Warp Zoned Presents
All Articles: E3 2015
2K has NBA 2K16, WWE 2K16, Battleborn, and a “new triple-A title” on tap for 2015
Take-Two Intereactive CEO Strauss Zelnick announced a trio of new titles during the company’s quarterly financial report yesterday. But two we already knew about and the third will remain under wraps until this year’s E3 Expo.
First, Zelnick confirmed that both of 2K’s annual franchises would receive new entries in 2015. WWE 2K16 will be released for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on October 27 while NBA 2K16 will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and mobile platforms sometime in the Fall, though NBA 2K titles typically launch in early October.
The CEO also revealed the company will release a “new triple-A title” during their current fiscal year:
Throughout the coming year, we will continue to execute our proven strategy of launching a select array of the highest-quality titles, led by new annual releases of NBA 2K and WWE 2K; Battleborn, a groundbreaking new intellectual property from Gearbox Software; and a soon-to-be announced new triple-A title from 2K.
This unannounced game is likely in development at Hangar 13, Take-Two’s newest internal studio. Rumor has it that Hangar 13 is working on Mafia III, but we won’t find out for sure until next month. And we may not get to play it until early next year as Take-Two’s fiscal year officially ends on March 31, 2016.
Finally, Zelnick confirmed that Gearbox’s latest, Battleborn, will also be released during the current fiscal year. More details on the colorful (and character-ful) shooter will be revealed ahead of the E3 Expo and during the show itself.
So your big takeaway from this announcement should be that Take-Two Intereactive is going to have a big presence at the 2015 E3 Expo.
UPDATE: 2K Games has confirmed that their “new triple-A title” is actually XCOM 2, which is currently in development at Firaxis.
Bethesda will kick off E3 2015 with a Doom 4 gameplay reveal
Bethesda first pulled back the curtain on Doom 4 (I know, I know, it’s technically just Doom) at last year’s QuakeCon expo. The publisher has famously kept the footage under wraps, but the audience in Austin went wild for what they saw.
Today, Bethesda confirmed the latest sequel in id Software’s seminal shooter series will be on display for a much wider audience at this year’s E3 Expo. The “Doom Worldwide Gameplay Reveal” will take place during Bethesda’s first-ever E3 Press Conference on Sunday June 14 at 10:00 PM (Eastern Time).
A release date for Doom has yet to be announced, though we know the game is in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Players who pre-ordered Wolfenstein: The New Order before its launch last year will receive exclusive access to a closed beta for the game. However, the start date of the beta is also a mystery.
Divinity: Original Sin – Enhanced Edition will be released for PS4, Xbox One in Fall 2015
Larian Studios is partnering with publisher Focus Home Interactive to bring Divinity: Original Sin to the PS4 and Xbox One in a special “Enhanced Edition” this Fall. The RPG will receive a “full makeover” for its console debut:
A new intuitive user-interface tailored for controllers and couch friendly dynamic split-screen, with full voiced and remastered AAA dialogues featuring Alix Wilton Regan and Alec Newman, as well as hours of new content; quests, combat-styles, locations, changes to the crafting system and a reworked storyline breathing new life into the already expansive world of Rivellon.
What else can console players expect from Divinity: Original Sin? Larian had this to say…
- Become part of a reactive, living and open world. Explore diverse environments, find myriad creatures and tons of desirable items.
- Experience gripping, party and turn-based combat. Manipulate the environment and use skill & spell combos.
- Play in co-op multiplayer online or in local split-screen and engage in co-op dialogues. Shape your relationships with your partner that will influence the game.
- Unravel a deep and epic story, set in the early days of Rivellon. Taking place well before Divine Divinity and Divinity 2: The Dragon Knight Saga, Divinity: Original Sin presents you with a familiar world in another era.
- Classless system lets you shape your character any way you want. Endless item interaction and combinations take things to another level of freedom.
Larian and Focus Home have promised we’ll learn even more about Divinity: Original Sin – Enhanced Edition during next month’s E3 Expo.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Divinity: Original Sin, E3 2015
Tom Clancy’s The Division + “Unannounced AAA Title” will launch in early 2016
Tom Clancy’s The Division opens with a terrorist attack on Black Friday, but the game itself will definitely miss this year’s pre-Christmas shopping bonanza. That’s because Ubisoft has announced (via their latest Investor Presentation) the PC, PS4, and Xbox One game will be pushed back to early 2016. More specifically, the game will be released during the fourth quarter of Ubisoft’s 2016 fiscal year, which runs January 1, 2016 through March 31, 2016.
Antoine Emond, The Division’s Community Development Lead, delivered this message to fans on the game’s official website: “All of us at Massive, Reflections, Red Storm Entertainment, and Ubisoft Annecy want to ensure the game not only meets our high expectations but also those of our fans and players alike. We are proud of what we have achieved so far and can’t wait to show you more next month at E3!”
In the same Investor Presentation, Ubisoft also revealed that a previously unannounced “AAA Title” will be released in early 2016. More details will surely be revealed during the publisher’s E3 Press Conference, which is scheduled for June 15.
EA will release new Plants vs Zombies game and Need For Speed 2015 in next 12 months; Mirror’s Edge 2 coming in Spring 2016
Electronic Arts has quite an impressive array of titles planned for the next 12 months. But the publisher is also looking beyond this Fall and into 2016 with an equally interesting lineup of games.
During the company’s quarterly financial presentation last night, CEO Andrew Wilson reiterated that the publisher will release a new game in the Need For Speed series sometime in the next 12 months. A mobile version of the game is also in development.
Wilson also revealed that EA has a “bigger and bolder new console experience” for Plants vs Zombies fans in the pipeline for a late 2015/early 2016 launch. He wasn’t ready to go into details just yet, but did say that gamers will learn more about it at E3.
Less surprising is Wilson’s continued commitment to EA Sports and their yearly lineup. In addition to the previously announced Rory McIlroy PGA Tour and Madden NFL 16, the publisher plans to release FIFA 16, NHL 16, and NBA Live 16 this year. In case you’re curious, each game will feature “industry-leading gameplay, compelling new features, and fresh Ultimate Team experiences.”
Finally, Wilson announced that DICE’s untitled Mirror’s Edge sequel/reboot will be in Spring 2016. An E3 unveiling wasn’t promised, but it seems very likely at this point.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged E3 2015, FIFA 16, Mirror's Edge: Catalyst, NBA Live 16, Need For Speed, NHL 16, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
BREAKING NEWS! Microsoft will announce “new exclusive IP” at E3 2015
Let’s face it, the four-day barrage of E3 announcements doesn’t hold much surprise anymore. The actual announcements themselves are usually pretty surprising, but the event’s formulaic nature ensures that no matter how much everyone laments the death of non-franchise titles, dozens will be announced at and around the expo this year and every year into the future. Yesterday, while replying to questioners on his Twitter feed, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer confirmed that at least one such original property for the Xbox One will make its debut at this year’s E3 Expo:
@Masih3KA We should have new exclusive IP at E3. I'm trying to make this E3 more about 1st party than past E3s.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) April 19, 2015
Spencer also played the part of “good marketer” and began beating the “this is our best year ever” drum…
@thekeenpaladin This is going to be a fun year. I think it might be our best 1st party content year ever.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) April 19, 2015
Microsoft has a tremendously varied state of games in development for this year including Halo 5: Guardians, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Forza Motorsport 6, and Fable Legends. The publisher will also release original properties from Remedy (Quantum Break) and Platinum Games (Scalebound) in 2016. And those are just some of the games we know to be in development. So Microsoft will definitely have a crowded E3 Press Conference this year even before any new announcements are made. Just like they do every year.
The Legend of Zelda Wii U won’t be released in 2015
Delays are nothing new for The Legend of Zelda series. Nearly every game in the franchise has missed its originally announced release date. Today, The Legend of Zelda Wii U joins their ranks as Producer Eiji Aonuma confirmed the game won’t be ready for a late 2015 launch. Speaking in a video message to fans, Aonuma said that “new ideas” and “new possibilities” have encouraged the development team to take their time and produce “the ultimate Zelda” instead of attempting to hit an arbitrary deadline.
Aonuma’s full statement can be found right here:
Since I declared at the Game Awards in December that the game would launch in 2015, the directors and the many members of the development team have been working hard developing the game. In these last three months, as the team has experienced first-hand the freedom of exploration that hasn’t existed in any Zelda game to date, we have discovered several new possibilities for this game.
As we have worked to turn these possibilities into reality, new ideas have continued to spring forth, and it now feels like we have the potential to create something that exceeds my own expectations. As I have watched our development progress, I have come to think that rather than work with meeting a specific schedule as our main objective, and releasing a game that reflects only what we can create within that scheduled time, I feel strongly that our focus should be to bring all these ideas to life in a way that will make Zelda on Wii U the best game it can possibly be.
So I must apologize to all of you who were expecting the game by year’s end, but we are no longer making a 2015 release our number one priority. Instead, our priority is to make it the ultimate and most complete Zelda game. I hope to use the added time to make a Zelda on Wii U that will reward you for your patience. So thank you for your continued support.
A new release date wasn’t announced, but it’s assumed The Legend of Zelda Wii U will be released in 2016. However, Nintendo also announced (via Twitter) that the game won’t be shown at this year’s E3 Expo. So who knows when we’ll get another look at the next Legend of Zelda game.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged E3 2015, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Rumor: A new Guitar Hero game will be released this Fall for PS4, Xbox One
Last week, an anonymous source revealed to Bloomberg that Harmonix is looking to revive the Rock Band franchise. Right on cue, another round of rumors have revealed that Activision might bring back the Guitar Hero franchise as well.
Two separate sources recently spoke to Kotaku UK and both are saying the same thing: Guitar Hero 7 (or whatever it ends up being called) is in development for a Fall release on the PS4 and Xbox One. Though before that happens, Activision plans to publicly unveil the game during the 2015 E3 Expo alongside “new guitar peripherals” and a “more realistic” graphical style.
Kotaku UK’s sources also said that Guitar Hero 7 is in development at a west coast studio, which rules out the New York-based Vicarious Visions, the previous home of the franchise. However, Infinity Ward, which absorbed Guitar Hero III developer Neversoft in 2014, is located in California. Interesting… very interesting.
Activision would not confirm the rumors, but they did tell Kotaku UK: “We don’t comment on rumor or speculation, but have previously said, that as one of the most beloved entertainment franchises, we would only bring Guitar Hero back if we developed the right innovations to usher the franchise into the new generation of gaming.”
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged E3 2015, Guitar Hero Live