Things you may have missed from Microsoft’s X018

Last weekend, Microsoft held its X018 event at Mexico City and a lot of hefty announcements were made on the stage.

Here’s a recap of the most important news you may have missed:

Microsoft works on exclusivity, acquires Obsidian and inXile Entertainment

Exclusive games have always been Microsoft’s weak point in this generation of consoles. The argument for the Xbox One X has always been “Sure, it’s a powerful device, but does it have any special titles though?”

This year, Microsoft seems to have learned from that as it has been on a shopping spree for gaming studios. During X018, Microsoft announced that the latest studios they acquired are Obsidian Entertainment and inXile Entertainment.

These two acquisitions bode promising things in terms of RPGs exclusive to Microsoft devices. Obsidian Entertainment is most known for Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity. InXile Entertainment, on the other hand, is most known for Wasteland 2.

Other studios that Microsoft acquired this year are: Playground Games, known for Forza Horizon, Ninja Theory, known for DMC and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Undead Labs, known for State of Decay, and Compulsion Games, known for We Happy Few.

Finally, keyboard and mouse compatibility

You can finally play on the Xbox One with a keyboard and mouse. A feature that’s been asked for frequently, the keyboard and mouse support will begin with a handful of games at launch, starting with Fortnite.

Including Fortnite, there are 7 games that will support keyboard and mouse play starting November 14:

• Fortnite
• Bomber Crew
• Deep Rock Galactic
• Strange Brigade
• Vermintide 2
• War Thunder
• X-Morph Defense

Included in the line-up, but without a specific timeframe, these games will also be supporting keyboard and mouse:

• Children of Morta
• DayZ
• Minion Master
• Moonlighter
• Vigor
• Warface
• Wargroove

Microsoft also teased a collaboration with Razer for a wireless mechanical keyboard and mouse. The full announcement for the peripherals will be made on January.

Games to look forward to

It wouldn’t be a proper event without a few updates on some much awaited games. Microsoft gave us a slew of announcements on a couple of titles.

Here are the significant ones:

Kingdom Hearts III

One such title is Kingdom Hearts III, which is slated to release on January 29, 2019. A cut compilation of scenes to be expected on Kingdom Hearts III made up the entirety of the trailer, but three significant characters stood out – good guy Winnie the Pooh, bad guy Xehanort, and Organization XIII.

Devil May Cry 5

Another title talked about on X018 is Devil May Cry 5. The latest title will feature a new practice mode called The Void. In it, players can work on their techniques and combos in order to consistently reach the “SSS” rank in missions. The practice mode allows you to tweak your enemies and play with different weapons and styles so you can learn how to master stylish combat. Devil May Cry 5 will be released on March 8, 2019.

Crackdown 3

Next up is Crackdown 3. Finally, a proper release date. After several delays since 2017, the first party exclusive will finally be released on February 15, 2019. Of course, the announcement trailer features Terry Crews doing some crazy things in his living room with his twin character. The game will be available on Xbox One and the PC through the Play Anywhere program, which means you don’t have to buy twice to access it either device.

Final Fantasy Backwards Compatibility

Square Enix and Microsoft are bringing not one, but three Final Fantasy titles to the Xbox One via backwards compatibility. Enhanced versions of Final Fantasy 13, Final Fantasy 31-2, and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 will be available to play starting November 13. This brings us to 8 Final Fantasy games with backwards compatibility on the Xbox One. The trilogy will be joined by World of Final Fantasy Maxima, Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 9, Final Fantasy 10, and Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age.