Clockwork Revolution
After it became clear that Geoff Keighley’s opening showcase for the Summer Games Fest was a bit of a bust (apart from news of a new Sonic racer and a mightily promising Mortal Shell 2), we turned our attention to the rest of the fest, focusing mostly on what Xbox had to say about the state of gaming in 2025. What we saw was a mishmash of some enticing games, most of which are headed for Game Pass on their day of release.
One of those is Clockwork Revolution. Coming from InXile Entertainment, we got our best look yet at the Steampunk first-person action title, pulling inspiration from Dishonored. You’ll step into the shoes of a time-traveller to rediscover your home town — Avalon — which has been altered by the use of that new-fangled time machine. It certainly looks interesting. Too bad it won’t be coming to PS5 (yet).
“By travelling back to key moments, your interactions and choices will have a butterfly effect on the deep, narrative-driven world and characters of Avalon, causing them to change and react in unprecedented ways,” the game’s description reads.
Microsoft is still kidding itself that Xbox exclusives are a thing, reiterating Clockwork Revolution’s launch on the Xbox Series X/S, though it will at least hit PC via Steam at the moment of release. We’re hoping this is one of those time-exclusivity deals. InXile Entertainment has something for PS5 gamers sooner rather than later. There’s still no word of an official release date, however, despite the game’s 2023 announcement.
The Outer Worlds 2
Rounding out Xbox’s Summer Games Fest showcase was an in-depth look at Obsidian’s new The Outer Worlds 2 (not to be confused with the excellent Outer Wilds). It’s headed to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC as soon as 29 October 2025, and promises to be just as creative with its mechanics as the first, even if the worldbuilding didn’t quite grab you back then.
Obsidian is doubling down on capitalism-bashing for its bigger, better sequel. While relatively harmless, The Outer Worlds 2 stirred up a bit of controversy when it was revealed that this would be Xbox’s first $80 title, following in the footsteps of Nintendo and the Switch 2’s Mario Kart World, currently available for the absurd price tag. We expected this from Call of Duty, but The Outer Worlds? Get it together, Microsoft.
It’s not like we expect The Outer Worlds 2 to be bad. It’s helmed by the creative genius who developed Knights of the Old Republic II and Fallout: New Vegas, so we expect it to continue to push the RPG genre. Whether it’s worth the price… is up to you.
Deadpool VR
While the rest of Geoff Keighley’s Summer Games Fest was a bit of a dud, we did get some developments in the VR space, namely the Merc with a Mouth is heading to your Meta Quest headsets sometime later this year. Deadpool VR is exactly what it sounds like, a virtual reality title putting you in the skin and red Lycra of Wade Wilson, AKA Deadpool.
It’s got How I Met Your Mother’s Neil Patrick Harris playing the titular mercenary, though we’re still unsure how we feel about all that. Not that we’re all that fussed about it. Had it not been for Keighley’s playful joke that we were about to get a Silksong trailer before Deadpool had the schedule changed backstage, we probably wouldn’t have sought it out after the fact.
Deadpool VR is headed to the Meta Quest 3 /3S as an exclusive title later this year.
Oh, and there’s just one more thing…
When Xbox Gaming CEO Phil Spencer teased a final world premiere amidst the dying embers of the showcase, we couldn’t help but get our hopes up. What we got was a somewhat interesting sci-fi theme in the bit of footage released, with some recognisable faces to boot. What, then, could this be? A new Deus Ex? Or something new entirely. Nope. It was all a clever ruse for this year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. We got played.
You’d be correct in thinking we just had a Black Ops title only a few months ago. For the first time, Microsoft is going back-to-back with the Black Ops franchise. Why? We couldn’t tell you. But considering Call of Duty has become the shooter equivalent of those NBA or EA FC games, we guess its title doesn’t matter anymore. It’s bringing back round-based Zombies gameplay and an all-new campaign.
It’s a purely cinematic trailer, but for the reasons above, that shouldn’t really bother the series’ biggest fans. They’ll be there day one. When the game releases on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, it’ll feature the likes of Milo Ventimiglia, Michael Rooker, and Kiernan Shipka as the campaign’s leads. There’s no mention of a release for the new Switch 2.
