Fast Links
Bethesda – Sunday, June 14th at  7 PM Pacific
Two days before E3 actually begins, Bethesda will be hosting their own press conference. It’s the first time that they’ll be holding their own event at E3. They’ll be streaming the press conference live on their Twitch and YouTube channels
Bethesda owns several studios now so they have plenty to talk about. id Software showed off Doom 4 behind closed doors last summer and they’ll likely make a public gameplay reveal at E3. We may also find out the next projects from The Evil Within developer Tango Gameworks and Dishonored developer Arkane Studios.
Furthermore, expect Elder Scrolls Online to make an appearance. The game will have launched on PS4 and Xbox One at that point and Bethesda will want to remind us all of that fact. Perhaps they’ll show off some features coming to the MMO on all platforms?
The most popular theory, though, is that Bethesda will show off Fallout 4. A recent rumor suggests that they’ll have a half-hour of gameplay footage to share with us. Another report says we’ll be treated to a cinematic trailer as well.
EA – Monday, June 15th at 1 PM Pacific
As one of the biggest publishers around, EA will have plenty to talk about during their press conference. One focus of their attention will be Star Wars: Battlefront, the multiplayer shooter in development at Battlefield studio DICE. They showed off a cinematic trailer in April and will almost certainly follow up with a lengthy gameplay demo at E3.
They may finally reveal Mass Effect 4 as well. The game clearly exists and they talked a little bit about it last year but they’ve yet to make a formal announcement. There’s no indication as to when the game is coming out so we may only get a short reveal trailer with a logo and a title, though.
Mirror’s Edge 2, which made a cameo at EA’s past two press conferences, should get some time to shine as well. In their latest financial report, EA said that the game should arrive by the first quarter of 2016. If the game’s really that close, EA’s going to have to start showing it off to the public.
A long-shot announcement will be Visceral’s Star Wars. The game, co-written by former Uncharted creative director Amy Hennig, hasn’t been officially shown off yet. However, recent teases by Visceral suggest it will star Han Solo.
Ubisoft – Monday, June 15th at 3 PM Pacific
Ubisoft has already announced their biggest 2015 release: Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. The company always makes Assassin’s Creed a huge part of their pressers and Syndicate won’t be an exception. Expect them to walk us through an entire mission of the Victorian Era assassination game.
Their other big 2015 release is Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. They’ve shown off the tactical shooter several times since last year. I’m expecting them to give us a look at a new map or mode from the game. Ubisoft hasn’t shared a release date for the game yet so maybe they’ll do so during their press conference.
Tom Clancy’s Division won’t be out until 2016 but Ubisoft will probably devote some of their press conference to the game anyway. They’re going to want to remind everyone that it’s still coming. Their other challenge is to go beyond the past tech demos and explain why it’s going to be a fun game in addition to being a good-looking one.
Just Dance 2015 hasn’t been announced yet but I wouldn’t be surprised to see that reveal, either. While you probably don’t care about the game, Ubisoft makes buckets off that franchise. You can bet they’ll have a new installment ready for the next holiday season.
Square Enix – Tuesday, June 16th at 9 AM Pacific
Square Enix is another company that traditionally doesn’t hold their own E3 press conference. That’s surprising because they’ve got plenty of games to announce each year.
They’ve got several big releases coming from their Western studios. Rise of the Tomb Raider and Just Cause 3 are both slated for a 2015 launch even though we’ve seen very little of each. I’d expect each to get lengthy gameplay demos. We may also see more of the recently announced Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.
Their Japan-developed role-playing games will get plenty of time to shine as well.Kingdom Hearts 3 has been largely AWOL since it was first announced at E3 2013 so perhaps Square Enix will fix that at their press conference. Final Fantasy 15should be a focus of the event too.
PC Gaming Show – Tuesday, June 16th at 5 PM Pacific
Several PC developers and publishers have banded together this year to put on their own show. The PC Gaming press conference is said to feature “new game reveals, updates on beloved series, and perspectives from key PC developers.” Here’s the long list of participants:
- AMD
- BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT
- BOHEMIA INTERACTIVE
- CLIFF BLESZINSKI
- CLOUD IMPERIUM GAMES
- DEAN HALL
- DEVOLVER
- HUMBLE BUNDLE
- HEART MACHINE
- PARADOX INTERACTIVE
- SQUARE ENIX
- TRIPWIRE INTERACTIVE
Because the show’s time is split between several companies, it should have a snappier tempo than other press conferences. The event’s only three hours long so these companies will have to make their announcements and then get the hell off the stage. This convention could have more reveals than other other press conference on this list as a result.
The unusual structure of the event makes it harder to predict. Based on the participating companies, though, there are a few games that seem almost certain to make an appearance: DayZ, Hearts of Iron 4, Killing Floor 2 and Triad Wars. Blizzard could fill an event with their own announcements (and they usually do), but perhaps they’ll limit themselves to just one game like Overwatch or Heroes of the Storm.