Microsoft's annual Xbox Games Showcase returns June 7 with a two-part presentation featuring a dedicated Gears of War: E-Day Direct immediately following the main event. This marks the first under new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma, who took over from Phil Spencer in February.
The Sunday broadcast begins at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (1 p.m. Eastern) across YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook channels owned by Microsoft.
Following recent patterns established with Starfield in 2023, the main event will transition directly into a deep dive on The Coalition's Gears of War prequel. The company promises "first gameplay looks and huge news on upcoming titles" from both first-party studios and global third-party partners during the initial presentation.
With Microsoft's titles increasingly launching on PlayStation 5 alongside its own platforms, viewers can expect to see many future PS5 releases during the broadcast.
Gears of War: E-Day was originally announced at the 2024 event and serves as an origin story exploring Emergence Day in the franchise timeline. The follow-up direct will "take players into the start of Emergence Day, offering new details, gameplay and insights about the hugely anticipated origin story," according to official descriptions.
This year's presentation coincides with Microsoft's gaming division's 25th anniversary celebration, bringing back Fanfest in Los Angeles for an experience that will "look back at the last 25 years, alongside a forward view of what's next." Fans can enter for tickets through April 12 via Microsoft's official website.
The June event follows Microsoft's recent Partner Preview in March, which highlighted third-party titles coming to Game Pass and other platforms. Major first-party releases expected to appear include Playground Games' Fable reboot, Mojang's Minecraft Dungeons 2, and Halo Studios' Halo: Campaign Evolved remake.
International broadcast times include 6 p.m. BST in the UK, 7 p.m. CEST in Europe, and early morning hours on June 8 for Asian markets (2 a.m. JST in Japan, 3 a.m. AEST in Australia).
