Beyond new games and surprises, Bethesda announces updates for ‘Doom’ at E3

By Brendan Hesse June 12, 2016

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doom getting free and premium updates this summer

DOOM E3 screenshot

DOOM E3 screenshot

DOOM E3 screenshot

DOOM E3 screenshot

DOOM E3 screenshot

Bethesda had a strong showing at its E3 2016 press conference, which included a few new games and some surprises. Among these were announcements for new Fallout 4 DLC and updates for the mobile hit Fallout Shelter. The video game publisher was did not neglect to give some attention to its recently released reboot of the classic first person shooter franchise, DOOM. The gory first person shooter is getting a bevy of free and premium updates this summer.

A host of new multiplayer modes, including capture the flag, a king-of-the-hill-style mode called Sector, and fan-favorite classic deathmatch will be available to all players for free in the coming months. Developer id Software will also release the first piece of premium multiplayer DLC, titled Unto The Evil, which adds a trio of new maps, new customization options like armor and taunts, a new demon power up called the Harvest, and a new weapon to all multiplayer modes.

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Next, SnapMap will get new free features, such as new settings to build levels, more props to decorate maps, and expanded logic for enemies and puzzles. SnapMap levels also gain single player features like the weapon wheel so creators can make fully-featured single player experiences.

Finally, if you haven’t gotten a chance to play the highly acclaimed reboot, id is making good on their legacy of shareware, and is releasing a free demo for DOOM where players can get a taste of the game’s brutally fast, frantic, and gory gameplay in the game’s opening single player campaign level. The demo is only available for a short time, however. Players on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One can all get their hands on the DOOM demo through June 18, 2016.

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Gaming

Xbox and Bethesda detail (non-E3) summer showcase

The Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase takes place on June 12.

With this year's E3 conference completely canceled, companies are taking the season for game reveals and showcases into their own hands. To that end, Xbox has revealed its own E3-season presentation, the purposefully-named Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase.

https://twitter.com/Xbox/status/1519662855892594689

Gaming

With E3 2022 canceled, these are the summer gaming events to watch

We learned this week that 2022 will be the second year since 1995 to not have any kind of E3 expo. While the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) says E3's physical and digital cancelation this year enables it to "devote all our energy and resources to delivering a revitalized physical and digital E3 experience next summer," it also raises questions regarding how game announcements will happen this summer. Companies like Microsoft and Nintendo often tie big reveals to E3, so what is the industry's plan now that E3 2022 is officially canceled?
So far, we only know of a couple of events that will take place, though there's still time for a lot more to be announced. For those wondering how E3 2022's cancelation will impact summer 2022's game reveal landscape, we've broken down everything that is and isn't happening -- and that might happen -- in the coming months.
What's not happening
E3's absence leaves a crater in the usual gaming hype cycle. Typically, the yearly event took place for a week in Los Angeles and served as a spot where game publishers could announce and advertise their upcoming slates of titles and game-related products. In 2020, the ESA canceled the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it returned digitally in 2021 with mixed results.

On March 31, the event organizers at the ESA confirmed that there would be no digital or physical E3 event this year. That was quite surprising as more and more in-person events are returning, and the ESA even demonstrated that it could hold the event digitally before. The event may return in 2023, but this year the E3 event that typically consolidates many gaming announcements to one week in June won't play out like normal.
Outside of E3, we also know that EA won't hold its yearly EA Play Live event this summer. Typically, the publisher has its own events outside of E3, but chose not to this year because "this year things aren't lining up to show you everything on one date." That means that if we get new information on titles like the Dead Space remake or the next Dragon Age and Mass Effect, it won't be at an E3-adjacent event.
What is happening
There are still some major gaming events that will take place this summer. This June, the biggest one is Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest. The creator of The Game Awards plans to hold a Summer Game Fest Kickoff Livestream full of new trailers and announcements. Last year's event featured the release date of Elden Ring, so there are certainly high expectations surrounding the showcase, especially as E3 won't be drawing away any reveals. An indie-focused Day of the Devs presentation and other Summer Game Fest-branded events are also expected to take place this June. Keighley tweeted that Summer Game Fest festivities "will be less than one month this year."
IGN confirmed that its Summer of Gaming event would also take place in June and feature exclusive trailers, gameplay, and interviews. Bethesda has also teased that it will show Starfield this summer, and we're supposed to get another look at Final Fantasy XVI soon.
As for in-person events, a couple of them are happening later in the summer. Gamescom, a European gaming expo equivalent to E3, will happen in person in Cologne, Germany. In Japan, the Tokyo Game Show will be the final big in-person summer event between September 15 and 18. While E3 might not be happening, it's clear that some digital showcases will happen this summer and that events outside of America are still on track to take place in person.

Gaming

E3 2022 is canceled, physically and digitally

E3 2022 has been canceled, both digitally and in-person, according to a series of reports. After canning hopes of an in-person event earlier this year, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has informed its partners that a digital event won't be happening this year either.

The news of the event being halted for the year comes from a tweet from Razer PR lead Will Powers. Powers stated that he received an email detailing E3 digital's cancellation before the ESA even put out an official statement. That tweet was later confirmed by various partners and press.