Expectations, Expectations, Expectations
As the seconds tick by, E3 inches closer to us and we here at THE MAGIC RAIN definitely cannot wait for the announcements and are doing theorizing of our own on what would be announced this year. Despite Sony not appearing in E3 this year, we still have the rest of the big names to keep our thirst satiated. We have decided to focus specifically on Microsoft, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Square Enix, and Nintendo. Read on to find out what we expect to be announced for each of these big names.
Microsoft
Starting with the contender of the no-show Sony, Microsoft aims to tease the next-gen XBox console. It will come with 4K gaming, higher processor and graphical output higher than the XBox One X. However, the secret is really kept tight as nothing is known about the console except that AMD should be powering it this time around.
We are also expecting more information for Microsoft Project xCloud, the game-streaming service Microsoft intends to compete with against Google’s Stadia and Playstation Now.
Bethesda
If you are here for Elder Scrolls 6, you can just skip to the next conference because Todd Howard has announced that there wouldn’t be any showing for Elder Scrolls 6 but maybe there will be a short teaser.
If there isn’t anything about Elder Scrolls 6, we may expect a sneak peek on the new tech or game engine that they will be using for Elder Scrolls 6 or Starfield, the new IP from Bethesda.
For the fans of Fallout, we are hoping that they will be showing some new content following their roadmap they have set out for the rest of the year. Following the abysmal showing of Fallout 76, we can only hope that the next installment would have a ground-up remake to get rid of all the glitches and bugs.
Ubisoft
Ubisoft has confirmed a handful of games will have a presence at this year’s E3 and given that Ubisoft has already announced Ghost Recon Breakpoint, it is a wonder what else is in store for us during their presentation.
Other than Ghost Recon Breakpoint, we are expecting Beyond Good and Evil 2 to be featured prominently this year. This trailer sequel to the cult favorite will most likely showcase combat and space exploration.
If you have been following Reddit like us, we are also expecting Watch Dogs 3 to be announced this year. Leaks from Reddit, revealing the title to be called Watch Dogs: Legion, have garnered some attention from the fans of the series.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey briefly hinted on Vikings. This should be the natural next step forward for Ubisoft, Assassin’s Creed Vikings. We are expecting a 2020 launch date as not releasing an Assassin’s Creed game every year means the quality has risen and we are more than happy to wait for the game. The trailer should include gameplay footage with gritty Viking fights and more ship to ship battles that fans have grown to love.
Following the footsteps of Origin Access, we are expecting Ubisoft to announce their new game subscription service. Since there is a surge of subscription-based services over the past few years, it is time that Ubisoft joined in the fray. Expect an end of year launch.
Square Enix
Final Fantasy VII remake. What else is there to say about this? There should be way more game footage for us to analyze. We already know it will not be a turn-based system but following the footsteps of FFXV, it will be an action based system. There are rumors that the FFVII remake will be a two-parter where Part 1 will be released in 2020 and Part 2 will be released whenever it is done. However, we are skeptical considering the number of downloadable content (DLC) that were completed and released with FFXV.
After being absent for nearly two years, we will finally get a reveal for the Marvel Avengers game. We know quite a lot about it so far, from allowing you to customize your own superhero, to teaming up for exclusive powers, being viable for both single and multiplayer play-styles, and the world will change over time with events affecting it, much like Spider-Man on PS4. Hopefully E3 will shine more light on the game
Yoko Taro might do something weird on stage. Remember E3 2015? Yoko Taro wore a mask of a minor character from Nier Automata. If there is an announcement of a Nier Automata sequel, the fan base (and us) will go into a frenzy.
Nintendo
Of course, we are expecting more Pokemon Sword & Shield gameplay footage. As Nintendo recently revealed the mechanics of the game massively during its Pokemon Direct a couple of days ago, we’re hoping to see even more.
We know already that the game will be an open-world adventure, not dissimilar to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. We also know that the new evolution will be called Dynamax (which enlarges your Pokemon to gargantuan sizes), and that there will be a form of cooperative raid battle.
What we want to know now is whether everyone will have Scottish accents. Give us something Nintendo.
Furthermore, we are hoping for a new Animal Crossing title as it has been a while since a full-fledged Animal Crossing game has been announced. The Switch version should feature online and local connectivity and it would be pretty darn cool if there would be some connectivity between the new title and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.
Since its announcement at E3 2017, we’ve been hoping for a Metroid Prime 4 trailer. Continuing where Samus left off after Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, the trailer should hopefully show new stages and enemies along with a visual upgrade and some new game mechanics.
Would Reggie make a special appearance after retiring from Nintendo? It would be his first appearance on E3 after retiring and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him at another publisher’s stage conference, although it would seem unlikely.
Everything Else
Let’s start with my most anticipated game. Fable IV or a reboot in the series. This has been a long time coming as fans have been demanding for a new Fable game since Lionhead Studios shut down. Rumored to be developed by Playground Games, we hope they would show an announcement trailer at the very least. At least Peter Molyneux won’t be there.
CD Projekt Red indicated that there will be a big announcement from them on Cyberpunk 2077. What we can expect from the announcement would be a 2020 release date, more gameplay and game mechanics trailer.
Among the rumors running about, Rocksteady might announce a new Justice League game or Batman: Arkham Crisis game. They would definitely be competing with Square Enix’s Avengers title.
Rockstar Games should be announcing something big, possibly the next Grand Theft Auto as the fifth installment was released more than 6 years ago. We are hoping it will return to Vice City as the charm and aesthetic of neon-filled Miami is something that a lot of older fans have fond memories of.
Another reboot of a Call Of Duty title, this time it is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare which includes a single player campaign and no Battle Royale. But most importantly, it shows that our favourite Captain Price still has a lot of fight left in him.
Halo Infinite is apparently going to be the largest Halo game that 343 Industries have ever made. Unlike the CoD predictions, Halo Infinite will most likely include a Battle Royale mode, and we should see more of it at E3.
Larian Games, the brains behind the Divinity: Original Sin series recently dropped a massive bombshell on its homepage, changing their entire website banner to just a III, symbolizing 3. While the entire world was speculating that it might have been Divinity 3, the Internet has been doing a lot of digging and apparently the studio has acquired the license for Baldur’s Gate, which was then confirmed a few days later when the reveal for Baldur’s Gate 3: The Black Hound was released. For fans of the series, this has been a long time coming.
We know that From Software has been working on a new IP alongside renowned book author George R.R. Martin, of A Game of Thrones fame. George will be working on the story, and the game, codenamed GR, will soon see a reveal at E3.
These companies surely have big plans for E3 this year and we will definitely be catching their announcements. Look forward to THE MAGIC RAIN podcasts, where we’ll be going through each of the big conferences one-by-one. Maybe some fanboying will happen.
