Bethesda’s press conferences are typically straightforward, featuring trailer after trailer with little commentary. There’s no reason to believe Bethesda will abandon that format this year, but how will Bethesda fill what could be its longest press conference ever? Considering much of what Bethesda and its partner studios have in development is under wraps, that’s the million-dollar question. Bethesda’s conference is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. PT on June 10. Here’s what to expect from the show, which could feature a couple of major new announcements — and stick with Digital Trends for complete coverage of E3 2018.
‘Fallout 76’
On May 30, following a series of cryptic teases and a really long livestream, Bethesda Game Studios revealed its next game, Fallout 76. Details on the game are scarce at the moment, but based on the teaser, the game seems to take place a year before nuclear war destroyed much of the Earth. According to Kotaku, the game will reportedly feature some degree of online connectivity. For now, that is all we know.
Luckily, we’re going to hear more about it soon, as Bethesda confirmed it will make an appearance at its E3 showcase.
‘Rage 2’
After a string of not-so-subtle teases, Bethesda officially unveiled Rage 2, a sequel to the 2011 post-apocalyptic first-person shooter from id Software, earlier this month. From the looks of the first gameplay trailer, Rage 2 will embrace a more over-the-top style than the original, with high-octane explosions, demonic enemies, and vehicular combat galore.
Rage 2 is primarily being developed by Avalanche Studios, the team behind the Just Cause franchise, with original developer id Software assisting on production. Bethesda will show off a more extended look at E3 this year. Rage 2 is expected to launch in spring 2019 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
‘Quake Champions’
Quake Champions, the revival of the arena shooter franchise, has been in early access since August. It’s expected to see a full release sometime this year. Although Bethesda could save a release announcement for QuakeCon in August, we imagine it will at least be touched upon during the show.
‘Prey’ DLC
For the past few months, Bethesda has teased that something is going on in the world of Prey. The atmospheric first-person shooter launched a year ago, but at PAX East, Bethesda Softworks Senior Vice President of Marketing Pete Hines said, “I don’t think you’ve heard the last of Prey. I just couldn’t tell you precisely when you might hear more.”
E3 seems like the perfect stage to announce a Prey expansion from Arkane Studios.
‘Doom 2,’ anyone?
In April, Hines said preparing for E3 was “hell on Earth.” A lot of developers and publishers probably feel that way in the lead-up to the expo, though Hines’ word choice was interesting — to say the least. Longtime Doom fans probably know this, but 1994’s Doom II had the subtitle “Hell on Earth.” Coincidence? Maybe so, maybe not.
2016’s Doom reboot was one of the best games of the year. With Avalanche Studios taking the reins of the Rage sequel, one has to wonder if id Software is working on the inevitable sequel in one of the most storied shooter franchises of all-time. We’ll see.
Switch port trailer(s)
Of the major third-party studios, Bethesda seems to be the most devoted to bringing its titles to Nintendo’s new hardware. Doom and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim launched in 2017 on Switch, and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus arrives a couple of weeks after E3 on June 29. While it’s a safe bet that Bethesda will remind us about The New Colossus‘ impending arrival on Switch, perhaps we’ll learn of a surprise port such as Fallout 4.
Bethesda Game Studio tease?
What’s going on at Bethesda Game Studio, Bethesda’s in-house development studio? The studio has spent the past couple of years bringing Doom and Skyrim to VR following the launch of Fallout 4 in 2015. Rumors have bounced around for years about a game called “Starfield,” a science-fiction title purportedly set in the Fallout universe. It’s worth noting that “Starfield” was rumored to be revealed at E3 last year. And, well, that obviously didn’t happen, nor has Bethesda ever commented on the game’s existence, but Fallout 76 could possibly be the same game.
Bethesda could be working on the next Elder Scrolls, though. If that is the case, we would be completely surprised to hear about either title at E3. This is more wishful thinking than an expectation. New entries in both series are going to happen eventually, but don’t hold your breath for another wild reveal like Fallout 4 in 2015.
