Bethesda isn’t the biggest game publisher around, but the company consistently releases some of the best games in the entire industry. This year, all eyes were on its E3 press conference, as Bethesda was rumored to have a new original role-playing IP in the works. It was also scheduled to be our first chance to see the mysterious Fallout 76. We got both of those things and so much more, making it one of the publisher’s best E3 shows ever. Here are the biggest games Bethesda showed off during its E3 2018 press conference.
‘Rage 2’
Bethesda opened its conference with a performance by Andrew W.K., whose song “Ready to Die” is used in the first trailers for Rage 2. It led perfectly into the game’s lengthy E3 demonstration, which showed off improvements made to combative driving, as well as the new superpowered Nanotrite abilities you’ll get to use against bandits and the evil Authority.
The area we visited was the “Eden Spaceport,” which protagonist Walker cleared of goons before calling down an “eco-pod” from the heavens. Weapons appear to be significantly more powerful compared to the first game, and movement speed has also been boosted.
Rage 2 is out for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC in spring 2019.
‘The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset’
The Elder Scrolls Online is now at over 11 million players, and Zenimax shows no signs of slowing down on new content, with the Summerset expansion releasing just last week. The game’s next DLC is dungeon-focused, and it’s called Wolfhunter. As the name suggests, it’s focused on werewolves. A story-centric DLC called Murkmire will take players back to Black Marsh later this year, and it will focus heavily on Argonian lore.
‘Doom Eternal’
In 2016, Doom was an enormous success for the team at Id Software, so it’s no surprise that the studio is working on a sequel. Doom Eternal — much like Doom II from the ’90s — takes the action to Earth, with the Doomslayer ready to murder thousands of demons again. There will be twice as many types of demons this time around, and we’ll get to see the game in action for the first time at Quakecon in August. The stream will be available online for those who can’t make it to the event in Dallas.
‘Quake Champions’
The intense PC multiplayer shooter Quake Champions reminds us of the Id Software of yesteryear, with its fast-paced and twitchy gameplay. Bethesda is doubling down on esports competitions for the game this year, with events at both Quakecon and DreamHack Winter. New features have recently been added to aid new players, and though the game is still in early access, you can play a trial of the free-to-play version this week. If you download the trial this week, you can keep playing Quake Champions for free permanently.
‘Prey’
Fans of Arkane Studios’ science-fiction-based immersive simulation Prey are about to get even more content. The expansion Prey: Mooncrash takes place shortly after the events of the main game, and puts you in control of hacker Peter as he investigates the cause of transmission issues at TranStar’s moon base. Mooncrash is available now for $20 as standalone DLC.
Along with the expansion, Prey is also adding a New Game Plus option, as well as a new multiplayer mode called “Typhon Hunter.” A single human is paired with five alien creatures who can turn into objects around them, and it’s coming this summer to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC versions of the game. A VR update for Typhon Hunter will come to Mooncrash this summer, as well.
‘Wolfenstein: Youngblood’ and ‘Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot’
B.J. Blazkowicz and his wife, Anya, had twin girls at the end of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, and in the stand-alone game Wolfenstein: Youngblood, they’ve grown up into Nazi-killing heroes themselves. Set in Paris during the ’80s, the game stars the Blazkowicz twins and is playable cooperatively. It’s coming in 2019.
A VR game is also in the works. Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot focuses on a hacker who takes control of Nazi robots, including the Panzerhund from previous games, and turns them against their owners. No platforms were given, but it will be released in 2019.
‘Fallout 76’
Fallout 76 was finally really revealed to the world with a gameplay demonstration during Bethesda’s press conference, and the company confirmed earlier rumors that it will be an online multiplayer game. Playable with “dozens” rather than hundreds of other people, the characters you encounter in the game will apparently all be controlled by other players, but it retains the look and feel of games like Fallout 4. For giggles, Bethesda planted nuclear weapons all over the game’s map, which players can do whatever they want with. Fallout 76 will be out November 14, and a beta test will be run prior to its launch. A collector’s edition featuring a Power Armor helmet, 24 figurines, and a map is also available.
Fallout Shelter has been downloaded by more than 120 million people, and Bethesda is bringing it to new devices. It’s now playable on PlayStation 4 and Switch for free.
The Elder Scrolls Blades’ and ‘The Elder Scrolls VI’
One of the biggest surprises of Bethesda’s show was the announcement of The Elder Scrolls Blades, a free-to-play game that will be available on practically everything. A first-person role-playing game in the same vein as the numbered entries, it can be played in Portrait mode on your phone, on PC, on consoles, and even in VR, and all versions of the game will be cross-platform compatible. In addition to a multiplayer arena and procedural dungeons, The Elder Scrolls Blades also includes a “Town” mode filled with stories and quests. You can sign up for early access now on both iOS and Android.
Oh, yeah — The Elder Scrolls VI was also announced … no big deal. No subtitle or gameplay details were shown, but be do know that it will be released after a certain other Bethesda Game Studios project.
‘Starfield’
Yes, the rumors were true. The next project from Bethesda Game Studios is Starfield, the studio’s first new IP in more than two decades. The teaser we were shown was brief, but appeared to show a satellite of some sort being consumed by a black hole. That will have to tide us over until next year’s conference, most likely.
