Xbox Games Showcase will feature mostly ‘in-engine’ trailers

Cinematics, Schminamatics

This Sunday, June 11, will see Microsoft take to the airwaves for its Xbox Games Showcase presentation, essentially its big summer stream that one would expect as part of the E3 festivities. And the black-and-green brand is promising to show off a whole host of titles, most of which will be sporting “in-engine” footage.

“None of our first-party games in the show are full CG trailers,” said Xbox VP of Gaming Aaron Greenberg on Twitter. “Everything is either in-game footage, in-engine footage, or in-game footage with some cinematics. Each of our trailers will be labeled so it is hopefully clear for our fans.”

None of our first party games in the show are full CG trailers. Everything is either in-game footage, in-engine footage, or in-game footage with some cinematics. Each of our trailers will be labeled so it is hopefully clear for our fans.

— Aaron Greenberg (@aarongreenberg) June 4, 2023

While Greenberg was simply replying to a fan’s query, it should be noted that the comments are, ironically, a stark contrast to PlayStation’s State of Play presentation from May, which featured over an hour of wall-to-wall trailers and reveals, but leaned heavily on cinematic sequences, showing little actual gameplay for a lot of its most-exciting titles.

More directly, however, Greenberg says that the Xbox Games Showcase will feature “no movie trailers”, which is a clear tongue-in-cheek reference to Sony spotlighting the upcoming Gran Turismo film during its stream. A funny gag for sure, but to be fair if I was Sony putting together a summer showcase, why wouldnt’t you promote the film based on one of your biggest and most lucrative brands?

Anywhoo, the Xbox Games Showcase takes place June 11 at 10:00 PT / 13:00 ET / 18:00 BST. We will, of course, be on hand to bring you all of the biggest and brightest news from the event. It’s a Sunday evening for me, so you better show up and make the breaking of my weekend worth it, capiche?