E3 2017: Rumours, press conferences and what to expect from the world’s biggest games show

It’s only a week away now so plans for E3 2017 are really firming up.

Microsoft will be launching its new 4K super console, Project Scorpio, during the enormous videogames show. And Sony will no doubt fill its Media Showcase with some stunning game debuts and maybe one or two surprises.

We’ll also get our hands on with Super Mario Odyssey on the Nintendo Switch for the first time. We cannot wait.

So here’s what we know about E3 2017 so far, in a company by company breakdown. We’ve added confirmations, rumours, some of our own thoughts and games we’d like to see at the show. And we’ll be updating the feature regularly, right up to the show itself, so come back often.

When and where is E3 2017?

This year’s E3 once again takes place in Los Angeles, at the LA Convention Center in downtown. It opens its doors at midday on Tuesday 13 June, running each day until 5pm on Thursday 15 June.

As is traditional, however, press conferences and media briefings will take place across the weekend and Monday before the show itself. Xbox, Sony, Ubisoft and Bethesda will hold major press events, while as of last year, Electronic Arts does something different off site with a brief highlights keynote.

Xbox at E3 2017

Microsoft arguably stole press conference day in 2016, with the announcement of the Xbox One S and, more surprisingly, its next games console, codenamed Project Scorpio. We’ll find out more about the latter this year.

Its media event for 2017 has been shifted to the Sunday before the show (it normally takes place on the Monday morning). So the Project Scorpio launch event will occur on 11 June from 2pm PDT – that’s 5pm EDT and 10pm in the UK.

Brace for big news.#XboxE3 briefing will air Sunday, June 11 at 2 PM PDT. pic.twitter.com/EWilMOb47s

— Xbox (@Xbox) February 15, 2017

The invite shows the same sort of tech we saw as part of the original Project Scorpio announcement, so there’s little doubt that’ll be the main focus. However, Xbox One fans should also see a healthy line-up of games considering the new machine is expected to be compatible with all existing and future Xbox games. It’ll just play them with better graphics and the like – adding 4K resolutions, for example.

Xbox

Major games

• Crackdown 3
• Sea of Thieves
• State of Decay 2

PlayStation at E3 2017

With PlayStation’s own 4K console released at the end of last year, Sony isn’t expected to unveil any new hardware. Instead, the company will likely focus entirely on the games, much to fans’ delight.

Sony

Its Media Briefing event is scheduled for 6pm PDT Monday 12 June – that’s 9pm EDT and 2am Tuesday 13 June in the UK. It will be held in the same venue as last year, the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall.

Sony/Naughty Dog

Major games

• Days Gone
• Death Stranding
• Detroit: Become Human
• God of War
• Gran Turismo Sport
• Knack 2
• Spider-Man
• The Last of Us 2
• Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Nintendo at E3 2017

Nintendo’s E3 will mostly be about Switch and the company has revealed that Super Mario Odyssey will be playable on the show floor for the very first time.

It doesn’t hold a press conference during E3 anymore – those days are long gone – but it will host a Nintendo Spotlight: E3 2017 video presentation, to be streamed live online from 11am PDT, 5pm BST on Tuesday 13 June.

It will also bring back its Nintendo Treehouse: Live at E3 2017 livestreamed showcase, to be available to watch from the Tuesday through to Thursday 15 June. 3DS games will be talked about as well as all the latest and forthcoming Switch titles.

This will include tournaments for Switch games ARMS and Splatoon 2.

Nintendo

Major games

• Super Mario Odyssey
• Splatoon 2
• ARMS

EA at E3 2017

Electronic Arts made the bold decision last year to pull away from the show itself and host its own, invite-only showcase off-site. it’ll do the same this time, kicking off with an hour-long keynote address. However, instead of the Sunday prior to the show, as in 2016, EA has confirmed to Pocket-lint that its first day will be Saturday 10 June.

The keynote will start at 12pm PDT, so 8pm BST in the UK.

After the main press day, EA will open the doors to its showcase venue to members of the public, although they will have to have an invite and sign up first.

EA Sports

Major games

• FIFA 18
• FIFA for Switch
• Madden NFL 18
• NBA Live 18
• Need for Speed Payback
• Star Wars: Battlefront 2

Bethesda at E3 2017

Like Microsoft, Bethesda announced its E3 2017 press conference nice and early.

A company tweet confirmed that it will be on Sunday 11 June, starting at 7pm PDT. That means it will be live at 10pm EDT and 3am Monday 12 June UK time.

Sunday before E3 getting busy. Imitation IS the sincerest form of flattery. Bethesda E3 Showcase will still be Sunday pm. Details soon! #BE3 pic.twitter.com/Sm7auKtFDf

— Bethesda Softworks (@bethesda) February 16, 2017

It is likely that the star of the event will be Quake Champions, as announced last year, but what’s the betting something even bigger could be in the works: new Elder Scrolls anybody?

We’ll also likely see something on the latest Wolfenstein sequel.

Pocket-lint

Major games

• Doom VR
• Fallout 4 VR
• Quake Champions

Ubisoft at E3 2017

Ubisoft always hosts its press conference on the Monday prior to the show doors opening and that’s no different this year.

Its press conference starts at 1pm PDT on Monday 12 June, so UK fans can watch it online from 9pm BST.

We’ll definitely find out more on Far Cry 5 – most likely some in-game action. And surely the new Assassin’s Creed, heavily rumoured to be set in Egypt this time, will be officially unveiled.

• Far Cry 5: Release date, trailer, screens and everything you need to know

Ubisoft

Major games

• Assassin’s Creed Origins
• Far Cry 5
• Rayman Legends Definitive Edition for Switch
• South Park: The Fractured But Whole
• Steep for Switch

Activision at E3 2017

Activision opted for a low-key E3 in 2016, with its only presence at the show being behind closed doors.

There will be a bigger showing this year though, with Destiny 2 and a return to the second World War for Call of Duty: WW2 at the very least. The remastered Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy will also be at the show surely, considering it comes out later in June.

• Destiny 2: Release date, screens, formats and everything you need to know

Activsion

Major games

• Call of Duty: WW2
• Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy
• Destiny 2

What other games companies will be at E3 2017?

Hundreds of publishers and developers show their wares at E3 each year, either on the show floor or behind closed doors (BCD) in private rooms. This year’s event will be no different.

As well as the companies above, there will be plenty of other games publishers and hardware manufacturers.

The other major companies we expect to see at E3, therefore, are as follows:

• Bandai Namco
• Capcom
• CD Projekt Red
• Deep Silver
• Focus Home Interactive
• Konami
• Logitech
• Oculus
• Nvidia
• Razer
• Rebellion
• Sega
• Square Enix
• Take-Two
• Warner Bros

E3 2017 games

Alongside the games we’ve predicted for the major publishers, these are the games rumoured to be shown, even playable, at E3 2017. There are likely to be plenty more as the show goes on.

• Agents of Mayhem (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
• Borderlands 3 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
• Call of Cthulhu: The Official Video Game (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
• Cyberpunk 2077 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
• Formula One 2017 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
• Gwent: The Witcher Card Game (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
• Kingdom Hearts 3 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
• Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
• Metal Gear Survive (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
• Micro Machines World Series (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
• Middle-Earth, Shadow of War (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
• NBA 2K18 (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)
• PES 2018 (PS4, Xbox One)
• Project Cars 2 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
• Project Sonic (PS4, Switch, PC)
• Sonic Forces (PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch)
• WWE 2K18 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
• Vampyr (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

There will also be plenty of virtual reality games for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

What we’d like to see at E3 2017

While we always learn about certain games ahead of E3, there are several we hope for even though the chances are slim. The same applies to hardware.

Here then is what we are hoping for at E3 2017.

Half-Life 3

We say it every year and every year we are disappointed. Maybe this year though?

Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar has already confirmed Red Dead Redemption 2 for a Q4 release this year but the developer rarely attends E3.

Rockstar

Maybe we’ll see actual gameplay during the Sony or Microsoft press conferences though, most likely the former considering the alliance Rockstar has had with PlayStation in the past.

Oculus Rift 2

With Oculus Touch now in everybody’s hands – literally – the next phase for the company could be an all-new version of the headset. Maybe we’ll even see something announced during E3.

More SteamVR headsets

HTC might also soon announce a HTC Vive 2 device, but considering Valve’s exclusive may be running out soon, we might be about to see other manufacturers jump on board. Asus, for example, has recently revealed that it is to invest heavily in VR this year.

We’ll add more to our wishlist as they occur to us. If there are games or hardware you would like to see announced or shown at E3 this year, let us know in the comments below.