What to look out for at E3 2019

Another year, another E3. The world’s biggest gaming trade show has waned over the years, but it remains ever-important to publishers and developers to show off their products to gamers in hopes of scoring their money quicker, and although the format is not likely to change in 2019, there are rumours of big announcements this year for the future of the medium.

But first, here are the timings of the many shows and conferences:

EA Play Live Stream: Saturday, June 8 – 9:45 PM IST
Microsoft: Sunday, June 10 – 1:30 AM IST
Bethesda: Sunday, June 10 - 5:30 AM IST
Devolver Digital: Sunday, June 10 - 7:30 AM IST
PC Gaming Show: Monday, June 10 - 10:30 PM IST
Ubisoft: Monday, June 11 – 1:30 AM IST
Square Enix: Monday, June 11 – 6:30 AM IST
Nintendo Direct: Tuesday, June 11 – 9:30 PM IST

Here’s a list of what to expect from E3 2019:

Microsoft:
Microsoft of late has been making a fair bit of noise in the gaming community, from announcing the Xbox Game Pass – which allowed gamers access to over 100 titles for a fee in a subscription model, for PC, to confirm that they will be supporting the wider PC ecosystem by bringing their games to Steam alongside the Windows Store.

Of late, there have been rumblings about Microsoft’s E3 plans, which will include several first-party titles such as Halo Infinite, a new Forza, Gears of War 5 and is rumoured to include a small teaser for the next Xbox in addition to another entry in the Age of Empires series.

No Sony at E3, sorry. The company already announced a while ago that they will be skipping 2019’s E3. Not to worry, though, the company has already announced the next-generation PlayStation with some preliminary tech specs, and that thing sounds like a beast.

The PC Gaming Show:
For the first time since its inception, the PC gaming show will be sponsored by Epic Games – a sign many in the community are taking as a bad omen for the company has been busy buying up games and removing them from Steam with timed exclusivity deals. Many fear that Epic may announce one or more high-profile titles exclusively for their platform – which has received significant backlash, with comments calling it out for being the only store that doesn’t even have something as basic as a shopping cart, nevermind the company founder Tim Sweeney’s repeated statements that the platform is providing “competition to Steam” – by removing the element of choice from the hands of consumers.

Meanwhile, AMD is likely to announce the specifications of their “Navi” GPUs, which will be available on the floor for gamers to try their hands on. The company already announced a global launch for those products as July 7, 2019 during their Computex keynote.

Bethesda:
For Bethesda, which is returning for the third time to the conference, the biggest draw will be “Doom Eternal”, the sequel to 2016’s smash-hit reboot/sequel of the beloved first-person shooter “Doom”, in addition to “Wolfenstein: Youngblood”, a sequel/spin-off of the modern reboot of the other beloved first-person shooter “Wolfenstein”. The company is also likely to continue showing off its existing Elder Scrolls products, but there is little chance of the Elder Scrolls VI making an appearance.

Ubisoft:
Of late, Ubisoft’s reputation has improved somewhat despite its largely formulaic releases. One could even say that the studio has settled into a “comfort zone” of sorts, that doesn’t necessarily give room for radical innovation circa pre-2013 Ubisoft, but guarantees a certain baseline for quality in the finished products in exchange. Whether or not the company will break out of that mold is uncertain, but word on the streets is that there will be a new Assassin’s Creed at the show, in addition to a new entry in the “Watch Dogs” series and maybe a new look at “Beyond Good and Evil 2”.

Electronic Arts:
Arguably the most disliked game publisher in modern times, EA will be returning to E3 this year as well, and they are expected to bring with them, at the very least, the new “Star Wars” game “Jedi: Fallen Order”. Apex Legends, their free-to-play battle royale game will also make a return, as will Battlefield 5. The company recently announced a new entry in the popular racing franchise “Need for Speed”, but it’s unlikely they will show it at the conference.

THQ Nordic:
Darksiders! Destroy all Humans! The rumours are going haywire in the community with an expected announcement of a new “Darksiders” title, reportedly being called “Darksiders: Genesis”. Nothing else is known about the title except it will take the series “into a fresh direction”. In addition, the mills are also churning out talks of a new entry in the “Destroy All Humans!” series, which last saw the light of day in 2008.

Cyberpunk 2077:
The PC community’s sweetheart, CD Projekt Red, announced that Cyberpunk 2077, their latest game and an adaptation of the board game Cyberpunk 2020, is going to be present at E3. Before you get your hopes up, though, the game will not be playable at the floor.

Devolver:
The quirky dark horse of the industry will be returning to the conference – with a real presentation this time. Little is known about what they will show, but the new “Serious Sam” game is a likely candidate.

Square Enix:
After losing the faith of a large section of the community, Square Enix has the uphill task of rebuilding the camaraderie it once had with its customers. Whether or not its Avengers game will live up to it, or whether its showing of Final Fantasy 7 remake or its new sci-fi game “Outriders” will help regain any of it is yet to be seen.

The publisher will also be bringing Techland’s Dying Light 2, the sequel to 2013’s zombie survival game Dying Light.

Activision:
The company most famous for Call of Duty is returning to E3...with more Call of Duty. This year’s entry is a return to Modern Warfare, the game that earned the franchise mainstream attention all the way back in 2007 and is still held as one of the best Call of Duty games ever made. It helps that the new game features the return of fan-favourite Captain John Price, complete with his beard and cigar, but not much else is known.

Capcom:
The resurgent darling of the gaming community – particularly the PC gaming community – announced that it has several titles in development following the massive success of Resident Evil 2 Remake and Devil May Cry 5. Whether or not anything will be revealed at E3 is uncertain, but one can hope for a Resident Evil 8. For now, though, the company is focused on its expansion for Monster Hunter World, “Iceborne”.

Other rumours:

George R.R. Martin and FromSoftware coming together for a game? Bandai Namco, please don’t disappoint if this is remotely true. Borderlands 3 will likely make an appearance, though don’t expect many cheers thanks to Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford’s plummeting reputation and the game’s timed Epic Games exclusivity. The other question is if Hideo Kojima will bring Death Stranding, his new post-apocalyptic walking simulator...thingy to the conference before its November release.