Everything Announced At The March 2024 Xbox Partner Preview

Announced a few short days ago, the Xbox Partner Preview was advertised as a fairly low-key look at what third-party developers and publishers have cooking, with Tales of Kenzera: Zau, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess and The First Berserker: Khazan announced ahead of time. We ended up with a very tight 30 minutes that took us through 14 upcoming games that will be hitting the mini fridge, with some strong standouts in the mix.

Here are all of the announcements made during the March 2024 Xbox Partner Preview:

Unknown 9: Awakening

Can I get a show of hands of people who forgot that this game was in development, please? All of you? Yeah, me too. Originally revealed back at Gamescom in 2020, Unknown 9: Awakening got a re-debut of sorts, with a fresh new trailer that showed off gameplay. Playing as Haroona, the game looks to be a combination of Assassin’s Creed-style traversal and stealth, mixed with some cool-looking supernatural combat. This one is coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4 and PC in winter this year.

Sleight of Hand

Next up was our first new game reveal with Sleight of Hand, a third-person stealth-action deckbuilder that made a good first impression. Alright, it was just a cinematic trailer, but the prohibition-era setting and cool card-based magic were enough to get my attention. We’ll have to wait and see more from this one, with the planned release set for Xbox Series X|S and PC in 2025.

The Alters

From the word go, this trailer had me enthralled. From 11-bit Studios, the team behind This War of Mine, The Alters is a base-building survival game set in a gorgeous and terrifying sci-fi world. Stranded on an alien planet with a mobile shelter too massive to operate alone, protagonist Jan creates alternate versions of himself to help man the station. The slightly disturbing twist is that these Alters are practically different people, as each of them made one key choice that our prime Jan didn’t, changing their timeline entirely. I’m incredibly stoked for this intriguing title, and can’t wait for it to drop on Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PC later this year.

Creatures of Ava

From a threatening alien planet to an endearing one, are next trailer was for Creatures of Ava. In this third-person adventure game, you play as an empathetic explorer who looks to tame the critters native to the planet in an attempt to save it from calamity. You’re a bit of a pied piper figure but with all manner of beasties. It’s colourful and cute, and it’s coming to Xbox Series X|S and PC later this year.

Griefville: Survive the Nightmare! | Roblox

At the risk of sounding old and behind the times, I still struggle to understand exactly what Roblox is. Anywho, Griefville: Survive the Nightmare is an experience within Roblox that’s available right this very minute, leaving you and your friends to try and survive while being attacked by the pint-sized Good Guy. Or, if you’re in a stabby mood, you can play as Chucky and scare the stuffing out of your friends, your choice.

The Sinking City 2

A true and welcome surprise came next, with the announcement of The Sinking City 2. Frogwares is back to give us another dose of cosmic horror, this time with an added focus on the horror. As the trailer suggests, the sequel is a standalone story that takes the series in a survival horror direction, with detective elements still very much present. We don’t have much in the way of rock-solid info as of yet, but we do know that it’s coming to Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PC in 2025.

Final Fantasy XIV Online

If the recent release of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth wasn’t enough for you, how about a gigantic MMO RPG for dessert? Answering the prayers of many, the insanely popular Final Fantasy XIV Online is moments away from releasing on Xbox Series X|S on March 21, so this trailer was here to get you prepared and hyped. If you’re ultra-keen, you can jump into the open beta right this minute.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Legends of the Zone Trilogy

In preparation for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, which should hopefully be released one of these days, you can now go back and replay the original trilogy with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Legends of the Zone Trilogy. Packaging together Shadow of Chernobyl, Clear Sky, and Call of Pripyat, this remastered bundle is available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4 and PC now, with the trilogy also listed on Game Pass.

Monster Jam Showdown

Hey kid, do you like cars? What about massive cars, with massive wheels? I thought so. The Monster Jam series has long entertained with its offroad monster truck races and trick challenges, and this latest entry looks to continue that tradition. Showdown is coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Switch and PC in 2024.

Persona 3 Reload: Expansion Pass

Persona 3 Reload has been exceptionally well-received (we gave it a 9), so it stands to reason that Atlus would follow up with the game’s previously released additional content. The expansion pass will have players gaining access to new costumes and outfits, but the main attraction has to be the Episode Aigis -The Answer story content that acts as an epilogue to the main game. The extra content will start to roll out on March 12 and will continue to drop until September.

The First Berserker: Khazan

I had no idea what the Dungeons & Fighters Universe was when this game first got announced, but it didn’t matter because the gameplay looked slick and the enemy designs were crisp. This latest trailer for The First Berserker: Khzan, while a bit choppy, keeps the momentum going, showing off even more insane bosses and brutal combat. No release date info at this stage, but we know that it’s coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4 and PC.

Tales of Kenzera: Zau

Each time this game is shown off it just looks better and better. Tales of Kenzera: Zau is a side-scrolling action-adventure game that hands you the abilities tied to two mystical masks that can perform powerful attacks and traversal moves. Gameplay looks fast and engaging, reminiscent of the recently released Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (which we gave a 9.5). Tales of Kenzera is hitting Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Switch and PC on April 24.

Frostpunk 2

Even as someone who is allergic to city-building and strategy, I know this is a big deal. Following the widely beloved original, Frostpunk 2 ups the ante and introduces new threats to overcome and new challenges to face. Grab a big jacket, this one is coming to Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PC on July 26.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess

Seeing all of the colours and effects in this trailer at 7am this morning, it felt like three cups of coffee all kicked in at once. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, but this was the most substantial amount of gameplay we’ve seen yet, giving us a great look at the widely stylised character designs and bombastic combat. This single-player action title seems to be Capcom’s big hitter, and it certainly has the potential to be a banger, so watch for it when it comes to Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PC later this year.

All killer, no filler, that has to be one of Xbox’s better showcases in a minute. Lots of exciting games were shown off, some for the first time, and all within a respectable half hour. My eyes are firmly fixed on The Alters, but I’m sure there was something in there just about everyone.

What did you think of the Partner Preview? Did anything stand out to you? Let us know in the comments or on our social media.