Microsoft’s new presentation will take place on March 26 — they will show “our Mass Effect” and other games

Microsoft has announced an Xbox Partner Preview presentation dedicated to new games from third-party studios. Confirmed participants include Sega and Owlcat Games. The broadcast will begin on March 26 at 8:00 PM Moscow time. You can watch it on Xbox’s official YouTube and Twitch channels.

As part of the presentation, Sega will share new details about the action-adventure game Stranger Than Heaven from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, the creators of the Like a Dragon (Yakuza) series. The game is set in Japan in the early 20th century across at least three different time periods and tells the story of a man named Mako Daito. According to the developers, it will be a gritty street crime action game in the style of the darkest entries in the Yakuza series. Its main feature will be an advanced melee combat system that allows players to fight both barehanded and with a variety of weapons.

Owlcat Games will share new information about The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, a sci-fi action RPG set in the universe created by James S. A. Corey. Osiris Reborn is the studio’s first project with full third-person presentation and a strong emphasis on cinematic scenes. To make that possible, the team switched to Unreal Engine, which became a serious challenge for a studio previously known for isometric and text-heavy CRPGs such as Pathfinder and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader. The developers have openly admitted that they are drawing inspiration from genre benchmarks like Mass Effect and Dead Space.

According to Microsoft, the showcase will not be limited to The Expanse and Stranger Than Heaven: the company promises announcements, world premieres, and Xbox Game Pass-related reveals.

Can The Expanse become a worthy successor to Mass Effect?