E3 – and various other associated gaming events – returns next week, after a pandemic enforced hiatus in 2020. While even we’re still struggling to understand what to expect from the event, the E3 2021 Timetable is mostly locked in, featuring live broadcasts from the likes of Ubisoft, Square Enix, and more. Sony’s not currently participating, although it will feature during Geoff Keighley’s Summer Games Fest Kickoff Live, and will surely have partnered with third-parties to help promote titles like, say, Forspoken.
If we’re honest, it’s a strange schedule, because it feels like content has been spread out across a multitude of different events – media outlets like IGN, GameSpot, and Games Radar refuse to back out, and are all hosting their own shows as well – which threatens to water down the kind of content we can expect from each individual stream. And with PlayStation taking a step back, our interest, as a single-platform Sony website, is in a curious position. We’ll be watching and reporting because many of the titles shown will release on PS5 and PS4, but we’re still waiting for confirmation of dedicated PlayStation event.
Considering the strange circumstances, then, what are you actually expecting from this year’s schedule? And what would satisfy you at this point in time? Ubisoft will surely have news and updates on titles like Far Cry 6, Riders Republic, and many of its service games – but what does the French publisher need to do to wow you? Can it in this COVID-19 afflicted era?
2K Games is rumoured to have a Borderlands spin-off and Marvel strategy game in the works, so those could be pleasing reveals. And we suspect Square Enix will have big updates on Marvel’s Avengers and Life Is Strange: True Colors, although it’s also expected to announce what is rumoured to be a Guardians of the Galaxy game. Babylon’s Fall will also get its first public outing, and there’s always a slim chance we’ll get to see more of Final Fantasy XVI.
But that’s more or less it, really. Devolver Digital will host another zany livestream, and there will be updates from the likes of Capcom, Bandai Namco, and Take Two. The bigger stories, however, may ultimately come from Microsoft and which games aren’t coming to PS5. Starfield is expected to be officially unveiled as an Xbox exclusive, so while most fans have presumably already come to terms with that news, it should finally be confirmed after months of wishy-washy statements from the Redmond firm.
All in all, it’s not looking particularly engaging for players of a PlayStation persuasion, is it? Still, with expectations low, there’s always the possibility to surprise. What is that you’re hoping for from next week’s mix of events? And will you be tuning in live, or just catching up with all the news afterwards?
What would make E3 2021 a decent show for you? Are there any games in particular you’re expecting to be announced? Share your enthusiasm levels below.
Comments 76
Absolutely no expectations
I'm hoping for hogwarts legacy gameplay. Also starfield even though it's a Xbox game.
Keeping my expectations very low this year. The only presentations I'll go out of my way to watch are Xbox, Square Enix, and Nintendo. And even with those I'm not expecting anything mindblowing.
I expect to learn about games that we will play in 2024.
I'm surprisingly excited, although that's mainly for Nintendo's show, which I feel has a lot of potential to be excellent. No expectations for the other shows, but I enjoy this period of a ton of gaming news all squashed into a week and I'm glad it's back again this year!
I’m more excited for it than I was a week or so ago. I think if you keep your expectations in check, it’ll be a good show once all the streams are taken into account.
I'm not really sure what I'm expecting but I guess just the prospect of the event taking place and there being some kind of announcements in itself is exciting.
From my point of view there hasn't really been much of anything happening for the entire year so far so it is kind of nice to finally get something even if ultimately it'll just end up being more disappoinment.
Not expecting anything exciting to be honest.
Announce whatever. I just want to play Ratchet and Clank.
I’m really excited about it personally. It’s been such a slow year for updates that I’m hoping to just know my purchase schedule for the rest of the year. I dislike the surprise “this is coming in two weeks” strategy that has popped up recently. It’s a lot harder to budget that way.
That said, I’m not expecting that much. I’d really like to see Final Fantasy XVI and find out if I’ll be back interested in getting a Xbox Series S for Halo and Starfield or not. It’d be nice to see something exciting for Switch too. I’ve got a child on the way, so I know this winter the Switch will win points for convenience if there’s something new I want to play.
Indiana Jones game from Xbox team? And FF news! Plus Bayonetta 2 and new Zelda of course! Hope Sony announces its show too
All I need is Breath of the Wild 2. As long as Nintendo shows off this game the E3 will be great. Everything else would just be a welcome bonus
I'm actually a bit surprised that hardly anything has been leaked this year. Makes me curious if they've been able to keep a tighter lid on things....or if there just hasn't been much worth announcing.
I'm going to remain cautiously optimistic, since the new consoles are out -even though barely anyone has them- so now they can focus on giving us reasons to own them.
The only thing I care about is FF16, everything else is a bonus
Im expecting smtv in the ninty direct now that it's been leaked. Im expecting the games square bullet pointed, but I'm not really interested in those in the slightest. They'll probably have some remasters so those could be good
Now what i wish would be there is quite different and long but probably not likely lol
Im in it for an update on the Tomb Raider cook book!!
Microsoft will have a special show planned. If they dont - with all the studios they have acquired - you'd have to ask what they are doing. I think there is potential to be gutted from a playstation perspective though - particularly if M$ has secured another studio or two.
My hope is Sony are waiting to see what the lay of the land looks like and will have a showcase of their own shortly after - particularly as Square has seemingly suggested there won't be any Final Fantasy titles during their own showcase which surely require updates soon.
As for E3, would be happy to see more of new Sonic, hear about a new Tomb Raider game, and would love the Eidos game to be Deus Ex (but doubt it will be). Also want to see more of gotham knights, suicide squad and hogwarts legacy as well as dying light 2 and babylons fall.
And would love to hear more about the Callisto Protocol.
Is it too early to hear about bioshock 4 at the 2k show?
Although its a big year for Persona, Atlus tend to announce new games during concerts (and are focussed on SMT V in any event) so i am not expecting any announcements there.
I agree that things are very watered down now and that certainly curbs some excitement. I think developers will start doing things in their own time because it’s more convenient and this big yearly event will die off.
I’m interested in seeing FF16, the potential GoTG game, the rumored FF Origins game, Hogwarts Legacy and pretty much everything Xbox will be doing.
I always enjoyed the massive information blowout E3 provided, but with those days long gone and everything just spread throughout the year now these things being little interest personally.
On a general stuff I’d like to see note, more info/a gameplay trailer for The Callisto Protocol would be awesome. Dead Space remains a favourite of mine and I’m itching for more of it’s Sci-fi horror goodness. Something on TLOU multiplayer would be welcome too.
All i know is, if microsoft don't have a blinder then phil spenser needs to go, as those developers are mugging him off left, right and centre.
Mortal Kombat 9 remaster, let’s go!!!!
Dragon dogma 2 is what i want.lets go capcom.word up son
DLC for Miles Morales would be awesome! Although it was a 9/10 for me, it went way too quickly so to have something like The City that never sleeps would be really cool imo
Part of me will always be excited whenever a major gaming event is coming up. You never know what will happen, but still I'm not expecting anything. I'm just happy to finally see a Platinum game
I'm much more excited now that I saw Geoff's Elden Ring referenced tweet today. (The one with the panda )
I'm honestly somehow mostly curious about Xbox 1st party announcements, even though I don't own an Xbox and I'm not likely to get one anytime soon.
I'm sure Capcom will have Oro for SFV and maybe even Akira. Anything from Sega/Atlus is great at this point for me. As for Microsoft I just hope Halo is looking good that's all I really need from them for now.
Oh and I don't care if they are at E3 or wherever just please announce something Trails localization related NISAmerica! Please!
Come on EA..... Give us that Dead Space Legendary Edition we all want!!
Err, please! 😀
Won’t happen at E3 but definitely reckon and am looking forward most to some news about the Bioshock that’s in development..
E3 usually was like xmas for nerds, I loved it. But after last year and due to the pandemic I expect absolutelly nothing from it this year.
I'm excited for it. Nintendo is bound to have some new games that appeal to me, and it'll be good to see what Microsoft's studios have been working on. And Devolver's streams are super entertaining.
As Sony is remaining quiet, it's looking less likely they'll have some announcements during this period. Hopefully we'll get a State of Play not too long afterwards.
@Jackpaza0508 dlc for miles morales would be great. I’m currently replaying the dlc form Spiderman remastered-which I found was fantastic.
I’m looking forwards to Xbox presentation. For big games they’ve just had their usual gears,forza & halo. Xbox owning Bethesda & the other studios, means that there are very exciting news comming up. I also expect Xbox to announce more studio acquisitions. For Sony, I will just be looking out for the multi platform games. For me any more news on dying light 2 would be excellent-the 1st game for me was the most underrated game last gen & a gem of a game. Also looking forward to far cry 6 news-which for me the series as a whole is always best for pure fun.
@Loftimus Need to run that through Google translate. JK. I'll bugger off now.
@Athrum To be fair, it had been going down hill long before the pandemic.
Definitely not Sony, that's for sure. So lame to skip E3. 😒👎
I'm expecting Sony to show up out of nowhere at E3. Announcing The Last of Us Part 3 and Part 4 at the same time. Plus Knack 3: Back'n'Knackin'. And, of course, the acquisition of Nintendo by Sony. Everything less will encourage me to take a bath with a hairdryer. Let's goooo!!
@tselliot 😂 see ya later...
Sonic Mania 2
There's like two Nintendo franchises I still care about (three counting Metroid, but little chance of that showing up) so those two and SMTV are pretty much the only things I'll watch their presentation for.
No plans to watch the others unless something changes.
ELDEN RING...... that is all.
I'm setting expectations low.
As a PS supporter, I look forward to the games that Square Enix, Capcom and Bamco could/would/will reveal or continue to show off.
Always keep expectations in check for these kind of things. I’m sure there will be something that will catch my interest.
i fully expect this e3 to be the one that pushes me to get an xbox.
i'm already contemplating it anyway.
I think SONY is strangely missing, not only train, but whole train station. While whole world is trying to return to normal, they are just stuck somewhere. Their marketing slips to chaos of mobile games ads, which are more annoying than catchy, and that global boycot of big events + struggle with production of PS5 brings wildcards into hands of others...
btw of course I'll try to watch E3, but don't expect something new.
For this E3 (and since PS isn't going to be in that particular event), I'm only interested in Nintendo, Square Enix, and Capcom.
I'm also really interested on Elden Ring, but that most likely is going to be announced during the Summer Game Fest.
Whatever MS have in the pipeline (that's in new) that decided to reveal is probably years away (2-3 years away), which doesn't interest me in the slightest. I also don't care about games like Halo and/or Starfield, all which are probably going to take a good amount of their conference's focus...
@Cyrus29 yeah i expect they will open with Halo, finish with Starfield and in between we will see Elden Ring, Kojima's new exclusive game, Hellblade, Forza Mexico, Indiana Jones, Psychonauts 2, that new Rare game and another acquisition.
Dont think they will show perfect dark or fable and the rumoured gamepass integration on switch is meant to be announced in the autumn.
I cant afford to run two consoles so won't be getting one, but i think it will be a serious powerplay from Microsoft this year
My expectations are extremely low for PlayStation, but keen to see what Microsoft and Nintendo come out with
Looking forward to the announcement that Elden Ring has been cancelled. Canned. Put out to pasture.
E3 needs to die
From Sony a God of War 2 story trailer and all Sly Cooper games remastered for PS5. From Nintendo Metroid 4 story trailer and Metroid Prime HD collection for Switch with no motion controls. And from EA SSX Tricky remaster.
Since Sony hasn't announced any show I'm hoping for the Final Fantasy Soulslike from Square, VII Part 2 and then Phil Spencer announcing another dev acquisition that will just ruin me.
Xbox should be good, hopeful for a forza reveal, starfield gameplay, console releases for flight simulator and age of empires 3 along with maybe a cinematic from fable and the new indie game. Maybe even some uplay titles on gamepass. Throw in a cinematic from avowed and looks decent. Nintendo could really tear it up though with bayonetta 3, metroid 4, botw2 and switch pro. Bring on the games!
@Rob_230 I always played just on Sony consoles, managed to get a one s a few years ago. I’ve always been intrigued by Xbox big 3 games. After playing them-I’m completely hooked on them. This e3 looks like it could be Xbox best ever for games.
Well, there may be some cool stuff I'll be able to play in the next 3-4 years. It is hard to get hyped when you know it will be such a long time before most of those games see the light if day.
mostly want Nintendo news that I won’t get and Persona news which I hope for but also don’t expect.
Zero expectations, I wont get excited until after I see something that gives me reason to be excited.
I mostly just wanna get it over with at this point. There is just so much talk online every couple of hours wondering what each company is gonna reveal.
I really hope for some pleasant surprises, but I think we need to bring it down a bit, a lot of companies were impacted by COVID.
For the time being I’m enjoying mass effect legendary edition. Waiting on the new ratchet and clank.
Disappointment? I don't have any expectations and i'm not sure it's a fair we want to keep having given all that happened.
They should just come out and say its being delayed. That would be the best I could hope for.
I think the only Sony 1st party news we'll get during E3 is a Ratchet & Clank launch trailer and a Horizon Forbidden West trailer at Summer Game Fest. Sony seems to be using Nintendo's 2020 approach where the focus goes from 1 release to the next so I'd guess looking forward is something like this:
Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart launches -> sole 1st party focus is on Horizon Forbidden West after Ratchet & Clank launches -> God of War sequel trailer or State of Play happens close to Horizon Forbidden West launch -> sole 1st party focus is on God of War sequel after Horizon Forbidden West launch -> etc.
The main bulk of PS focused stuff during E3 I think will be 3rd party timed exclusives revealed between Summer Game Fest and multiple publisher specific presentations (e.g. I think most of the Square Enix Presents will be some form of PS exclusive). This article from a few weeks ago comes to mind:
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2021/05/sony_on_upcoming_ps5_games_wait_until_you_see_whats_coming_from_our_third-party_partners
I dislike 3rd party exclusivity but I understand that this is Microsoft's fault for aggressively acquiring studios.
I think MS will have the most exciting presentation. I'm not really that bothered what Nintendo are doing. There will be some good stuff shown from third party developers as well.
I'll keep an eye on YouTube.
@jdv95 I picked one up in March and have been impressed with it. I'll be using it for most of my 3rd party games this generation.
@BleedingDreamer i'm mainly interested in it for starfield.
@ViolentEntity I am right there with you. For the next 2-3 years we will be playing PS4 enhanced games and it’s very disappointing.
It’s insane to me how people believe or have accepted the idea that the growth of games can only be increased resolution and frames or ray tracing.
There is much more room for improvement for the animation of characters, items and environments. There is much more room for the improvement of the AI of npc’s that include combatants and non-combatants. This is where cross-gen truly hinders the growth of games and too many people are ignorant and don’t realize it.
I also don’t understand the mentality of the PS4 owners who can’t find a PS5 wanting the games to be held back. I want games to be the absolute best version they can be. I don’t want the vision hindered. Someone mentioned when Cory Barlog said that he had much more grand vision for the sea snake of God of War but had to tone it back for the PS4 and now things like this will continue due to the crying of I can’t have it now so make it work on the PS4. As a gamer who loves to experience new grand visions it annoys the hell out of me. Back in the day when I couldn’t afford a system it just gave me something to look forward too.
Botw2 botw2 botw2!
@jdv95 I'm looking forward to Starfield, Halo Infinate and Horizon Forbidden West on the PS5.
More hyped for FFVIIRI than E3, but I'll still check it out.
@OmegaStriver No PS4 owner was crying about missing out on games like HFW and the new God of War, this is purely a company decision. Maybe they should've delayed both games a couple more years until there were more PS5s in the hands of actual gamers but people would've moaned about that as well.
Titles like Pragmata and Forspoken will be PS5 only and then there are announced games from developers like Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch. You'll see plenty of games that fully utilise the capabilities of the PS5, just be patient. If you have to share the love in the meantime then so be it. It's not that easy getting hold of a PS5 or haven't you heard?
🙄
@Col_McCafferty I own 2, 🙄.
Completely forgot about this 😬
Would love to see more of Final Fantasy XVI. I'd lose my mind if Nintendo showed Breath of the Wild II and the Switch Pro, but my expectations are being kept in check for that one.
A release date for Avowed. I'd take that.
I'm trying to keep my expectations super low, but my hype meter is already starting to rise with each day that passes...
I hope AEW finally shows their No Mercy-inspired console game
@OmegaStriver Good for you but that still doesn't change the fact that getting hold of a PS5 at its RRP is extremely hard.
@ViolentEntity Wow, how generous of you.
So a game (HFW) developed originally on the PS4 shouldn't release on said system?
If it's any comfort if I don't have a PS5 by the time HFW is released then I won't bother buying it. Don't wish to play the inferior version. You should consider yourself fortunate that you'll be able to play it Day One instead of throwing your dummy out the pram.
😝
@ViolentEntity 🤦🤦🤦
I'm pretty neutral on it tbh. I'm optimistic but at the same time I don't expect that much.
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