E3 2019 preview: Xbox predictions, rumors and expectations

What we will see: A new Forza game

It’s already been confirmed that there won’t be a new Forza game this year despite that usually being how the schedule works out. It was actually confirmed in a recent podcast that the team behind the Forza series is focusing on the “next project,” which was still in the concept phase earlier this year. This likely means the next Forza game will be released for the next generation Xbox, whatever it ends up being called.

While that is obviously not a game that is coming out this year and might sound like a game early enough in development we couldn’t possibly see anything from it so soon, new hardware tech demos and car games are just a thing console companies do. Every new generation of consoles has some sort of racing game series that is supposed to show off how great the tech is. It’s been a thing since pretty much the unveiling of the first PlayStation. If Microsoft is debuting new hardware at the show, it’s almost a certainty we will see early in-engine next-gen footage of this new Forza Motorsport game.

The real question might be will this actually impress? It might look shinier, but the impression I’ve gotten the last couple times is unless you are a pretty hardcore enthusiast for these types of games, it never looks as impressive as the people presenting it seem to think.

Will the next graphical leap be enough to wow those of us who don’t care that much about the detail of tire tracks in on a muddy road or driver reflections? We’ll likely find out at this year’s E3.