Gaming Let the GameDevs Hit the (show)...FLOORRRR!!: E3 2020 (it's a no-go)

Ah, the weekend of the video game industry's self-flagellation is upon us again, with fewer participants and less hype than ever before.

I'm honestly not expecting much of value this year, given that it's not even a secret that we're in the final year of the current gen consoles. So unless Microsoft is going to use E3 this year to drop a surprise megaton about getting a leg up on Sony by releasing the next Xbox this year (Which isn't unprecedented, the Xbox 360 launched a year before the PS3) or Bethesda reveal either Starpoint or Elder Scrolls 6 is actually a current gen title aiming for this winter, this E3 is going to be incredibly slow going for major news.

I'm all over three whole days of Nintendo Treehouse stuff though.

Also looks like KojiPro are taking advantage of no Sony show this year and are bringing the most important goods early.

 

It'd be nice if Nintendo finally clarified the Switch remodel scenario (cheaper portable only? Mild DS vs DSi spec shift?) or announced a price drop or something that's apparently been rumored forever, speaking in my professional capacity as someone that wants to buy a Switch but has to keep holding off.

So naturally they're saying they won't.

 

Just give me the release date for Cyberpunk so that I know when I need to finish my backlog by.

 

Aside from major surprises, the only things I'm interested in is more from Cyberpunk 2077 and seeing what Bungie are doing for Destiny 2. I've less than zero interest in Death Stranding and as much as I'm looking forward to TLoU2 I want to go into that as blind as possible.

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The only part of the entire show I'm interested in.

 

On Ubisoft: One of those unannounced titles was leaked, and is a new fantasy sports thing called Roller Champions. Skull and Bones was confirmed to be a no show this year, as it's being rebuilt from the ground up due to negative feedback from the gameplay reveal. I'm expecting to see something of Beyond Good and Evil 2, but that's undoubtedly a next-gen title. So, speaking as someone who had been demanding BG&E2 for years, I can't get excited about any status report on the game, given Ubisoft's history of over promising on what next-gen titles can deliver. (And deliberately nerfing the PC versions to cover up the disparity.)

Given the proximity to Endgame, I'm certain Square will show off their Avengers title, but I'm not really interested in it after there were rumours that suggested it was being built around the GaaS model, similar to Destiny and Anthem. It's up to Squeenix to surprise me there. They're probably going to show off more of the FF7 remake, but that also lost me once it became clear that it was built around the FFXV combat system, so even the rumours of a surprise demo launch don't excite me there. They do have that new IP being made by Platinum that they announced last E3, so there's that, but that's not going to be a game that sets the world on fire, Platinum is a pretty niche company. And with all of Square Enix's other major studios having only just come off of major titles, I can't see them having anything else in the pipeline to announce.

While Microsoft spent all that money on new studios, none of them have had much time to get much further than concept stages, so I doubt we'll be seeing any concrete new IP yet, especially as Microsoft clearly indicated that its strategy of acquiring new studios was to make their next gen system more appealing. Heck, one of their latest acquisitions, Obsidian, has it in their contract that they're allowed to get The Outer Worlds released on time, with any necessary post launch support, before moving on to any new project for Microsoft. So unless Microsoft are announcing their next-gen system, with a bunch of pre-rendered trailers for concepts of games, I honestly doubt that we'll see much out of them other than Gears 5, a bunch of third party titles (Including a new open world title from From Software if rumours are true, which is exciting, but is a similar case to Platinum in that it's an incredibly niche thing.) and maybe Halo Infinite.

I do agree that Nintendo should be interesting, as I said before, I'm all in for three days of Nintendo Treehouse if nothing else. But I'm not expecting much in the way of new announcements, given that the second half of 2019 is pretty stacked for Switch titles. Maybe a gameplay unveiling of Animal Crossing and some new second party titles similar to Hyrule Warriors and Mario + Rabbids at a push, and even then I doubt any new second party announcements will be that big, out of fear of cannibalising the release schedule that they already have set.

As for Cyberpunk? I have faith that when that game comes out that it'll look like what they show, but like BG&E2 there is no way what they're showing is capable of running on current gen machines, given how garbage Witcher 3 ran on consoles at times. That game is exciting specifically because it's our look at what next gen is capable of, and is probably why Cyberpunk will be making an appearance at E3, but only as a hands off title.

And I think it's really no secret that next year is when the PS5 is out. That's when press insiders have said it's out, Sony are already openly talking about specs for the new machine and the whole reason Sony are skipping E3 this year is because, in their words, they currently aren't working on anything that they can show publicly. Which given how far ahead of time Sony like to reveal their products, is quite telling in itself.

TL;DR the only thing that is certain to save this E3 from being a bore is Mecha-Struthers.

 

The whole show's a dinosaur so of course it's getting meh on such a down year. People keep talking about how MS might pull a big surprise but nobody actually announces their consoles at E3 anymore; I guess that means I'd be admittedly more shocked if they did, but I'd also have to turn around and wonder what the **** they were thinking not announcing it in a more isolated news window.

Anyway I would sort of be in the camp excited for Square Enix but they seem to really not understand what makes for a fun spectacle so...

 

Lies.

 

Yeah except I was like "OH MY GOD IT'S YOKO TARO IN AN EMIL MASK! NIER 2!" and the rest of the internet was like "Huh?" and frankly I will never forgive anyone for that.

Also the rest of that conference was turbo ass. Like regular ass but supercharged.

 

Just because the rest of the internet doesn't understand the inherent spectacle that is Yoko Taro doesn't make it any less of a spectacle.

And boy is he a spectacle that puts anything the rest of E3 has ever done to shame.

 

Just give me the Devolver Digital presentation and throw away the rest of the show.

 

Bethesda and SquareEnix are my must watch’s.

No Sony feels strange but whatever I ll get over it.

Nintendo better be better than last years especially now that i(I mean my kids) have a Switch.

 

It'll be sad to not have Reggie doing a Nintendo Direct during the show, but oh well, he had a very good run.

I was thinking they might announce Pokemon Sword/Shield's release date at E3, but Nintendo is already having a Pokemon Direct tomorrow night, so never mind that. Probably some new Switch bundles or even a console revision, some Zelda news (Link's Awakening is next I think?) and some more game announcements. Nintendo's gotten their own routine down pretty well by now.

Its strange not having a Sony show this year, but they're trying to branch out into their own shows too rather than jostling for attention during E3. And definitely no PS5 this year (probably some hints, but they'll save an announcement for somewhere else), but I expect Last of Us 2 news at least, probably another gameplay demo. I just hope Sony doesn't repeat their own mistakes (or Microsoft's) during the console transition (like how they bungled the PS2 to PS3 transition).

Microsoft is a bit harder to predict. They're the ones who have to make up for lost time during this generation, and at the very least they still have Halo 6, er, Infinite in the works. Unless they make that a launch title for the next Xbox. I could see Microsoft trying to rush an announcement, maybe even a launch this year (unlikely but you never know) to get ahead of Sony, but some of us still remember RROD.

More FF7 would be interesting, but I've lost interest in Square-Enix a bit after Kingdom Hearts 3 came out (at long, long last). Maybe I'll pay attention again in another decade when they start dropping hints for the next KH game.

 

Okay I'll just get my most contrarian take out of the way: I'd honestly rather the overt marketing BS of every other press conference than that insidious "subversive" guerilla marketing. You know brand Twitter and how it's super obnoxious because they all try to be counter to what you expect from brands on Twitter? That's the Devolver show. "Hahaha isn't it funny that we all watch a bunch of long-form ads? Anyway enjoy our long-form ad in the form of an extended anti-ad bit. You know, the way all goddamn ads are these days anyway." Just fess up to being an ad and face to bloodshed.

 

Bring on Fable 4 for the love of waru!

Also some Gears 5, Halo infinite (prob nextbox title).

Also cant wait for Pkmn SS treehouse next week.

Hoping to hear a peep about Horizon Zero Dawn 2, though not at E3 i guess. And also prob a nextgen title.

Maaaaybe a Xenoblade Chronicles 3 ( wishful thinking only)

 

So this is the second year I actually have to work all through E3. Which suuuucks. Not so much because E3 is so amazing, but because it was always fun to just sit around in my jammies for like a whole week doing nothing but listening to stuff about video games.

The thing I'm really interested in is Ubisoft. Because of course we're probably getting Watch Dogs 3, maybe even for this November. But there have been some rumors of a pseudo-remake of the very first Assassin's Creed, which would be amazing. I have no idea if there's any truth to that, but it could be the third AAA game we don't know about yet. Either way, even if it's just Watch Dogs 3 in London, I'll be excited for that.

 

That's too bad, because Watch Dogs 2 was awesome.

 

The real question is will they do the hokey "Our conference got hacked" bit yet again?

 

Almost certainly. But this time it'll be people with really broad London accents, which will make it even better