E3 has become a bit superfluous in recent years. In 2017, FinalBoss covered the news and announcements in our breakdown podcast, and we weren’t shy about how disappointing we thought the news was. With live streams, social media and everything else that wonderful world-wide-web has to offer, expos like E3 are becoming a bit old hot.
They just don’t carry the same clout that they used to. The fact that Bethesda announced Fallout 76 right before the actual event, instead of during E3, is a testament to this.
Still, there are enough rumours clanging around the E3 2018 mystery box to have piqued our interest just a little bit. So, let’s take a quick look at what we expect to see come out of the event this year, as well as what we’d like to see:
Gears of War 5
While we at FinalBoss are massive fans of the Gears of War series, and Gears of War 4, let’s just say the title wasn’t received all that well by some fans. With so many cracks showing in The Coalition’s game, many feared we’d never get a follow-up.
Plenty of rumours have been flying around in recent days though, about an announcement of the next title at E3. From talk of jobs going for roles working on the next title to the leak by WalMart, and Microsoft’s strong ties to the event, there plenty of signs pointing towards an E3 announcement.
Fortnite: Nintendo Switch Edition
Okay granted, it’s not as exciting as a new console or the next big Mario title, but for Switch owners, this is still big news. Fortnite is the juggernaut game of 2018. It’s the most popular game on the planet and with the recent announcement of $100 million dollar tournament prize pools, that popularity isn’t set to go anywhere fast.
Available on Xbox, PS4, PC and even Mac, Switch is the last gaming bastion this title has to conquer and at E3 2018, we expect to see it reach Nintendo’s peak.
Halo 6 
Halo releases are not entirely consistent, but they do follow a regular 3-4 year platform — usually one major FPS title every 3 years. With Halo 5 landing in 2015, this year is set to be when Halo hits the shelves.
So, if Halo 6 is to be released this year, E3 will be the place you’ll get the details, having been the launch platform for so many other titles in the series.
Now, eagle-eyed Microsoft fans will note that we are predicting both Gears of War 5 and Halo 6 in 2018, which would seem unlikely. The studio tends to have an annual spread between these landmark titles, releasing them one after the other to give them both room to breathe and a chance to pick up interest.
However, given how Microsoft is getting slain in the console wars, despite the Xbox One X’s release, it might be a smart move to release both these major titles in Q4 of 2018, just in time for Christmas and just in time to boost those console sales — especially as both will be highly optimised for the Xbox One X system.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2
This one is a major shot in the dark. A real wild card.
Sorry…
E3 was the announcement platform for Breath of the Wild back in 2016, so it seems only fitting that Nintendo would do the same for a sequel. Given that the game was so popular and so well received, it is incredibly likely another is already in the pipeline.
We don’t expect to see much or anything of this game. But, we do wonder if there might be teasings of some concept artwork or even just word that it is coming at some point in the future. People will be asking, so why not take advantage of the hype?
Breath of the Wild really was a hit people weren’t expecting. Sure, it was a Zelda game, it was going to do well, but nobody was quite prepared for just how well. In the modern gaming environment, where competition is so damn tough, keeping up interest and intrigue is important for studios to maintain dominance and sell those consoles. We think we might just get something out of Nintendo about a Breath of the Wild sequel, even if it is just to make sure the game doesn’t start to slip from people’s minds.
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