Five Far-Fetched Things That Could Happen at E3 (But Probably Won’t)

The year’s biggest North American video game convention is just a few days away, and there have already been leaks a plenty, and honest speculation as to what the fans will get a glimpse of at 2016’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. This will give you neither of those.

Instead of rehashing a list of all the things that could actually happen, or make a wish list of outcomes, I wanted to make this particular list. While these items are not impossible, they are very unlikely.

Anything on the PSVita

I love my Vita. Or, loved. It collects a lot of dust these days. Which isn’t a surprise considering most of the highlight titles for the portable PlayStation console never saw, and never will, see the light of day in North America.

In comparison to last year’s Sony E3 Show—which was probably one of the best in the convention events in history—they have a lot to live up to in 2016. So when attempting to think of the least likely, and extremely surprising thing they could announce, I landed on pretty much anything for their dying portable.

It would absolutely floor the audience and dumbfound the internet if Sony were to pull out something meaningful for their flagship handheld out of their back pocket, and slam it on the table.

Even less likely, and probably kill PlayStation stock, is the announcement of a new handheld system.

Kotor 3

There has been endless speculation as to what will come from E3 with the Star Wars franchise attached to it. Volition is rumored to be already in development of a new Star Wars title.

The Saints Row developers have a heavy pedigree in open-world fun, but I have a feeling that announcement may lack the oomph we’re expecting from a game with the SW name in the title. What would blow the roof off of the Staples Center would be the announcement of a new Knights of the Old Republic game. Granted, it probably wouldn’t be a Bioware game – although it wouldn’t hurt to let them consult – I would love to hear or see news about the continuation of one of the most highly rated role playing games ever released.

There will be another sea of shooters, and guns throughout the gameplay demos on the show stage, so it would be extremely pleasant for a classic, in-depth RPG to make another splash. But it probably won’t, especially when you consider that the MMO adaptation of the franchise has sunk to a simple cult-status like minimal player base.

PT

Some people have asked me, “Hey Wyatt, do you think Kojima is going to drop any bombs at E3?” And I shake my head at the silliness. After the very ugly, and extremely public firing of the famous Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima, and the cancellation of his Silent Hill reboot, I do not think Kojima will make an appearance on any stage at E3 this year.

What could happen, and would break twitter, is Guillermo Del Toro taking the stage to announce that they—as a duo—are once again moving forward with the development of the new Silent Hills, or PT as it was known in the now coveted tech demo. With the recent cancellation of Allison Road – a fan-made ode to the PT demo experience – I have speculation that Silent Hills is moving forward, and the team behind it reached out to the Allison Road team to quietly shut down the project. Possibly even hire a few of them to work on PT (Silent Hills).

I can’t fathom what the internet would do should this become reality. I fear for our safety.

Dead Rising Online

One of Vancouver’s fastest growing companies – the former Blue Castle Games, before being acquired – Capcom Vancouver has been rather hush about why they’ve had a hiring blitz lately, or what it is they’re actually working on within those walls. It has been two years since Dead Rising 3 came out, and im not sure they have that big of a hand in the Dead Rising movie, so what’s going on in there? Strategically vague public attendance of local events, and a social presence that hastily avoids showing any actual work being accomplished, have got me thinking.

Is a fourth Dead Rising game in the cards? I’m not sure that’s the case. The third game (and Xbox One launch title) seemed to do alright. But I am not sure I even know anyone (besides myself) who played it extensively. It was, a bright spot, within a rather weak day 1 line-up. So what is the craziest next step? ONLINE! With major successes, and communities built around DayZ, and RUST, online survival/crafting is all the rage (do people still say “all the rage”?).

Taking the exceptionally goofy, yet graphically well executed situations from the single-player zombie slaying experience, and put it online where you can mow-down hordes of the undead with your best pals, is almost a no-brainer. Get it? Brains? Like… what zombies eat? Just think of all the money Capcom would make on micro-transactions with all the fun outfits in Dead Rising games.

Nintendo NX

For posterity, I have to address the new Nintendo console. Or, what is the word of a new Nintendo Console. No one has seen it. Nintendo doesn’t want to talk about it. It will apparently be delivered to homes sometime in early 2017, according to the latest delay. On top of that, Nintendo has officially pulled out of E3, and won’t be holding their normal behind-the-curtains demos. What they will be doing, which has become the new norm, is hold an online showcase for the world to see that just so happens to fall around the same time as E3.

It’s a coincidence, I’m sure.

The biggest question in console gaming right now is pretty much everything surrounding the mysteriously unknown Nintendo platform. So it would rock the world if, out of left field, Nintendo decided to bust out an NX system, and take it for a spin with the world’s gaze locked on their live event. After the soft failure of the WiiU, overcompensated misjudgment following the major success of the Wii, Nintendo had to plan this next console outing extremely carefully.

A lot of things can go wrong, and I don’t believe that Nintendo still possesses the nostalgic entranced fan base that it once did. This mounting pressure is why you will not see the Nintendo NX at e3 2016.

Those are my picks for the five most ridiculous, far fetched, and nearly impossible things that could still technically happen during this year’s Electronics Entertainment Expo in California.  If a single thing on this list happens, the gaming collective as a whole will weep with shock and confusion, or perhaps even joy.

This E3 has a lot to live up to after last year’s show, and let’s hope the trend of consumer focused products continue as it has for the past few seasons.