At this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), which began yesterday in Los Angeles, video games alone won’t soak up all the attention.
Besides the usual laundry list of sequels and new titles coming to consoles, the three-day event at the Los Angeles Convention Centre will also host exhibitors from around the world pushing augmented- and virtual-reality systems, video streaming services, as well as games specifically created for PCs and mobile devices.
“We have a tradition of being open to new technologies, new game companies and new approaches,” says Michael Gallagher, the president of the Electronic Software Association, which organises the industry trade show.
“We have more than 270 exhibitors at E3 this year showing more than 1,600 products, including 100 of them that haven’t even been teased. It’s meant to be a very diverse environment. This will probably be the most diverse E3 in the show’s history.”
Here’s a look at a few of what are likely to be the bigger stories unfolding during the gaming industry’s biggest week.
Virtually head over heels
With virtual-reality systems such as the Oculus Rift, Project Morpheus and HTC Vive scheduled for release next year, game creators are expected to heavily tout their virtual-reality experiences in an effort to wrap the immersive technology around consumers' heads. Microsoft will similarly use its presence at E3 to hype HoloLens, the augmented-reality headset it unveiled this year, with a compatible version of Minecraft.
Deeper dive
Virtual reality is projected to take centre stage. However, there are plenty of other upcoming interactive experiences that won't need to be strapped to consumers' faces. After being teased at last year's E3, many developers are planning to provide further details on updated versions of popular series due in just a few months, including 343 Industries' Halo 5: Guardians, Konami's Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and Crystal Dynamics' Rise of the Tomb Raider.
Out of retirement
While the E3 show floor is always littered with the latest editions of long-running series, a few anticipated at this year's show haven't been seen for at least five years. Doom, Fallout, Mirror's Edge, Just Cause, Guitar Hero and Star Wars: Battlefront are among the franchises being dusted off for this year's show. In the case of Star Fox, Nintendo hasn't released an all-new mission for the vulpine fighter pilot in nearly a decade.
The force is strong
Speaking of Battlefront, the Star Wars franchise will be in full, ahem, Force at E3. Electronic Arts is hyperdriving into the Los Angeles Convention Centre with that multiplayer blast-'em-up, while Disney is landing with the latest instalment of its Disney Infinity toys-to-life series, which will introduce characters such as Yoda and Han Solo to its toy-game empire. EA could also unleash more details about another interactive Star Wars episode that is being created by Visceral Games.
A new breed
Star Fox, Halo's Master Chief and Tomb Raider's Lara Croft are making their way onto the latest generation of consoles, but what about the Prince of Persia, Gears of War's Marcus Fenix or Metroid's Samus Aran? If history is any indication, it's likely a few publishers will use E3 as an opportunity to publicly announce the resurrection of such long-dormant protagonists. Could a higher-definition revival of these three heroes be forthcoming for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One or Wii U consoles?
