E3 2021 - The Potential Remains While The Format Looks To The Future
Scoopin’ those Keighley scoops.
By Mike Hazleton and Jay Tee
12/06/21
Now that the global pandemic is slowly but surely wrapping up in a (hopefully) positive manner, the games industry continues to recover from the sudden adjustment to remote development, release dates getting bumped, and a sense of pervasive unease. But there’s reason for optimism, with Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest Kick Off livestream ticking boxes as a well balanced, and quite jam packed opening act for a busy few days ahead. Although the notion of “E3” as an event is rapidly becoming irrelevant as almost every major publisher transitions to holding their own digital extravaganzas, it still serves as a nod to tradition amid the inevitable flurry of announcements.
This year, Sony are (at the time of writing) a no show, and EA have set their event for July. But we’ll still be covering our Bets (things we expect to see) and Dreams (things we’d like to see) for Microsoft, Bethesda, Ubisoft and Nintendo. We also have a “Kurrrwazy Dream” - a pitch for something we don’t think will appear, but would be incredible if it did. “Klingon Painsticks” is a list of anything we really DON’T want to see, including specific franchises, sequels, or gameplay features from any presentation. “Trip to Risa” is stuff we’d like to see from smaller publishers. Finally, “Shot in the Dark” is the mother of all announcements, and very personal to us, and the one thing that would cause us to declare this the greatest E3 of all time.
MIKE - We're going to see Halo Infinite of course, which I think can't fail to impress & do better than it did last time around. I'm going to stick my neck out and say we get a shadow drop/very soon to be released multiplayer beta (Game Pass exclusive). I think Psychonauts 2 is ready and they are holding it back until August so that the Halo beta gets time to shine. Flight Sim on console will be dated, but that release window is hard to pin down. It's a different audience to Halo but still a big hitter, so maybe mid-September so as not to clash.
In terms of more new stuff, I actually think Forza Motorsport comes before Horizon. I know it's been leaked but I'm sticking my flabby neck on the line and saying JEFF GRUBB: YOU'RE WRONG. Mainly I'd just like to beat the leakachus. We HAVE to see Everwild and find out what it is. I think all of the above plus some gameplay of Hellblade and a representative CG trailer for Fable or Perfect Dark and Microsoft have an outstanding show. Not to mention the big Todd Howard shaped elephant in the room. Also, I don't think we get news of any new acquisitions (even though they are ongoing).
JAY TEE - I reckon there’s a few safe bets with Microsoft this year. A Halo Infinite Beta for July / August, with Game Pass early access, and a November final release to tie in with the 20th anniversary. Psychonauts 2 drops in either July / August as well (whichever one the Halo beta doesn’t take).
I don’t think we’ll see Fable gameplay (maybe an in engine teaser?) but The Initiative comes out swinging with a Perfect Dark vertical slice. Forza Horizon 5 is revealed to drop this year, with the Forza Motorsport reboot still cooking for 2022. I also think we’re going to get some very interesting new partnerships revealed on multiple fronts; some killer Game Pass additions for the back half of the year, perhaps in the same vein as Outriders and MLB 21. Battlefield 2042 on Ultimate would be fantastic. I also think we’re getting two or three Xbox Game Studios Publishing surprises; one for release this year, and the other two in early 2022.
MIKE - From Bethesda I think we'll see a Starfield gameplay demo (game will be exclusive to Game Pass. No way is it coming this year, whoever suggested that needs a good talking to). We'll get an idea of the setting for Elder Scrolls VI. And I guess they'll announce some stuff in their other series which I have little to no interest in. There will be some MMO filler (ESO and Fallout).
JAY TEE - Since the shared showcase is 90 minutes, you have to imagine roughly 30 minutes of that will be focused on Bethesda. With so much buzz around Deathloop and its one year of PS5 exclusivity, I reckon Microsoft will want to show off Arkane’s next thing as soon as possible, to solidify them as a MS first party team. A teaser this year is definitely possible. Outside of that, I think we see a brief look at Starfield for a before March 2022 release. iD Software teases their next project, and although we don’t see a peep out of Indiana Jones (too early), Machine Games reveals the next Wolfenstein.
Time to shine, baby.
MIKE - I think this is quite predictable and we'll see Rainbow Six: Quarantine and more from Far Cry, plus Just Dance and oh yeah that game Beyond Good and Evil 2. Honestly, they have to show it. If they don't, it doesn't exist any more. I think we'll get another of their cool indie games trying to keep up with Hazelight. And maybe another smaller Assassin's Creed game as I think Valhalla did pretty well for them.
JAY TEE - It would be great to get some idea of what’s next for Assassin’s Creed, as Valhalla was a barnstormer. I reckon we’ll get a hint at more DLC for Valhalla, or maybe even a new title. Regardless, that series will show up. Other than that, Ubi are tough to predict. The quality of their showcases varies so wildly. Dare I hope for Beyond Good and Evil 2?! I’d like to see more of Rider’s Republic, as that looked jolly. I think we’ll get a date for that.
MIKE - So it's getting pretty late and we still haven't had a Switch Pro announcement. Honestly, I would love it (Kevin Keegan style) if they didn't announce it. I've still not got my money's worth from my Switch mainly due to the extreme lack of value in many of their releases (versus Game Pass for example), so would happily trundle along with my current SKU. So... I'm going to say we don't get it this year! Hardware components are extremely scarce, Switch is selling like hot cakes, why would Nintendo introduce a new version?
Games wise, we have to see Metroid Prime or the show will be a flop. I think we get a Zelda equivalent to the Mario 3D all-stars pack (complete with same arbitrary termination date for sales), but as for what it contains, that's a tough one as Nintendo have very heavily rinsed the Zelda back catalogue so I think people would be reluctant to shell out for games they already own multiple times over. Skyward Sword is covered so perhaps Ocarina, Majora's Mask and Wind Waker in a triple. It's been done but that doesn't stop Nintendo.
I think we'll get a Breath of the Wild 2 announcement, plus a Mario Olympic tie in (has that been announced already?!!) and some crazy new accessory based game or 2D rehashed platformer that the press go crazy for. Oh and Pokémon something or other.
JAY TEE - I reckon this year will be relatively low key on the software front; another look at Mario Golf before it drops later this month, but I can’t see them doing much with known exclusives. Metroid, Bayonetta, BotW 2… it’s all still cooking, and I don’t think we see any of it until end of this year, or even 2022. After Nintendo purchased Next Level Games (Luigi’s Mansion 3), I believe we’ll get a tease of their next project. Oh, and they end the showcase with a tease of the Switch Pro, and date an event for its full deep dive.
MIKE - Banjo Kazooie / Conker / Nintendo collaboration of some sort. Hey, this is the dream zone. I would love to see some gameplay for Avowed but it's probably too soon. Honestly, I've put a lot of my dreams into the bets category because I really do think they have a very strong show planned.
JAY TEE - Much like they’ve done with Obsidian and The Coalition, I’m hoping Microsoft have restructured Rare into a multi team studio, split between Sea of Thieves, Everwild, and a smaller third team focused on sequels to their legacy IP. Banjo Kazooie. Conker. Hell, even Viva Pinata, which was so wholesome! They’re sitting on incredible franchises that should be given the chance to rise again. They’re perfect for Game Pass!
JAY TEE - I’d love to see them snag another interesting, existing license (much like they did with Indy). It would be great to see what they could do with something Marvel related, as I think Square Enix have dropped the ball with The Avengers. Also, something from Evil Within or Prey would be amazing; both games have been given a new lease of life thanks to Game Pass.
My biggest dream for them, across all their studios, is to leverage some of the expertise from The Coalition and 343i with Unreal Engine or Slipspace to enhance some of their existing franchises. Fallout running on Unreal would be ace.
MIKE - I want to see a more realistic experience from Ubisoft, whether it's a shooter or an adventure game - I think they rely too heavily on "game" mechanics in their open world stuff so to get me interested. I want something similar to how Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six used to be. I'm not happy with the Rainbow Six Quarantine direction, but there we go. I'd like to see something new, driving based (not Division related) from Ubisoft Reflections. I'd love multiple new indies supported by Ubisoft as they used to excel at that stuff.
JAY TEE - Rayman and Prince of Persia are two IP I want to see make a come back. And much like EA Play, I’d love to see Ubi+ make its way to console and partner up with Microsoft on a Game Pass “bolt on” of sorts. Xbox had mentioned they’re exploring some new subscription tiers for Game Pass (most likely tied to their big push into cloud gaming) so this seems like a logical fit.
MIKE - New Nintendo Classics collection with all their 5-million+ selling games knocked down to £20. Ha! Nintendo 64 virtual console finally coming to Switch (probably more chance of Game Pass coming to it sadly, which is also a dream!). Some sort of Microsoft game tie in would be great. A Lylat Wars or F-Zero game (why can't we have both GIF?).
JAY TEE - A N64 Collection in the same vein as the NES and SNES, with fully online enabled games, suspend saves etc… would be a dream come true. I’d love to see Donkey Kong get a new 3D adventure, and more 3D platformers from them generally. I’d also like my joy cons to work.
I feel like every year I set myself up for crippling disappointment, but… Beyond Good and Evil 2 please!
MIKE - I hinted at it - Game Pass on Switch. Would solve my problems with Nintendo overnight. Microsoft acquiring someone very big - SEGA for example with Sonic being exclusive to Game Pass and some announcements for some lovely inter-brand games - think Sonic Racing (featuring Conker, Banjo etc.). Phil has finally done the hard graft and got a Goldeneye 64 remaster over the line.
JAY TEE - An unprecedented number of major publishers throwing their weight behind Game Pass (in the same vein as EA Play). Could you imagine Activision, 2K, and Ubisoft getting on board?! Also, an Xbox Originals Collection, kinda like Rare Replay, but for the early Xbox era classics like Project Gotham Racing and Midtown Madness. A Starfox / Metroid crossover would also be extremely jolly.
MIKE - Honestly I don't want to see any more Free to Play crap shoots from EA or Ubisoft. Knockout City is a hit but we've seen a lot of that style of game be announced with ridiculous ("oh my god isn't our game so cool") demos only to be panned by the wider gaming community. This also applies to new battle royales really.
JAY TEE - No more resurrections of beloved franchises returning as mobile exclusives (I’m looking at you Command and Conquer). I’d also like three player only co-op games to do one. Two, three, or four player co-op please. Three as a maximum is stupid, and it means someone always gets left out.
MIKE - I'm not going to name names here really, and I hinted at it when talking about Ubisoft. I'd like to see a return to the sort of gritty, realistic games we had in the Xbox/PS2/360/PS3 era. Less perks, less customisation - a return to straightforward gameplay that speaks for itself. I'd like to see more from Dontnod who are one of the most reliable developers out there.
JAY TEE - I’d like to see Focus Home really push the boat out on new / familiar IP. They rapidly became one of my favourite publishers of last gen. Devolver are always a delight; Hotline Miami and more recently Carrion are two franchises I’d like to see continue.
MIKE - Obsidian to make a Knights of the Old Republic style Star Trek game. Hey, the license is a bit easier to work with than Star Wars (even with Disney farming out IP left, right and centre).
JAY TEE - Star Trek: Elite Force 3, developed by Respawn, as a story driven co-op experience with online competitive multiplayer. Set during the TNG era of Trek, leading into the current Picard timeline. You can also hang out in Riker’s cabin on Nepenthe.