E3 2019 is shaping up to be a hot one, with huge game announcements and even rumors of a new console generation on the horizon, for Sony and Microsoft at least. That means this year could be the last batch of games made specifically for the current console generation, leaving a lot of room for experimental games to be announced and released soon after, as is the norm for such times. Still, it’s hard to predict those games ahead of time, and there’s a lot of cool stuff that could be announced without even dipping into that well.
E3 2019 Wishlist: Games we want to be announced
Here are ten such games I see a chance of being released even if nothing concrete has been said yet.
Starfield
Details about Starfield have been almost nonexistent since Bethesda’s 2018 E3 conference. All we know is the name, it is set in space, and it will most likely use the Creation Engine with Bethesda’s new rendering techniques. While Todd Howard has said it won’t be announced at E3 this year, Todd Howard also has a reputation for…let’s say creative truthtelling, so that’s not as clear cut as it would be coming from some other figures in the business. While we may not get a true announcement, there’s always room for some first look at the game’s premise, setting, and basic gameplay ideas even if a release date isn’t set.
Metroid Prime 4
While the project was sent back to the drawing board in January, it’s been teasing us with its existence for two years now. Even with the game being reset to zero, by the time Nintendo’s E3 conference rolls around this year there might be enough to show a trailer or have a quick update on the game’s progress with six months of development in the rear view.
Great Rune
While Great Rune’s mere existence is a series of rumors, they’re ones that haven’t been denied and have been independently verified by several sources. From Software had already announced they were working on two other projects concurrent with Sekiro so the rumored Norse Mythology inspired game could be further along than anyone might expect. We’ll have to wait until Microsoft’s conference on June 9 to see if any of these rumors hold water, and what kind of game it will be. If Sekiro is any indication it might be a very different kind of game than the Souls-like games they’ve become synonymous with in the last few years, given the core gameplay differences between Sekiro and those titles. With the rumors that George R.R. Martin is consulting for the game’s story, it could even be a more plot-driven game than previous titles.
Dragon’s Dogma 2
Hideaki Itsuno is on record as having loved making Dragon’s Dogma and has been talking for years about making a sequel when the tech is there for such an ambitious game. It was even on the short list for games he wanted to make before any other (the list’s only other entry being Devil May Cry 5). While obviously DMC 5 got made first, that doesn’t mean all hope is lost for Dragon’s Dogma by any means. With the somewhat surprising re-release on the Nintendo Switch being so recent, I think we have a good chance of seeing a sequel to Capcom’s unique RPG some time in the near future.
Kingdoms of Amalur
Does anybody remember this game? Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning was an action RPG released in 2012 with a lot of the industry’s big names under its belt. R.A. Salvatore on the writing staff, the incomparable Grant Kirkhope on the score, Todd McFarlane on art, and Ken Rolston as the head designer. Unfortunately, the game failed to do much of anything with that wealth of talent, but the spark for something was definitely there, for a sequel to turn a mediocre and repetitive action game into an all-time great. Unfortunately, 38 Studios (and with it Big Huge Games) ceased to exist not long after release, and the IP seemed lost to time…until September of last year, when THQ Nordic acquired all of 38 Studios’ properties. Given THQ Nordic has long been a prominent developer of hack and slash games (such as the Darksiders series), that marriage of their expertise in that genre married to the original game’s RPG elements could be a very promising mix.
Endless Legend 2
Endless Legend is my favorite 4X game of all time. It scratches an itch for me no other has been able to match. Unfortunately, it has yet to get a sequel, unlike its cousin (Endless Space). While made by Amplitude Studios it is published by Sega, who are in the interesting position of having a spot at E3 this year but only one confirmed upcoming game (Judgment), so it wouldn’t be out of the question for something from one of the smaller studios under its umbrella to be showcased to ‘fill out’ the show this year. It’s a long shot, but not completely out of the question.
Something From Intellivision
Kind of vague, sure, but I genuinely don’t know what to expect from this. All we know is that Intellivision is alive again, they’re making a new console (the Amico), and it will have an Earthworm Jim game created by the original team. And that they’ll have an E3 spot this year, of course. This is one of the more vaguely bemusing, but new companies to watch this year, and pretty much no matter what they announce it’s sure to be unexpected.
Puzzle and Dragons 2
A nod to the mobile market for one of the few mobile game companies on the roster. GungHo created a very good game in Puzzle and Dragons. I played it for close to two years religiously, building my teams (mono-Fire orbs Shiva team for the longest period of time before moving to a Yog-Sothoth team), puzzling, and having a grand time. Unfortunately by the time you get to the true endgame content the game is, honestly, a bit of a slog. The numbers just kept inflating and certain mechanics started pushing a lot of teams completely out of the current content until I just hit a wall I no longer had the time to put into breaking over. A sequel could be a good way to kind of reboot the gradual power creep and insane numbers inflation the game has indulged in over the years and bring in a new crowd.
Dead Island 2
Dead Island was a good game. Not great, flawed in a lot of ways, but good. Riptide was even better as sort of a glorified expansion pack for the original. A sequel was announced in 2014 and since then nothing. We know it’s been stuck in development hell (changing studios at least twice) and it hasn’t been canceled, but nothing really new. Hopefully, some answers come out of Deep Silver’s panel this year about what’s been going on with its development and how things are progressing.
Guild Wars 3
Guild Wars is an interesting franchise, not least because it’s one of the few MMORPGs with an actual sequel. I liked Guild Wars 2, but it lacked a little something to keep me hooked, which seems to be a popular sentiment given the massive layoffs ArenaNet suffered earlier this year. The company needs a shot in the arm, so maybe they’ll announce they’re ceasing development for Guild Wars 2 and focusing on a new game that learns from the mistakes in transitioning from the first to the second game that left so many colds.
And that’s it for now, a short list of things that would be interesting to see that aren’t already shoe-ins for the announcement.
