After a long year, it is finally time for E3.
The most popular video game industry event of the year begins earlier than normal this year with an unprecedented Sunday evening press conference from Bethesda. A Fallout 4 announcement seems like the obvious reason to call a Sunday press conference, but Bethesda has more game franchises with which to create excitement. Hopefully, Bethesda will take advantage of primetime and announce some exciting new projects.
In honor of E3 excitement, I thought it fitting to make a prediction for each of the major press conferences. As evidenced by my Gamescom predictions, I am not the best fortuneteller. However, making predictions is fun, no matter the outcome. So, here is one big guess for each press conference of E3 2015.
Bethesda – June 14th, 7 pm PST
Bethesda has some great franchises to draw from when making game announcements, including Wolfenstein, Dishonored, The Elder Scrolls, and Fallout. Bethesda should be making the long-awaited Fallout 4 announcement, so I will disregard that option. In addition, Bethesda just released an add-on for Wolfenstein, so another entry in the series probably won’t be announced just yet.
In my opinion, the big announcement from E3 2015 will be a sequel to Dishonored. This sequel to the critically acclaimed stealth game probably won’t focus on Corvo, Dishonored’s protagonist, or Daud the assassin who ruined Corvo’s life. I believe that Bethesda will announce a new Dishonored from Arkane Studios focusing on a little known character in an expanded world. More importantly, I think that this new character will spend most of the game learning about the Outsider’s history. Hopefully, Dishonored 2—or whatever the sequel is called—will explain everything there is to know about the Outsider from a newer perspective.
Microsoft – June 15th, 9:30 am PST
Much like previous years, Microsoft will be kicking off Day Zero of E3 with a Monday morning press conference. Last year, Microsoft showcased a ton of games, many of which weren’t released. We are still awaiting information on Scalebound and Crackdown, so Microsoft will probably reveal some more information. Plus, Microsoft will probably give gameplay demos of Halo 5 and Rise of the Tomb Raider. So what will be the surprise?
Phil Spencer has been teasing a new Battletoads game for the past year, so an announcement wouldn’t be a big surprise. Predictions aren’t fun if you know that they are going to happen. With that in mind, I think that Microsoft will be the first company to reveal Mafia III. The sequel to the 2010 game has been a rumor since Rick Pasqualone (the actor behind Mafia II’s protagonist) teased its existence in early 2015. Mafia II was a big game on the Xbox 360, so it would make sense to see an appearance during the Microsoft press conference. Plus, 2K Games doesn’t have any stage time to make announcements.
EA – June 15th, 1 pm PST
Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars. Yeah, EA has a lot of good properties, such as Mass Effect and Battlefield, but everyone wants to find out what Visceral has been working on. Both Todd Stashwick and Amy Hennig have been teasing something involving smugglers, but they haven’t given any concrete information yet.
Last year, I predicted that a Han Solo game would be announced during Gamescom, and I was completely wrong. However, I’m still sticking with this prediction based partially on provided hints and partially on childhood hope. Nothing would be cooler than playing as the lovable rogue and his furry companion. Amy Hennig’s involvement would also be exciting given her previous work on the Uncharted franchise. I believe that this game will be set during earlier times and will depict how Han meets Chewbacca. Of course, I’m not sure how the Millennium Falcon will be incorporated into the game, but the iconic ship will have to be involved.
Ubisoft – June 15th, 3 pm PST
Obviously, Ubisoft starts off every E3 presser with information about Assassins Creed. Having already announced this year’s entry, Ubisoft will probably show more information about Assassins Creed Syndicate and Rainbow Six Siege, but the rest of their presser will be saved for other announcements. As of this moment, there are no announced entries in the Watch Dogs, Driver, or Splinter Cell series. Additionally, Ubisoft has yet to provide any information about Beyond Good, Evil 2 or another Rayman game. What will this massive company do with their entire press conference?
Currently, 40% of Ubisoft Reflections is helping finish The Division, but the other portion of the company is working on something unknown. The last full game that Reflections developed was Driver: San Francisco, the slightly weird racing game that was better than most people expected. Granted, Reflections helped finish off The Crew, but they haven’t announced any new games. I believe that Ubisoft will surprise the E3 crowd with an announcement of a new Driver game (no, that mobile game with boats doesn’t count). This Driver will keep John Tanner in one city like Driver: San Francisco did, but this game will return Tanner to the beach haven of Miami. This city last made an appearance in the underwhelming Driv3r, so Reflections would want to make a successful return to the city on a system that can handle the location. Will this new Driver include movie themed missions like Driver: San Francisco did? I would love to replay that Cadillac car chase from Bad Boys II.
Sony – TBA
Sony is a tough nut to crack. Last year’s presser was full of some random games and long discussions about exclusive TV shows. This presser was full of information but fairly short on actual gameplay. This year, Sony has a chance to come back strong with expected presentations from Naughty Dog, Polyphony Digital, and Sony Santa Monica. However, Sony has more development studios that could make a splash at E3 2015, and I think a local studio will do just that.
Sony Bend, located 40 minutes from my house, last released a game in 2012 for the PlayStation Vita. Uncharted: Golden Abyss was rated well with critics, but it left fans wanting more from the long-running studio. Now, I think that Sony Bend will come back strong at E3 2015 with an announcement of a PlayStation 4 exclusive reboot of Syphon Filter. Oh yes, Sony Bend will finally make another Syphon Filter, but this will be a reboot so Gabe Logan would not be older than a retiree. Of course, Sony Bend could simply make a game without Logan, but I think that fans wouldn’t be very excited about that prospect. Honestly, fans of Syphon Filter will be ecstatic at the opportunity to rejoin Logan on his missions.
Nintendo – June 16th, 9 am PST
Nintendo has a rather unique history at E3 when you consider the announcements of the Wii U, Wii Music, and the various video games. Of course, nothing compares to the stellar “PLAY THE GAME!” presser from a few years back. Once again, Nintendo will be holding their annual presser to show off Mario Maker, Star Fox, Yoshi’s Wooly World, and some other games. Sadly, Legend of Zelda will not be present at E3, so will Nintendo fill that time with other games?
Most Nintendo fans are holding out hope for a new F-Zero, but I have a feeling that Nintendo will go in a different direction. In my opinion, Nintendo will make an announcement that will please fans of the Super Nintendo and Nintendo DS. Yup, I think Nintendo will announce a new Mario RPG. Both Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story were fantastic games that combined the beloved franchise with the classic turn-based combat system. Unfortunately, I never played Paper Mario, so I can’t make a judgment of quality.
Nintendo knows that fans love their RPG’s, even going so far as re releasing Paper Mario on the Wii U virtual console. With so many fans in place, I think that Nintendo will create Mario RPG 4 (insert subtitle here). This new RPG will incorporate beloved Mario characters, including Yoshi, on a journey to defeat a mysterious foe. Bowser could be the antagonist, but that would be too easy. Mario RPG 4 would need to include a new enemy for Mario to fight.
Square Enix – June 16th, 9 am PST
Square Enix is one of the more entertaining companies to write about. This “Super Group” of developers is responsible for Final Fantasy, Tomb Raider, Hitman, Kingdom Hearts, Just Cause, Sleeping Dogs, and so many other franchises. Hell, my favorite Square Enix published game is Mini Ninjas, so you can see how broad this library is. Obviously, Square Enix will show something from Just Cause 3 and Rise of the Tomb Raider, but there is a chance that both Kingdom Hearts III and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided will make an appearance as well. As much as I would love to see a Mini Ninjas 2, there is little chance that this game exists. Instead, I think a different IO Interactive franchise will make an appearance.
After the mixed reviews for Hitman: Absolution, IO Interactive released an open letter to fans discussing how the next Hitman game would be truer to form. While I don’t think actual gameplay will make an appearance—IO posted character artist jobs on May 12—I do believe that the developer will at least show a logo and title. Square Enix Montreal has been keeping the Hitman name alive with Hitman GO and Hitman: Sniper, but fans need a full Agent 47 experience on PS4 and Xbox One. IO has been working on the next Hitman game for long enough that they should be able to show something.
If not, I need a new Mini Ninjas that doesn’t rely on the damn Kinect.
Look, I’m just getting caught up in E3 excitement. At least one of these predictions needs to be correct, or else it will be a sad June. What games do you hope get announced during the various press conferences? Let us know in the comments.
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