These Xbox One Exclusives Will Skip Microsoft's Gamescom Briefing

Upcoming Xbox One exclusives Sea of Thieves from Rare and Dead Rising creator Keiji Inafune's ReCore will not been seen at Microsoft's Gamescom briefing next month. Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed the news on Twitter, explaining that the quick turnaround between E3 and Gamescom was to blame.

"Another demo so close to E3 is just tough on production," he said.

Microsoft's E3 briefing was held on June 15 and its Gamescom presentation is slated for August 4. That's a space off fewer than two months.

Spencer also suggested that neither the Gears of War: Ultimate Edition nor Gears of War 4 will be shown at Gamescom due to Germany's longstanding refusal to rate games in the franchise, thereby blocking retailers from selling them.

What's more, although Microsoft is "still committed" to the new Phantom Dust for Xbox One, it also won't be at Gamescom, Spencer explained. The game has a tumultuous history--read about it here.

Although Phantom Dust, Gears of War, Sea of Thieves, and Recore won't be shown at Gamescom, that doesn't mean Microsoft is hurting for content. In fact, the company purposefully withheld some games from its E3 briefing to show at the big-time European gaming show, including Scalebound, Quantum Break, and Crackdown. We also wouldn't be surprised to see Halo 5: Guardians or Rise of the Tomb Raider.

In addition, Spencer confirmed that Windows 10 will factor into Microsoft's Gamescom briefing in some fashion. He didn't elaborate further, but Gamescom takes place just one week after Windows 10's public release on July 29.

Gamescom runs August 5-9 in Cologne, Germany. In addition to Microsoft, Electronic Arts is hosting its own briefing. Sony is not holding a Gamescom presentation this year, instead choosing to make announcements at Paris Games Week in October.