Since its creation in 2014, the annual Xbox FanFest event has traditionally allowed some Xbox fans to attend Xbox-related events at E3. Given that E3 was canceled this year due to the COVID-19 epidemic, however, Microsoft has decided to be a bit more creative. As a result, the 2020 Xbox FanFest is all-digital, open to all fans, and will take place throughout the remainder of the year, rather than during a specific time window. Most activities will be free, but Microsoft notes that some may require a fee.
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Fans can register beginning at 6 PM Pacific time on Monday, October 12th, on the official Xbox FanFest website. Although this shouldn’t be an issue for most fans, an Xbox profile is required to sign up. From there, the Xbox FanFest web page will become a hub to announce future activities.
The first major event, known as FanFest Trivia, will be held on October 12th, and appears to have a limit of 25,000 participants. This may seem like a huge number since it’s unclear how many Xbox fans plan to participate in FanFest. Especially since the PS5 has scored a majority of pre-orders going into the next generation, this may cause concern for the size and enthusiasm of the Xbox FanFest crowd as the year goes on.
It’s worth noting that those who register for the Xbox FanFest will get an immediate benefit. As soon as fans register, they will earn 100 Microsoft Rewards points, with the possibility of earning more by attending FanFest events. Plus, even at general events that aren’t part of Xbox FanFest, registrants may be able to access exclusive “Xbox FanFest Plus Ups” opportunities. As the online FanFest structure is entirely new this year, it’s hard to know what “Plus Ups” opportunities will actually look like. One possibility is early access to game demos; given that leaked Xbox titles like the new Bethesda collections are in the pipeline, exclusive demos would be an easy way to honor hardcore Xbox fans.
Of course, the new Xbox FanFest is very different from the FanFests of previous years. Being at E3 gave fans the chance to see new announcements in real-time. If the new FanFest consists primarily of trivia events, many would likely find it less exciting. Microsoft clearly has a lot of exciting gaming announcements planned, such as the new partnership between Microsoft and GameStop. However, if those announcements don’t relate to FanFest in any way, fan enthusiasm could decline.
Still, this is a very exciting time for Xbox fans, and Microsoft deserves praise for adapting to the times. Microsoft wants to offer Xbox Game Pass on many platforms like iOS, and taking Xbox FanFest online shows a similar willingness to make the Xbox brand as accessible as possible. Time will tell what events fans will see through the FanFest schedule.
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Source: xbox.com
