First game announced for Xbox Series X: Senua's Saga: Hellblade II

Following the surprise reveal of the Xbox Series X at The Game Awards, Ninja Theory showcased a stunning trailer for Senua's Saga: Hellblade II. The title is a sequel to Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, and the first game officially announced for the next-gen Xbox. 

At the event, Phil Spencer announced that all of Microsoft's first-party studios are working on Series X titles.

The two-minute trailer does not feature gameplay. However, Spencer describes the footage as "all captured, in-engine." The visuals include shots of the titular Senua singing In Maidjan, by pagan folk band Heilung.

2017's Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice was lauded for the quality of its graphics. The trailer for Senua's Saga: Hellblade II takes things further. By leveraging the power of the Xbox Series X, Hellblade II delivers some of the best real-time visuals we have ever seen on console. 

The Xbox Series X will almost certainly be a big step up from eighth-gen consoles, However, it's important to note that new console announcements are invariably accompanied by trailers that overshoot the consoles' capabilities.

Consider the Unreal 4 "Elemental" tech demo shown at the PS4 announcement, or the infamous 2005 E3 trailer for Killzone 2 on PS3. In both cases, not a single launch title delivered visuals on par with the pre-launch showcases. It wouldn't be until well into both consoles' life cycles that we saw games approaching the visual standard of those announcement trailers. 

We won't know the true capabilities of the Xbox Series X until the console arrives next year. The Series X is a generational leap and graphics will be significantly improved. However, we're not confident that Hellblade II-quality visuals will be the norm, at least in the launch era.