Back in May 2023 on an episode of the Kinda Funny Xcast, Microsoft CEO of Gaming Phil Spencer candidly admitted that “We [Xbox] lost the worst generation to lose in the Xbox One generation.” Since that generation, Xbox has tried to strengthen itself by acquiring more studios and continuing to double down on Xbox Game Pass. Years later, it seems those efforts are finally paying off.
Xbox Game Pass has been on one of the longest hot streaks of its entire lifespan, with two of the year’s highest-rated games, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Blue Prince, hitting the service day one. Though the recent Xbox Showcase wasn’t quite as impressive as last year’s, it was still arguably the strongest of the three big shows of the Summer Game Fest season, delivering over 30 video game and hardware announcements. And looking back at what was revealed and what’s on the horizon, Xbox is cementing itself as a leader in the shooter genre.
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7 Most Surprising Xbox Showcase Reveals
The 2025 Xbox summer showcase revealed some exciting new titles releasing later this year and beyond. These are the most surprising reveals.
2025 Could Cement Xbox As The Home of Shooters
Some Big Shooters Are on Their Way to Xbox
The recent Xbox Showcase was packed to the brim with exciting announcements, and a good portion of those came from video games that put a strong emphasis on shooter gameplay. Obsidian Entertainment’s The Outer Worlds 2 kicked things off in humorous style, delivering a brief trailer ahead of its dedicated Direct that followed the showcase. Though The Outer Worlds 2 is a narrative-driven RPG first and foremost, its main form of gameplay is first-person (or third-person) shooting, and there have been plenty of refinements for the sequel.
One of the most impressive reveals from the recent Xbox Showcase was inXile Entertainment’s Clockwork Revolution, another first-person RPG that embraces shooter mechanics, Sci-Fi themes, and satirical humor. But unlike The Outer Worlds 2, Clockwork Revolution‘s action is injected with some time-bending gadgets and weaponry that allow players to rebuild destroyed barricades, save themselves from death, and even rewind time to pull the bullets out of their enemies and load them back in their gun.
High on Life 2 was another big reveal of Xbox’s summer showcase. Developed by Squanch Games, 2022’s High on Life saw players blast their way through a tongue-in-cheek Sci-Fi adventure, equipped with a vast arsenal of sentient, foul-mouthed weapons. High on Life 2‘s reveal trailer was short, but its larger-than-life weapons are taking center stage once again, right alongside some new skateboarding mechanics.
To close out the showcase, Xbox turned to one of its most lucrative newly acquired franchises. Set in the year 2035, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is acting as a direct sequel to 2012’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, with David Mason and Raul Menendez taking the spotlight in the reveal trailer. According to Call of Duty‘s official website, Black Ops 7 will be “the most mind-bending Black Ops ever,” and will see players wield “near-future weaponry.”
Xbox Isn’t Keeping Its Shooters to Itself
Xbox’s recent showcase proved that the company has some exciting shooters in the works, but Xbox isn’t keeping them all to itself. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, High on Life 2, and The Outer Worlds 2 are all coming to PS5 at launch, and while it hasn’t been confirmed yet, it’s very likely Clockwork Revolution will follow suit. Gears of War Reloaded was also shown during the Xbox Showcase, a remaster of the first game in the long-running Xbox series that’s finally coming to PlayStation.
So, while Xbox is putting itself forward as a leader of the shooter genre, it won’t be limiting access for those on other platforms. Though, of course, Xbox users will be able to play all of these games on day-one using Xbox Game Pass.