Should You Be Worried About These Unreleased E3 2017 Games?

Eric Fuchs
Games Nintendo
Games Nintendo Xbox PlayStation

E3 is a time of wonder and hype. Most games come out and are everything they are promised to be. However, some titles disappear forever like Battlecry, Bethesda’s would-be Overwatch. Then there’s a game like Scalebound, which looked like wild dragon action fun until it was canceled forever. Not every E3 story has a happily ever after.

The following games all made huge splashes at E3 2017 but unfortunately, beyond rumors and mutterings, we haven’t heard much about them since. After a year of radio silence, what are the chances of these five games being released? Should we be worried?

Anthem

What Is It?

Anthem is BioWare’s shiny third-person shooter RPG. If you trust the trailers, it will have gorgeous graphics, a massive vertical sci-fi world, and jetpacks. This will be EA’s answer to Destiny with a focus on multiplayer, loot, and progression systems designed to take over your life. Anthem is a very different release for BioWare. It’s an ambitious next step for a studio looking to rebuild its reputation after the disaster that was Mass Effect Andromeda.

Should You be Worried?

Maybe. Anthem was originally slated for a late 2018 release but that was pushed back to 2019. Since Anthem’s possibly too-good-to-be-true trailer at E3 2017, we haven’t heard much about it. The biggest piece of news around Anthem was Jason Schreier’s report for Kotaku in January about the state of BioWare. He paints a picture of a worried studio that has a lot to lose if Anthem fails.

Anthem definitely will release at some point. This is EA. They will make the game. The question is whether the game really can look as amazing as the trailer promised. Anthem should have a huge presence at the EA press conference on Saturday. I want to believe in this.

Crackdown 3

What Is It?

Crackdown 3 is a game about a very manic Terry Crews. Also, it’s a single player/multiplayer mass destruction playground. The big selling point around Crackdown 3 is its advanced environmental destruction system. Early pitches said you can destroy literally anything thanks to new server-side technology. However, Microsoft has walked back those promises lately. Crackdown 3 will be major first-party release for the Xbox One — if it ever gets released.

Should You be Worried?

Until it actually comes out, yes. Crackdown 3 has been in development hell for years now. The game was first announced at E3 2014 and four years later it still doesn’t have a definite release date. A lot of the game has been retooled apparently, especially with the destruction systems. Crackdown 3 will be a big presence at E3 this year, but there are still rumors that the game has been delayed again to 2019.

Microsoft really needs a big title like Crackdown 3 to compete with PlayStation, so any delays are not a good sign. On the other hand, that also means Crackdown 3 is certain to release at some point. But, with a game with a history like this, it’s hard to believe that Crackdown 3 is real until it’s actually in your hands.

Metroid Prime 4

What Is It?

Metroid Prime 4 is a new Metroid Prime game. That’s all we know for certain.

Should You be Worried?

It’s too early to say. All Nintendo showed at last year’s E3 was a title card. We do know that Metroid Prime 4 is not being made by Retro Studios, the devs that made the old Metroid Prime trilogy. Maybe the new studio (whoever they are) can keep the spirit of the old games? There’s just nothing to go on here yet. Metroid Prime 4 could be a big holiday release, or the game might miss E3 entirely.

If Metroid Prime 4 is a no-show, don’t get too worried. Nintendo is a company that takes its time. The wait is usually worth it.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

What Is It?

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is the sequel to one of my favorite games of this generation, Ori and the Blind Forest. That first game was a gorgeous Metroidvania featuring a beautiful world, an emotional soundtrack, and some brutal platforming sections. What I’m saying is go play Ori and the Blind Forest right now. No joke.

The sequel should be more of that.

Should You be Worried?

No. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a small game from a small studio. Indie games don’t necessarily need massive marketing pushes. If the game disappears from the public eye, that’s just because Moon Studios is busy making it. Cuphead had a similar pattern of a few eye-popping trailers then years of silence. Then it finally came out. Be patient.

Skull & Bones

What Is It?

Did you like the ship combat part of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag? Well, Skull & Bones is a game about that and only that. It’s a mainly multiplayer experience set in the Indian Ocean. If you ever wanted to play the naval battles of Black Flag against friends, here you go.

Should You be Worried?

Yes. Skull & Bones was recently delayed to 2019-2020 because the game needed more work. Ubisoft has quite a few big games coming out in 2018, so Skull & Bones probably won’t be a major focus at E3 this year. Also, there hasn’t been very much excitement around this game from the public. That said, you can trust Ubisoft to make a quality multiplayer game.

Eric Fuchs
FFWiki Admin, Gunpla Builder, House Lannister-supporter, Nice Jewish Boy that Your Mom Will Love, and a Capricorn. http://bluehighwind.blogspot.com/