This year’s E3 2015 is going to be absolutely huge. Huge. And if you’re like us, you’re already salivating at the thought of what exactly the year’s biggest gaming stage will bring. E3 news comes in a major flurry of punches during the conferences, with more news to come during the days on the show floor. But, the big, juicy gaming news will come during the press conferences.
There’s a lot to consider when discussing what news will come out of the convention, because truly, there’s no way of knowing for sure what every publisher is going to announce. Some important factors that can help estimate what new games and other announcements each publisher will make include rumored games, games that the fans really want, what market space the publisher is currently lacking in, and what their typical announcement patterns are.
Of course, that sounds like a ton of work that you probably don’t want to do. So, let us do it for you. Here are 25 expected E3 2015 news announcements:
1. ‘Fallout 4’ Will Be Announced.
I’d guess that the chances of Bethesda not announcing Fallout 4 at their first ever E3 conference is extremely unlikely. There has to be a reason that Bethesda thinks it can hang with the big dogs at E3 2015, and I can’t think of a more appropriate announcement than Fallout 4. Fans want to see it, it will make Bethesda money, and Fallout 3 was released back in 2008 (which feels like eons ago).
*Update: As we know, Fallout 4 was announced last week.
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Will, Of Course, Be Detailed.
**Update** We received confirmation today that the next Call of Duty will, indeed, be ‘Black Ops 3.’
E3 always has Call of Duty fans at the edge of their seats. Every Call of Duty release at least gets mentioned at the big show, and usually gets detailed heavily with what the next iteration of the franchise will bring this year. Judging by recent rumors, it’s likely that the next Call of Duty will be Black Ops 3, but that’s not necessarily a sure thing yet. I’d really like to see Call of Duty go back to the basic hay day style of Modern Warfare. But, who knows. What we do know, however, is that Call of Duty 2015 will be revealed at E3 2015.
3. July’s Games With Gold and PS Plus Games Will Be Unveiled.
Both Microsoft and Sony usually detail the next month’s freebies near the end of the month, but both video game giants will likely move the announcement up a few days in June. Microsoft will unveil July’s Games With Gold, and Sony will detail their PS Plus games for July. Undoubtedly, July will be the biggest month for both subscription services, as Microsoft and Sony will surely have some mega freebies to unveil for July.
4. New Gameplay Footage Will Be Revealed for ‘Star Fox.’
Now that The Legend of Zelda Wii U has been pushed back to 2016, Nintendo has to show some of the big games that are still coming in 2015, and hopefully Star Fox Wii U remains on that list. If Nintendo doesn’t show off some Wii U games coming Fall 2015, their console is surely being put on the back burner for Nintendo NX. I don’t think Nintendo will talk much about the Nintendo NX at E3 2015 much if any, but they’re the best at keeping their secrets.
5. ‘Pokken Tournament’ Will Make Its Way To Wii U in 2016.
A Pokemon x Tekken crossover game hit arcades in 2015, but surprisingly, Nintendo made no mention of the cool concept game coming to the Wii U. I think an HD Pokken Tournament on Wii U would do fairly well, don’t you?
6. A New ‘Banjo-Kazooie’ Will Be Revealed.
Everyone knows that Microsoft is going to unveil Rare’s next big game for the Xbox One, but we’re all left wondering on which classic Rare game it will be. Perfect Dark? Banjo-Kazooie? Viva Piñata? Put my chips on Banjo-Kazooie, since it’s the one fans want the most, and the title was mentioned recently in the news when Playtonic director and 20-year Rare vet Gavin Price said he knows what Rare is developing.
7. A New ‘Splinter Cell’ Will Be Announced with a Fall 2015 Release Window.
Believe it or not, Ubisoft still has a few franchises that I think would make a splash at E3 2015, Splinter Cell being one of them. Fans are fed up with yearly Ass Creeds and Watch_Dogs was god awful. Rainbow Six is already coming in 2015. Far Cry 4 just came out. Just Dance 5 just recently came out. I think out of all of Ubisoft’s remaining franchises, Splinter Cell makes the most sense. And, if you look at the release schedule of Splinter Cell games in the past, it’s about every two or three years that a new game gets released. So, the announcement would be fitting since Black List came out in 2013, and we’re starting to miss Sam Fisher a little.
8. We’ll Learn More About ‘Kingdom Hearts III.”
Disney has made so many moves in the past couple of years that we’re not sure what to expect from Kingdom Hearts III. A Kingdom Hearts III surrounding a Star Wars-related universe would be most welcomed, but I think the game will focus more on the Marvel side of things. The big Kingdom Hearts III reveal was back at E3 2013, and we haven’t heard much since. We do know that the game is confirmed for Xbox One and PS4, but it would be cool if Nintendo dropped the bomb that it is also coming to Wii U. I’d say our chances of hearing more about Kingdom Hearts III are reasonable, at least.
9. Ubisoft Will Push Back ‘The Division’ To 2016.
One of my most anticipated games of 2015 is The Division. Unfortunately, here we are, April 1st without any updates on the highly anticipated game. I wouldn’t be even slightly surprised to see The Division pushed back into 2016. I would cry anyway, though.
10. A ‘Rare HD Collection’ For Xbox One Will Be Unveiled for Fall 2015.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Microsoft unveiled a Rare HD Collection for the Xbox One to be released in, say, September 2015. The collection will feature Perfect Dark HD, Battletoads HD, a Captain Skyhawk HD and a Conker’s Bad Fur Day HD. A Rare HD Collection would not only be a welcomed title among the gaming community, but would also build some anticipation for whatever Rare’s big Fall 2015 game is (which would then likely be released in late November or early December of 2015).
11. Sony Will Announce A Release Date for ‘The Tomorrow Children.’
One of the most interesting games we saw at Gamescom 2014 was The Tomorrow Children, and we haven’t heard much about it since. Basically, all that we know about The Tomorrow Children is that it is an open-world sandbox style game with similarities to Minecraft, but set in a Soviet Union-run post apocalyptic dystopia. Sony will likely take 15 or 20 minutes to talk about the gameplay and release a new trailer with the release date at the end.
12. New Xbox One Apps Will Be Unveiled.
This is stating the obvious, I’d say. Xbox One already has some killer apps, and they’ve already added some new apps this year (like Sling TV). What other apps would make waves? How about a dedicated Dominos Pizza app? Meh. I think what the Xbox One is missing is a dedicated Twitter and Facebook app that would allow you to snap your streams to keep an eye on them while playing. We’ll probably see the new Spartan browser make its way to Xbox One when Windows 10 releases this year. What new Xbox One apps would you like to see announced at E3?
13. Sony Will Announce A New TV Series.
Well, if you haven’t watched that Sony-exclusive Powers series yet, don’t bother — it’s hot garbage. But the idea is great, and it’s clear Sony wants to keep up with Microsoft in the whole being a “media console.” Just because Powers is atrocious doesn’t mean Sony will give up, and if they could make one or two new exclusive television series it would be interesting to see what happens.
14. Sony Will Announce PS Vue Is Expanding.
Since Sling TV was announced with a dedicated Xbox One app earlier this year, Sony is undoubtedly sweating. Sure, consoles are meant for games, but you’d be a fool to think owners don’t want to be able to do more with their boxes. PS Vue looks promising, and it offers a lot of the channels that Sling TV does not, like CBS, Fox, NBC and the Viacom channels. The problem, though, is that it isn’t as widely available as Sling TV. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sony announce that PS Vue will go live for the rest of the U.S. by Fall 2015.
15. ‘Watch Dogs 2’ Will Be Teased. Ubisoft Will Claim It Will Do What ‘Watch Dogs’ Set Out To Do.
Watch_Dogs was a miserable disappointment, wasn’t it? It felt like a budget Grand Theft Auto, which is a surprise since Ubisoft had the capital to make it a badass game. They didn’t, though, but the game received enough attention with its ideas to warrant a sequel. And, I think people would be interested in a sequel.
16. Microsoft’s Virtual Reality Device for Xbox One Will Be Detailed.
I have no idea what the hell Microsoft’s HoloLens really is, but the concept looks pretty great. Hopefully, Microsoft will show us their competitor to Sony’s Morpheus VR headset, because you’d be a fool to believe that they don’t have something planned for the Xbox One. A fool. Especially since VR is all the rage among tech sites this year, now would be the perfect time for Microsoft to unveil exactly what they have in store with Xbox One and virtual reality.
17. ‘Titanfall 2’ Will Be Shown.
Titanfall was generally well-received, although it feels like it sort of came and went. Not many are talking about Titanfall these days, but I think the gaming world wants a Titanfall 2. Mech fighting has always been a cool concept, and if EA could get it right with Titanfall 2, the title could do some serious damage at retail level.
18. Microsoft and Sony Will Both Have Indie Montages.
Every year, Sony and Microsoft want to battle it out over who has the best and most indie games. Right now, the Xbox One is winning that battle (sorry PS4 fanboys, buy #IDARB is better than any indie so far this year). Still, we can always expect Microsoft and Sony to provide an Indie games montage video just after the middle portion of their press conferences so that they can transition back into game announcements.
19. Microsoft Will Announce an Xbox One Price Drop To $329 for the Holiday Season.
We’re currently seeing Xbox One bundles at the $349 price point, and it’s only April. It wouldn’t be a big surprise if Microsoft announced a price drop to $329 for the 2015 Holiday Season. At $329, Microsoft would definitely push a ton of Xbox Ones out of the doors.
*Update: Microsoft has announced a new 1TB Xbox One, and with it, a price drop for the 500GB Xbox One to $349. Not quite $329, but I doubt the console will drop any further at this point.
20. ‘Lost Odyssey 2’ for Xbox One Will Be Announced.
The best JRPG of the Xbox 360 generation was Lost Odyssey, and there hasn’t been any talk of a sequel, at least in the public eye. The game was very well received, and a Lost Odyssey 2 for Xbox One would definitely be of interest to the Xbox community.
21. ‘Joe Montana Football 16’ Will Be Xbox One and PC Only, No PS4.
We’re still up in arms about just what to expect with the return of the Joe Montana Football series, since EA holds the NFL licensing to the current NFL players, team names and logos. But, one thing we are expecting to come out of E3 is that it will be a Microsoft exclusive, coming only to Xbox One and PC, and not PS4. Read more about Joe Montana Football 16 here.
22. The Next ‘Need for Speed’ Will Be Announced.
I’m not too excited for a new Need for Speed, as I think racing games are too prominent in the new generation of consoles so far. We already know that Forza 6 and likely a new Gran Turismo are already on the way, but that leaves room for a more arcadey car game like Need for Speed. Again, I wouldn’t be taken back if EA announced the next Need for Speed.
*Update: The new Need for Speed reboot has been announced, but not yet detailed.
23. ‘EA Sports UFC 2’ Will Be Unveiled, Coming 2016.
Especially now that EA Sports UFC has joined the EA Access vault of games, it’s even more likely that EA is working on EA Sports UFC 2. Hopefully, EA will listen to the MMA community this time around and bring a more realistic and more diverse fighting experience to gamers.
24. Ubisoft Will Unveiled a New ‘Prince of Persia.’
Ubisoft’s other major franchise that has yet to make its new generation debut is Prince of Persia, and there are a number of ways Ubisoft can handle it. We could see a Prince of Persia: Sands of Time HD remaster, but the more likely scenario is a new game altogether. Prince of Persia on Xbox One, PC and PS4 would be welcomed, for sure.
25. ‘Infinite Crisis’ Will Come To PS4. No One Will Care.
Infinite Crisis just recently officially launched on PC, although it had been in beta for quite some time beforehand. Since the Xbox One has Smite, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if Sony announced that Infinite Crisis would be coming to PS4 as a freebie, joining the other DC freebie, DC Universe Online. Unfortunately, it will be one of those awkward moments in the crowd where no one reacts.
*Update: Infinite Crisis became defunct shortly after writing this post. So, unfortunately, it looks like I may have gotten one prediction completely wrong. It happens.