and play starting March 21st. Game Pass subscribers will get Starter Edition access for the game between the dates of March 21st through April 19th. It’ll be a great time to take advantage of if you’ve been on the fence for all these years on whether it’s worth the sub-fee.
Release Date: March 21st 2024
Genre: MMORPG, Online
Game Pass? March 21st-April 19th
ROBLOX: GRIEFVILLE X CHUCKY - New Expansion
I can’t pretend to be any sort of Roblox player, or fan, but I at least respect the creativity that the community has put into their projects, and the experience the platform offers its community in general. So, if you’re a fan of it and have a particular love for all things horror, then you’ll be excited to know there’s a new Griefville x Chucky expansion coming soon. I avoid horror like the plague, but we do hope you enjoy it regardless.
Release Date: Out Now
Genre: Online Game Platform
Game Pass? No
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. ORIGINAL TRILOGY - Announcement & Available Today
While we’ve never played, or been fans of, the Original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, we know a few who’ve sunk more than a couple hours into it and will be excited at the news of the series being formatted for the Xbox S and X consoles. A huge damper that comes with upgrading your console with every new generation, is the loss of ability to play your favorites. It’s good to see that studios remain dedicated to keeping even their older games available to play, and that consoles are still pushing for backwards compatibility.
Release Date: Out Now
Genre: FPS, Survival
Game Pass? No
PERSONA 3 RELOAD: EXPANSION PASS - DLC Announcements & Release Date Reveals
Our community is well informed that we just don’t get into the Persona series. It’s that feeling of being out of a topic for so long that if you attempt to get into it, that it’ll take you a year of catching up before you can actually enjoy whatever new piece of material the series has released… and that fear is what’s kept us for dipping our toes in for this long. However, if you’re unlike us and have been wise as to get into the series and enjoy it, you’ll be happy to know that updates and DLCs are well within their plans for Persona 3, and you can expect some additional content this year. Gamepass members can enjoy it included as well.
Release Date: March 12th, May, and September
Genre: JRPG, Adventure, Party-Based
Game Pass? Yes
THE FIRST BERSERKER: KHAZAN - Gameplay Reveal
Derek and I consistently tease about frame rates in trailers and how noticeable the performance of a game is when raw gameplay is included in them. I can’t help but bring it up in our snippet about The First Berserker: Khazan because it was overwhelmingly noticeable. That being said, when you have hair like his, I can see why the frame rates drop. All teasing aside, this one is set up to be a brutal and bloody one, and we know quite a few who prefer it that way so if that’s you, buckle up for a thrilling entry.
Release Date: Unannounced
Genre: Action, Soulslike, Dark, Adventure
Game Pass? No
TALES OF KENZERA: ZAU - Gameplay Trailer
I love Side-Scrollers and Metroids to begin with, and I’ve had my eyes on Tales of Kenzera Zau for a while now with its touch of culture in the story and colorful graphics and effects to make combat extra distracting. We’re excited to see the complex puzzles and big bads it’s going to throw at us, and we’ll be hoping to cover the game come April, so stay tuned into the channel for that.
Release Date: April 23rd 2024
Genre: Metroidvania, Action, Adventure
Game Pass? No
FROSTPUNK 2 - Release Date Reveal
It’s not often you’re offered a more realistic Simulation experience, demanding that you literally play God and make choices for your people that oftentimes both feel like the losing option. That’s real life, and with Frostpunk, they don’t sugarcoat it for you, so if you’re looking to delve deeper into a simulation and management experience, then make sure you have the second one on your release radar, and consider checking out the first one if you’re unsure.
Release Date: July 25th, 2024
Genre: City-Builder, Strategy, Management
Game Pass? Yes
KUNITSU-GAMI: PATH OF THE GODDESS - Gameplay Reveal
Honestly, the blend of different gameplay mechanics we were shown fit together like pickles and peanut butter… no offense if you like that. However, it’s unclear if this is going to be a more zone-based experience such as Monster Hunter offers or a more open-world experience with portals and points of interest that trigger events upon reaching them - or the awkward blend of both - but regardless, you can expect the typical beautiful Capcom style of world, with their even more typical grotesque style of monsters that are normally contained to your nightmares.
Release Date: 2024
Genre: Action, Strategy
Game Pass? Yes
Curious about what's coming on Day 1 to Xbox Game Pass? Here's what was announced during the Partner Preview that was labeled as coming to Game Pass:
FINAL FANTASY ONLINE - Note: From March 21st through April 19th, Game Pass subscribers will be able to play the FFXIV Starter Edition.
THE ALTERS
SLEIGHT OF HAND
CREATURES OF AVA
PERSONA 3 RELOAD: EXPANSION PASS
FROSTPUNK 2
KUNITSU-GAMI: PATH OF THE GODDESS
To keep things simple for you, we’ve tidied up the release dates into this neat little list so you can see at a glance what we'll be getting and when.
Roblox: Griefville X Chucky - Out Now
Stalker Trilogy - Out Now
Persona 3 Expansion Pass - March 12th, May, September
Final Fantasy Online - March 21st
Tales of Kenzera: Zau - April 23rd
Frostpunk 2 - July 25th, 2024
The Alters - 2024
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess - 2024
Monster Jam Showdown - 2024
Unknown 9: Awakening - 2024
The Sinking City 2 - 2025
Sleight of Hand - Unannounced
Creatures of Ava - Unannounced
The First Berserker Khazan - Unannounced
That covers everything, but if you’d like to go and watch the event, you can do so by clicking HERE.
We'll be offering coverage and continued news on a few of these titles, so make sure you subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of the page to stay up-to-date with all the game industry happenings. Thanks for tuning in to The Pillow Fort!
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