The most anticipated gaming expo of the year is nearly here, and it's where all of the biggest announcements about what's coming up in the gaming world are made. Each year, crowds of people make their way to the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles to be the first to check out what's coming up, and anticipation ahead of the expo is at a fever point.
While this year holds nothing close to the hype that surrounded last year’s Fallout 4 rumors, we’re expecting major reveals on the new Xbox One and Playstation 4 consoles, new intellectual property (IP), a major reboot for Resident Evil and a ton of VR showcasing. But, just like every other year, there’s bound to a lot of surprises, and of course it's impossible to know quite what's in store for us.
With that in mind, we've rounded up the key developments we want to hear about at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, and we'll be watching with keen interest to see what unfolds, along with everyone else with even a passing interest in gaming.
A Big Reveal from Naughty Dog
After The Last of Us and Uncharted 4, what’s next for Naughty Dog? A new TLoU title can’t be ruled out, but it’s unlikely given the time Neil Druckman spent working on Uncharted 4. There is a possibility that the development team may have been split, though, with one half focusing on Uncharted 4 and the other half working on an entirely new project.
Yes, we’re probably going to get a DLC announcement for Uncharted 4—and we know it’s going to be great, but new IP would be a huge announcement that would take many fans by surprise.
Crash Bandicoot
Don’t forget the Crash Bandicoot rumors. While Activision still own the rights to Crash Bandicoot, an easter egg featured in Uncharted 4 did get rumors circulating that Crash may be coming back.
The original Crash Bandicoot for PlayStation 1 celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and even though Naughty Dog haven’t worked on the series since Crash Team Racing, their involvement with the original titles would coincide with an anniversary celebration.
Skate 4
We wouldn’t be surprised if Skate 4 was already in development. There’s a huge demand for a new Skate game, especially after the disastrous release of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 last year.
With its only major competition officially tarnished, Skate 4 has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Skate 3 was released way back in 2010, so it seems likely that Activision may choose to reveal it this year.
A Proper Resident Evil
Resident Evil is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, and with Capcom announcing a "full-scale offensive" for 2016, as well as a string of recent re-releases of titles such as Resident Evil 1 and Zero—not to mention the Resident Evil 2 remake that’s currently in the works—Resident Evil 7 could actually be the Resident Evil release that fans have been waiting for since Resi 4.
The game needs to return to its roots: run-and-gun needs to go, automatic weapons need to be binned off and the convoluted storylines need a dramatic rethink. With Capcom set to prove they’re actually listening to their fans this time around, Resident Evil could, once again, become one of Capcom’s proudest series.
Elder Scrolls VI
Is it too soon for an Elder Scrolls announcement? Despite all the rumors, Bethesda did a fantastic job of keeping Fallout 4’s development a secret until the title was officially announced at last year’s E3, and they could easily do the same with a new Elder Scrolls.
With a recent leak suggesting Bethesda are going to announce a Skyrim remaster—which seems very likely given the entire game was ported to Xbox One and a retail listing is now available for pre-order at Base —Bethesda could use the announcement to build hype for a new Elder Scrolls. Even if we have to wait another year for a new Elder Scrolls release, at least we’ve got time to revisit Skyrim.
It looks like Bethesda are going to have a lot to announce this year.
New Releases from Valve
2016 could hopefully be the year we’re treated to the long-awaited sequel to Valve’s fantastic Left 4 Dead series. Left 4 Dead 2 was released way back in 2009, so seven years seems like plenty of time for Valve to spend working on a new title. If not, a new Portal game would be equally welcome.
Valve’s most recent release, The Lab, is a return to the portal universe, but this time in virtual reality for the Vive VR headset. A Portal 3 release would be a great way to further promote The Lab, and it makes sense to have the two titles work alongside each other. If not Left 4 Dead or Portal 3, we can always hope for Half Life 3—just like we do every year.
How Big the New Zelda Is
Nintendo has confirmed that it won’t be revealing any new information about the Nintendo NX this year—but that doesn’t mean other people might not let the cat out of the bag, right? Instead, it’s going to be showing a lot of footage from the new Legend of Zelda, and we’re excited to see how the big the game is going to be.
An open-world Zelda has a lot to live up to, especially considering the potential limitations of the Hyrule map. Nintendo has toyed with linear RPG elements in Skyward Sword, so we’re left wondering where this new Zelda title is going to fall in between being a fully open-world RPG and your usual Zelda experience.
Either way, no major Zelda release has ever been short of amazing, and we can’t wait to see the direction Nintendo take with this.
New IP
We want to be blown away by something new. As great as all these remasters and sequels can be, we want exciting new IP from a major developer. While the ever-growing indie market is bold enough to showcase plenty of new ideas, gaming shelves are becoming flooded with sequel after sequel.
Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us is quite possibly the greatest game of the decade, and Blizzard’s Overwatch has made us remember just how much fun we can have with first-person shooters. We can probably expect a major announcement from Ubisoft. Volition, the team behind Saint’s Row, has also confirmed they will have new IP to show.
What Hideo Kojima Has Been up To
Hideo Kojima, the mastermind behind the Metal Gear Solid series, has confirmed that his new video game is going to be an action game that will appeal to fans of both the Uncharted series and Ubisoft’s The Division. Other than the reveal of a character from the game—who bares a striking resemblance to actor Norman Reedus—he hasn’t said much more.
Reedus was set to work with Kojima on the now-cancelled Silent Hills P.T, but due to his departure from Konami, the project was canned. When it comes to revealing information about his games, Kojima has always been cryptic, so fans will be seeking to tear apart any and all footage that’s shown over E3.
Kojima is one of the greatest minds the video game industry has to offer, and we really hope we get to see more of his new title at this year’s E3.
E3 2016 will take place from June 14-16. Here is a list of live-streams for the show.
For more gaming content, check out why we don't think The Last of Us needs a sequel.
