Now that the E3 2021 is over, here’s a round-up of all the major games and announcements. If you’re looking for an in-depth round-up of every presentation during the E3 season 2021, then check out our event-specific detailed coverage that’s linked below.
Sony State of Play
Horizon Forbidden West - Gameplay Reveal for PS5
Sony’s State of Play for Horizon Zero Dawn set the mood for the upcoming week full of games. Announced last year, Horizon Forbidden West is the sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn. Once again, the players take the role of Alloy who is now equipped with all-new weapons and gadgets like a grappling hook, a glider and a powerful new spear among many others. The game is set on the west coast of a post-apocalyptic America. Thanks to the power of PS5, the whole game looked so smooth and detailed that made the gameplay reveal look like a “playable cutscene.”
Battlefield 2042 Reveal and Gameplay
EA DICE came in heavy with the reveal of Battlefield 2042, the next instalment of the Battlefield series. The studio has described it as its most ambitious Battlefield game yet, boasting dynamic weather, a bevvy of new toys in the form of vehicles and weapons to play with and a massive 128 player multiplayer mode. Real-time weather is a huge part of the game, which means disasters like tornadoes and sandstorms are imminent, unpredictable and will affect both teams.
Summer Game Fest
Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest came back for a second year, packing exciting announcements from publishers like Bandai Namco, Gearbox and more.
Metal Slug Tactics
Metal Slug Tactics revives the age-old Metal Slug series as a grid-based tactical role-playing gameplay infused with roguelike elements.
Jurassic World Evolution 2
Jeff Goldblum, who plays the role of Dr Ian Malcolm in Jurassic World Evolution, came forward to announce the sequel of 2018’s Jurassic World Evolution. Jurassic World Evolution 2 is expected to launch in late 2021 on the PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, as well as the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Lost Ark Westward
Chivalry 2
Almost a decade after Chivalry Medieval Warfare came out, developer and publisher Torn Banner released Chivalry 2, a medieval multiplayer hack and slash game. The graphics, animations and gameplay boost a day and night difference as compared to the 2012’s Chivalry.
First Evil Dead
The First Evil Dead may sound like your classic, run of the mill co-op zombie game leveraging on a famous franchise. However, it’s different in the sense that it allows you to play as the baddie. So think of it as a mix between Dead by Daylight and Left 4 Dead.
Koch Primetime
Koch Media announced its in-house publishing, Koch Matter and used the Koch Primetime stage to reveal everything in-store at Koch Matter. Koch Matter is working on 12 new exciting titles at the moment, though only a handful were properly revealed. Koch Primetime was a two-hour showcase that mainly covered developer interviews rather than actual reveals. In a week full of video game announcements, Koch wasn’t up to the mark to make a strong first impression, but they seem to have a good arsenal of video games coming up.
Payday 3
The co-op bank heist series was a fan favourite, but ever since Payday 2 came out in 2013, the series has been forgotten. Koch is going to revive the series in Payday 3. While we haven’t received much information, we know that Payday 3 will feature a similar premise and Koch is aiming for a 2023 release, a full decade after the previous title.
Scars Above
Scars Above were the star of the Koch Primetime, as it was the only game in the whole show with gameplay. Scars Above is a dark sci-fin title, set in a hostile world where a lone survivor has to stave off danger for existence and use all the resources at her disposal to survive.
King’s Bounty 2
King’s Bounty 2 is coming under the Koch Matter roaster and a story trailer for the game was revealed at the conference.
Code Name Final Form
Code Name Final Form was an amazing teaser trailer for a fast-paced sci-fi shooter. While most of it was just cinematics, a few hints of gameplay revealed a dark and dingy sci-fi environment where the protagonist was shooting hideous aliens. You take on the role of a cybernetic valkyrie trying to save humanity from the brink of extinction. Code Name Final Form is a work in progress title and does not have any release date at the moment.
Dolmen
Dolmen is a terrifying new action RPG that combines futuristic Sci-Fi and Cosmic Horror elements. Dolmen casts players onto a hostile alien world known as Revision Prime. Your job? Bring back samples of a crystal with particularly unique properties; the so-called “Dolmen”. These crystals are capable of allowing interaction between realities, revolutionizing space exploration and changing the known world forever. The game appears to be a blend of the sci-fi and dark fantasy genre, coming exclusively to PS4 and PS5.
IGN Expo
The IGN Expo 2021 packed a number of announcements that flew under most of the radars. Here are all the major titles announced at IGN Expo.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is Borderlands 2 spin-off revolving around Tiny Tina. Essentially, its Tiny Tina guiding you in an epic fantasy adventure, changing the rules ever so often which springs a lot of chaos. The game, its characters and settings are a hilarious compilation of what goes on in the head of a kid who lives in the crazy world of Borderlands.
World War Z: Aftermath
World War Z: Aftermath is the next iteration of the hit World War Z. The new zombie co-op shooter remains all the ravenous elements of the original World War Z but adds new characters, a new melee system, new undead creatures, and a new first-person mode. Plus, it’s enhanced to run at 4K 60FPS on next-gen consoles.
Bramble: The Mountain King
Bramble: The Mountain King is the story of a young boy who sneaks out one night to a nearby forest to have an “adventure.” However as expected of a horror game, things go awry soon when he stumbles down into a new world called Bramble filled with strange creatures, some friendly and some not. The world of Bramble has inspired by Nordic folklore and will be filled by “David vs Goliath” style bosses, so be ready to take down ginormous bosses.
Blacktail
The debut title from a new studio called, Parasight, Blacktail is a first-person action-adventure title starring a young Baba Yaga called Blacktail. In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga is a supernatural being who appears as a deformed or ferocious-looking old woman and lives in a hut standing atop chicken legs. However, Blacktail presents the origin of the lore, of the young Yaga who cast out of her village for witchcraft. You’ll wield a bow and a gauntlet and pursue a group of missing children while wading away evil spirits at the same time.
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One
After Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments and The Devil’s Daughter, Frogware is back with a new Sherlock Holmes game. Chapter One is a prequel set in the detective’s younger years where he tries to uncover the mystery behind his mother’s death. Instead of Baker Street, the game will be set on a Mediterranean island.
Martha is Dead
Martha is Dead is a horror mystery set in Itlay during the final chapter of World War 2. The cinematic trailer introduced an eerie Italian setting with a dash of folklore elements.
Chernobylite
Chernobylite is a shooter-survival game set in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, mixing in narrative elements of horror and sci-fi with survival, shooter and crafting gameplay. The puts you in the centre of the exclusion zone right after the explosion and you need to do everything in your power to survive.
Steelrising
First revealed last year, Steelrising is an action-adventure set amidst the French Revolution, but it’s no ordinary Paris. The game is set in an alternate universe where Paris is controlled by a clockwork army. The new trailer gave us a peek at the game’s setting, story and gameplay.
Elden Ring
Bandai Namco pulled a sneaky one and dropped the biggest announcement of E3. On a stage full of cinematic trailers and hollow announcements, Chad Miyazaki released a full-fledged gameplay trailer along with a firm release date. First revealed back in 2019, Elden Ring had captured the fans with its reveal trailer back in 2019. After two years of silence and thousands of fan theories, Elden Ring is back and it’s beyond our wildest fantasies. The base of the game is a spiritual successor to Dark Souls, but the world, story and gameplay offer much more than the souls series. Elden Ring is coming out as soon as January 21, 2022. Check out our detailed coverage of Elden Ring to know more.
Ubisoft Forward
Ubisoft had an exciting presentation, showcasing upcoming updates to their existing titles as well as new and unpredicted titles.
Rainbow Six Extraction
First revealed back in 2019 as Rainbox Six Quarantine, the Rainbow Six Extraction is the next iteration of Rainbox Six which puts the operators against an otherworldly zombie threat. One thing that’s unique about Extraction is that any Operators that fall during the operation will remain out of the action until someone else rescues them and no one comes to their aid, they will lose their gear and progress. So the stakes are high. There are 18 unique operators, about a dozen full-scale maps and a number of enemies in the game. Rainbox Six Extraction releases of September 16, 2021, on PS4, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PC and Stadia.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Valhalla witnessed the best launch week of any Assassin’s Creed game ever released, so Ubisoft is still riding on the hype wave. The next big thing coming to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is the Siege of Paris DLC which will take Eivor to the city of Francia. The DLC will let the players relive one of the most gruesome battles ever witnessed. While the Siege of Paris took the spotlight, Ubisoft also released a discovery mode for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. First revealed for Assassin’s Creed Origins, the Discovery Tour is a mode that will allow you to explore the Viking era without being interrupted by combat or quests. It is a purely educational “virtual museum”. The discovery mode in Valhalla will take it a step up and allow you to play as a commoner in the past to give you an authentic feel of the life.
Far Cry 6
Far Cry 6 finally got a release date, October 7, 2021, as well as a new trailer introducing the tyranny of El Presidente. Ubisoft also announced a Season Pass for Far Cry 6 that allows you to play as past villains from the series including Vaas, Pagan Min and Joseph Seed.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is a cross over title coming exclusively to Nintendo Switch. Team up with Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Rabbid Peach, Rabbid Luigi, and their friends on a galactic journey to defeat a malevolent entity and save your Spark companions.
Watch Dogs Legion
Aiden Pierce, the protagonist of the first Watch Dogs game, is back in Watch Dogs Legion’s next expansion Bloodline. Bloodline is a standalone narrative expansion where players will take control of Aiden in a completely new story arch in London. His mission was simple, infiltrate a high-tech laboratory from Broca Tech to steal a mysterious and valuable piece of technology, but it turns out Wrench is after the same piece of tech so Aiden’s contract takes a bad turn. Your goal is to recover the lost tech.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
The showstopper of Ubisoft’s presentation was Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. While the short cinematic trailer hardly gave away any details about the game, we know that the upcoming action game will take place in Pandora. It will put players right in the middle of the raging conflict between the native Na’vi and the human invaders who seek to take their land away from them. The game is set to release in 2022, along with the sequel of the movie. Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment studio, in collaboration with Lightstorm Entertainment and Disney, is on the reins of the production. While the trailer looks promising, this isn’t the first time Ubisoft is working on an Avatar movie tie-in game. Back in 2009, Ubisoft made James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game, which had a few interesting ideas and concept but ended as a failure. Hopefully, that won’t be the case with the upcoming game.
Xbox and Bethesda Showcase
The joint stage of Xbox and Bethesda had a ton of exciting announcements on board. Here are all the major games announced and revealed.
Halo Infinite
343 Industries is finally back with Halo Infinite and it’s looking a LOT better than it did last year. Kudos to 343 for actually listening to fans. The focus of the brief presentation on Halo Infinite was the multiplayer mode, which will be totally free to play for even those who don’t have a copy of Halo Infinite. While they didn’t reveal any more details about the campaign or the release date, 343 Industries promised that they will be back with more info in July.
Forza Horizon 5
Forza Horizon is headed to colourful Mexico in the next chapter of the franchise. Forza Horizon 5 will see the series’ largest open-world environment and feature everything from sprawling urban deserts and jungles to ancient ruins. Playground Games has also added a ‘campaign’ mode where you explore multiple locations. On top of that, to keep players busy, there are a huge number of new features such as mini-games, battle royale, Arcade and more coming to Forza Horizon 5. Read more about them in our full coverage.
Starfield
25 years in the making and we finally have our first look at Starfield. From the makers of The Elder Scrolls and The Fallout series, the Starfield is Bethesda’s new sci-fi IP. Unfortunately, hardly any gameplay details were revealed about the game. Fans were speculating the genre and setting of the game before the teaser and are still speculating the same. All we know is that Starfield is coming out on November 11, 2022, exclusively on Xbox Series and PC.
Redfall
Arkane Studios, best known for Dishonoured, is working on a zombie shooter, except there are no zombies, it’s all about Vampires and thus the name, Redfall. You’ll play as one of four (perhaps more) characters with special abilities and combat vampire hordes as well as super powerful vampire bosses with equally impressive abilities as yours. Abilities include a magic elevator that lets you reach the rooftops, an umbrella that generates a shield, some sort of magic sniper eye, a UV gun that turns enemies to ash and plenty more. Redfall is coming out in summer 2022.
Plague Tale Requiem
Following the journey of Amicitia and Hugo in Plague Tale Innocence, the Plague Tale Requiem will continue the journey of the siblings in France, battling against hordes of rats and enemies at the same time. A few shots show Amicitia armed with a crossbow, which could suggest more human combat in the upcoming game. While gameplay and story were amiss from the presentation, we did learn that Plague Tale Requiem will be heading to Xbox Game Pass on day one and quite possibly be a Microsoft Exclusive.
Atomic Heart
Atomic Hearts finally got a gameplay trailer after years of teasers. It’s an action shooter set in an alternate, steampunk version of Russia, and that has led to some referring to it as ‘Fallout but Russian’. There’s going to be a lot of guns, Russian swearing and monsters that fuel nightmares. While we did get to see some gameplay, we still didn’t hear anything about the release date.
Other games at Xbox and Bethesda Showcase
While that were all the major announcements at the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase, the stage was also full of a number of updates, exciting announcements and existing games coming to Xbox.
Jack Sparrow coming to Sea of Thieves in “A Pirate’s Life” expansion that will be free for all. Yakuza Like a Dragon is coming to Xbox Game Pass. Avalanche Studios is working on a co-op open-world game called Contraband Hades is coming to Xbox. Party Animals is coming to Xbox. The sequel of Slime Rancher was announced. Shredders is a game about snowboarding coming to Xbox. Microsoft teased Replaced, a brutal 2.5 D side on melee combat and gunplay follows R.E.A.C.H., an AI trapped in a human body who doesn’t exactly want to be there. Among Us is getting 15 player lobbies among few other updates like new maps, new tasks and cosmetics. Outer Worlds 2 released a cheeky cinematic trailer poking fun at literally every cinematic trailer ever made. Microsoft Flight Simulator is coming to Xbox One and Xbox Series. Back 4 Blood revealed a trailer Swarm PvP mode where players could choose to play as either the zombies or the heroes. Psychonauts 2 will release on August 25 and will be available on Xbox Game Pass from Day 1. 12 Minutes finally got a release date of 19 August 2021 and it will also be available on Xbox Game Pass from Day 1.
Square Enix Presents
Square Enix had a short and sweet, but impactful presentation at the E3 season.
Marvel’s Avengers Fights the War for Wakanda
Square Enix had announced Marvel’s Avengers DLC will be free for all who bought the game as an apology for the insane amount of microtransactions. War for Wakanda is the first DLC for the game that puts you in the shoes of T’Challa who is battling Klaw, who’s attempting to steal Vibranium. The trailer looked refreshing and, considering the fact that Square Enix has already learnt their lesson, it could serve as the redemption arc for Marvel’s Avengers. The expansion is releasing in August 2021.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Fans have been describing Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin as a Dark Souls x Final Fantasy and, once you see the trailer, you’ll realise why. In keeping with Final Fantasy tradition, you’ll have a party of fighters with varying abilities. So far, we’ve already seen a dude with a big sword and a mage, and we’re sure there are more. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is being developed by Team Ninja, the studio that made Nioh, for PS4 and PS5.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Eidos-Montréal’s first game after the Shadow of the Tomb Raider is here and put’s you in the shoes of Peter Quill from Guardians of the Galaxy. The game takes place in the same engine and universe as 2020’s Marvel’s Avengers, but since Square Learned its lesson, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy comes with the promise of no microtransactions. The game has the same witty humour that’s associated with the Guardian’s of the Galaxy. Guardians of the Galaxy is expected to release on October 26, 2021, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X, as well as the PC. Later, we learned that Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy’s cloud version will be coming to Nintendo Switch as well, but considering that Nintendo’s cloud have so far only been released in Japan, I’d recommend you to hold your horses.
Life is Strange Updates
Life Is Strange is booked for a Remastered Collection coming out on 30th September for PlayStation 4. Furthermore, if you buy the ultimate edition of the upcoming Life Is Strange: True Colors, Square Enix will throw in the Life Is Strange Remastered Collection in the box as well.
Capcom E3 Showcase
Resident Evil Re: Verse
Capcom kicked off their presentation with Resident Evil Re: Verse, a standalone multiplayer title where you can test your skills against other players in four to six-person survival horror revenge matches. Each match lasts 5 minutes and you can choose to play your favourite character from the Resident Evil series. Capcom also revealed that they’re working on a DLC for Resident Evil Village, but didn’t give any details.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings Of Ruin
The big announcement from Capcom was Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. The Sequel to the 2016’s Monster Hunter Stories, Wings of Ruin is a narrative-driven RPG set in the monster hunter world. The trailer introduced Red, the game’s protagonist who’s given a special Wrathalos egg. Capcom also promised a cross-over between Wings of Ruin and Monster Hunter Rise, however, the details of the same are unknown. Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings Of Ruin is coming out on July 9, 2021, on PC and Nintendo Switch.
BANDAI NAMCO E3
Bandai Namco had a brief presentation, showcasing just one title; House of Ashes. House of Ashes is set in the Iraq War but’s it’s not another COD rip-off military shooter. Instead, House of Ashes uses the Iraq war as a backdrop to tell a horror story. You’ll traverse a crumbling catacomb and attempt to uncover the horrors hiding beneath the surface of the sands. House of Ashes is coming out on October 22, 2021.. Given that Bandai gave away their ace, Elden Ring, before their presentation, their E3 showcase was a weak foot but it’s a promising year ahead for Bandai Namco.
Nintendo Direct E3 2021
Metroid Dread
19 years later, we have a new Metroid title that shows Samus in a new suit but similar environment, fighting off aliens. Metroid Dread is a 2.5D side scroller that’s coming out on Nintendo Switch on October 8, 2021.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! New Challenger
There were so many predictions and theories about the new challenger in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! We finally have an answer and it’s Kazuya Mishima from Tekken.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania
On the 20th Anniversary of a forgotten classic, SEGA announced that it’s bringing back Super Monkey Ball in the Banana Mania game. Super Monkey Ball series featured a collection of party games. Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania will compile Super Monkey Ball, Super Monkey Ball 2, and Super Monkey Ball Deluxe all under one title, along with that, new features like 4-player local co-op, more playable characters, as well as online challenges will also be added to the title.
Legend Of Zelda: Game And Watch System
Nintendo is a funky company, always coming out with innovative stuff that nobody asked for but everybody needed. Legend Of Zelda: Game And Watch System is basically a mini and held console with 4 games: The Legend of Zelda, Zelda 2 The Adventure of Link, Legend of Zelda Link’s Awakening and a Game and Watch version of vermin featuring link. Plus, it also features a playable clock and timers. Nintendo also released a game and watch version of Super Mario for the 35th anniversary of Mario. It’s more of a fancy novelty clock rather than an actual console but can serve as a fun conversation starter. Legend Of Zelda: Game And Watch System is coming out on 12th November 2021 and retails for $49.99.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel
When we thought that E3 was over and wrapped up, Nintendo pulled out the trick up their sleeve which dominated E3 2021. Nintendo revealed a teaser for the Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While a majority of a one and half minute trailer was cinematics, there were a few glimpses of gameplay tucked between them. We saw floating islands, new abilities, Link wielding a flamethrower (WHAT?!), the ability to traverse through solids and more. Unfortunately, there is no release date or name for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel. All we know is that it’s coming out sometime in 2022.
The Wrap-Up
That was pretty much everything that happened during E3 2021. It was an exciting week full of amazing announcements and we tried to cover all the major announcements. However, we still missed out on a lot of titles that were announced or got a new trailer this E3 season. Stay tuned to Xfire for all the latest announcements on the games revealed during this E3 season.
