The Best of the Rest E3 2018 Preview

E3 is that special time of the year when publishers either grant our wishes like benevolent gods or crush our dreams like Gordon Ramsay (sometimes both). Mountain Dew and Doritos sales go through the roof, Twitch chats spew forth the collective sarcastic bile of the gaming masses and the dying embers of the fires of the consoles wars will be whipped once more into a roaring inferno. It’s just a good time all round. We’ve had our ears to the ground and have been frequently visiting the rumour mill to see what information has leaked and what gamers want to see from the major pressers. Got a rumour/hope/dream/tea leaf divination you want to share? You know what to do.  

In this preview we look at the companies that aren’t taking centre stage themselves but will no doubt be showing off a game or two, whether that be a part of one of the major showcases or simply a new trailer of sorts. What goodies do gaming companies have in-store for us this E3.

2K: Can’t see a big presence from 2K after it was announced that Borderlands 3 won’t be making an appearance. We’ll probably see trailers for WWE 2K19 and NBA 2K19 dropping at some point.

505 Games: It’s time to see what 505 and Remedy has been working on. Codenamed Project 7, all we currently know is that the game is a third-person multiplayer title running on Quantum Break’s tech.

Activision: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will get some airtime during Sony’s presser and no doubt they’ll shove more Destiny 2 DLC down our throats. Expect some footage of the Spyro remasters too.

Bandai Namco: Expect a pretty heavy focus on Code Vein this year, especially given Bandai Namco are about to make a release date announcement. Could make an appearance during Sony’s presser but hard to see where it fits in with their lineup already chock-a-block. Expect to see Ace Combat 7, Soulcalibur IV and maybe God Eater 3 footage/trailers.

Bigben: Bigben and Frogwares dropped a teaser trailer for their upcoming open-world Lovecraftian game The Sinking City last week, so expect that to be a primary focus for the French-based publisher named after a British landmark. Hopefully we see a gameplay walkthrough video.

Capcom: I’ve got a feeling Capcom will be a big player in this year’s proceedings. It’s almost been three years since Capcom announced the remake for Resident Evil 2 and so far we’ve seen nothing, not even a trailer. However, during Capcom’s recent earnings call the Japanese company revealed they planned to release two major titles before April 2019. Surely one of these has to be the RE2 remake (also known as REmake2)? It’s also not out the realms of possibility that we’ll get a new Devil May Cry announcement with recent rumours and leaks supporting this. As unlikely as it is I think we’ll get a short teaser of the revamped Deep Down project, otherwise the project must be dead. Given Monster Hunter World’s success and upcoming PC release, I would say there will be some form of update, perhaps some new monsters. It also wouldn’t surprise me if Capcom announced a HD remaster for another of its classic titles, such as Onimusha or Dino Crisis.

CD Projekt Red: The Polish developers has already announced that they’ll be at E3 to show off Cyberpunk 2077. But just where it’ll be shown is the question. My gut feeling is during Microsoft’s presser, given they boast the most powerful console hardware to date. Don’t expect a release date though, but a release window may be on the cards.

Deep Silver: Hard to see anything but Metro: Exodus to come from Deep Silver. The third instalment has recently been delayed until 2019 and given we’ve seen no gameplay yet I reckon a level walkthrough video will happen during Microsoft’s showcase. Dead Island 2? No chance.

Devolver Digital: Aside from the usual pisstake, albeit perhaps a more serious one, Devolver will surely be showing off its SCUM project, their upcoming platformer The Messenger and perhaps Serious Sam 4 and others.

Focus Home Interactive: The French company has become one of the hottest AA publishers going around and the Focus Home team are bringing a slew of projects to LA. Call of Cthulhu, GreedFall, A Plague Tale: Innocence, The Surge 2, Insurgency: Sandstorm and Farming Simulator 19 will all be shown off in some respect. Hopefully we get to see gameplay for the first four titles, especially Call of Cthulhu which was first announced over four years ago. A couple of release dates wouldn’t hurt either.

Maximum Games: May release a trailer for their mech brawler Override. Otherwise nothing else to contribute. Sorry to everyone praying for Troll and I 2.

Rockstar: Red Dead Redemption 2 will get a time slot during Sony’s conference I am guessing. With just a handful of months to go until the game’s release, expect a gameplay video or trailer to really stoke the hype coal train’s fire.

SEGA: If Vanquish 2 is indeed a thing then no doubt we’ll hear about it. Hopefully we’ll see Bayonetta 3 and I’m sure we’ll get some new Valkyria 4 details. Perhaps a cheeky Yakuza remaster trailer while we’re at it.

Starbreeze Studios: Overkill’s The Walking Dead will definitely be shown off. It’s been four years since it was announced and Starbreeze and 505 Games has spruiked a 2018 release date. Time to lock that bad boy in.

THQ Nordic: Already announced they’ll be skipping E3 to watch the World Cup and sink piss (a decent choice if you ask me). May drop a new trailer for Biomutant, but I wouldn’t hold your breath for news on Darksiders III.

What do you think the above will show at E3 2018? Anything you think we’ve missed or that you agree with? Let us know in the comments below.