The games of E3 2016: What we expect, company by company

Check it out below, and let us know your predictions in the comments at the bottom of the page.

2K Games

2K Games/Hangar 13

Now that Battleborn is out, you can expect a big push for Mafia 3 and Civilization 6 at the show. With any luck, we’re also hopeful for a first glimpse of the next Borderlands, which Gearbox has mentioned it’s working on, or possibly a sequel to Evolve or a look at Ken Levine’s experimental new game.

505 Games

We wouldn’t be surprised to see something new from 505, but more than that, we’re looking forward to a big update on underwater adventure game Abzu from developer Giant Squid. Maybe we’ll get a release date for the game?

Activision

Activision isn’t running a booth on the show floor this year, but that doesn’t mean Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Skylanders can’t make their way into Sony or Microsoft’s press conferences. Last year, Call of Duty made news when Activision announced an exclusive content deal with Sony instead of long-running partner Microsoft. Could history repeat this year? We’re also expecting to see new Destiny content, either in the form of DLC or the first glimpse at a proper sequel.

Atlus

Atlus generally tends to save big Persona reveals for Japanese publications and events, but if we believe the people who tell us release dates, this year’s E3 will likely be the last major U.S. show before Persona 5 hits. And with the series’ growing popularity in the West, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Atlus bring its big gun for some new details.

Bethesda

Dishonored 2 seems like a lock, given recent press coverage, and a look at Fallout 4 or Doom DLC seems like a safe bet. But for Bethesda to fill a full press conference, it has to have something else, right? If that means a new game from one of the company’s internal studios, we might be looking at a follow-up to Wolfenstein or The Evil Within, or the rumored revival of Prey 2.

Bandai Namco

It seems almost certain that we’ll hear more about Tekken 7 console plans at the show, but the good money says we may also see something new in VR from Bandai Namco, given the company’s extensive support to date. Maybe E3 is when the company will finally show Tekken VR?

Capcom

Everyone’s waiting for the elephant in the room, Resident Evil 7, and recent rumors say it might debut at E3 as a return to the series’ roots. It’s been four years since Capcom released RE6, and while Capcom has slowed down its big releases in general, the timing feels right for a return to one of its biggest series. We also expect to see closer looks at Street Fighter 5 DLC and Umbrella Corps.

CD Projekt Red

After The Witcher 3 won all sorts of awards last year, many are watching to see what’s next from CD Projekt Red. In a recent interview with Eurogamer, company co-founder Marcin Iwinski hinted that the company may show something new at E3, but said it would not be its upcoming game Cyberpunk 2077. Maybe more Witcher 3 DLC?

Crytek

Crytek always has its hands in a number of different pies, so we may see something unexpected from the team at E3 this year. But with The Climb now available, might it be time for Crytek to show off its big PlayStation VR game Robinson: The Journey at this year’s show?

Deep Silver

We know Mighty No.9 will be there, as it’s scheduled to release the week after the show, Deep Silver seems overdue for something new. Might we see the return of Dead Island?

Devolver Digital

Sloclap

While not appearing on the show floor, Devolver will be nearby to show off its roster, including the recently announced multiplayer action game Absolver, retro throwback shooter Strafe and, according to the company, a new VR game in an "established franchise, from a well known developer."

Double Fine

Double Fine Productions

With Psychonauts 2 still a ways off, we don’t expect to see it at this year’s show, but Double Fine rarely lets a big event go by without showing something. The timing seems right for an appearance from its PlayStation VR game, Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin, which we don’t know much about just yet.

Electronic Arts

DICE/Electronic Arts

EA skipped out on the E3 show floor this year in order to hold an offsite event of its own, EA Play, but we still expect big news from the company the week of the show, starting with Titanfall 2. On the top of that, we’re hopeful for the first significant look at Mass Effect Andromeda and a tease of some sort for one of EA’s multiple new Star Wars games on the way. Battlefield 1 is a lock as well, and will likely be one of the most-talked-about games at the show, despite not being there.

Epic Games

Epic has a pretty full roster at the moment, between Fortnite, Paragon, Unreal Tournament and a host of engine and VR projects, so we don’t expect word of any major new games from the company’s homebase in North Carolina. But could this be the coming out party for Spyjinx, from Epic’s Utah-based Chair Entertainment? Chair has hinted that a proper look at the game isn’t too far off, so there seems like a chance of an appearance. And maybe we’ll finally get a Fortnite release date, as well.

GungHo

We know GungHo is putting on a concert to promote Grasshopper’s action game Let it Die at E3, so we’re guessing that will be the publisher’s main focus at the show this year. The game has received a mixed reaction online to date, so now seems like the team’s chance to show all its cards and try to win over players.

Koei Tecmo

Team Ninja/Sony Interactive Entertainment

Attack on Titan and Nioh are pretty safe bets to appear in one form or another, but could Koei Tecmo have any surprises up its sleeves? A new Musou game? A new licensed partnership? The return of Ninja Gaiden? Your guess is as good as ours.

Konami

We’re pretty sure Konami will have the latest version of Pro Evolution Soccer at this year’s show, but we don’t expect much else, as Konami has shifted away from big Western-focused console games and the majority of its lineup stays overseas these days.

Microsoft

Microsoft has a bunch of games that we haven’t seen in recent months, so we expect substantial updates on Halo Wars 2, Scalebound, ReCore, Forza, Crackdown 3 and Sea of Thieves, alongside sure thing Gears of War 4. Given that list, we don’t know how much room Microsoft will have to announce new titles, but we expect to see at least a couple new first party games, alongside new Xbox hardware announcements.

Nexon

We know to expect LawBreakers, the new shooter from Cliff Bleszinski’s team at Boss Key. But Nexon seems overdue for something else big. Might we see a new game announcement from Nexon at the show?

Nintendo

Nintendo

Nintendo made a point to set expectations early by saying it won’t be showing its new console at E3 and instead will focus its entire show on the new Zelda game for Wii U. But what will it show for Zelda? We’re guessing the hands-on demo will focus on playing up the game’s open-world aspects that Nintendo’s been big on talking up in previous events. There have to be at least a couple more Zelda-related announcements as well, though, to help Nintendo distract from only having one game at the show.

Oculus

Since the launch of Oculus’ Rift headset, the company has been steadily releasing games like The Climb and Edge of Nowhere, and now seems to be about the right time for Oculus to start rolling out its second wave of software announcements. We know of a handful, like Insomniac’s animal fighting game Feral Rites, but it seems like there have to be more on the way soon. Will Oculus reveal them at E3?

Rockstar

Rockstar hasn’t made a big appearance at E3 in many years, so don’t expect anything from it on the show floor. But recent Take-Two executive comments suggest Rockstar has something to announce soon, which could potentially mean an appearance in Microsoft or Sony’s press conferences. The safe money says there’s a Red Dead Redemption sequel on the way at some point, given how well that game sold. Might it be there?

Sega

We kind of know what to expect from Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War 3 at this point, but we’re guessing E3 is where we’ll learn a lot more. And Sega has been teasing new Sonic the Hedgehog news for awhile now. Could E3 be where we finally see what’s happening next with the blue blur?

Sony

Sony keeps saying The Last Guardian is still coming out this year, so now seems like the time to show it in a big way. We’re hoping for a release date, or maybe even some kind of surprise you-can-buy-it-now moment like has been popular with other games in recent years, though we’re probably hoping for a little too much with that one. We’re also expecting big new looks at Horizon: Zero Dawn, Detroit: Become Human, the PlayStation VR launch lineup and maybe the next God of War. And then there’s that business about a new PS4 console.

Square Enix

With Final Fantasy XV locked to a release date in September, it seems like a safe bet that it will be a major push for Square Enix at the show, alongside Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Rise of the Tomb Raider for PS4. Question marks surround the Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Kingdom Hearts 3, though. Will Square hold them back to keep the spotlight on Final Fantasy XV, or does it want to keep the momentum going for its next big bets out of Japan?

Starbreeze

With all of Starbreeze’s recent VR partnership announcements, we wouldn’t be surprised to see more of those on the way. And we’re very curious what’s up with the company’s Walking Dead game, which we haven’t seen much of in recent months. Could it be making its return to the show?

Ubisoft

It’s rare to see an E3 without big announcements from Ubisoft. This year’s obvious contenders are Ghost Recon Wildlands and For Honor, both of which have been quiet since last year’s show. But we’re also expecting a Watch Dogs sequel and at least one other big new game reveal, given recent Ubisoft comments.

Valve

Valve typically goes small at E3, showing off behind closed door demos rather than putting on a splashy show with big announcements. But with Vive out in a now-competitive market, could we see more VR on the way? Seems likely.

Warner Bros.

Lego everything seems like a certainty, from The Force Awakens to Dimensions, but it seems about time for WB to announce another big title. Rumors point towards Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor 2, and we’re also curious what Rocksteady is up to after finishing its Batman trilogy.

Other

A lot of the best surprises at E3 come from smaller companies, and this year seems like it will continue that trend. Apart from new announcements, we’re hopeful for new looks at Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, Cuphead, Inside, Rime, Shenmue 3, Tacoma, Wild, Yooka Laylee and hopefully a bunch of others that have yet to be announced.

E3 2016 begins on June 14, with press conferences starting June 12. For the big announcements, make sure to check out our

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