Here it is. Nicholas and I have given our thoughts on what we’ll see at several E3 2019 shows and this is the final one we’ll be doing. The Xbox E3 2019 showcase is less than a week away and we’re both very excited. There’s a lot to go over, though I want to point out that with a couple of important exceptions, we’re going to be staying away from third-party stuff and stick to the first-party content that Xbox will show. If you’re not sure when the Xbox E3 2019 showcase is being held, you can check the list here.
If you want to check out our previously released predictions, you can do so below:
Xbox E3 2019 Predictions
Sam: To start, we’ve got Ori and the Will of the Wisps. This is going to open the conference, before anything else has been shown. After a beautiful trailer, the release date is revealed, which will be either the 16th or 23rd of August.
Nick: I can agree with that. Next up, I think we’ll see Ninja Theory’s new game. From rumors, it’s a new IP and a sci-fi game with some form of co-op or multiplayer. Ninja Theory is a very talented studio and I’m eager to see just what they’ve come up with. This will be a cross-gen title sometime in 2020, possibly even along the launch of next-generation hardware.
Sam: While I agree with most of what you said, I think the release window is closer than we think. This game is early-mid 2020, with a release date somewhere from February to March.
Sam: We have to mention Battletoads as well. I can see this releasing in November 2019, though there is the possibility it gets pushed back to early 2020. I’m not expecting too much – just a fun, three-player, co-op brawler.
Nick: Battletoads could be out this year but realistically I see it slipping to Spring 2020.
Nick: One bit of third-party content I will mention is the possibility of a Dino Crisis remake. While Resident Evil and Monster Hunter are Capcom’s bread and butter, I can see them teasing a remake of the original Dino Crisis.
Sam: Well, since you mention that third-party presence, there’s one I have to mention. Cyberpunk 2077. While it won’t close the show this time, I definitely expect a new trailer, maybe even with some gameplay and a release window of Spring 2020.
Nick: Now, I might end up sounding like a fool, since this article and video go live after the reveal event for Call of Duty, but I think it’s also possible that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has Xbox marketing, assuming anybody has the marketing deal.
Sam: I’ll throw a bit of a wildcard out: I think we’ll see an old Xbox IP revisited. When I say that though, I don’t mean something like Conker or Banjo. This’ll be an obscure IP, something that will have people going “Huh. They owned that?” After all, Global Publishing has to be working on some different projects, even if they are likely saving some for next year.
Nick: This is more of a wish than a prediction, but I really hope that The Last Night shows up again. It looked absolutely stunning, so hopefully Tim and his team are ready to show it off again, maybe even with a vague 2020 release window.
Sam: So, studio acquisitions. We both think there’s a possibility Xbox Game Studios grows further this year.
Nick: There is. There have been “rumors” going around that studios like IO Interactive, Asobo and Relic Entertainment are being acquired. While I doubt the veracity of these rumors, I think acquisitions are certainly possible. I’m expecting at max three new additions to Xbox Game Studios.
Sam: I think two new studios are very possible. We know they’re not done growing but it’s not going to be the insane acquisition-fest it was last year.
Sam: It’s difficult to know where they’ll be but I have to bring up Gears 5 and Halo Infinite. Both are showpiece titles that we’ll get a new look at. For Halo Infinite, I can see a gameplay trailer that emphasizes what the Slipspace engine is bringing. Gears 5 will have a huge presence, with an extensive campaign demo and a release date, which I think will fall sometime in September.
Nick: As the show begins wrapping up, they are going to talk tech. Project xCloud and the next-generation of Xbox hardware will both get shown off here. What are your thoughts on xCloud? In addition, while I think there will be a Project Scorpio-style teaser for the next generation (known as Anaconda and Lockhart), do you feel they’ll show off a game running on this hardware?
Sam: For Project xCloud, they’ll probably take about five minutes to talk about it, with public trials beginning this fall and the announcement that it is included in Xbox Game Pass. Regarding showing off next-gen games: If they do, there’s two possibilities. A second demo for what Halo Infinite looks like on next-gen hardware, or a teaser for the long-rumored, all-but-confirmed Fable by Playground Games.
With that, our E3 2019 prediction series is wrapped up. If you’d like to listen to an in-depth version of this conversation for what we expect at the Xbox E3 2019 show, you can do so at the YouTube video below:
