Due to concerns regarding COVID and participant attendance, we won’t be getting our dear E3 this year. I know, I’m disappointed, too. Although organizers are determined to try and get the ball rolling for next year, fans can’t help but feel like there’s a sense of finality to this particular cancellation. The summer excitement of having all your favorite titles in a row might just become a relic of the past.
Thankfully, this has nothing to do with the titles themselves. You might be wondering, what about [insert X video game I’ve been looking forward to in the midst of all this mortal peril]? We gotchu. Here’s everything we know about some of the most awaited upcoming game titles. And you can still pretend we’re at E3 by cheering while you read! Come on, CHEER.
Breath of the Wild 2
Nintendo is going a little wild with big releases, which is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, yay, more viddy games. On the other hand, titles we’ve been waiting for forever are getting pushed back—which includes Breath of the Wild 2.
This long-awaited sequel won’t come out until roughly a year from now, in Spring 2023, which is…disappointing, to say the least. Although it also bodes well, since the decision was in favor of the game getting the time it deserves:
In order to make this game’s experience something special, the entire development team is working diligently on this game, so please wait a little longer.
Eiji Aonuma
Pokemon: Scarlet and Violet
We literally just got Legends: Arceus, so the latest Pokemon Presents was, uh…definitely a shock. It seems like Game Freak is really reveling in the latest fanfare over Pokemon’s current trajectory because we’re getting yet another main title later this year: Scarlet and Violet.
The game is slated to release in late 2022 and seems to be taking some Mediterranean influence in its design (particularly Spanish and Portuguese). After how uninspired some previous titles were, it’s truly up in the air whether this new entry will bring anything new to the table, but I have to admit, I’d do anything for that funky lil duck.
Forspoken
For everyone who was upset to see that Forspoken would feature a WOC protagonist…too bad, so sad, the game is still slated to come out on October 11th. For everyone else—rejoice, new viddy game!
Initially slated to come out in May, Forspoken was pushed back in order to make the game as polished as possible. This bodes pretty well, especially considering it has so many brilliant minds behind its production, and if all goes well, we’ll have a new, innovative title to gush over for quite a while. It’s been considered by many as an Infamous for mages, which is pretty badass.
Starfield
After such a long drought from Bethesda (Fallout 76 doesn’t count), many are brimming with curiosity regarding the company’s new venture into outer space with Starfield. Thus far, we already have a handful of information available, which can be seen in the video above. We also have a release date of November 11, 2022.
Quite recently, however, we got some info on a new companion: VASCO. Most likely named after the explorer Vasco de Gama, he’ll be a peaceful little guy who kinda looks like the robot from Sonic. I’ve never been much of a robot person, but his hands certainly look holdable.
Dragon Age 4
Bioware has undergone all the various levels of development hell in the past few years, so Dragon Age 4 often felt like a lost cause. But we finally have some confirmation that the game will release sometime next year!
And as a longtime fan, let me just say that IT’S ABOUT TIME. We’ve gotten all kinds of tidbits regarding upcoming lore, from entire books to concept art reveals, and even a teaser or two. Entire canons have been established in the 8 years since Inquisition was released, and it’s truly a relief that these canons will finally be implemented in an actual game. After all, I have so many questions: what’s going on in Tevinter? How’s my boy Anders doing? And yo, excuse me, is that a gun????
Mario Strikers
It’s Mario. It’s soccer/football. Sports are fun in Nintendo games. And it releases soon on June 10th.
Suffice to say, many are chomping at the bit to get at this game, but part of what makes Mario so popular is…it’s not that complicated! Therefore, there’s not too much to say here, other than it might bring that classic Wii Sports spirit to life on a modern console (albeit with a more cartoonishly violent bent to it).
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
Most people were stoked to hear the Three Houses theme at the beginning of the Three Hopes’ trailer, only to be met with confusion and a little bit of disappointment when it was revealed to be a Warriors game. To that, I say—hey, at least we have a confirmed date with this one (June 24, 2022).
And it will definitely be interesting to see how Warriors yet again tackles the “alternate canon” thing it so loves to do, especially with a world as complicated as Fodlan’s. Thus far, the complete roster hasn’t been confirmed, but fans are hoping to see some favorites, such as Sylvain and Felix, Hilda and Marianne, and the boy himself: Ferdinand Von Aegir. In the meantime, speculation has been wild regarding the things we saw in the trailer, including the identity of Mr. Purple up above and the God he seems to represent.
Sonic Frontiers
Ever since Breath of the Wild, it feels like everyone is trying their hands at the open-world genre, because if Zelda of all things could make it work, maybe other classics could, too. Kirby and the Forgotten Land did it in spades. And maybe Sonic will be able to prove that the series can still keep up with modern hard-hitters.
Resident writer and Sonic superfan Briana Lawrence did more in-depth coverage of what we know so far, but the short and simple is, it’s Sonic…but everywhere. An “open-zone experience,” to be precise.
God of War: Ragnarok
Thus far, we still have nothing regarding this much-awaited sequel, other than its initial trailer (shown above) and the vague release date of “sometime in 2022.” Knowing how big-budget titles tend to go, the development will likely take longer than expected, and we’ll instead get the game sometime in 2023.
But in my opinion, that’s much better than forcing your team through a demoralizing crunch. I’d rather play a game that was made with willing hands, as opposed to knowing that the only reason my horse’s testicles shrink in Red Dead 2 is because some poor animators were forced to do so in their off-hours.
Honorable Mention: Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines 2
Okay, so I might be the only one who still gives a damn about this game, but for those of you who were also hoping to hear about it, I’ve got you covered. The short version is: lead developer Brian Mitsuoda, along with many other longtime executives, was fired, and now Paradox is heading the project. They’ve been very wishy-washy about the details, which doesn’t exactly bode well, although all we can do is hope for the best.
A rumor was recently brewing that Dear Esther studio The Chinese Room took over the project, but thus far, nothing has been confirmed. All we have are the memories of that first exciting trailer, the unpolished gameplay reveal, and the good ol’ days when you could live your slutty vampire dreams in the first game.
Did we miss anything? Or was there a lesser-known title you were looking forward to? Give it some rep in the comments, let’s keep the community spirit of E3 alive!
(Featured Image: E3)
