The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown the usual schedule of industry events into disarray, but today Microsoft promised fans they'll still be getting a regular flow of information from them as we head into the next generation of consoles. As part of the newly-announced Xbox 20/20 initiative, Microsoft will be providing monthly updates on Xbox Series X, Xbox Game Pass, upcoming first-party titles, and more.

　　As already announced, the first of these updates will be the May 7 episode of Inside Xbox, which will feature first Xbox Series X gameplay footage of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and other third-party games. Here’s a bit more information about what to expect from that show.

　　For the Xbox 20/20 May update, we will focus on giving you a first look at next-gen gameplay, trailers and sneak peeks from a wide variety of publishing partners and independent developers across the globe and industry, including Ubisoft’s recently announced Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and hear from game creators about what they’re doing with their games on Xbox Series X.

　　We’ll be confirming games that utilize our new Smart Delivery feature, which ensures that you always play the best version of the games you own for your console, across generations. And all the games you’ll see will be Xbox Series X Optimized, meaning they are built to take advantage of the powerful Xbox Series X features that make games look and feel incredible, including 4K resolution at up to 120 frames per second, DirectStorage, hardware-accelerated DirectX raytracing, super-fast load times and much more.

　　But what about first-party games? Well, it seems we’ll have to wait until July to learn more…

　　In July, we will dedicate time to focus on the incredible games coming from Xbox Game Studios. A number of our studio teams are looking forward to sharing first looks at new gameplay, insights from development teams being optimized for Xbox Series X, and brand-new game announcements.  We cannot wait to share this initial look at what some of those teams are working on.

　　Aside from the monthly updates, Microsoft has made a few other promises -- namely, they insist the Xbox Series X and Halo Infinite are still on track for 2020, and all their major releases will still be coming to PC and Xbox Game Pass. Kudos to Microsoft for trying to provide some certainty during these uncertain times. If only Sony and Nintendo would follow suit.

　　So, what do you expect to see at this week’s third-party XSX showcase? And what about the big first-party blowout in July?