E3 2021: How to Watch the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase and Predictions

The 2021 Electronic Entertainment Expo (aka E3) is now in full swing, with Xbox and Bethesda's first-ever joint showcase lined up for 1 p.m. ET. Lasting approximately 90 minutes, the livestream is expected to include updates on Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, and the much-anticipated Starfield.

As with yesterday's Ubisoft Forward and Guerrilla Collective conferences, Newsweek will be compiling a list of highlights from the presentation after it has wrapped up. If you want to see all the announcements for yourself, then we have also prepared this handy guide explaining how to watch the broadcast.

How to Watch the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase

All of this year's E3 presentations are being hosted online, meaning that anybody can tune in for free, regardless of where they are located.

The whole 4-day event is being streamed by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which organized E3 itself. The company has set up a dedicated portal for the conference, which can be accessed via an internet browser or through a special mobile app. On here, you are able to watch each presentation consecutively in one place and can even build a personalized calendar of shows that appeal to you.

Meanwhile, every major publisher at E3 is hosting their individual showcase on their own respective channels. In the case of the Xbox and Bethesda presentation, both companies involved are live streaming the conference on YouTube and Twitch, so you have plenty of choice in terms of how you watch it.

What to Expect From the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase

Halo Infinite has featured very prominently in all the promotional materials for today's presentation. The title has not made a public appearance since its disappointing showing at last year's E3, where it was unfavorably compared to last-gen software, on account of its underwhelming visuals and lack of meaningful gameplay innovations.

Following the controversy, Halo Infinite (which was originally intended to be a launch title for the Xbox Series X in November 2020) was pushed back to Fall 2021. Reportedly this delay was a consequence of the global pandemic hindering development, but it will also have given 343 Industries more time to address the criticisms.

Microsoft is obviously hoping that today's showcase will be an opportunity to rehabilitate the game's tarnished image, as its new release date inches ever closer. Insiders have predicted that we will not be seeing any more story campaigns this time around and that we will instead be treated to an in-depth look at Halo Infinite's multiplayer component.

While there would normally be a lot riding on Halo for Xbox, the publisher is expected to have plenty of exciting releases at this year's E3. Alongside rumored appearances from Forza Horizon 5, the new Fable reboot, Senua's Saga: Hellbalde II, and Double Fine's Psychonauts 2, they will undoubtedly reveal more about their plans for the Xbox Game Pass service, which is fast becoming one of their console's biggest draws.

Of course, we then have the Bethesda side of the livestream to take into account. Last year, Microsoft purchased Bethesda's parent company ZeniMax for a staggering $7.5 billion, in a move that brought iconic franchises like Doom, Elder Scrolls, and Fallout into the Xbox family.

This will be the first time that Bethesda has appeared at E3 since that acquisition and whatever they have in store is guaranteed to be a huge asset for Xbox. Among other things, fans are expecting to finally get a proper look at Starfield in action and to maybe hear a little more about Elder Scrolls 6. One aspect that everybody is naturally curious about is if either of these properties will now be Xbox exclusives or if they will, at the very least, debut on the Xbox Game Pass service.

As another subsidiary of ZeniMax, Dishonored developer Arkane Studios has now fallen under the Xbox umbrella too. This means that we might get to see more of their high-concept shooter Deathloop, as well as their vampire title, Omen.

Rumors persist that Microsoft has been on a spending spree lately and that they might be announcing further acquisitions at today's conference, including the purchase of Hitman developer IO Interactive. If that turns out to be the case, then we might see a tease of their upcoming James Bond game.