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This time, it’s not just those who are making big announcements who also hold a presentation at E3 2016, so we’ve gathered what games and surprises we can expect from the other big publishers.
In recent weeks, we have written about the expected line-up of the companies preparing for the conference, i.e. Bethesda, Sony, Microsoft, Ubisoft, PC Gaming Show and Electronic Arts (as well as Nintendo, which is not holding the conference this year), but in addition to them, many more important participants there are also those who don’t give presentations, but it’s definitely worth paying attention to their presence at E3.
Space battle ahead, orcs behind me
As every year, Activision’s most important premiere at this year’s expo will be the current Call of Duty (expected to take a larger chunk out of Sony’s show time). However, this time more than ever depends on the performance of Infinite Warfare, which takes place in the distant future, as EA will put a lot of pressure on the franchise with Battlefield 1. They will probably also show a bit of the Modern Warfare Remastered version, and hopefully reveal some new details about the Call of Duty movie announced at last year’s BlizzCon (and while we’re at it, they could also show something from the Ghostbusters game).
Bungie is sure to bring Destiny’s new expansion, Rise of Iron, and maybe Destiny 2 will be mentioned as well.
The third major Activision franchise that is sure to have a presence is Skylanders. Imaginators was just announced, the trading card game Battlecast just launched, and there was talk of a TV series before, so they’ll have a lot to say on that front as well.
Blizzard is sure to have something to say about their most popular titles, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch, though they’ll probably save that for BlizzCon. It would be nice to hear about more packs for StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops, but we also really want the publisher to finally announce the long-awaited Warcraft 4, and since 2014’s Reaper of Souls, Diablo has also felt neglected. It is also worth mentioning that King, now part of the Activision-Blizzard alliance, designs mobile games based on the most popular brands, and we may be surprised in this regard as well.
What we always want
Gamers’ hearts beat high when Take-Two announced that Rockstar Games is working on several projects and we can expect big announcements soon. There is a huge chance for a new Red Dead game, maybe the Agent will finally be presented, and although GTA VI is definitely in the works, now they are probably “only” revealing the additional content of GTA V. A remaster or two is not ruled out either (yes, Bully, we’re thinking of you), as we can expect further surprises, after all, we last saw Max Payne in 2012 and the concept of LA Noire screams for a sequel.
The presence of Mafia III is one hundred percent certain, the inclusion of Battleborn’s DLCs is obvious, it would be nice to see something about Borderlands 3 and the film version, while the sequel to Evolve could be a big surprise for Turtle Rock (along with a new IP). Take-Two also said earlier that they still have plans for the BioShock series, this is a great opportunity to prove it (if not the sequel, but the long-rumored BioShock Collection could be presented already). When it comes to sports, NBA 2K17 and WWE 2K17 are sure to come up, and when it comes to strategy, Sid Meier’s Civilization VI may be in the spotlight.
Bat and Dice Men
The two main pillars of Warner Bros. presence at E3 will once again be the LEGO and Batman franchises. While in the case of the former, it is expected that Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Dimensions and Worlds will be part of the fun, the announcement of a new checkered adaptation is also in the deck (for example, related to the LEGO Batman movie). In the case of the dark knight, the announcement of the rumored new Batman episode starring Damon Wayne and an episode focusing on Suicide Squad can easily happen, but the world wide web has already talked about the possibility of a Superman (or Justice League) video game before. We’d put big money on a mention of Return to Arkham as well.
Staying on the superhero theme, NetherRealm Studios is working on the meanwhile announced Injustice 2, that’s for sure. But that’s not all: considering the rumors of recent months, at least one of the Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Dying Light sequels will appear at one of the major conferences.
Deus Ex Fantasy
Square Enix comes with a lot of ammunition, but its biggest bomb will definitely be Deus Ex. Mankind Divided is an essential part of the lineup, and the Deus Ex Universe initiative includes other projects related to the universe (such as Deus Ex GO). In its announcement post, the publisher promised that we can also expect Tomb Raider announcements (in addition to the date of the PS4 version, a new Lara Croft spin-off might come), while the next episode of the Hitman franchise will probably be shown, but maybe a Also Absolution or Blood Money HD. We would be surprised if Rico didn’t explode in some form in the representation of Just Cause 3, but if Square Enix really wants to go big, then they are saving for this occasion the confirmation of a sequel to Life is Strange or a new Thief, which Eidos Montreal once hinted at.
It is almost certain that the company will assign a decisive role to the Final Fantasy family, after all, they are currently holding several irons in the fire: XV, VII Remake, XII: The Zodiac Age and World of Final Fantasy are also being prepared. Dragon Quest will be present with three titles (XI, Builders, Heroes II), and Kingdom Hearts with two titles (III, HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue) and we have no doubts that Nier: Automata and I Am Setsuna will also take part from the commotion.
Night of the living dead, morning of announcements
Bandai Namco will hopefully try to beat the field with Dark Souls III DLCs, but we expect a lot from Tekken 7 and Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 as well. Tales of Berseria will surely get some interesting information, and of course the games that the publisher brings to Europe.
The crown jewel of Capcom’s repertoire will be Resident Evil: in addition to the announcement of Resident Evil 7, the world will be watching Resident Evil 5 HD, Resident Evil 4 Remaster and Umbrella Corps. The presentation of the rumored Dead Rising 4, the spectacular presentation of Street Fighter V’s story mode and the showing of Monster Hunter Generations would be essential for complete enjoyment. We could be excited for an Onimusha revival and a new Devil May Cry part, while Deep Down is again confirmed to be in the works.
Deep Silver can also make a big splash if they finally put an end to the speculations of Dead Island 2, there is at least one gameplay video from the Agents of Mayhem announced before E3 and we are eagerly waiting to see if there will be another Saints Row or if it is already at such a level of development 4A Games’ Metro game for the publisher to show off to the world. The publisher’s runaways also include Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, which was a huge Kickstarter success, The King of Fighters XIV, which offers a fighting alternative, and the new title of the father of Mega Man, Mighty No. 9.
Telltale Games is juggling so many brands that whichever one it brings to E3, fans will be happy about it. Fortunately, recent news suggests that Season 3 of The Walking Dead and the Batman adventure game are sure to show up. Although the team didn’t mention it, we might not be wrong if we say that in addition to the sequels of The Wolf Among Us and Game of Thrones series, his joint projects with Marvel and Lionsgate will also appear during the show, his own IP and its unveiling would be just icing on the cake.
The pepper is small, but it has something to show for it
We don’t have to guess about Focus Home Interactive’s plans, the publisher comes to the expo with a specific list. It is prepared with such goodies as the new game from the developers of Life is Strange, Vampyr, the sci-fi from the creators of Lords of the Fallen, The Surge, the new adventure of our favorite thief goblin, Styx: Shards of Darkness and the role-playing game from the team of Bound By Flame, the Technomancer. Space Hulk: Deathwing, nicknamed Warhammer FPS, Mordheim: City of the Damned, a turn-based tactical action game based on the Warhammer world, and the current part of Farming Simulator also deserve attention.
505 Games certainly wants to attract attention with Overkill’s The Walking Dead horror, made with the participation of Robert Kirkman, and Payday 3, but we can also link Rocket League here (they are responsible for the distribution of the console versions), we always get something new from it .
There is also a studio that visits Los Angeles with few titles. We only want details on two games from Bigben Interactive: Outcast: Second Contract, the HD adaptation of the 1999 cult classic Outcast, also looks promising, and fans of racing games will certainly be happy with the new features of WRC 6.
Last, but certainly not least, Nordic Games will follow, among other things, it will make or break whether or not there will be a Darksiders 3. What will definitely be talked about are the newly announced ELEX, The Talos Principle 2, The Guild 3 and long-in-the-making Spellforce 3, but at least as interesting is what they do with the innumerable IP they have. We can talk about possible renovations or even continuations of such titles as Codename: Panzers, Desperados, Imperium Galactica, Red Faction, Painkiller, Titan Quest, Men of Valor and Frontlines: Fuel of War, so a lot depends on Under the auspices of Nordic Games.
E3 2016 kicks off on Sunday, June 12 at 10:00 p.m. with the EA Play conference. You can find the latest news before, during and during the event on our E3 webpage, and you can find information about the conferences here or by clicking on the banner below.
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