Totally Plausible E3 Predictions

With June approaching we will once again be hit by the hype generating juggernaut that is the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3. Every year companies continue to raise the bar for expectations with increasingly more impressive displays. Back in 2014 all we needed was a trailer promising infinite possibilities like that which sold us all on No Man’s Sky. Come 2018 and Bethesda blew us all away with an extraordinary showcase of a logo for The Elder Scrolls VI. With the bar for what is possible continuing to be pushed, I wanted to share eight predictions that I’m certain will come to pass in a few weeks time.

First up, lets talk about Nintendo. There’s no denying the impact Nintendo has left on the game’s industry over their entire history, but now it’s time to extend that impact to film. With the recent success of Detective Pikachu, Nintendo is poised to announce they will continue to make live action movies featuring some of their most popular franchises such as Animal Crossing and Pikmin. With the power of Nintendo’s IP these new movies are a guaranteed success.

Over the past several months Nintendo and Microsoft have made many strides to demonstrate a willingness to cooperate with one another. Finally we will see the seeds of this relationship bloom with the announcement of Microsoft’s iconic Master Chief as the next DLC character for Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros Ultimate. In a showing of good faith this will not be a one sided exchange. Nintendo’s famous bounty hunter Samas Aran will also be making a cameo within the highly anticipated Gears of War 5.

Speaking of collaborations between companies, news will surface in relation to the recently announced partnership between Sony and Microsoft for cloud based services. This partnership will pave the way for Sony and Microsoft to bury the hatchet and announce that cross-platform multiplayer is coming to all future games released on either of their platforms. In addition, cross-platform functionality will be added to existing games over the coming months.

I’d be remiss to mention collaborations without mentioning this next prediction. Not one, but two new celebrities will join the star studded cast of Hideo Kojima’s upcoming Death Stranding. Both Emma Watson and Arnold Schwarzenegger will be announced via a new trailer that prominently features them both. With all that star power Death Stranding will prove to be one of the most ambitious narrative games of all time.

In a similar vein, one year on from announcing that they are still making games, Valve is poised to finally announce the release of Half Life 3. The game will once again push the boundaries of what is possible in video game narratives by being the first ever story driven battle royale game. Embark on the final chapter of Gordon Freeman’s journey as  he aims to be the last man standing.

EA will also be looking to impress the gaming press and customers alike by showcasing the narrative direction of their new licensed Star Wars game: Jedi Fallen Order. The reveal trailer made splashes across social media earlier this year, but unsatisfied with the response EA will announce Fallen Order features a persistent online connection that influences the direction of missions. The progress and performance of other players will directly influence each level in exciting ways that add a layer of dynamism to the entire experience. Each play-through of a level will have several permutations thanks to this feature. In addition, the progression system will be highlighted to showcase how it truly allows players to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Making headlines a weeks ago after dropping a new trailer for the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, SquareEnix will show yet another gameplay trailer of the game at E3. The trailer will feature both Sephiroth and Tifa who were absent from May’s trailer. Additionally, they’ll announce two season passes for the game, one for each of the game’s episodes. These passes will include cosmetic customization options for all playable characters, additional story related side missions, and a fishing minigame.

Finally, the most important announcement to come out of E3 2019. With Epic Games headlining PC Gamer’s PC Gaming conference there is bound to be numerous announcements relating to upcoming titles that will be exclusively gracing the Epic Games Store. Many hotly anticipated games will be featured as Epic exclusives including Doom Eternal, Psychonauts 2, Dying Light 2, Spelunky 2, and Cyperpunk 2077. This announcement will be unprecedented in its importance as it will finally signal the end of Valve’s grip over the entirety of PC gaming.

And that will conclude my list of predictions for E3 2019. I have utmost confidence that the following weeks will reveal the truth I have written here. We look set to have yet another glorious E3 this year.

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On a serious note, do you have any hopes or predictions for this year’s E3? Let me know in the comments below. Hopefully your predictions are a bit more grounded in reality.