E3 2019 Predictions – Square Enix
With E3 under two weeks away it is time for the P2 team to get together and do what they do best, make wildly inaccurate predictions about what is going to appear at the big show. Even though it seems like E3 is a little bit smaller this year, we are still excited to see what rolls out. Now we guess if Final Fantasy VII will ever get released with Square Enix.
Chris Button
Safe Bet
I had to look up what Square has been doing lately – they’re not a studio frequently on my radar! I guess we’ll see more about this… *checks notes* …Oninaki game? It certainly looks pretty?
FF XIV seems to be travelling nicely, so perhaps Square will announce some more content for their MMO.
Fairly Likely
The general consensus for Shadow of the Tomb Raider was that it wasn’t quite as strong as the previous two in the series. Still good, but not great – a cardinal sin in some corners of the cesspool known as the internet. Someone will likely say that more Tomb Raider will be en route, but not for a while yet.
Wishful Thinking
Sleeping Dogs 2! As great as I remember that game being, I loved its correct road rules of driving on the left-hand side more than anything. If the resurgence of the Yakuza series in the west is anything to go by, another melodramatic crime story set in an Asian nation would be *chef’s kiss*.
Paul James
Safe Bet
When the latest trailer (the first in several years) popped up at the most recent State of Play showing, they teased more information in June. With E3 and a special Final Fantasy Orchestrated showing occurring in June it stands to reason that we’ll be getting a proverbial load of information about the game at long last. How will the episodes work, when can we begin playing, where is Tifa dammit?! Time for the curtain to be drawn open on this one.
Fairly Likely
As an unabashed and very public hater of Minecraft, I was so surprised that Dragon Quest Builders got me on board at all, let alone so quickly, and now that the sequel is only a couple months away from a Western release, I expect a lot of information to come out about the game, as well as a bunch of gameplay. Let’s have it already Square-Enix!
Wishful Thinking
I only just recently spoke of how I was happy that up until this point Square-Enix had opted to not reveal the next core Final Fantasy entry. I’m hoping that another E3 can come and go without that situation changing. Square-Enix has had a lot of problems getting games out the door in a timely fashion these days, and this issue has been compounded by the fact that they’ve been announcing said games far too soon. Maybe a later reveal of Final Fantasy XVI is reflective of a much smarter Square-Enix? We’ll have to wait and see.
Now, if they happen to reveal it and the game arrives in the next 12-18 months… well, that’s a whole other story, to which I say, Square-Enix, you have my attention!
Stephen del Prado
Safe Bet
I think it’s time Square showed off their long-awaited Avengers project to the world, hot on the heels of Endgame. A release later this year would be a sure-fire way to get the Hype Train tearing down the tracks. I’m sure there will also be news around Kingdom Hearts 3 DLC, content updates for Final Fantasy XIV and a release date for Dragon Quest XI S.
Fairly Likely
I’m firmly of the belief Square need to get Final Fantasy VII Remake out of the gate much quicker than their last few big JRPG titles which suffered protracted development. With an episodic approach, it seems reasonable that the first entry could focus solely on Midgar and buy plenty of time to work on the more open sections of the game after that point. Heck, even a shorter episode which covers the first Mako reactor would whet appetites and open wallets. I’m calling some sort of release date as fairly likely.
Wishful Thinking
There are a few things I’d love to see Square announce – Chrono Break, a Resident Evil 2 style remake of the Parasite Eve series and a new Tactics Ogre. There are plenty of reasons to worry about how any of these titles could turn out, but it would sure be wild to see Square make some bold moves with their dormant IP.
Matt Hewson
Safe Bet
Avengers Assemble. We know it is coming, we now need to know exactly what it is. We have had a few great DC games, but on the Marvel side of things, it has been a bit quiet. Now with Marvel Ultimate Alliance hitting the Switch and Crystal Dynamics’ long-gestating title finally showing up, it suddenly feels like Stan Lee Christmas. I want some sort of action title with some RPGing and maybe a touch of customisation on top. Maybe something in the vein of Horizon Zero Dawn or Tomb Raider if they go the linear route. Either way, I am keen for some high-quality Avengering.
Fairly Likely
Final Fantasy VII. Hell, we might even get a release date. I mean it has only been 5 years since its announcement. Who knows? Look I am not super invested in the FF series, but I would to see this one hit soon and be good, if only for the millions of fans that are frothing at the mouth about the thought of diving in again.
Wishful Thinking
Screen goes dark. A strangely familiar voice can be heard. It says ” Adam Jensen, I would like you to meet JC Denton.” At this point I have a heart attack, die and never get to play a new Deus Ex game where I finally get to see these two titans of the augmented world meet.
Laura Thornton
Safe Bet
I’d expect another look at Dragon Quest Builders 2 before its release; maybe a look at some of the other islands you travel to throughout the game that we might not have seen yet.
Fairly Likely
It was reported by Game Informer in February that Square is expecting a large game release this year, so we might see some more detail on that (if it’s not the Final Fantasy VII remake, that is).
Wishful Thinking
Final Fantasy VII. I know Square Enix have promised it’ll finally be shown off this year, but I’m not sure it’ll be anything substantial. It feels like wishful thinking to hope for a release date.
Adam Rorke
Safe Bet
Well, the cat’s already out of the bag for this one with a teaser trailer for Final Fantasy 7. In saying that it’s all but a given that we’re going to get a proper, full-length trailer with more details than you can poke a buster sword at. I’m expecting some actual gameplay footage combined with some beautiful cinematics that we’ve come to expect from the series. To top it off, we’ll probably also get a release date … let the hype train begin.
Fairly Likely
After enduring development hell, we finally saw Kingdom Hearts 3 grace our consoles, must to the pleasure of all the fans who have waited so patiently (HAHAHAHA) for it to finally come along. A game that has gone that long in development is likely not to just have a single release and call it a day, oh no, this is gaming in 2019 after all! Since the game has sold relatively well, we’ll most likely see some DLC announced, and quite possibly for a release date before the Christmas rush (wouldn’t want to impede on the new FF7 sales after all).
Wishful thinking
Squaresoft Enix will rename themselves to ‘The FF7 Company’ and will finally bring that game to my eyeballs before the year is out!
Shaun Nicholls
Safe Bet
Not much info has been given out about this game from Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal, but given it has been in development for over two years and the Avengers Hype after the release of Endgame, now would be the perfect time to drop it on the biggest gaming stage of all.
Fairly Likely
After releasing a trailer to show that progress is coming along on the FF7 remake, E3 will be the prime spot to give players a greater look at the battle system, locations, and the characters. With all the hype for the remake, it is a strong contender for the Square Enix presentation.
Wishful Thinking
Really who cares about the FFVII remake, give me a new Deus Ex game. I was a big fan of Human Revolution and Mankind Divided and would love the chance to jump into Jensen’s augmented boots to slink and hack my way through another intriguing story.
