Hello all! With the recent news that Microsoft and Bethesda will be hosting a joint E3 conference this year, we thought it would be fun to take a stab at some predictions of what we will see in the big digital summer blowout. We will cover mostly first party titles here, but let’s get right into it.
Very Likely
Halo Infinite
Let us get the most obvious prediction out of the way first: The Chief’s next grand adventure. Obviously, we are going to see Halo Infinite in some capacity, whether that be through a campaign deep-dive or a multiplayer showcase. Personally, i’m hoping to see some classic 4v4 multiplayer, as we’ve already seen a bit from the campaign. Even if we don’t see anything too specific, overall i’m nervously excited to see just how far the game has come since it was first showcased last summer. Back then, it was clear that 343 Industries had some work to do, and i’m hoping we will see their hard work come to fruition. Additionally, I believe we’ll get a release date and a beta. If I had to guess, i’m going to put my finger on an October 2021 release date with a beta some time in July / August.
Forza Horizons 5
This game has been rumored for some time, and has had a few leaks recently. As a fan of Forza Horizons 4, I’m looking forward to seeing how this game shakes up the formula. I’m going to make an educated guess and assume a September 2021 release date.
Starfield
Ah, Starfield, the most hyped up game that we’ve never actually seen footage of outside of a simple logo. I am 80% sure we’ll see something at E3, even if it’s just a teaser trailer without any gameplay. My guess is that Starfield is either a late 2021 game or early 2022 game, but that may have changed due to COVID. Either way, I can’t wait see what this space RPG looks like. Will it be similar to The Outer Worlds, or something more akin to Mass Effect? We’ll find out soon enough.
Psychonauts 2
I don’t have much of an affinity for the first title since I never got around to playing it, but i’m sure glad a 3D platformer like this is still happening. Pyschonauts 2 is tentatively a 2021 game, so hopefully we’ll see a new trailer with a shiny new release date (i’m thinking August 2021).
Microsoft Flight Simulator
As we know, the world’s most realistic flying simulator is coming to the Xbox Series X/S some time this summer, we just don’t know when. I’m predicting that Xbox will either announce a stealth release during E3 or announce a release date sometime in late June or early July. I’m excited to give this game a spin, even if i’m not much more the sim-type games (outside of skateboarding sims, of course).
Likely
State of Decay 3
Considering this title was first shown during last year’s Microsoft summer press conference and we haven’t seen anything since, I’m willing to bet we’ll see some gameplay at this year’s E3. I’m not counting on a 2021 release date, but I do think it’s a niche enough title that it can be thrown into the mix of larger games and still have a release date that’s a little farther out. It’s a win-win, really.
Elden Ring (Third Party)
Remember the leaked Elden Ring trailer from about 3 months ago? I bet we would’ve seen that by now if it hadn’t leaked. Despite that debacle, i’m fairly confident we’ll see an Elden Ring trailer at the Microsoft showcase this year. It’s been about 2 years since we’ve heard anything concrete on this massive game, so hopefully we hear something soon. Personally, this is one of my most anticipated titles for Microsoft’s E3, even though it’s third party.
Wolfenstein 3
I’m predicting that this will be the last game shown on the Bethesda side, with it being their “one more thing” game. We know MachineGames is working on an Indiana Jones entry, but that is presumably early in development and years away. So that begs the question, what have then been working on since Wolfenstein: Youngblood? The answer, I think, is Wolfenstein 3.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
The first Hellblade was a sleeper hit for me, and one that I still think about to this day. Playing through Hellblade with headphones was an incredibly unnerving experience that expertly conveyed what it is like to live with psychosis or mental illness. I put this game under the likely section as we haven’t seen much of Hellblade 2 since the Game Award 2019. We’re really not sure how far this game is in development, or if we should even expect a 2021 release date. I’m predicting it’ll release in early 2022, with a short cinematic/gameplay trailer shown off at E3 2021. Let’s hope!
Unlikely
Now for the shots in the dark…
Fable
My guess is that Fable is extremely early in development, and won’t see the light of day until late 2022 or 2023 at the earliest. I hope I’m wrong, but my hunch is we won’t see Fable at E3 this year.
The Elder Scrolls VI
I know this is everyone’s most anticipated game, but with Bethesda Game Studios understandably being wrapped up with Starfield, I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t see a single trailer of Elder Scrolls VI until 2022 or 2023. That’s just a prediction, but it is definitely possible we’ll see something at this year’s E3 press conference.
Avowed
Avowed is Obsidian’s first-person fantasy RPG, and was first shown at Microsoft’s summer 2020 presentation. This game blew the heads off of many Elder Scrolls fans, and is one that I am personally very excited for. That being said, I doubt we’ll see it at this year’s conference. We’ll likely see more of Obsidian’s RPG in 2022.
Everwild
Rare’s upcoming title Everwild was shown off last year, and is looking to be very promising. We don’t know much, but I’m predicting we won’t see this title at E3 2021. If we do, it’ll be in a limited capacity.
The bros are planning to livestream / cover a lot of conferences during the week of E3, so give us a follow on Twitch and turn on the notifications if you want to come hang out! Follow us on Twitter for our live tweets.
What do you think Xbox/Bethesda will have at their joint conference this year? Fire off in the comments!
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