Thank goodness, it’s finally here! The E3 conference that took place last summer teased fans with a number of trailers and even some live gameplay! The PlayStation conference will officially take place after Xbox’s this year and will begin at 9PM EDT on Monday, June 12. Now that we are here, only a month away from this year’s PlayStation conference, there is plenty of speculation and rumors going around.
Keep in mind these are only the project’s we’ve heard about, and we can’t imagine what sorts of surprises Sony has in store after last year’s exciting conference.
Playstation VR
Last year, Sony surprised fans with the announcement of Resident Evil 7, fully playable in PlayStation VR. If Sony hopes to maintain players’ interest in VR, can we expect some E3 announcements? Resident Evil was a big win for PSVR, so it will be interesting to see what Sony has planned for the future of VR.
Rumors about possible PlayStation VR content for the new Star Wars Battlefront II game have come to light after a thumbnail was previewed for Danish subscribers in PlayStation newsletters last week. This is too exciting! I wouldn’t be surprised if we got more than a mere X-Wing mission through DLC content. I have a feeling that PlayStation has got something special in store for fans, perhaps an entire series of new and improved Star Wars themed VR missions just for those with the headset. As seen with the Batman: Arkham VR experience showcased last year, is there room for possible mode allowing fans to finally wield their lightsabers in virtual reality? Or will this possibly become an experience in its own, meaning it would not be a part of the Battlefront series, but instead a standalone title?
Death Stranding
Hideo Kojima loves talking about Death Stranding. His bizarre, science fiction action game starring Norman Reedus, Guillermo del Toro, and Mads Mikkelsen seems to make less sense the more we see. Last year’s E3 reveal featured a naked Norman Reedus and a baby. Fans were extremely excited for Kojima and friends’ return following the Konami/Silent Hills fiasco. But when Death Stranding was revealed at last year’s E3, it was clear the game was far off in development – they had not even decided on an engine at that point. Will we hear more about the game’s progress at this year’s conference, or is Kojima going to keep quiet or a while?
Red Dead Redemption 2
Traditionally, major E3 announcements are not Rockstar’s style. Red Dead Redemption 2 was confirmed last year via Rockstar’s twitter page, and a trailer followed. Usually, they make announcements on their own time, so a confirmation of the game’s release date at E3 seems unlikely. The only reason it is even a possibility is the existing partnership between Sony and Rockstar. Still, it’s been over six months since the trailer and there’s been no new information. The game is still slated for a Fall 2017, which doesn’t give them much time for marketing. Will we hear about RDR2 at this year’s E3 because of the Sony partnership, or might we be in for a delay?
Spider-Man
The highly anticipated movie, Spider-Man Homecoming, releases just weeks after this year’s E3 conference on July 7, this means that Summer 2017 is Spidey season! There’s no doubt we will begin to see a slew of merchandise and other promotions for the upcoming film this summer. Spider-Man toys, Spider-Man apparel, Spider-Man posters, you name it! But, that alone will not satisfy the gaming community.
Last year’s E3 teased fans with a jaw dropping, action packed trailer showing the famous web-slinger in ways that we never have in previous titles. Hopefully, this year’s conference will reveal to fans an official release date!
God of War
Sony’s E3 2016 conference opened with a bang, literally, featuring live music to set the tone for the newest God of War title. No not a trailer, but ten minutes of gameplay giving everybody an idea as to what Santa Monica Studios had been cooking up for their fans. This soft reboot of the God of War franchise is taking a much different approach, going outside of the box compared to their previous games. With a brand new story featuring a young boy that Kratos looks to be mentoring, the new Norse mythological setting will surely bring about an unpredictable journey. Since last year’s E3 conference announced this new rendition of the series, one can only hope that we will at least receive a release date to prepare for, even if it is not until 2018.
Detroit: Become Human
The newest game from Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls developer Quantic Dream was announced at Paris Games Week in 2015. Detroit: Become Human follows androids who are beginning to question their humanity. You play as several different characters and make decisions which influence the outcome of the game, in classic Quantic Dream fashion. Apart from a fantastic gameplay demo at last year’s E3, Quantic has not revealed anything concrete about Detroit. But back in February, their tweets suggested that filming for the game was completed. Here’s hoping we learn more this E3.
Days Gone
Sony’s Bend Studio wants fans to get ready for their newest open world survival game, Days Gone, where players will have to survive in enemy filled areas set throughout the Pacific Northwest as the protagonist, Deacon. This game is a unique open world experience where the developer invites players to strategize and play how they want rather than being told what to do.
Feel free to approach the Freakers, the games’ feral, animal-like creatures, with a variety of customizable weapons in any way that you choose, just survive! With the ten minute long peek at some of the dangers that will be faced in the game, I’m hoping that Bend Studio may be ready to release Days Gone this fall and announce that at this year’s conference.
