Predicting E3 2019: Bethesda

Published: June 4, 2019 2:00 PM /

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doom eternal screenshot - pain elemental

Last year, Bethesda made a very important and overdue announcement: The Elder Scrolls VI is officially a game in development. That fact alone is enough to quell many frightened fans who could only ever wonder, “The Elder Scrolls VI will be a thing, right? … I mean, right?” Todd Howard has unfortunately already said that TESVI will not be at E3 this year. The same has been said for the title they had teased just before this: Starfield. The two big Bethesda teases from last year’s E3, in other words, will not be revisited.

So what can we expect from Bethesda at E3 this year?

We do know the company plans to show more of DOOM: Eternal. Revealed at last year’s E3, the gameplay debut came later that year at Quakecon. Since this year Quakecon is celebrating “Year of DOOM,” I imagine something special related to DOOM: Eternal will be reserved for it. Other id titles Bethesda is likely to show off include Wolfenstein: Young Blood, coming July 26 this year, and the VR title Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot. I would expect gameplay demonstrations of both. There might be Rage 2 DLC announced as well, and possibly something to do with Quake Champions. This may lead into a Quake V reveal, but I kid myself!

 

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A gameplay demonstration of Wolfenstein: Youngblood is likely.

 

Exposition and announcements on The Elder Scrolls Online are very likely. The title is in its “The Season of the Dragon” event. Thus far, one expansion has come out for this: Wrathstone, which added two new dungeons. It continues this Tuesday with the Elsweyr expansion and two more unnamed ones follow later this year. Perhaps they’ll be named at E3.

Speaking of Elder Scrolls things that aren’t The Elder Scrolls VI, there will be some attention given to Blades. A “big” update is coming, based on fan feedback, and more details on it have been promised for the showcase. All we know for now is that it will have things "like jewelry and additional story content."

Then there’s a couple other Bethesda studios we haven’t heard from recently: Arkane Studios and Tango Gameworks. Arkane Studios has no announced ongoing project the likes of a Dishonored 3 or Prey 2. The most recent release from Arkane, Prey: Mooncrash and Typhon Hunter, were both DLC expansions. As Dishonored: Death of the Outsider and Prey both released in 2017, it’s understandable that 2018 was a quiet year on projects from the studio. However, I would be shocked—and perhaps a little worried—if no new project from Arkane is announced. It's worth noting that the chances of another Dishonored title are low.

 

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What might come next from Arkane? Prey: Typhon Hunter, pictured above, is the latest release from the studio and is an expansion to Prey.

 

Tango’s latest title, The Evil Within 2, released October 2017. Like with Arkane, I expect something new from Tango to be announced or teased. By this point, new DLC for The Evil Within 2 wouldn’t make much sense. I wouldn’t be surprised by either The Evil Within 3 or the studio revealing a new series. Maybe Tango Gameworks will be working on Quake V? Hah, I kid myself again.

In all, expect Bethesda’s E3 showcase to be interesting but not thrilling. There will be nothing new on the project we all really want to hear about, and revelations concerning DOOM: Eternal will likely be a prelude to an even greater deluge at Quakecon later this year. The same could be said of Wolfenstein: Youngblood save that it’s releasing right when Quakecon starts. Otherwise, it’s non-TESVI stuff from Bethesda. The only showstoppers that could come would be new projects from Arkane or Tango.

Personally, I’ll be waiting to hear that Arkane has acquired Thief rights and is working on a proper Thief IV. See, that will come after the Quake V announcement. Fingers crossed?

What do you hope to see from Bethesda at E3 this year? Are you excited for an in-depth look at DOOM: Eternal? Let us know in the comments below!

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I am a lifelong, enthusiastic gamer, freelance writer and editor, blogger, and Thief FM aficionado. I think that exploration-heavy, open-ended first-person… More about Trevor