Microsoft’s Gamescom 2013 press conference wasn’t as big as Sony or EA’s but the firm did reveal important details about the Xbox One and its games.
It began with Phil Spencer and Phil Harrison speaking about the Xbox One’s self publishing program. A video was shown of developers talking about what they want on a self publishing platform. Following the video Harrison revealed that registered developers will get two development kits at no cost, until each Xbox One can be used as its own dev kit. Full access to toolsets for services including Xbox LIVE and Kinect will also be provided.
Fable Legends was announced next by a CG trailer showing four characters fighting together against a mysterious villain. A very short trailer for Ubisoft’s Kinect fighting game, Fighter Within was shown next followed by the announcement that Xbox One players will receive exclusive content “before and after” the release of Tom Clancy’s The Division. A new video showing a player using a tablet to help his friends online was shown.
Phil Spencer then announced that Microsoft is continuing its partnership with Mojang, and that the developer’s next game, Cobalt is coming to Xbox 360 and Xbox One. A short teaser was also shown for the multiplayer action platformer.
Mark Rubin from Infinity Ward came out next to announce that Call of Duty: Ghosts will be using the power of Microsoft’s cloud to give Xbox One players dedicated servers. A new video showcasing a new game mode called Blitz was shown on a new map called Chasm. An exclusive Call of Duty: Ghosts Xbox One bundle was also announced for European markets.
A trailer for Rare’s Kinect Sports Rivals was up next, showcasing the game’s Champion Creator feature which scans the player and remakes them in the virtual world so they can play as themselves.
Spencer then announced that Microsoft’s partnership with EA and PopCap will see Peggle 2 as a launch title for the Xbox One and Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare will come first to Xbox One.
Matt Bilbey from EA was up next and he announced that FIFA 14 will have an Xbox One exclusive mode called Ultimate Team Legends. The mode allows players to create teams featuring football legends from throughout all the history of the sport. Former pro football players Ruud Gullit and Freddie Ljungberg came out to speak before a trailer was shown for the Xbox exclusive mode.
Then it was announced that all pre-orders for Xbox One in Europe (current and while stocks last) will come with a digital copy of FIFA 14 at no extra charge. Then Harrison spoke about what games will be playable at Gamescom with the announcement that Zoo Tycoon is coming to Xbox One.