After taking last year off, E3 is back with an all digital show, and that means I’m back to make some predictions about it. I mean, I made predictions based on the weird amount of shows that popped up to fill in the void last year, so it’s not like I really went anywhere, but this time it’s for something that’s actually called E3! That being said, this is still another pretty weird year.

The big issue this time around is just not really knowing who’s doing what. We have a big list of publishers who are participating, but other than Ubisoft, none have actually confirmed that they’re doing a proper press conference, which is, you know, what I make my predictions about. Because of this, I’m going with the ones most likely to have a press conference and if there’s more or less than I’m expecting, I’ll update the post accordingly. It’s also worth noting that two publisher’s who always have press conferences aren’t on here. EA, who typically does a separate show called EA Play during the same week as E3, will actually be doing it in July this year. So, forget that. And then of course, Bethesda was acquired by Microsoft, so their announcements will likely be at the Microsoft conference, rather than a one of their own. 

Alright, before we get started, let’s talk real quick about how my predictions work. If you’ve read any of the ones in the past, you’ll know what this is, nothing has changed. For each press conference, I will make three predictions. The first is the “Sure Thing”. This is a prediction that I’m fully confident of, and is typically a pretty easy guess. That being said, I do often get these wrong anyway. The second is “Pretty Sure”, which is more of an educated guess. Like it’s not a complete given, but I feel good about it. And the final is “Shot in the Dark”, which is just me throwing some pie in the sky thing out there that almost certainly won’t be true, but just in case it is, I can say that I called it. 

Ok, let’s get to some predictions. 

Microsoft

Sure Thing: Halo Infinite will have a full demonstration and a release date

We had a gameplay reveal for Halo Infinite quite a while ago at this point, and although I thought it looked totally fine, especially in motion, the internet was less impressed. At E3, Microsoft will show off how far they’ve come with it since then. We also know that they’re still targeting a holiday 2021 release date, but after this conference, we’ll know the actual date.

Pretty Sure: We get reminded that Elder Scrolls VI exists. 

I actually think that we’ll be getting a full reveal of Starfield, Bethesda’s next big open world RPG, but that one feels too obvious to be in this category. Elder Scrolls VI was announced alongside that game, and considering it’s the follow-up to one of the biggest games of… well, a long time, reminding people that the next installment is on the way feels pretty likely. 

Shot in the Dark: Banjo-Threeie.

Just do it you guys. This prediction counts if a proper sequel to Banjo-Tooie gets announced, even if it’s not actually called Banjo-Threeie.

Nintendo

Sure Thing: The Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will have a full gameplay reveal with a launch window

The last Nintendo E3 Direct (which was in 2019) ended with the reveal of a sequel to Breath of the Wild. Since then, we’ve heard nothing, other than that we’ll be hearing more about it later this year. What better time than E3? We’ll be seeing how the game plays and what makes it different from the previous game. I still think it’s too early for a release date, but we will get a general window of release.

Pretty Sure: Animal Crossing: New Horizons will get a paid expansion

Last year, Animal Crossing: New Horizons completely took over the conversation for months on end and became the second highest selling Switch game of all time. Nintendo isn’t going to just let the game fade away. A large, but optional, expansion is on the way, but you will have to pay for it. Kind of like what they did with the Octo Expansion for Splatoon 2.

Shot in the Dark: StarTropics 3

It’s been 27 years since the StarTropics 2: Zoda’s Revenge. It’s time to stick those bananas back in our ears and go exploring again.

Ubisoft: 

Sure Thing: There will be a new Assassin’s Creed game announced.

There’s always a new Assassin’s Creed game getting announced. Do I even need to write anything here?

Pretty Sure: A sequel to Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle announced

I’m honestly kind of surprised this hasn’t already happened. Kingdom Battle was a pretty big deal when it came out and was generally really well received. Assuming Nintendo is willing to let Ubisoft use the Mario license again (and I don’t know why they wouldn’t) this will definitely happen some time, and I’m thinking at this year’s E3.

Shot in the Dark: A new Splinter Cell

It’s pretty depressing that this prediction is my shot in the dark. It actually has been the last two E3s too, but back in 2018, I was confident enough to make it my sure thing. Now it feels like Ubisoft doesn’t care, even though a new one is constantly being demanded. 

Square-Enix

Sure Thing: Final Fantasy Origin is real

This is something that wouldn’t have been on my list at all, but got leaked yesterday. The game is a action game that takes place in the same world as the original Final Fantasy and is made by Team Ninja. I’m a nobody, I have no connections or anything, I just saw the leak and was pretty convinced by it.

Pretty Sure: Final Fantasy XVI gets a demonstration and a release date

Square’s been fairly quiet about Final Fantasy XVI since it’s initial reveal. This seems like a good time to go really in-depth about what the game is and tell us when it’ll be available. I was debating between predicting this or the sequel to Final Fantasy VII Remake, but I’m feeling more confident about XVI.

Shot in the Dark: A new game in the Mana series

I loved the Trials of Mana remake and it only made me want a continuation of the series more.

And that’s that. As I said earlier, as we learn more about what’s actually happening at the show this year, I will add or subtract predictions from this list. And as always, I’ll do write-ups of the press conferences and keep track of how good I do. So what did you think? Are these reasonable? Are they real stupid? Do you have better ones?