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E3 2016 Predictions – Adam Lloyd’s Picks

PlayStation VR

The exciting entertainment extravaganza known as E3 will begin once again on June 13th. Given that the show will soon be upon us, we at Power Up Gaming will be making our predictions as to what we’ll see at E3 this year. These are my personal predictions and I don’t exactly have a great track record at this, so be sure to check back after the event and see how accurate I was, or laugh at my ineptitude.

Sony Unveils Neo, Microsoft Remains Tight Lipped On Scorpio

psneo
How about I give you the finger, and you give me an updated console?

The PlayStation Neo is all but a guarantee at this point, and details about Microsoft’s project Scorpio have also leaked out. The rhetoric from Sony and Microsoft strongly hints that they’re ready to iterate on the consoles they released in 2013, so this seems like an obvious prediction for this year’s E3.

Going further, my prediction is that the Neo will be available before the end of the year, just in time for the Christmas rush. The leaked design documents from Sony suggest that PlayStation developers will have to support the Neo (or whatever the final name for the console ends up being) before the end of the year. If the separate Microsoft leaks are correct, Microsoft have an Xbox One Slim console to plug this Christmas, so they probably won’t even mention Scorpio so as not to hurt their Slim console sales later this year. If the Neo and the Xbox One Slim don’t get announced at E3, I’ll eat my hat, then your hat, then I’ll go on a hat-eating spree in a shopping centre.

Likeliness – Bet your children’s lives on it

Bethesda To Announce Prey 2

prey2
We can only PREY for an announcement here.

Rumours have been circling around the Internet for weeks regarding Prey 2, so it seems that Bethesda has a leak somewhere. Recently, domains have been registered for Prey2.com and Prey3.com, both of which redirect to hidden Facebook pages, which seems like the most solid evidence for the game’s existence.

Officially announced in 2011 with an impressive trailer, Prey 2 has been something of a mystery since then. The game was officially cancelled in 2014, but rumours persisted that Arkane Austin had taken over the reins from Human Head Studios, and were still developing the game. Perhaps Prey 2 as it existed in 2011 no longer exists, but something could still rise from those ashes, even if it’s a totally different game to what we were shown initially.

Given that Bethesda have an entire E3 press conference to fill, the timing seems all too perfect for this announcement. With a new Elder Scrolls or Fallout unlikely given Fallout 4’s recent release, and the fact that id have only just released Doom, Bethesda really need something else to justify their conference this year. Dishonoured 2 is on the horizon, but surely that can’t be the sole focus of their E3 presentation. The time just feels right for Prey 2, but how it will look after so long in the oven remains to be seen.

Likeliness – The odds are good, but the goods are odd.

A Lack Of PlayStation VR News

The development name should have been "Project Cyclops"
The development name should have been “Project Cyclops”

This is a bit of a nebulous prediction, but I suspect that Sony will be reluctant to show off too much regarding the PSVR at this year’s E3. It’s a difficult prediction to measure, and the PSVR will surely be evident at Sony’s conference, but I suspect Sony will be playing it cool on the whole VR front in general.

Both Oculus and Vive have already been released this year, and both have failed to usher in the new dawn of virtual reality so far. Sony are likely to announce the PlayStation Neo, and they will be eager to get their messaging right regarding the console, leaving little room for VR announcements. It’s likely that the PSVR will get mentioned as an additional feature during game announcements, but there isn’t a lot more to learn about the device. We already know the price, what’s included in the box, and when it will be released. That doesn’t mean that Sony are shying away from the idea of PSVR, just that they’ll probably have more of a focus on it closer to its launch date.

Likeliness – As middle of the road as Cat’s Eyes

The Last Of Us 2 Announced

Joel: You haven't seen the last of us! Ellie: So embarrassing...
Joel: You haven’t seen the last of us!
Ellie: So embarrassing…

I predicted this as an announcement for last year’s PlayStation Experience, and I’ll keep bringing it back until it finally becomes a reality. That isn’t to say that I’m desperate for this sequel, but our stellar reporting in the past suggests that it is going to happen at some point. With Uncharted 4 out of the way, we don’t officially know what Naughty Dog’s plans are in the future, so an announcement at E3 would make sense.

Also, Sony seem rather keen this generation to show games years before they are due for release. With Shenmue 3 and Final Fantasy VII still part of a distant future where hovercars and electric smart shoes exist, it wouldn’t be shocking if we got a very nebulous teaser trailer surrounding The Last of Us 2. Even Uncharted 4 was revealed back in 2013, so it’s not as if Sony and Naughty Dog don’t have form in this regard. This is still an outsider bet, but it wouldn’t surprise me either.

Likeliness – Possible, but not probable.

New Conker Game Announced

The Great Almighty Poo is fun and everything, but he can be a bit corny.
The Great Almighty Poo is fun and everything, but he can be a bit corny.

So that no one can accuse me of console bias, here’s an announcement prediction for the Xbox One. Unfortunately, this is something that has been teased in the past, but never quite seems to come to fruition. With Microsoft appearing keen to resurrect some of Rare’s older franchises such as Battletoads and Killer Instinct, could we see a return of their furry, foul-mouthed mascot?

Part of the apathy towards Project Spark has something to do with the fact that people initially believed it was a new Conker game. The message seemed to be “if you want a new Conker game, make it yourself”. Maybe there are practical business reasons that have stopped them making a new Conker in recent years, or maybe Microsoft and Rare just hold Conker in contempt. Whatever the reason, consider this an outside bet for E3 this year.

Likeliness – As likely as getting an invite to the Pope’s stag do.

So there are my predictions, but what are yours? What would you like to see at E3 this year? What do you think will likely be announced? Let us know in the comments section below.

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