E3 needs to deliver – but don’t lose hope yet, there’s cause for optimism

If you’ve been reading MCV recently, you’ll know there’s a general nervousness over the weakness of the current release slate for PS4, Xbox One and Wii U.

The recent announcements of Disney Infinity, LEGO Dimensions, Guitar Hero and Rock Band have done little to allay fears over a Christmas that’s now set to miss Uncharted 4, The Legend of Zelda, Quantum Break, Homefront, Dead Island 2 and Ratchet & Clank.

It makes E3 this year doubly important. The industry, particularly the retail market, wants games and quickly.

Microsoft has promised – once again – to have an impressive showcase that will focus on first-party titles. Halo and Forza will certainly be involved, while Crackdown, a new Rare title and perhaps even Gears of War might form the backbone of its conference.

Sony is tight-lipped, but with no Gamescom press event this year, don’t expect the firm to hold back. Although many of the firm’s big launches are now pushed into 2016, with Morpheus and Uncharted 4 amongs the biggest bets.

Ubisoft will reveal a new triple-A IP, that much is known, while EA will show some new BioWare titles – even Square Enix and Bethesda are holding press events, which is a rarity. This will be the first time that Bethesda has announced a new product at the LA expo.

Nintendo may actually be the biggest mystery this year.

The firm usually teases its E3 plans, but this year it has simply said what it won’t be showing. There will not be any news about its new console, or its new Zelda or its mobile line-up. So what it will be showing is anyone’s guess.

There’s a lot of pressure on E3 to deliver the games this year. But with so many press events scheduled, there’s at least cause for optimism.