E3 is back once again. The games industry is once more descending upon Los Angeles to see what the next year - or next five if you're at Sony's event - holds for the video games business.
It's a busy schedule this year, with numerous publishers holding their own events. As well as long timers Microsoft, Ubisoft and EA, Bethesda is again holding its own press conference as is Devolver Digital. And the good folks over at PCGamer are once against fighting the good fight and representing the PC games market at a show that's historically been focused on console.
Here we have collected all the times, dates and where you can watch the showcases, along with some predictions about what will be on display.
No doubt we'll hear a lot about its 'Player First' mantra, which first came into circulation in 2014 and seemed to leave the company around the time exec Peter Moore departed. There's going to be a lot of talk about the lack of loot boxes and how it plans to monetise it games moving forward.
Speaking of, the headline acts will no doubt be Anthem and Battlefield V. We need to see more of the former, from Dragon Age and Mass Effect maker BioWare, in order to inspire strong sales of the Destiny-like. Meanwhile, it's fair to expect further details about this year's Battlefield, likely how the game will be monetised, when a multiplayer beta is coming and just more specs about what the title will involve.
No doubt the games giant will also be flaunting more projects from its indie-focused Originals label. Fe might have dropped off the radar, but follow-up A Way Out certainly garnered a great deal of attention which will have given EA confidence in this space.
I wouldn't be surprised to see some early details of what the next Titanfall game might entail. The first project in that series debuted in 2014, with a follow-up rolling out in 2016. Despite weaker-than-expected sales, a third entry in the franchise is on its way following EA's purchase of developer Respawn. A March release window would make sense for that project, giving it some breathing room from Call of Duty and Battlefield, as well as Red Dead Redemption.
And it wouldn't be an EA conference without some vague noises about Star Wars. Following the PR backlash around Battlefront II, EA needs to be impressing its audience. It might be too early for Battlefront III, but the publishing giant has a great deal of games based in a galaxy far, far away in the pipeline.
Oh, and we'll probably get a sequel to a franchise that everyone loved but didn't do well commercially, a la Mirror's Edge Catalyst. Throwing a dart at the wall of EA properties we have deduced it will be... Dead Space.
Sunday, June 10th 13:00 PT - 14:00 ET - 21:00 BST Monday, June 11th 06:00 AEST
It would seem that Microsoft is ramping up its development pipeline for its next console generation. We're a ways off yet, but there are already rumours flying around about a Playground-developed Fable game as well as Gears of War 4 makers The Coalition being behind a new Perfect Dark title.
Given that the Xbox firm doesn't employ Sony's strategy - announcing games about a decade before they come out - it's unlikely that we'll see anything substantial from these releases. Fable, after all, has only likely been in development since the end of last year when Playground expanded its workforce, but it's entirely possible we'll get a tease of that project. Likely right at the end of the conference as a tasty little 'Oh, and one more thing'.
Leaks from the Korean games rating board have outed a PC version of Sunset Overdrive, and there have been rumours of a sequel to Insomniac's colourful and loud 2014 project. It's possible we'll get an announcement for the latter, with Spencer and co revealing Sunset Overdrive for Windows 10 as a sweetener. This will no doubt be available via Xbox Game Pass and could even be an instant release, given that game has already been rated.
Cyberpunk 2077 could also be on Xbox's stage. Developer and publisher CD Projekt RED has enjoyed marketing partnerships with Microsoft in the past with the two collaborating on the release of The Witcher III: Wild Hunt back in 2015.
More info about Ori and The Will of the Wisps is also a no-brainer, after the Metroidvania was announced in Xbox's show last year. It's possible that we will be seeing a release date for that project very soon.
We'll likely get a look at upcoming content for Sea of Thieves and State of Decay 2, as well as some updated figures as to how well those games are doing. Microsoft has been updating the public with stats, but it'll be interesting to see how the big M spins the success of those games.
Sunday, June 10th 18:30 PT - 21:30 ET Monday, June 11th 02:30 BST - 11:30 AEST
Well, we already know two games that are going to be on display at this year's Bethesda showcase: Rage 2 and Fallout 76.
Bethesda will be showing off more of the former, likely an extended gameplay demo, due to the fact we haven't actually seen much of the project to date. Meanwhile, further details will be announced for the firm's new entry in the Fallout franchise.
Call this a hunch, but a new entry in The Elder Scrolls series has to be on the way at this point. Sure, we've had an MMO and a card game based on the IP, but it's been six years since Skyrim rolled out. Additionally, we're not sure if there are any other platforms to bring that game to.
While it's unlikely that Bethesda is doing to release a new Elder Scrolls and Fallout game side-by-side - given that the Venn diagram of consumers who like both will be a perfect circle - it stands to reason that the firm will at least announce a new Elder Scrolls game at the show. Because, seriously, it's been six years. That game was the title that kicked Bethesda from being a mid-tier publisher to the big leagues. It's time.
There are also reports of Bethesda working on a new sci-fi RPG. Details could emerge about that - likely if nothing is said about The Elder Scrolls - so stay tuned for that.
Sunday, June 10th 20:00 PT - 23:00 ET Monday, June 11th 04:00 BST - 13:00 AEST
Just, chaos
No, in seriousness, we imagine this year's Devolver Big Fancy Press Conference will be a more traditional event as opposed to last year's anarchic middle finger to the industry.
The trailers shown during last year's conference - from what we have heard - were a last-minute addition when the indie publisher realised it wasn't showing any games during its nightmare press conference. This year will no doubt be fuelled by the same iconoclastic mentality that powered its debut but we'll see more of its roster of games.
These include survival game SCUM, the colourful and mad Piku Niku as well as The Messenger. We could even see what Hotline Miami developers Dennatron have been hard at work at.
Monday, June 11th 10:00 PT - 13:00 ET - 18:00 BST Tuesday, June 12th 03:00 AEST
This is the first time that Square Enix has held its own press conference since 2015, so it's clear that the Japanese powerhouse has got a lot to talk about.
The headline - aside from weeb nonsense like Kingdom Hearts 3 - is going to be the already-announced Shadow of the Tomb Raider. We haven't seen a great deal of Lara Croft's next adventure which is set to launch in September of this year.
The Japanese publishing giant will also be showing off its line-up of games based on Marvel IP. The Avengers project was announced at the start of last year, with next to no details, while Eidos Montreal is reportedly working on a Guardians of the Galaxy game. Given where things should be in the development pipeline, it's likely we'll get a first proper look at one or both of these games.
A new game from Yoko Taro is also more or less a dead cert. The publishing giant has spoken about turning Nier into more of a franchise following Automata's smash hit success.
It's possible we'll also be getting some oversight as to what comes next for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. And, of course, we may also see a glimpse of Final Fantasy XVI. Though, whether that'll come out before 2028 is another matter altogether.
Rumours also point to a new entry in the Just Cause series.
Additionally, it would be criminal for Square Enix to not show off what its Collective indie label has been working on. That programme has been turning out some of the best independent games around so it would make sense to shout loudly about this initiative and what it has in the pipeline. But then again, this is Square Enix so who knows what they're going to do.
Monday, June 11th 13:00 PT - 16:00 ET - 21:00 BST Tuesday, June 12th 06:00 AEST
Ubisoft's E3 2018 press conference is going to be a jubilant showcase of what the French publisher has been up to. Two years after its 'Back the fuck off, Vivendi' show of force on stage at the LA event, the Yves Guillemot's company is free of the clutches of that conglomerate, and we imagine there'll be a lot of speeches about creative freedom and so on.
The crown jewel of Ubisoft's event has already been outed, however. Assassin's Creed Odyssey was no doubt intended to be the headline act for the French publisher's showcase. We'll be seeing a lot more about that title, which follows in the footsteps of 2017's Origins.
Had Odyssey not been leaked, I would have assumed that Watch Dogs 3 would be the main event. It's been two years since Watch Dogs 2 hit shelves, with the Assassin's Creed franchise taking a much-needed break in 2016. The strategy seemed to be alternate years for Assassin's Creed and Watch Dogs, but Ubisoft is looking to capitalise on the renewed excitement about its murder simulator - which is fair enough.
It's fair to assume we'll at least see a glimpse of a new entry in the Watch Dogs franchise, which is rumoured to be set in the Brixton region of London.
A new entry in the Splinter Cell franchise also appears to be on the cards, following series protagonist Sam Fisher making an appearance in Ghost Recon: Wildlands. The last iteration in the stealth-em-up series was 2013 and there is definitely a desire to see more from the man with the night-vision goggles.
And that's without mentioning Beyond Good or Evil 2 - the developers behind that project have been giving regular updates since its surprise announcement at Ubisoft's 2017 showcase, but we expect to see more from the long-awaited follow-up.
Monday, June 11th 15:00 PT - 18:00 ET - 23:00 BST Tuesday, June 12th 08:00 AEST
Ah yes, the folks at PCGamer are returning for a third time to hold its PC Gaming Showcase at E3 2018. We're honestly not sure what to expect from this event - given that it's less defined by specific companies than the other showcases - but this is a must watch for anyone interested in the PC games market.
Monday, June 11th 18:00 PT - 21:00 ET Tuesday, June 12th 02:00 BST - 11:00 AEST
But, Alex, Sony doesn't do PC games!
No, but the PlayStation maker has partnerships with some of the biggest publishers around who will doubtless be making an appearance on its stage.
The largest of these will be Activision's Call of Duty, who has become a real staple of Sony's event. There'll be an extended gameplay demo for that, and likely one for upcoming Destiny 2 content, too.
Alex Forbes-Calvin is a freelance writer and photographer, mostly operating within the games industry. Over his career, he has written for the likes of MCV, Eurogamer, GamesIndustry.biz, The Observer, VGC and Esquire. That's on top of writing books for Dark Horse on RuneScape, Assassin's Creed, Dead Island 2 and more.
