E3 2019: What to expect from Xbox, Nintendo and more at gaming's biggest jamboree
The gaming world will descend on the Los Angeles Convention Center for E3 2019 -- the industry’s biggest jamboree-- next week. The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is the traditional trade show where behemoths like Microsoft and indie developers alike announce and show off their new games and hardware for the coming months.
The status of E3 has changed in recent years, however, with the once dedicated trade show now open to the public. Publishers and manufacturers are less reliant on it as they find a direct route to their audience all year round, with companies now seemingly more willing to skip the event. Sony PlayStation will not have a booth or hold its annual press conference at E3 2019, while publishers such as Activision have decided on a diminished presence at the show, only showing off games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare behind closed doors.
Whether this is a sign of things to come or an isolated incident as the industry goes through a transitional phase ahead of the announcement and release of next gen consoles remains to be seen.
But that certainly doesn’t mean that there will be any shortage of excitement over the next ten days of E3 2019, with the promise of Microsoft revealing its plans for the next generation of Xbox and a slew of publishers announcing new games. And while they may not be there, you wouldn’t put it past absent friends to make some noise during a week in which video games are taking centre stage. Here is everything we expect from the major companies at E3 2019.
The big guns
Microsoft Xbox: Xbox Two, Cloud gaming, cross-platform and a bunch of new games
Xbox Media Briefing: Sunday, 9 June, 9pm BST
E3 2019 should be the Xbox show. With fierce rivals PlayStation seemingly deciding not to reveal PlayStation 5 in LA, the opportunity is there for Microsoft to take the brunt of the headlines with its Next Xbox. Having decided to put on its traditional showcase and with Xbox boss Phil Spencer promising to ‘go big’ at E3 2019, anything less than a substantial reveal for the Xbox Two (or whatever name they decide on) may come across as a damp squib.
Rumours have it that the next Xbox offering, operating under the codename Scarlett, will in fact be two consoles. ‘Lockheart’ is suggested to be a lower-priced, lower-powered console focussed on digital and cloud gaming, while ‘Anaconda’ will be a premium offering and spiritual follow up to the Xbox One X. This will feature all the bells and whistles and is, if rumours are to be believed, packing more raw power than the PlayStation 5.
Will this prove to be true? Time will tell. I rather suspect that the next-generation of consoles will not be Microsoft’s number one priority at E3 2019, but we will see at least a juicy teaser of what’s coming next.
More likely to take centre-stage is Project Xcloud, the streaming service looking to bring Xbox games to any device. Expect a deeper dive on the technology, perhaps even a release date and pricing plan.
While Microsoft have committed to new hardware, it definitely seems to be moving away from the traditional console model to into a ‘service’ direction. The Redmond giant recently announced that a bespoke Xbox Game Pass subscription service will be coming to PC, while rumours abound that the company is even ready to move some of its game offerings to Nintendo Switch. A rather unprecedented move that shows how Microsoft are open to breaking down barriers of hardware competition in order to get its Xbox Game Studios titles to as wide an audience as possible.
This will, of course, mean that Microsoft’s games line-up will need to be the best it has been for many years. They certainly have the studios to back them up now, after their spending spree on developers such as Obsidian, Ninja Theory and Playground. Hopefully we will catch a glimpse of what these studios are working on, perhaps even including the rumoured Fable 4, plus updates on stalwart Xbox titles Halo Infinite and Gears 5. And hopefully a few surprises too. E3 2019 is Microsoft’s game to lose and a real chance to stake their claim to the generation ahead. Will they step up?
Key games: Halo Infinite, Gears 5, Fable 4
Nintendo: Animal Crossing, Pokemon, but no new Switch?
Nintendo Direct: Tuesday, 11 June, 5pm BST
It will be an intriguing and important E3 for Nintendo, as it continues to keep momentum for Nintendo Switch ticking along. Rumours that the House of Mario was going to reveal two new models of the Switch have been quashed by CEO Shuntaro Furukawa, even if the hardware remains in development.
That means Nintendo’s Direct stream, its now traditional method of transmitting its E3 announcements, will be focussed on games. Nintendo tend to keep their eye on the near future, rather than announcing or showcasing far-flung projects, so don’t expect much news on Metroid Prime 4 (particularly after its development was restarted at Retro Studios) or Bayonetta 3.
Its three major games, then, will likely be town-management-sim Animal Crossing, Pokemon Sword & Shield and, gloriously, Luigi’s Mansion 3. There will also be outings for Link’s Awakening and the new Fire Emblem.
A reasonable amount for Nintendo fans to get their teeth into, and will likely avoid the criticism of last year’s overlong Super Smash Bros. demo, but a few surprises will be key to keeping Switch at the forefront of people’s minds.
Key games: Animal Crossing, Pokemon Sword & Shield, Luigi’s Mansion 3, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
Third-party publishers
EA: Star Wars, Apex Legends and football (of both kinds)
EA Play livestream: From Saturday, 8 June, 5.15pm BST
Electronic Arts won’t be holding a press conference as such, but will be hosting a lengthy livestream showing off its upcoming wares for the year ahead on Saturday 8 June. This is likely to mean viewers shouldn’t expect much in the way of new game announcements, however, it will mean the first proper look at gameplay from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Respawn’s action-adventure spin on the sci-fi fantasy behemoth will surely be worth a look.
Other than that, expect some detail on updates for battle royale Apex Legends, Battlefield V and The Sims 4. And for football fans of different stripes, your first look at FIFA 20 and NFL Madden 20.
Key games: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, FIFA 20
Bethesda: Doom Eternal, Wolfenstein: Youngblood and plenty of attitude
Bethesda E3 Showcase: Monday 10 June, 1.30am BST
Bethesda likes to position itself as the punk-rock publisher, with a showcase dominated by oodles of gameplay and explosive action. This year is unlikely to be any different. The Washington company is going to go big on shooter bearing classic names. Doom Eternal is the latest in the famous demon blaster, while Wolfenstein Youngblood looks to be a fascinating co-op twist on one of the smartest ‘dumb shooters’ of the last decade.
Expect those games to take up a chunk of Bethesda’s conference and E3 floorspace. But it will be intriguing to see what else the company has on offer. Those expecting to catch any more from sprawling RPGs Starfield or The Elder Scrolls VI may be disappointed, unless Bethesda pull a fast one, with director Todd Howard saying neither are ready to be shown.
With that in mind, there is one thing I want to see more than anything else at Bethesda’s conference: whatever the Shinji Mikami lead horror developer Tango Gameworks has been cooking up.
Key games: Doom Eternal, Wolfenstein: Youngblood
Ubisoft: Watch Dogs Legion, Ghost Recon: Breakpoint and plenty of silliness
Ubisoft Press Conference: Monday 10 June, 9pm BST
French publisher Ubisoft has, yet again, seemingly failed to keep its own secrets. Watch Dogs Legion was ‘leaked’ by Amazon UK, revealed to be set in a technologically transformed post-Brexit Britain. It looks absolutely fascinating, for sure, and may well be the headline act for Ubisoft’s always jolly E3 show.
But as leaky as Ubisoft can be, they still often have the capacity to spring a surprise or two. It looks like the next Assassin’s Creed, rumoured to be Vikings, won’t be coming until 2020. So I’m still hoping for a new edition of spy caper Splinter Cell for what seems like the fifth year running. Would it make any difference if I said please, Ubisoft? Probably not, suggests the latest intelligence.
Otherwise, expect plenty of open-world military shooter Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, an update on the enigmatic Beyond Good & Evil 2 and a dollop of silliness. Even if the games aren’t to your taste, Ubisoft’s party atmosphere showcase is usually worth tuning into.
Key games:Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, Watch Dogs Legion, Beyond Good & Evil 2
Square Enix: Marvel's Avengers and Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Square Enix E3 Showcase: Tuesday 11 June , 2am BST
For all of Square Enix’s terrific games, its recently minted E3 appearances rarely set the world alight. This year that could all change, however, as it commands two of the most wanted games of E3 2019.
We are expecting to get the most significant look at the feverishly anticipated Final Fantasy VII Remake, but the new blockbuster will be the Marvel Avengers game being developed by Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics. A premature E3 listing has the game down as a ‘cinematic action-adventure’ with four player co-operative play. Which sounds pretty much exactly what you would want from an Avengers game.
These two will undoubtedly be the focus, but you can expect a few more reveals besides, including updates on Final Fantasy XIV and possibly the Platinum Games developed Babylon’s Fall. Could be a goodie.
Key games: Marvel’s Avengers, Final Fantasy VII
Ones to watch - Cyberpunk 2077, Capcom and From Software
There are, of course, scores of other games from publishers not hosting their own showcases. Some will doubtless make their way to the big stage of Microsoft’s stage (PS4 tie-ups notwithstanding), while some will impress behind closed doors.
One game likely to do both is CD Projekt Red’s RPG Cyberpunk 2077, which stole the show at last year’s E3 with a stellar hour-long presentation. Another one with fresh gameplay is scheduled for this year. Is it too much to hope for a release date?
Capcom will be present with Iceborne, the major expansion to Monster Hunter: World, and it would be great to see an announcement of a new game --Resident Evil 8 anyone?-- to keep the Japanese publisher’s recent hot streak going.
Rumoured to be announced at the Xbox show is the From Software collaboration with Game of Thrones author George RR Martin, reportedly titled Great Rune, based on Norse mythology and published by Bandai Namco. I am also looking forward to seeing more of Remedy Software's Control and the recently delayed Shenmue 3.
Notable absentees
Sony PlayStation
PlayStation rather shocked the gaming world when it announced it would not be holding its traditional press conference at E3 2019. Some see it as the death knell for the show’s significance, with Sony claiming that it doesn’t suit the modern news cycle. It’s not untrue, though is more likely down to the fact that Sony are perhaps not ready to fully reveal the PS5 and don’t have enough imminent titles to make up the shortfall. At least not ones that we haven’t seen before. Death Stranding, The Last of Us Part 2 and Ghost of Tsushima are all still in development, but they propped up last year’s show and Sony clearly didn’t want to repeat itself.
While Sony will want to let the dust settle before revealing the PS5, it would seem unlikely, however, that the company would want E3 to pass without making some kind of an impact. There may be a new Last of Us trailer imminent. Although a surprise PS5 reveal in a stream, say, really could test E3’s mettle…
Google Stadia
Stadia Connect: Thursday, 6 June, 5pm BST
Google’s cloud gaming project Stadia will be at E3, but only in a relatively limited guise on the YouTube booth. Instead, the Silicon Valley giant is preparing to announce more on Stadia --including much asked questions about release date, pricing and game catalogue-- on Thursday of this week. It will be interesting to see how Google’s strategy compares to Microsoft’s Project Xcloud.
