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All Articles: E3 2016
Mass Effect: Andromeda blasts off for E3 2016 (and an Early 2017 release date)
EA and BioWare are very excited about Mass Effect: Andromeda, and they’ve confirmed that fans will be able to share in this excitement beginning next month. Writing on the the game’s official website, Aaryn Flynn, the General Manager of BioWare said that Mass Effect: Andromeda will be a big part of EA’s E3 Press Conference, which is scheduled for June 12.
Flynn also shared some details about the team’s progress:
- More Freedom: One of our biggest ambitions is to give players an unprecedented level of freedom for a Mass Effect experience –where you’ll go, how you’ll get there, and how you’ll play.
- New Uncharted Worlds: We’re leaving the Milky Way behind and headed to Andromeda, where we’ll meet new allies, confront new enemies, and explore fascinating new worlds.
- The Next Great Mass Effect Experience: Mass Effect: Andromeda will be the first Mass Effect game for today’s consoles and the first built on the Frostbite engine. We’re pushing the technology to deliver visuals, story, and gameplay that have never been done in franchise history.
Finally, Flynn also thought he was announcing a slight delay for Mass Effect: Andromeda, but EA CFO Blake Jorgensen actually beat him to the punch a few months ago. Regardless of who said it first, the game will officially be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in “Early 2017.”
Nintendo reiterates that The Legend of Zelda Wii U will be their focus at E3 2016
I’ve got bad news for everyone who was hoping that Nintendo’s “All Zelda, All the Time” mantra for this year’s E3 Expo was just a prelude to a brain-busting slew of surprises. In an announcement today, the consolemaker reiterated that The Legend of Zelda Wii U will be the only playable demo available at their booth.
“At E3 this year, we’re treating people to an immersive Zelda experience,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “By giving attendees extended hands-on time with this remarkable game, they’ll be able to get a much deeper understanding of something new for the franchise.”
Nintendo is even eschewing their traditional E3 Digital Event for a special Treehouse Live broadcast, that’ll focus entirely on Zelda Wii U. Scheduled to begin on Tuesday, June 14, at 12:00 Noon (Eastern Time), the special stream will be the world’s first “in-depth” look at the game, and fans are encouraged to tune in through Nintendo.com, YouTube, and Twitch.
While this news is disappointing for fans who wanted to learn more about the NX, Nintendo wants to send one lucky fan to the E3 Expo to play Zelda Wii U on the show floor. All you have to do is send a tweet to @NintendoAmerica about what the Zelda franchise means to you using the hashtags #MyZeldaLegends and #NintendoSweepstakes by May 10. The winning fan will also be able to invite a guest because it’s dangerous to go alone.
The Legend of Zelda Wii U will be released sometime next year for the Wii U and the NX.
Posted in News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged E3 2016, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Dishonored 2 will sneak into stores on November 11; Full reveal planned for E3 2016
Bethesda and Arkane Studios have kept quiet about Dishonored 2 since its E3 2015 debut, but that all changes today as the publisher and developer confirmed that it’ll be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 11.
In the stealthy sequel, players will have a choice of two playable characters: Corvo Attano or Empress Emily Kaldwin. Both characters are front and center on the cover of this month’s issue of Game Informer, which will also include an in-depth discussion with the team behind Dishonored 2 including Creative Director Harvey Smith, Lead Designer Dinga Bakaba, and Art Director Sebastien Mitton.
Bethesda also promised to give the public their first look at actual gameplay from Dishonored 2 during their 2016 E3 Showcase, which will take place just ahead of the E3 Expo on Sunday, June 12.
Insomniac announces two more VR titles and a release date for Edge of Nowhere
Insomniac Games is making a big move into virtual reality titles this year. During a special media event last week, the developer revealed two new VR games, both of which will be available exclusively for the Oculus Rift by the end of the year.
In Feral Rites (Release Date: Fall 2016), players will take control of a shapeshifting brawler, who has returned to the mystical island of his birth to avenge his father’s death:
Feral Rites is a VR adventure-brawler set on a mystical island. Avenge the death of your father by brawling your way through harrowing missions and quests. Immerse yourself exploring unique areas of the island from under the jungle canopy to ruined temples while mastering new abilities — including the power to transform into a feral beast. Witness the brutality of savage violence all around you.
Also in development is The Unspoken (Release Date: November 2016), a first-person spellcasting game where players compete in an “urban magic fight club”:
Learn the secret art of spellcasting. Veteran developer Insomniac Games presents The Unspoken—an Oculus Touch‐enabled VR action game that pulls players into a hidden world of spellcasting and magicians’ duels. Manipulate the environment around you with the powerful arcane forces that flow through your fingertips, summon unfathomable monstrosities with your bare hands, and rise up through the ranks of an urban magic fight club.
More details and screenshots for both games can be found at Insomniac’s website (Feral Rites and The Unspoken) and a pair of teaser trailers can be found after the break. Both games will also be playable at this year’s E3 Expo.
Insomniac also has a third VR title in development, the Lovecraftian Edge of Nowhere, and we now know it’ll be released on June 6. (more…)
Posted in News, PC
Tagged E3 2016, Edge of Nowhere, The Unspoken
First teaser for Titanfall 2 promises a PC, PS4, Xbox One launch and a June 12 reveal
EA and Respawn Entertainment officially announced Titanfall 2 today, and confirmed the game is indeed in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Unfortunately, this announcement is a bit short on details, though EA did unveil a pretty great teaser trailer for the game. Just 44 seconds long, the clip shows an escape pod being approached by a Titan with a big honking sword. I thought the “mech with a sword” scenes from Avatar were pretty silly, but I have a feeling that EA and Respawn can make it work.
We’ll learn more about Titanfall 2 during a “Worldwide Reveal” presentation that EA will host on June 12, as part of their Pre-E3 EA Play festivities.
Deep Silver is planning to make a “major announcement” at E3 2016
Ever since acquiring the rights to Saints Row and Metro during the THQ auction (and the subsequent acquistion of Homefront), Deep Silver has become a name that a lot of gamers are now familiar with. Thanks to these acquisitions, and the continued success of the Dead Island franchise, Deep Silver is no longer thought of as a small publisher staring up at giants. They may not be a giant themselves yet, but the company is clearly on an upward path.
That’s why it’s not exactly a surprise to hear CEO Klemens Kundratitz tell MCV that the publisher is “very much looking forward to E3,” because they’re going to use the gaming expo to make “[their] next major announcement.”
While it’s easy to assume Kundratitz is referring to Saints Row 5 or Metro 3, there’s always the chance the company could branch off into a new direction, as he also said: “Deep Silver has evolved over the last five years as a leading independent developer and global publisher. We are closing the gap between us and the top league of games companies. But at the same time we are determined to keep our independent spirit to be a great publishing partner for other independent companies and form alliances that work for both partners in the long-term, in both the physical and digital space.”
The 2016 E3 Expo kicks off on June 14.
Posted in News
Tagged Agents of Mayhem, E3 2016
Call of Duty 2016 will make its debut at E3, but Activision will skip the show floor this year
Activision has announced that Call of Duty 2016, which is in development at Infinity Ward, will make its public debut at this year’s E3 Expo. The highly anticipated new game will receive a prime showcase during Sony’s E3 Press Conference, where developers from Infinity Ward plan to provide a gameplay walkthrough and reveal some of the game’s new features.
However, Activision also said they won’t have a booth on the E3 show floor this year. That makes them the second major publisher to drop out of the show after EA’s similar departure in January.
Even without a presence at the year’s biggest gaming event, Activision’s Scott Lowe also found the time to talk about the Call of Duty World League’s Challenge Division and the Call of Duty Championship over at the Activision Games Blog.
Take-Two CEO: “We will be at E3 2016 in a big way”
Take-Two Interactive’s two publishing labels (2K Games and Rockstar Games) didn’t release many new games in 2015, but CEO Strauss Zelnick wants to change that this year. The executive revealed that Take-Two plans to have a big presence at the 2016 E3 Expo during a recent conversation with MCV, when he admitted, “We will be there in a big way.”
Obviously, the specifics of Zelnick’s statement are still a big mystery at the moment. But with the recent PC-exclusive launch for XCOM 2, and a tentative 2016 schedule that also includes Battleborn, Mafia III, NBA 2K17, and WWE 2K17, the publisher can easily turn heads at the industry’s biggest showcase.
Hopefully we’ll even learn a bit more about Rockstar’s next project, which may or may not be Red Dead Redemption 2.