E3 2021 Roundup

What is the E3

The name E3 is short for Electronic Entertainment Expo. It’s the biggest trade event for the video game industry in the world. During this event most publishers and hardware manufacturers hold press conferences where they announce their new games and products. The E3 was first held in 1995. At the time it featured over 400 exhibitors and 40.000 people attended. The most recent E3 event (with visitors) had 66.100 attendees. This was in 2019. 

E3 has been an industry-only event in the past. This means you needed to verify a professional connection to the video game industry, if you wanted to attend individually. In 2017, when E3 became open to the public for the first time, there were 15.000 general-admittance passes available for those who wanted to attend. Since the first edition in 1995, the E3 has only missed one year, which was 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The most recent E3 of 2021 was held as a virtual, online-only event. 

Where is the E3?

The E3 event returns annually in June, at the Los Angeles Convention Center in the United States. With the exception of 2020 when it was cancelled and 2021 when it was held virtually. Ever since the first event was held in 1995, the E3 convention turned out to be a great success year after year, with at least 50.000 attendees. 

What games were announced for E3 2021?

We've made up a list of some highlights. Which announcements make your gamer-heart beat just a bit faster? 

Battlefield 2042

Battlefield returns and this time you can really go ALL-OUT with as many as 128 players on the battlefield. Spectacular combat in dynamic battlefields that crumbles under the fierce arsenal of weapons to help destroy your enemy, and your surroundings in the process. Battlefield 2042 will immerse you into a relentless, brutal battle.

Elden Ring

Did the end of Game of Thrones leave a big, black, gaping void in your life? No worries, time to fill up his emptiness again. From January 2022, you can go on a completely new George R.R. Martin adventure! The famous writer has created a fantasy RPG in collaboration with FromSoftware, which will come out on Xbox, PlayStation and PC. And seeing as it’s from the same stable as Bloodborne and Dark Souls, we’re pretty sure Elden Ring will become another exciting and challenging fantasy game!

Endless Dungeon

SEGA takes you on a legendary space journey in Endless Dungeon. Build your own squadron from a very diverse collection of "heroes" from all corners and outskirts of the universe. This game categorizes itself as a 'roguelite tactical action game' where you take on a never ending horde of monsters, bots and other enemies. Your sole task is to protect your crystals at any cost. That means survival! Or...death, but you can always reload!

Jurassic World Evolution 2

If there's one thing that never gets old, it's dinosaurs. Mostly because they’re extinct already. Which is a shame. But now, millions of years after their extinction, these creatures are still a popular and integral part of our lives! Jurassic World Evolution 2 is a sequel to the successful and immersive Jurassic World Evolution game from 2018. Enjoy a brand new campaign, a fresh supply of dinosaurs and many more amazing new features. Let’s embrace the chaos theory, play God just a little and in the process, create your own Jurassic World in this new game!

Riders Republic

Who says you have to go to the gym to work up a sweat? Riders Republic puts you on an open-world multiplayer playground of massive proportions. You can perform the most slick stunts on your bike, skis, snowboard or even in your wingsuit. Work on your skills and climb the competitive ladder of extreme sports! You can participate in epic races with more than 50 players and grind, smash and launch yourself a way to the top! Soon you’ll have the adrenaline level of a skydiver with the finesse of a prima ballerina. Brace yourself for a wild ride in Riders Republic!

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

Once again, it's up to our good old, trusty plumber Mario to save the world, no, the galaxy this time! Along with your (rabbid) friends you take on an evil entity. Collect powerful Sparks that will help you in battle, as each Spark has different powers that will come in handy depending on your opponent or surroundings. You can explore different planets and of course, you can count on meeting plenty of new friends (and enemies) on this epic adventure. In short: more of that Mario fun we love so much!

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Remember when you first saw the Avatar movie, with your 3D glasses on, and thought, “I wish I could go to Pandora!” Well, that will soon be possible! With this trailer, Ubisoft promises something that many Avatar fans have been dreaming about since the film came out. And what a visual feast we are getting served here! Your Na'Vi dreams will soon become reality, in this first person Pandora experience. Is it almost 2022 already? Because we can’t wait! 

Halo Infinite

Yes, the - already legendary - Halo series returns with a challenging Master Chief campaign on the menu. Of course, humanity is at stake and you’ll face a ruthless enemy once again. Get ready for an adventure of epic proportions where you can finally explore the Halo ring this time too! With the famous, completely renewed and free(!) multiplayer mode. You can even create your own multiplayer Spartan and customize it however you want. Hello Halo!

Forza Horizon 5

Travel all the way to a meticulously realistic and detailed Mexico with Forza Horizon 5. In this racer you’ll go on an expedition through tropical green jungles and cruise past countless cacti in a bone-dry desert. The game's environment is so hyper-realistic that you can almost taste tacos and tequila! Forza Horizon 5 will be released for Xbox and PC on November 9, 2021, so just a little more patience before you race towards the South American horizon. Viva La Mexico!

Rainbow 6 Extraction

It's up to you to assemble an elite team of Rainbow Six Operators to deal with an alien threat. Each operator has its own unique weapons and skills that you need to master. Including an innovative progression system to optimally grow and perfect your skills. Also, no less than 12 unique maps await you with the associated challenges that you have to overcome. Knowledge, teamwork and tactical insight will come in handy in this hostile ecosystem of insidious Aliens lurking everywhere. Know what you're getting yourself into!
 
 

Psychonauts 2

Time for a fun platform adventure that’s absolutely brimming with suspense, humor and psychic powers. In Psychonauts 2 you take on the role of Razputin “Raz” Aquato who, in addition to being a skilled acrobat, also has great Psychic talents. After joining the Psychonauts - super spies with Psychic powers - the organization seems to be in trouble. It's up to Raz to fix it. Both your acrobatics and your customizable psychic skills will prove very useful! The other good news: you can already play this colorful adventure in late August 2021! 

Kena Bridge of Spirits

The beautifully designed world in this action adventure will surely lift you to higher, spiritual realms whether you like it or not! You’ll play, explore and fight as the character Kena, a young Spirit Guide. Together with the Rot, your spirit-friends, you will embark on a wonderful journey. Distort, manipulate and restore the world around you with the power of the Spirit Realm and oh yes, let’s not forget that there's also a strange curse to lift. So you have plenty to do. And if Kena jumps off the Bridge of Spirits, you should too!

Redfall

In the summer of 2022 you’ll now officially have a good excuse to stay safe from those UV rays. Because next summer, Redfall comes out and you will definitely want to play it! This open-world co-op FPS is set in the small town of Redfall, Massachusetts, which is besieged by a legion of vampires who have found a way to block out the sunlight. This means that the island is closed off from the outside world, giving the bloodsuckers free reign. That needs to stop. Luckily, there’s a cool co-op feature so you don't have to fix that problem on your own. Friends who Slay together, stay together. But of course you can also slay solo if that’s what you prefer.

Metroid Dread

Nintendo Switch announces the 2D platform game Metroid Dread for October 8, 2021. Metroid Dread is the first Metroid game to appear on Switch with a completely new look & feel. But don\t worry, Samus still has the lead role. The word "Dread" stands for fear and terror and exactly that Dreadful vibe is constantly slumbering in the background of this game. According to Nintendo, the Metroid Dread concept and idea has been in development for about 15 years now, so we are very curious to see what the end result will be. Judging from the trailer it already looks awesome! 

Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 

We've been on the edge of our gaming seats for quite some time now, contemplating what's going on with that Breath of the Wild sequel and yes, we finally have a prediction! This highly anticipated game will be released on Nintendo Switch sometime in 2022. In the trailer we already get a small taste of what the world will look like. Did we see the Floating Cities pass by there? And is there skydiving through the clouds? The expectations are incredibly high after the unprecedented success of Breath of the Wild and this trailer might just raise even more questions. But it sure does look amazing already!

WarioWare Get It Together

Micro is the name of the game and in these microgames you actually dive into an entire micro world with Wario. In addition to 'micro', 'together' is also a concept that you will often encounter in this game. You play countless super short, funny mini-games to progress further. You can do this alone of course, but together will be even more fun! Randomness and chaos reign in this colorful, wacky Wario world where each character has different abilities. It’s up to you to utilize them as best as possible per level. WarioWare: Get It Together! will ensure you mini-games with maxi-fun!