No E3 2022 But We Still Have Predictions & Wishes

There is no E3 this year, but I saw an announcement that the Summer Game Fest and the Microsoft & Bethesda Games Showcase will both be happening anyway and I think it is a pretty good guess that others publishers will do something as well so we might as well have our yearly Predictions & Wishes & Pipedreams thread

As usual I will try to keep this top post updated with dates and times that stuff is happening.

Thursday, June 2nd
Playstation State of Play - 6pm Eastern / 3pm Pacific

Monday, June 6th
Limited Run Games Summer Showcase - 4pm Eastern / 1pm Pacific

Thursday, June 9th
Summer Game Fest - 2pm Eastern / 11am Pacific
Day of the Devs: SGF Edition Showcase - Immediately After Summer Game Fest
Devolver Direct - 6pm Eastern / 3pm Pacific

Friday, June 10th
IGN Expo - 12pm Eastern / 9am Pacific
Netflix Gaming - 1pm Eastern / 10am pacific
Tribeca Games Spotlight - 3pm Eastern / 12pm Pacific

Saturday, June 11th
Guerrilla Collective 3 - 11am Eastern / 8am Pacific
Wholesome Direct - 12:30pm Eastern / 9:30am Pacific
Future Games Show - 3pm Eastern / 12pm Pacific

Sunday, June 12th
Microsoft & Bethesda Games Showcase - 1pm Eastern / 10am Pacific
PC Gaming Show - 3pm Eastern / 12pm Pacific

Monday, June 13th
Guerrilla Collective 3.5 - 4pm Eastern / 1pm Pacific
Capcom Showcase - 6pm Eastern / 3pm Pacific

Tuesday, June 14th
Xbox Games Showcase Extended - 1pm Eastern / 10am Pacific

Thursday, June 16th
Overwatch Showcase - TBA

Friday, August 12th
THQ Nordic Showcase - TBA

Thursday, August 25th
Gamescom Opening Night Live - TBA

I haven't really thought about my predictions much yet but I am going to toss these two out there.

1. Now that I finally bough a Switch Nintendo will announce a Switch 2 (or New Nintendo SwitchU or some other nonsense name that just makes things confusing). It will be based on the Nvidia Xavier SoC and basically be the same as the Switch OLED with full backwards compatibility with both games and accessories.

2. Bethesda finally shows Starfield game-play and another brief Elder Scrolls 6 teaser which reveals the subtitle and the region the game takes place in.

I don't have real predictions, but have a wish list for some announcements to come in the short term (in lieu of E3):

Avowed - Obsidian 1st-person RPG in the Pillars of Eternity setting. Been waiting to see actual gameplay footage and get some proper details, since the only clip we've had was a short CGI trailer. I'm not expecting something quite as expansive as an Elder Scrolls game, but more likely something in between the scope of Outer Worlds and New Vegas. This one has been very high on my list of anticipated titles since it was announced.

Starfield - Bethesda I expect we'll finally see some actual gameplay. Still a bit skeptical that it's going to be ready for launch this year. Given what a shift this is from the team's prior efforts (spaceflight and/or heavy vehicle elements, basically) I have a lot of doubts about this one, but at the same time they have yet to disappoint me regarding core gameplay in any of their releases yet. Yes, even Fallout 76: my issues with that game weren't the actual gameplay itself but rather the multiplayer-derived problems and the severe technical issues (bugs & stability).

Fable - Fable 2 was my favorite of the series. It launched in 2008. Fable 3 wasn't quite as fun for me, but was still worth playing. That was a 2010 title. We've effectively gotten nothing since then, and no other title has really filled the same niche since then. We know something is in development, and I'm hoping we finally get some details and gameplay footage. Hell, at this point, I'd even be happy to finally get a PC port/remaster of Fable 2.

The Next Switch / Switch "Pro" - I love the Switch platform, but its technical limits are really starting to be felt. Many of my favorite titles in the past year or so on the Switch have struggled to maintain consistent performance (resolution and/or framerate), and that's despite largely targeting 30 fps. I'm torn on whether a "pro" model would be a sufficient update, given that titles would still be limited in ambition by the need to be able to run acceptably on a base-spec Switch. Personally, I'd prefer a "Super Switch" (or "Switch 2" or whatever they want to call it) with full backwards-compatibility with the Switch. Basically, make it a sufficiently souped-up Switch to be considered a new generation console for Nintendo (and thus a distinct higher base spec developers can target as they shift on from the original Switch), but keep the same core architecture and card format so that the current Switch library works on it just fine.

Starfield - Bethesda I expect we'll finally see some actual gameplay.

Me too. I mean the game is coming out in 7 months and it is still a mystery.

I think we'll get a real trailer of Starfield and a release date for this year.

I'm expecting a fuller look at Final Fantasy XVI. Maybe a release window, though I'm still expecting it to be out next year.

Maybe/hopefully a look at PSVR2.

My wild hope, as ever, is for a new Prince of Persia game to be announced. At the very least maybe we'll hear more about that Sands of Time remake that got indefinitely delayed.

I'm skipping the predictions. Here is my wishlist:

  • Anything on Hollow Knight Silksong
  • Something on the rumored Final Fantasy Tactics remake
  • PSVR2 news/reveal
  • Final Fantasy XVI reemerges from hibernation
  • Tons of new Day 1 Gamepass reveals

I have been out of the prediction business for a long time. Here are some of the things I want, in order of how likely I think it is to happen:

Spoiler:

Which are technically predictions, sue me.

*Some cool new Star Wars games
*Firm information on that AEW game
*More KotOR remake info
*Firm info on BotW 2
*More info on Marvel Midnight Sun
*More info on Spiderman 2 and Wolverine
*NCAA Football News
*Bungie's Next Thing
*The next game from SuperGiant
*More Dragon Age information
*Mass Effect news
*Beyond Good and Evil to be 1) real, and 2) not slimy and exploitative

And of course, the cool thing that I don't know about but will totally get me hyped.

  • PSVR2 news, including a Half-Life Alyx port.
  • A Kerbal Space Program 2 release date.
  • Metroid Prime 4: It's Really Happening.
  • Sony will reveal a big new franchise that isn't a third-person action game with skill trees.
  • As usual, the indie showcases will be the most exciting events.

The indie stuff has consistently led to most of my favorite new games these past several years. I expect at least a few surprise/new indie reveals that will rocket to the top of my most wanted list, like usual.

UpToIsomorphism wrote:

And of course, the cool thing that I don't know about but will totally get me hyped.

This is always the best part of "E3 Season" to me.

The main thing on my mind at the moment is The Last of Us: Factions. Seems like it’ll have live service elements and that it’s extremely ambitious compared to Factions from the first game. They are probably very wise to be taking their time to get it right and make sure they have enough content in the bag before launch so I’m happy for them to take their sweet time, especially if it means avoiding crunch, but I’m dying to know what it is.

I’d also like to know what Jade Raymond’s project is and Bungie’s new game. Neither might be for me, I’m not really a loot centric player, which can limit the appeal of ongoing games, but if any one of them turns out to be up my street gameplay and atmosphere wise I think I could enjoy a service game that I can continue to dip into over months and years.

I already know from the short trailer we’ve seen that Arc Raiders gameplay and world appeals to me specifically. The fact that it’s being developed by ex-DICE folks gives me confidence in the game and has me willing it to succeed. I’d love to see more and hear about a release date.

Exciting times.

As Farscry mention definitely hoping we get some Fable info.

Also maybe we can get some info on Alan Wake 2.

Predictions:
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection for Xbox, Playstation, and Switch will be announced.

Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance announced for Nintendo Switch Online (this is based on recent leaks of course).

Wishes:

Nintendo will announce The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD and A Link Between Worlds for Switch. With the addition of the Game Boy games to Switch Online this will make almost every Zelda game playable on the Switch except for Twilight Princess, the DS/3DS games, and of course the CDi games that Nintendo will continue to pretend were never made (as they should).

Microsoft/Blizzard announces a new 3rd person action game in the Starcraft universe being developed by Certain Affinity or The Coalition. It features a Call of Duty like campaign where you jump between multiple characters of different classes like Marines, Ghosts, Tank or Goliath commanders, etc. It also features a massive multiplayer mode where players are part of two rival Terran factions trying to complete objectives and harvest resources while increasingly difficult waves of AI Zerg and/or Protoss attack. Players start as one of a couple classes (Marine, Medic, or Combat Engineer) and earn points by completing objective or gathering resources which can then be spent to upgrade to more powerful units.

Paradox Interactive/Harebrained Schemes announces a new Shadowrun or BattleTech FPS action RPG.

Sega arcade classics are my wish. Daytona collection, Planet Harriers, Sega Super GT, Star Wars, Outrun/Outrunners... etc... etc...

I would like some more information about Final Fantasy XVI and Kingdom Hearts 4 (hopefully both will be released before 2030) but I have only two wishes:

- A good Burnout game--Burnout Paradise 2 would be great. Sorry but the Dangerous Driving games are fine but don't really scratch that itch and Need for Speed is not quite there either.

- Rayman platformer game like Rayman Legends

Half-Life 3. I'm not kidding. It's going to happen. I believe.

Grenn wrote:

Half-Life 3. I'm not kidding. It's going to happen. I believe.

There may be a new Half-Life game, but there is no way in hell that they are going to call it 3, III, Episode 3, The Third, or any other thing with the third number, numeral, or numeric symbol.

Or they'll just troll everyone with another offshoot: HALF-LIF3: BLU3 SHIFT 2

UpToIsomorphism wrote:

*NCAA Football News

Yes, please.

UpToIsomorphism wrote:
Grenn wrote:

Half-Life 3. I'm not kidding. It's going to happen. I believe.

There may be a new Half-Life game, but there is no way in hell that they are going to call it 3, III, Episode 3, The Third, or any other thing with the third number, numeral, or numeric symbol.

How about a prequel? Half-Life 1/3

I'm hoping for some Homeworld 3

Redfall and Starfield from Bethesda (and Arkane) have been delayed to early 2023, but it sounds like they will be showing off both games at the Microsoft & Bethesda thing in June.

From the delay announcement:

We can’t wait to share our first deep dive into the gameplay for both Redfall and Starfield soon.

XCOM 3 COME ON

Budo wrote:

XCOM 3 COME ON

You get Midnight Suns. Sorry if you don't like Muties.

Budo wrote:

XCOM 3 COME ON

Have you played Warhammer 40k chaosgate?

NathanialG wrote:
Budo wrote:

XCOM 3 COME ON

Have you played Warhammer 40k chaosgate?

Dude I just bought Battlesector and Phoenix Point is already installed. I'm very aware of it but just can't.

...and yes Midnight Suns is on the ol' Wishlist

No Alan Wake 2 at the press conferences this Summer.

From creative director Sam Lake:

Everything is going really well. A great deal of the game is playable. But we’ve been talking the past couple of months, and we’ve come to a decision that we will not be showing anything big this summer.

If you like Microsoft and Bethesda stuff good news; this year we get two events for the price of one!!!!

They have announced an Extended Showcase on June 14th at 1pm Eastern / 10am Pacific and I have added to it the top post.

Well, if you like horror games, the Summer Game Fest show was for you. Nothing for Nintendo except some info on already known 3rd party games like Neon White.

Also if you like FPS games with dark, dirty corridors.

Or wanted to see The Rock cut a promo after a workout for his new movie.

Keighleyfest was pretty bad.

Day of the Devs was pretty good.