E3 2017 Predictions: 18 Bold Moves For Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, & More

Unlike the rest of the publishers on this list, Sony actually has it pretty easy when it comes to this year’s E3. Do you really need to do anything when you’re already so far ahead of the game? I say that not as a Sony fanboy — I’m not — I’m referring to pure console market share and satisfaction ratings. But if Sony has shown us anything in the past, they’re not going to lie dormant to give Microsoft the opportunity to gain any ground.

A PS Vita Sequel Will Be Announced

Wait, don’t close the post — hear me out! For those of you who follow gaming news as closely as the rest of you, you might remember that Sony President Shuhei Yoshida discounted the idea of a PS Vita 2, noting:

“the climate is not healthy for now, because of the huge dominance of mobile games”.

Well, that was in 2015. Times have changed, and climate has certainly changed. Look at the success of, first, the Nintendo 3DS, and then look at the successful Nintendo Switch launch. It’s clear that gamers really don’t care about anything else but great games, and that great games can sell consoles. Of course, Breath of the Wild and the Switch is an example of that.

You know who has great games — a lot of great games? Sony. After seeing the overwhelmingly positive response from those who have gotten their hands on the Switch, it’s likely that Sony might change its tune. Maybe it’s too early for a PS Vita 2 to actually be announced, but this is our pie in the sky prediction for Sony’s E3 2017 conference.

A New Killzone Will Be Announced

Killzone‘s last outing came with the launch of the PS4 in November 2013, and it released to a great deal of positivity. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if we saw a new Killzone announced sometime soon.

Killzone isn’t one of those games that people are clamoring for, but there’s definitely a want for it. It’s a unique brand that has its own style of gameplay, which is especially hard to do in the crowded shooter space. If Sony were to announce a new Killzone, it would be just one more thing that PS4 owners would be excited about.

Kingdom Hearts 3 Will Have a Significant Info Dump

Square Enix has been all too silent on the progress of the one game that fans are anticipating most, Kingdom Hearts 3, and now is the time for the publisher to share more information about the game. The last real news was back in June 2016 during last year’s E3 when we learned that it won’t feature any worlds from Final Fantasy, although we were also given a couple of screenshots in October. We’re hoping Square is just keeping their heads down and plugging away at the game so that they’ll have something more formidable to show.

Is Kingdom Hearts 3 a PS4 exclusive? No, it has been confirmed for Xbox One as well. However, the Kingdom Hearts franchise has always been associated with PlayStation (and the PS4 has the biggest console market share), which is why it would make the most sense for Sony to dedicate 10 minutes or so to it.

The Obvious: Showing Spider-Man and giving us a Spider-Man PS4 release date, Showing The Last of Us Part 2, Showing Days Gone, Showing God of War

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Microsoft has the biggest opportunity at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo to put their foot down and show that they’re not slowly dying. And, I fully believe that Microsoft is going to make a ton of noise this year, as they have in the past. We’ll undeniably get more information about the Xbox Scorpio, and we’ll likely see some new IPs as well.

Scorpio Event Before E3, and Then a Scorpio Games Blowout at E3

Microsoft was definitely taking notes with the PS4 Pro reveal, and they’ll undoubtedly use those notes to form their own dos and don’ts for the upcoming Xbox Scorpio reveal blowout. The proper move here is to get the super boring, cut and dry stuff out of the way before E3 so that when they’re up on stage in June they can just talk about what gamers care about most: games!

I believe Xbox will have a pre-E3 event — possibly two weeks or so before their E3 2017 press conference — to reveal the console’s actual name, specs, design, capabilities, and price (which, for the record, we’re expecting to be around $499). That way, the sticker shock will have time to wear off so that when E3 rolls around, Microsoft can do some things to excite its potential fanbase. They’ll likely take a “play it best on Xbox Scorpio” approach with the new console, noting that everything can be played on the Xbox One (but it’ll play the best on Xbox Scorpio). After showing a slew of new games, the end of Microsoft’s E3 conference will reveal the console’s release date (which I’m expecting to be in August).

Does Microsoft need some “play it only on Scorpio” exclusives to sell the console? I think so; that would be a great way to differentiate it from the PS4 Pro’s capabilities. With the Xbox brand screaming from the rooftops that the Scorpio will be the most powerful console ever, they’ll need some games to be exclusive to that console to really sell it.

Worth: 3 Points

Microsoft Will Not Say Anything About VR

Microsoft has yet to dip its toes into the Virtual Reality waters, and rightfully so; VR just isn’t ready for the masses. With Sony seeing minimal success with PSVR, Microsoft will likely put whatever VR plans they might have on the backburner.

The Xbox team has noted that when Project Scorpio ships later this year, it’ll not only have true 4K gaming but also “high-fidelity VR experiences”. However, it doesn’t appear to be the meat and potatoes of the upcoming Xbox console, more of a dessert. Save your dessert for after your meal, Microsoft. For this reason, Microsoft won’t say anything about VR on stage at E3 2017.

We also won’t see anything about Hololens at E3, for the record, as it simply doesn’t show well on stage, and it’s more tech-oriented.

Worth: 2 Points

This is the Year of Battletoads

How do you bring such unique-looking characters from 25 years ago to this generation of consoles? Admittedly, it’s going to be tough for Microsoft to debut anything that doesn’t look like Liebesman’s Ninja Turtles, and that’s certainly not a good look. Regardless, we’re fully expecting Microsoft to unveil a new Battletoads for Xbox One at some point. I believe at this year’s E3 we’ll get a full Battletoads reveal trailer, and fans are going to be excited about it.

Worth: 2 Points

A New Rare IP Will Be Announced

Yes, Rare is Xbox’s busiest developer, producing a handful of Microsoft exclusives over the past few years, including Killer Instinct, Rare Replay, and Sea of Thieves. But, they apparently have something else in the pipeline that has yet to be revealed, according to Shinobi602, whom many consider to be a credible source in the industry.

On top of that, there’s The Inner Circle Podcast which claims that there’s actually two new Rare games in the works, according to their sources. I personally find that hard to believe, and I don’t know the Inner Circle well-enough to give it credit or discredit it entirely, so take that with a grain of salt.

However, it’s clear that the Xbox brand severely needs some strong, first party new IPs if they’re going to be able to compete with Sony this generation, as Sony has a plethora of them. Microsoft needs something new, and it needs something new right now. With Rare popping out successful (and potentially successful) first party Xbox One exclusives already, it would make sense for Microsoft to contract them out for more games and new IPs. We believe that Microsoft will reveal a brand new Rare IP on stage at E3.

Worth: 3 Points

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Coming off the successful launch of the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo needs to come out swinging at E3 2017. Unfortunately, we never know what to expect from Nintendo, as their conferences are typically super weird, and either incredibly disappointing or incredibly awesome. All too frequently, Nintendo has disappointed us with their Nintendo Directs by not giving fans what they want. Will they give fans what they want this year?

A New Metroid or GTFO

There are so many potential franchises for Nintendo to bring back, but the one that is most requested is easily Metroid. Hot off the Switch’s launch, Nintendo needs to keep that buzz going by announcing a brand new Metroid for the Switch.

I’ll also note that the Switch lends itself to the side-scrolling style of gameplay quite nicely, and a Metroidvania game can easily be played on-the-go, without the need for a big screen.

If a Metroid for Switch isn’t announced, there will be riots.

Worth: 2 Points

See Also: Nintendo At E3 2017: What to Reasonably Expect

Fallout Shelter on Switch Will be Announced

Bethesda has already thrown Nintendo a bone with Skyrim coming to Switch. They also have a hugely popular mobile game, Fallout Shelter, that is often touted as one of the best mobile games of 2016. Wouldn’t it make sense for Bethesda and Nintendo to take their relationship to the next step (*blushes*) and release another Bethesda game on the Switch?

Fallout Shelter is a game that feels like it was pretty much made for the handheld/home console hybrid machine, and it would be a great addition to the list of upcoming Switch games. What’s more, it feels like a game that should be quick and easy to port over to Nintendo’s new gaming device, meaning it would be out sooner rather than later.

We’re predicting that Nintendo will announce Fallout Shelter for the Nintendo Switch.

Worth: 2 Points

Nintendo Will Announce At Least 3 New Wii U Ports for the Switch

It appears as though Nintendo is just planning to port many of its Wii U games to the Switch, since many missed the boat with the Wii U. But the Wii U has some truly great games in its catalogue, and Nintendo knows the company would be insane to let those great games go to waste.

For this reason, we’re expecting Nintendo to announce at least 3 new Wii U ports for the Nintendo Switch. If we had to guess the three games that they’ll port, we’d imagine they’d pick Bayonetta 2, Super Mario Maker, and Smash Bros. 

It’s likely that they won’t be just straight up ports, as they’ll each have their own bonus content for their Switch versions.

Worth: 2 Points

The Obvious: Show Mario Odyssey and Give a Release Date, Virtual Console News (Each worth 1/2 point)

EA has had some bad E3 showings in the past, and last year’s was especially awful, rivaling Ubisoft and the PC conferences for being the worst of the year. The company that was once loved by many is now strongly disliked by most, and it’s never something we want to see in the gaming industry (if big publishers are successful, the gaming landscape is healthy). It’s clear that EA needs to change its strategy for E3 2017, and we’re hoping they do just that. We already know that they have some big stuff in the works for the Star Wars brand, so even just spending a significant amount of time on that would be a welcomed change of pace.

Skate 4 Will Be Announced, So Help Me God

I know, I know — I’ve been predicting a brand new entry in the Skate franchise for the past four years. This is the last year I’ll ever predict a Skate 4 reveal at E3, as if it doesn’t happen this year, all is lost with EA.

It’s clear that EA’s most wanted game announcement is a Skate 4, although, at this point, it’d likely be a reboot of the franchise and not a numbered entry. Still, if you look in the comments section of virtually any news regarding EA, or if you look at any of their social media posts, there are hundreds of comments that simply say something like, “give us Skate 4” or simply “Skate 4”. It’s a phenomenon that hasn’t happened with any other game before, and if EA is ignoring those requests from their rabid fans, it’s not going to go over well.

Worth: 3 Points

Sims 5 Announcement Trailer Will Be Shown

Looking back at last year’s predictions, I was wrong to predict a new Sims entry so soon. But now, I think EA is ready to announce a Sims 5 for release in Fall 2017. Taking the Sims series back to basics with more initial inclusion instead of a barebones launch with high-priced DLC after launch would be the right move for EA to revitalize this once incredibly popular franchise.

Worth: 3 Points

Unravel 2 Announcement Trailer Will Be Shown

EA’s indie-looking darling, Unravel, reviewed well, but didn’t blow up the sales charts. Still, EA has confirmed that Unravel 2 is in the works by Coldwood, the original’s developer. In an email, an EA representative noted that the game would be officially announced and shown “when the time is right”. Well, what better time than E3 week to debut a full trailer for the game.

Worth: 1 Point

The Obvious: Star Wars Battlefront 2, Visceral’s Star Wars game, Sports segment (Each worth 1/2 point)

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No Elder Scrolls 6, Sorry.

While the early process has started for Elder Scrolls 6, we’d be incredibly surprised if Bethesda said anything of substance in regards to the game. It’s simply too early to expect anything this year. Even a brief teaser logo is incredibly unlikely.

Worth: 1 Point

New Wolfenstein

A new Wolfenstein for 2017 has been already teased, as Wolfenstein: New Colossus was teased on stage during the Quake Champions E3 2016 trailer, and Bethesda boss Pete Hines has already commented that MachineGames is working on something, noting that it’s “fucking bananas”.

It’s likely that we’ll see the project revealed on stage at E3, and we have to assume that MachineGames is the developer working on New Colossus until anything leads us to believe otherwise.

Worth: 2 Points

Prey DLC

Prey is one of our most anticipated games of the year, and it’s launching on May 5th, just over a month before E3. In our Prey preview, we noted that we loved what we played so far, and it’s likely that Prey is going to be a highly rated game played by many.

But to continue on with the game and ride the wave of success that it will undoubtedly see, Bethesda will announce some sweet, sweet Prey DLC, with a full reveal trailer and possibly a Fall release date for the DLC (we think it’s going to be more formidable than just a little bit of extra story, so we’re expecting them to try to hype it up big time).

Worth: 2 Points

The Obvious: The Evil Within 2 (leaked), Quake Champions Release Date (Each worth 1/2 point)

Ubisoft’s E3 press conferences are undeniably cringeworthy and tough to watch (especially when they start talking about Just Dance). Bleh. But despite their best efforts to the contrary, they do typically come to E3 with some juicy game announcements. We’re not expecting anything groundbreaking from Ubisoft at E3, but it’s possible they have a surprise or two.

Far Cry 5 Will Be Unveiled, and It Will Be Something Entirely Fresh

Far Cry Primal released to middling reception, despite getting above average reviews from most gaming outlets. The problem wasn’t that it was a bad game — it wasn’t — but the problem is that it just wasn’t enough to feel different from Far Cry 4.

But a Far Cry 5 that’s an incredibly wild and new idea could be well-received, and I doubt Ubisoft is planning to slow down on the franchise anytime soon. Who knows what Far Cry 5 might actually be (submit your ideas in the comments, please!), but it has to be something that’s not jungle-related; enough with the jungle setting!

Worth: 2 Points

Splinter Cell Announcement Trailer Will Be Shown

While the Splinter Cell movie might be dead in the water right now, but a new Splinter Cell game is rumored to be in development. We’re fully expecting a Splinter Cell announcement trailer at this year’s E3, and we wouldn’t be surprised if we heard Michael Ironside’s voice as the voiceover in the trailer.

Worth: 2 Points

The Obvious: Just Dance 2018, Assassin’s Creed: Empire Trailer and Release Date (Each worth 1/2 point)

See Also: Everything You Need to Know About E3 2017