E3 2019 Expectations

Why is E3 2019 Important?

E3 is the world’s premier event for the gaming industry, showcasing the latest software, hardware and trends. All the top talents across the globe gather at Los Angeles Convention Centre, connecting them all under one roof. This years E3, E3 2019, will be a very important event as it’s going to reveal the next generation of games and consoles. EA announced recently that it wouldn’t hold a traditional press conference and would opt instead to host several smaller live stream events, and Sony has confirmed it won’t be attending the conference at all.

E3 2018 Statistics

69,200 Attendees
200 exhibitors
85 companies
3,250 products
1,798,487 Unique Twitch viewers
11.98 million hours of watch time

E3 Viewer Statistics by companies:

Microsoft / Xbox — 1.7 Million viewers (1.1 Million in 2017)
Ubisoft — 1.6 Million viewers (986K in 2017)
Sony / PlayStation — 1.5 Million viewers (926K in 2017)
Bethesda — 964K viewers (233K in 2017)
PC Gaming Show — 893K viewers (552K in 2017)
Nintendo / Switch — 679K viewers (292K in 2017)
EA (Electronic Arts) — 528K viewers (676K in 2017)

So with less than a month away, what can we expect on E3 2019? Here are my top predictions or expectations for this year’s E3.

Dino Crisis

Dino Crisis, Capcom

Capcom blew everyone’s mind with a spectacular remake of its Resident Evil 2 Remake earlier this year by bringing back the survival horror genre with stunning visuals and gameplay upgrade. This led to speculation that their highly successful Dino Crisis series could be the next IP to be revived by Capcoms RE Engine. Based on insider information, the world premiere of Dino Crisis Reboot which is listed to arrive in 2020, is going to be revealed during this year’s E3.

Capcom USA event teased some Dino Crisis Mercs recently further confirming the speculations.

Splinter Cell

Splinter Cell, Ubisoft

As a huge fan of stealth games, Ubisoft Splinter Cell is a genre-defining game of our generation. The long-awaited sequel is speculated to be revealed this next month. I’ve been waiting for this for a very long time and I hope they go back to their stealth roots of Chaos Theory which is the best game in the series and not the recent reboots. Splinter Cell is a perfect game to showcase the visual fidelity for next-gen consoles. I have high hopes for this one. To confirm the leaks even further, Julian Gerighty, the Creative Director at Ubisoft, tweeted this:

Update: Ubisoft says Creative Director was ‘obviously joking’ when he announced a new Splinter Cell game.

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, EA

EA recently dropped a reveal trailer for Jedi Fallen Order and it looks promising. The story is about a Jedi, Cal, who survived Order 66. He is now in hiding and he is suppressing his force powers so that the empire won’t track him down. But he accidentally reveals his force powers and is being hunted. This is one of my favourite time period in the Star Wars universe and it has a ton of potential. We haven’t had a decent Star Wars story game in a long long time. Looking forward to getting a glimpse of gameplay during E3 2019 and I hope they can knock out The Force Unleashed disappointments which didn’t live up to the expectations.

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Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077. CD Projekt Red

According to CD Projekt Reds CEO Adam Kiciński, E3 2019 will be the most important E3 in the studio’s history. It’s likely the studio will announce Cyberpunk 2077’s release date, considering the studio told investors that E3 is the best venue for that kind of announcement. This is one of those huge projects that you wait for years and it makes sense to reveal it during this year as we are closer to the Next-gen console announcement. I won’t be surprised if Cyberpunk 2077 ends up being a next-gen title. CD Project Red has huge shoes to fill following its wildly successful Witcher 3.

Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite, 343 Industries

With Sony absence from this year’s E3, it’s Microsoft’s turn to bring out the big guns. Microsoft promises it’s biggest E3 presence ever. And nothing screams big guns like Microsft’s first-party exclusive Halo. The Master Chief returns in Halo Infinite – the next chapter of the legendary franchise. It is said to take place on May 27 2560, which is a year and a half after the ending of Halo 5 Guardians or 1 year after the events of the flood. <Spoilers ahead> Expecting to see where the story goes as the last game left us in a huge cliff hanger where Cortana betrays Master Chief and takes control of all the Forerunner tech and all the A.I. protecting humanity. From the official description of the game, it is safe to assume this will be a huge open-world MMORPG to rival the likes of Destiny. Halo Infinite is expected to release in 2020.

Microsofts Next-Gen Consoles

Microsoft’s Project Scarlet – Fan made rendering

The timing is perfect for Microsoft to set the stage for the next-gen consoles. Leaks reveal the next-gen Xbox Two could have a major advantage over the PS5, as analysts gear up for a much tighter console war. The next Xbox may come in two variations: a standard, high-power console codenamed Anaconda, and a cheaper, cloud-based device that streams games from the internet currently known as Lockhart. Expecting Microsoft to reveal specs and release dates for Lockhart and Anaconda.  

Update [May 16, 2019; 1700 UTC]:

Sony and Microsoft announced on Thursday that the two companies will partner on new innovations to enhance customer experiences in their direct-to-consumer entertainment platforms and AI solutions. Both companies are to collaborate on new cloud-based solutions for gaming experience and integrating Sovy’s cutting-edge image sensors with Microsoft’s Azure AI technology in a hybrid manner across cloud and edge.

What are both companies are getting out of this? Microsoft has invested heavily on cloud solutions infrastructure, which Sony clearly lacks. Azure will give Sony’s PSN a huge boost. This could be a direct result of Google’s Stadia, which is promising 8K video game streaming service. There’s no doubt Sony is great at making great first-party video games, having Microsoft as the cloud service provider, Sony can just focus on what they do best. And Microsoft is getting a huge client for their Azure service.

In terms of combining semiconductors, imaging sensor and Azure AI, my bet is on Microsofts $480 Million HoloLens contract from the US Army. I mean look at Microsoft’s revenue growth after the contract. Even though we might see some improvements in consumer technology and maybe even in Kinect but HoloLens is a huge contract and they are heavily invested in that.

This is a huge step for Sony, as it has always been very protective of it’s PlayStation brand mostly refusing to cooperate with competitors. I think Sony has realised if you can’t beat them join them. Although it looks like a smart move on Sony’s side. A good friend of mine just pointed out Microsoft’s partnership with Nokia. Whichever way you see it, this is going to have a huge impact on gaming and tech industry as a whole.

Microsoft clearly has the higher ground as Sony sits out this year’s E3. As a huge Sony fan, I hope Sony’s marketing team knows what it’s doing and is ready for an offensive comeback. If you think choosing between PS4 and Xbox One was hard, wait till you see the next-gen consoles. This is going to be a huge battle for market domination for the next 5 years. E3 2019 takes place June 11 – 13, 2019, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Learn more about E3 here: https://www.e3expo.com/about. Bookmark this link to Twitch Live channel, the official live streaming partner for E3: https://www.twitch.tv/team/e3.

Sources:

https://segmentnext.com/2019/04/09/rumor-e3-2019-prediction-list/
https://twitchtracker.com/games/506343
https://mspoweruser.com/xboxs-e3-2018-briefing-was-the-most-watched-livestream-on-twitch/