Bethesda Games have hosted their annual E3 Presentation. Showcasing some of their most beloved franchises, the company gave fans a glimpse of what they can expect from the company over the coming months.
The Elder Scrolls
While there was no word on The Elder Scrolls VI, which was announced at the end of the 2018 presentation, there was still plenty of content for fans of Elder Scrolls to enjoy. Matt Carofano and Craig Lafferty took to the stage to announce the Elder Scrolls Blades, which is currently in Early Access, would be launching on Nintendo Switch in the fall. As with the other release, the Switch version will be free to play and will allow for cross play and cross saves between devices, allowing players to transfer games saves from mobile to Switch.
Carofano and Lafferty also announced that a new update – featuring solo Arena battles, new jobs and a dragon questline is now available to download on mobile.
Later in the show, Matt Frior from Zenimax gave fans the latest information on The Elder Scrolls Online. Currently, in the midst of The Season of the Dragon, fans were treated to a new cinematic clip featuring the return of a legendary character – Sai Sahan – and the Dragon Guard in upcoming DLC. Before that, the next update Scalebreaker will launch in August with new Dungeon maps and other content.
Finally, it was announced that The Elder Scrolls: Legends would be receiving a new Moons of Elsweyr update and expansion on June 27.
Fallout 76
Following on from the tumultuous release of Fallout 76, Bethesda was keen to showcase what they have planned for fans of the nuclear apocalypse adventure.
First up was the unveiling of the Wastelanders DLC. Set to arrive in the autumn, this free update will bring human NPC’s to Fallout 76. With them will be full dialogue trees, new choices to make – with consequences – along with a new storyline, new weapons and gear.
Next was the announcement that Fallout 76 will be getting its very own Battle Royale mode – Nuclear Winter. This 52-person battle royale will see players use whatever they can get their hands on in order to win and be named the Overseer of the Vault. This new mode will be available to preview as part of Fallout 76’s free week of play from June 10-17.
Rage & Wolfenstein
Rage 2 will be getting their first expansion – Rise of the Ghosts – later this year.
This new expansion will bring new characters and vehicles to the wastelands, along with new cheats – including low gravity – new games modes, a new story and new areas. Bethesda has also confirmed that new content would be delivered on a weekly basis to keep things as fresh and exciting as possible for players.
Wolfenstein fans will be getting a chance to play in the Nazi-conquered world in a whole new way with Wolfenstein: Youngblood. Set in the 1980s in Nazi-occupied Paris, players will follow the daughters of B.J Blazkowicz – Jess and Soph – as they search for their missing father.
Players will be able to play alone or with a friend in one of the biggest worlds ever built for Wolfenstein when the game launches on July 26.
New Adventures
Among the well-known titles in the presentation, there were also some previews of new projects coming from Bethesda.
The first title shown is the newest project from Tango Gameworks – Ghostwire Tokyo. Set-in modern-day Tokyo, the story centres around the mysterious and sudden disappearances of hundreds of people all over the city. With a mix of action, adventure and the paranormal, it will be up to players to explore the city and try to find out exactly what has happened.
Next up is Commander Keen, a mobile game based on a popular cartoon series. Staring tech genius twins Billy and Billie, players will be able to play through classic Commander Keen tales while also taking on some modern adventures. The game, which is soft launching on iOS and Android in the summer, will also feature a PvP battle mode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtQjGPfkEe8
Finally, Arkane Studios – the team behind the Dishonoured games – revealed their latest project. Entitled Deathloop, this action title focuses on two people – Julianna and Colt – who are fighting on opposite sides of a battle in a place known only as Black Reef. While Julianna believes the island to be her destiny, Colt doesn’t quite see it that way, with the two killing each other over and over again only to be able to go back in time and change the outcome to ultimately break the cycle.
Doom Eternal
Rounding out the presentation was more details on the upcoming Doom Eternal.
Taking to the Bethesda stage, Hugo Martin and Marty Stratton explained how this was one of the biggest worlds ever created for the franchise. With the fate of the universe in the balance, Doomslayers will go to Hell, Heaven and everywhere in between to save what’s left of humanity.
Showcasing the worlds in two different trailers, the team also announced that there would be a special Collector’s Edition – with full-scale replica Doomslayer helmet – for the game, which is scheduled to be released on November 22, 2019.
In addition, the new multiplayer Battlemode was unveiled. In this mode, three players will face off in a battle to the death, with two players working together as demons and the third playing solo as a fully loaded slayer.
Bethesda also announced that more information about the game, as well as events celebrating 25 years of Doom would be announced during QuakeCon in the summer.
Information about all the games featured can be found here – https://bethesda.net/en/dashboard.
Watch the presentation in full below.
Words by Megan Roxburgh