The biggest video game hype machine of the year is once again nearly upon us. Software developers, video game executives and thousands of eager gaming journalists will descend upon the Los Angeles Convention Centre from June 12-14 for the 24th Electronic Entertainment Expo. As with every E3, the gaming community is rife with speculation about what new software will be announced or elaborated upon. Here are just a few of the more hotly anticipated games that might reasonably appear at this year’s convention.
- Death Stranding
Since it’s reveal at E3 almost 2 years ago, we’ve had very little concrete information regarding what famed auteur Hideo Kojima’s next game will be about. Fans of the Metal Gear Solid series will no doubt be familiar with the director’s unique vision for what form gameplay and story can take in a 3rd person action game, and be hoping that some of that series’ DNA finds its way into this new PS4 exclusive IP. The game will be the first from Kojima since his unamiable split with mega-producer Konami following MGSV: The Phantom Pain, and Kojima has coaxed some serious star power to take part, with Mads Mikkelsen and Norman Reedus providing motion capture and VA. From the limited information revealed in three trailers so far, the game appears to be have a bizarre sci-fi setting involving shadowy floating figures, live babies in capsules and skeleton soldiers.
Kojima has given some very vague hints regarding what form the gameplay will take in Death Stranding, though in true fashion these statements have raised more questions than answers. The key theme appears to be ‘connections’, drawing parital influence from Japanese author Kobo Abe’s novellas and plays “Rope” and ‘The Man Who Turned Into a Stick’. “The stick is the first tool that mankind created to put distance between himself and bad things – to protect himself,” Kojima said, speaking to IGN. “The second tool mankind created is a rope. A rope is a tool used to secure things that are important to you.” The concept of ropes connecting players rather than sticks with which they fight with suggests that the developer may be toying with another innovative take on the action genre, similar to how Metal Gear introduced players to stealth gameplay almost 30 years ago. Whether the game will be another bizarre soap-opera genre re-invention now that Kojima is exercising full creative control, only time will tell.
- Untitled FromSoftware game
During The Game Awards 2017, Dark Souls III and Bloodborne developer FromSoftware teased a new project with a mysterious 30 second trailer. No title or release window for the upcoming game were given, so it may be assumed that it is still in the early stages of development. Nevertheless, the developer’s passionate fanbase is salivating for more of the tense and rewarding ‘Soul’s like’ gameplay that has been often imitated but never quite replicated. Based on the content of the trailer and comments by studio head Hidetaka Miyazaki, it is unlikely that the new project is another entry in the Dark Souls series. However, a sequel to 2015’s PS4 exclusive Bloodborne may well still be on the cards, as well as the possibility of a completely original IP. This is further buoyed by a rumour circulated last year that FromSoftware’s next title would be a collaboration with Sony’s Japan Studio. According to speculation the game is to be titled Phantom Wail, with an ancient Aztec setting, but this has not been confirmed. Hopefully another trailer or even some gameplay revealed by the developer at E3 will shed some light on the matter. In the meantime, fans can hold themselves over with the release of Dark Souls Remastered on May 25.
- Cyberpunk 2077
The developer of the critically acclaimed Witcher 3 and its CCG spinoff Gwent has recently been confirmed to appear at this year’s conference, bringing with them an ‘unspecified’ RPG which is likely to be their highly anticipated next AAA game, Cyberpunk 2077. Despite the confirmation that it will be an open-world RPG set in the futuristic dystopia of Night City, CD Projekt Red is keeping very silent, commenting only that the game will be more ambitious than The Witcher 3 and that they are hoping to turn it into a blockbuster franchise. The hype generated by the 2012 trailer for the game was matched only by the resounding level of radio silence from the developer in the years following it. However, the developer’s attention to detail and unwillingness to rush games to market has earned them a dedicated fanbase. Moving away from the adventures of Geralt and friends means the developers have no literary stash of inspiration to draw from, instead basing the series on the successful tabletop franchise of the same name.
- Ghost of Tsushima
Very little is known about this PS4 exclusive, based on the short but beautiful looking CG trailer shown at Paris Games Week 2017. The trailer showed off the game’s Feudal Japanese setting, in which the player will assume the role of a samurai during the real life Mongolian invasion of Tsushima in 1274. Most of the hype surrounding the game’s prospective quality is attributed to the pedigree of its developer SuckerPunch, who are well respected for their previous work on the Sly Raccoon and Infamous series. Whilst it will most likely move away from the bombastic superhero action gameplay of the developer’s previous work, they have confirmed that it will be an open world game incorporating elements of the stealth-action genre.
- New Bethesda Studios title
Buzz is always high for a new game from Bethesda’s in-house development studio, headed up by legendary director Todd Howard. Following the release, and subsequent re-releases of Skyrim, fans have joked that the studio can’t move on from its 2011 blockbuster and are eagerly awaiting the next instalment in the storied fantasy franchise. However, Bethesda Softworks VP Pete Hines has since confirmed that Bethesda Game Studios has not one but two AAA projects in the pipeline for release before The Elder Scrolls 6. First-person action franchises DOOM, Wolfenstein and Prey are all handled by Bethesda Softworks, meaning that the new game from Todd Howard’s outfit is most likely either another Fallout or Elder Scrolls spin-off, or an original IP. One possibility could be found in the rumours regarding the copyrights held by the developer for a title called Starfield. Many fans have speculated that this will be an open-world space RPG set in the Fallout universe, but no concrete details have yet emerged. The studio is well known for playing their cards close to the chest, revealing the first major trailer for Fallout 4 only months before its release, so hopefully fans won’t have too long to wait before they are enveloped in another of the developer’s excellent sandbox fantasies.
So there you have it. Will you be hopping aboard the hype train for this year’s E3 Expo? What games/announcements are you most excited for, or sceptical of?
Article by Dylan Cook
