Friday, 27 May 2016

E3 2016: What to expect from this year's video game extravaganza


Every year the gaming industry descends on Los Angeles for three days to showcase the latest titles and reveal the biggest news.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 for short) brings together the likes of PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo and is the highlight of the gaming calendar.
While there's not likely to be any big hardware announcements this year, we can expect plenty of news on upcoming games.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare , FIFA 17, GT Sport and The Legend of Zelda are just some of the big games likely to be talked about at this year's event.
GettyPlaystation 4 / Xbox One
We've compiled all the crucial information about this year's show right here - so you can be well primed on what to expect when it kicks off in June.

Right, I'm excited - so what's happening and when?

As with previous years, the conference will be held in the Los Angeles Convention Center in downtown LA. It officially starts on June 14 and ends two days later on June 16th.
However, some of the big brands (like PlayStation and Xbox ) actually hold their showcases on the days before the show opens.
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Gaming fans play Below from Xbox One at E3 - the Electronic Entertainment Expo - an annual video game conference and show at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 16, 2015 in Los Angeles, California
Here's the breakdown of when the big names are having their events:
  • Microsoft Xbox: Monday, June 13th at 5.30pm UK time.
  • Sony PlayStation: Tuesday, June 14th at 2am UK time.
  • Ubisoft: Monday, June 13th at 7pm UK time.
  • Bethesda: Monday, June 13th at 3am UK time.
While Electronic Arts has announced it won't be having a conference at E3 this year, the publisher is holding its own event at the same time.
Called EA Play, it will be taking place on Sunday, June 12th at 9pm in the UK.

Ok, so who else is going to be there?

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EA Mobile Senior Vice President and Group General Manager Samantha Ryan speaks during the Electronic Arts E3 press conference at the LA Sports Arena on June 15, 2015 in Los Angeles, California
Alongside those mentioned above, hundreds of other developers and publishers will be flogging their wares at the show.
Nintendo is rumoured to be working on a new console but, more than likely, will just concentrate on promoting its new mobile game and upcoming Zelda and Mario titles.
In fact, Nintendo says it's dedicated its entire booth to the upcoming Legend of Zelda title that won't be available until 2017.
Elsewhere, we can expect to see news from the likes of Square Enix, Sega, Konami, Take-Two and Capcom.
As with last year, virtual reality is likely to be a big deal. There could be more news from Sony about PlayStation VR as well as an appearance from Facebook-owned Oculus touting the latest titles for the Rift headset.
Getty ImagesGame enthusiasts and industry personnel walk between the Microsoft XBox and the Sony PlayStation exhibits at the Annual Gaming Industry Conference E3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 16, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.
Game enthusiasts and industry personnel walk between the Microsoft XBox and the Sony PlayStation exhibits at the Annual Gaming Industry Conference E3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 16, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.
Electronic Arts isn't the only company giving this year's show a miss.
Games publisher Activision won't be at E3 this year so its big-hitting franchises like Call of Duty and Skylanders will be hosted on the PlayStation stand instead.

Cut to the chase - what are the big announcements going to be?

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Fans gather at the entranceway to E3 with giant posters and figurines promoting games
E3 2016 is expected to quieter than last year but there are still some big rumours circulating about what could be revealed.
Sony is tipped to announce a more powerful version of the PlayStation , called the PlayStation Neo or PlayStation 4K.
It's been 20 years since the first Tomb Raider game so there could well be a surprise announcement of a new title in the Lara Croft franchise.
Red Dead Redemption was a massive hit for GTA-creator Rockstar Games and rumours of a sequel are gaining ground. We could get our first glimpse at E3 2016.
We could also get definitive release dates for big name titles like FIFA 17, The Last Guardian and the upcoming Final Fanatasy 7 remake.
We'll be covering the conference as it happens and updating this article in the meantime so be sure to check back for the latest news.

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