Square Enix E3 2018: What to Expect

Square Enix will be having a very strong E3 this year with a number of large scale titles and possibly some release dates on highly anticipated titles. This will be their first show in awhile where they'll have their own conference type event. It'll just be an online stream to view, but an interesting change for them. I prefer an audience setup as opposed to just a stream, but whatever works for the publishers. I think the crowd adds some level of excitement, anyways. At that showcase of titles they'll have some of their primary games being displayed, but I also feel that some of the marketing type deals will still appear on either Xbox, Playstation or Nintendo conferences.

Looking at the first conference, I'm fairly confident Xbox will display Shadow of the Tomb Raider gameplay. This is based on what I noticed at the Montreal reveal event I attended. I also feel Life is Strange 2 might be revealed there, the title has been in development as I reported that from E3 2017, and Before the Storm was shown at the Xbox conference last time around. At the Playstation conference we might finally see more from the Final Fantasy VII Remake and Kingdom Hearts III. The latter seems the most likely as the press tours around that game are picking up.
When it comes to the Nintendo Direct I feel there might be some secret Monster Hunter thing going on, maybe an expansion on the strange Resident Evil 7 streaming setup. Not showcasing it as to say, but other games getting a similar treatment or more general availability. Perhaps even some Dragon Quest? Again, not entirely sure what Nintendo is going to have from them. At their own conference there will probably be release dates and some more teases. I think they'll keep things brief if their partners are going to focus on the games more. Keep in mind the Playstation conference is that evening.

I'm fairly confident we'll see their Avengers project and it would make sense to see it in 2019, I say that because Avengers 4 is landing which will be a huge event. Whatever the case, probably some gameplay for it. Would be nice to see that game playable too, but we'll see. I would say it's unlikely we see Deus Ex, their studios are quite busy. NieR: Automata could be coming to Xbox One, that was rumored recently and could be a fun surprise for them to announce. Another guess might be for Life is Strange: Before the Storm on mobile, since the original season was recently made available there. It plays really well! Maybe we'll see some other surprises, but this is a really stacked list. They may even present indies from their amazing "Collective" effort as that has been steadily growing.

When it comes to the show floor I imagine things will be similar with some floor expansion. Large video screens, lots of playable stations and a really open area. Perhaps some smaller theater rooms, was able to sneak in for a Life is Strange: Before the Storm presentation last year which was awesome so hopefully that's continued in some fashion as fans loved it. I'm supposed to be booking with the North America side of Square Enix, so hopefully that gets rolling soon. Should be one of their best displays at the show, I'm really curious how that Avengers game will generally just run. What type of game it will be and so forth.

Read our Shadow of the Tomb Raider Interview
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