E3 Day 1

Well the first day of 2019’s Electronic Entertainment Expo is in the books. Microsoft and Bethesda both had their turn on the main stage, as well as the smaller studio, Devolver Digital.

Microsoft

•        The biggest announcement from Microsoft was Project Scarlett, their next generation console. The specs are insanely impressive, and will offer up to 8K resolution, which positions the console to be viable for many years. Project Scarlett is scheduled for release “Holiday 2020”.
•        Along with Project Scarlett Microsoft will be releasing the long awaited next Halo title, Halo:Infinite. Infinite will be available for Project Scarlett, as well as Xbox One and Windows 10.
•        Xbox will also be getting its own game streaming service called Project xCloud. Microsoft said the service will work with an existing Xbox and allow users to stream their games to a mobile device while at home or traveling. Xbox will also see a new subscription service called Xbox Game Pass.
•        Microsoft showed off a ton of new games during their time on the big stage, 60 in all. Some are PC exclusives, some are Xbox exclusives, and others will be available on multiple platforms. Here are a few highlights.

o   Battletoads (Xbox One) – THEY’RE BACK!

o   Borderlands 3 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

o   Cyberpunk 2077 (PS4, Xbox One, PC) – The eagerly-awaited title officially as a release date of April 16, 2020. Check out the trailer here…Spoiler Alert: KEANU!!!

o   Gears (of War) 5 (Xbox One, PC, Steam) and Gears POP! (iOS, Android)

o   LEGO Star Wras: The Skywalker Saga (PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch) – play through all nine films only the way you can with LEGO!

Bethesda

•        Bethesda’s biggest title, Fallout, had a disappointing year with the huge misstep they made with Fallout 76. It seems that the company is attempting to turn that game into what fans expected with an upcoming free update that will add human NPCs to the world, and a new battle royale mode. Nuclear Winter will be available Monday, June 10 for all players.
•        Bethesda also provided new looks at Doom: Eternal and Wolfenstein: Youngblood, as well as first looks at a few other titles:

o   Ghostwire: Tokyo – The latest from the creators of The Evil Within

o   Commander Keen – a mobile game

o   Deathloop – a very stylish and violent looking adventure game.

Devolver Digital

•        Devolver’s press conference was super weird as usual, but the studio did announce serval new titles, a new arcade cabinet, and a collection of “official bootleg” versions of some of their games. Devolver Bootleg is currently available on Steam.

For a lot of gamers, the biggest announcement didn’t come during one of the presentations, but at a Final Fantasy concert in Los Angeles. A new trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Remake was released, along with a release date of March 4, 2020. Look to see more from Final Fantasy 7 Remake Monday when Square Enix takes the E3 stage. Check our our 2019 Preview Episode as we chat about the upcoming gaming releases this year.

Story by Tim Howell