The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is where all the magical reveals happens as the video game industry comes together to deliver their key notes, unveiling some of the biggest surprises of the decade. The event is held out in LA and will be taking place on June 12th – 14th 2018, just under a month away!
The trade show is for developers, publishes and manufactures in industry who want to show off what they have been working on and what can be expected to hit the retail market in the near future. In some cases these have been very pre-emptive demos that either never see the light of day or get delayed for what seems like an eternity.
There have been a few examples of this in recent years with a number of projects delays or outright cancellation. I remember buying a PS3 for Kingdom hearts 3, though this will never come to be Sony will not can that project and I’m pretty excited to see some more Disney x Square Enix story this year.
I would love to attend E3 one year but outside of working in industry, mainly media staff and the like are invited to attend with little open public attendance. So for the rest of us, it’s off to Twitch or whatever stream you find to watch some of the hottest reveals of our time. Most of the details around schedule times are held on the E3 website:
Be sure to check up on revised conference timetables as there may be a change or two leading up to the show. The initial schedule:
E3 2018 Press Conference Schedule
Saturday, June 9
Electronic Arts -- 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET
Sunday, June 10
Microsoft -- 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET
Bethesda -- 6:30 PM PT / 9:30 PM ET
Monday, June 11
Square Enix -- 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET
Ubisoft -- 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET
Sony -- 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET
Tuesday, June 12
Nintendo -- 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET
The web is crawling with rumours and some of them I am quite interested in but before some speculation, Final Fantasy VII is being delayed once more! Leaked conversations from Square Enix (SE) have noted a possible push back to 2023. I think we will be playing this game as an alternative reality experiences before SE are happy to serve it to us. I cry. : (
PS5?
Many people have been throwing the idea around of the PS5 being mentioned but the majority doubt this and it has been confirmed that no new hardware will be making an appearance. Personally, I think the PS4 is still seeing its glory days and Sony will do well to hold their cards close for the next few years. I do expect to see some interesting services to be offered this year through.
Death Stranding
I’ve got my eye on Hideo Kojima’s latest project – Death Stranding. This looks like a work of art and I really look forward to seeing some more of this.
We will of course see some more from The Last of Us Part 2 and other expected releases. As for a shock line up, I am sure there will be one or two awesome tech demos to show off and really push the limits of the PS4 Pro and most likely some more VR content. If Sony ever decide to remake or produce a sequel to The Legend of Dragoon I will cry, joyfully. : )
Microsoft
MS have a big one on their hands. It will be interesting to see how they want to blur the line between console and PC gaming further. I am a huge Gears of War fan and I expect the fifth iteration to appear at some point. Maybe Epic are simply too busy with cashing in on Fortnite though!
Halo 6 is coming, whether it turns up at E3 is another story but it will be a big announcement for sure. I love Halo, my friends love Halo. Probably my cat loves Halo. But I have not touched it in a long while and I look forward to see the big turning point in the franchise.
One of my favourite games on the MS platform has to be Fable and there are rumours of a remake. Fable 2 really captured some of my younger days and I will be looking out for this. Similar to Sony, I think their investment in VR will be another level this year and I’m curious to see if anything interesting turns up. The Kinect has more or less vanished from existence so the next step in immersive gaming will probably fuel the next market hype.
Nintendo
Smash, Smash and more Smash. Nintendo has made a point to carry out its E3 presence in other ways. The Treehouse Stream will be a tailored showcase of reveals. I have preferred this approach from them in recent years and the hype is still real when they drop some big news. I have not really played too much on the Switch recently and I am curious to see what they announce.
Pokemon Switch might be the big one for me as there are a bunch of rumours pointing to an imminent announcement from them including a Yellow remake. This was my first game in the series and I will be very surprised to see a modern outing on the Switch. Not too sure about the Pokemon GO mechanics though!
Could we see some new Hardware? Probably not but I am keeping my fingers crossed for something epic. I am not too excited about LABO but I’m sure there will be some focus on this during the show.
There’s a lot to cover and whisper about but I think the popular publishers will show off some amazing things this year and I will be fanboying a little next month. People have sometimes had small debates about who ‘won’ E3 in recent years. Who shocked, captured and made new fans. Maybe Steemians have some theories and expectations, would love to hear them!