E3 2021 Day 3 Recap: All The Big Announcements Including Halo Infinite, Starfield, Guardians Of The Galaxy
We’re approaching the finish of E3 2021, and we’ve already seen a slew of trailers, first gameplay, and new reveals from different developers and publishers. While you may have heard many of the big announcements like Starfield, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and The Outer Worlds 2, there were plenty of other announcements as well. So with this roundup, we wanted to give you a detailed recap of the noteworthy games of E3 2021 so far.
It’s now Day 3, and Ubisoft, Microsoft and Bethesda, Square-Enix, and Capcom have had their major press conferences. While there have been other noteworthy shows, we wanted to focus on the larger titles that we’ve seen from this year’s E3. That said, we have a roundup of other announcements below as well. GameSpot’s coverage of E3 2021 also includes some exclusives for Play For All 2021, so be sure to check back with this page as more games from the show are revealed.
E3 2021: Day 1
Ubisoft Forward
This year’s Ubisoft Forward focused heavily on the recently revealed Rainbow Six Extraction, the co-op action-horror spin-off of the popular Siege game. Along with that, we saw a new look at Watch Dogs Legion’s Bloodline expansion that brings back Aiden Pearce, got a new look at Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Siege of Paris DLC, and saw the reveal of the Mario + Rabbids sequel, Sparks of Hope. Closing out the show was the first look at the next game set in the universe of James Cameron’s Avatar, a new game from Ubisoft Massive called Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. If you want a more detailed look at each game, then check out our breakout roundup of the games from Ubisoft Forward 2021.
E3 2021: Day 2
Xbox + Bethesda Showcase 2021
Unfortunately, the Microsoft show got off to a particularly rough start with the unfortunate leak of Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield, which looks to be the developer’s next leap forward for the open-world action-RPG genre. With that said, the larger slate of the show offered a wide array of reveals and updates on the library of games that Microsoft has for the Xbox consoles and PC. Along with the first look at Starfield, we also saw the reveal of The Outer Worlds 2, new Forza Horizon 5 gameplay, the next Sea of Thieves expansion that brings in Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean films, and additional footage of Halo: Infinite‘s multiplayer mode.
Closing out the show was the first look at Redfall, Arkane Austin’s next new IP that stars a group of super-powered vampire hunters. That’s only scratching the surface on the slate of the showcase, which also included first gameplay of STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl. Below, you can find the full breakdown of the Microsoft + Bethesda showcase.
Square-Enix Showcase 2021
The latest Square-Enix showed that Marvel games were still a priority for the publisher, but the Final Fantasy series is still firing on all cylinders with new upcoming games. Kicking off the show was the reveal of Square Enix Montreal’s single-player focused Guardians of the Galaxy game, which we got a first look at before the show. Along with that, Platinum Games’ Babylon’s Fall also made its return with a new look at the game, which is now a live service that lets players join others online to clear dungeons and collect loot. Closing out the show was the reveal of Final Fantasy Origin: Stranger Of Paradise, a collaboration with Team Ninja and Square-Enix that brings back classic FF villain Garland. Check out our roundup below to see a full breakdown of the list of games we saw during the show.
E3 2021: Day 3
Capcom
The major event of note on June 14 was Capcom’s showcase. Over the last year, Capcom has been releasing their standalone livestream events showcasing their slate of games, marking their first dedicated E3 event. The stream began by giving us updates on the latest news for Monster Hunter Rise and Resident Evil Village, both of which will be receiving new post-launch content in the future. The majority of the stream focused on updates for the upcoming Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin and the remaster for The Great Ace Attorney, which marks its first release in the West. We also learned that the Resident Evil multiplayer spin-off, RE: Verse, launches sometime in July.
Halo Infinite: Multiplayer Overview
Though Microsoft showed off some extensive new footage for Halo Infinite during their press conference on Day 2, June 13 also saw a new video focusing on the free-to-play multiplayer mode. This overview featured developer testimonials focusing on what’s to come with 343 Industries’ next game. While the complete Halo Infinite experience will be a standard release, the multiplayer mode will be a free download for all players on Xbox and PC, which is a first for the series. In addition, we got to see more of a detailed look at Spartan, weapon, and vehicle customization and unlocks in the video. This video also revealed details of the new battle pass, which will be a one-time purchase for active players–though players who want to purchase old content from expired passes will have to spend extra to buy-in.
Other Notable Announcements
Along with the other significant showcases, we’ve also seen various games from various streams like the Koch Media showcase, PC Gamer Show, the Wholesome Direct, and the constantly weird Devolver Digital Showcase. Here’s a quick rundown of the most noteworthy games from the other conferences of E3 2021.
Back 4 Blood
Coming from Turtle Rock Studios, the original developers of Left 4 Dead, Back 4 Blood is essentially the spiritual successor to the co-op zombie survival shooter. It looks to inspire those familiar feelings of dread when gunning through hallways filled with the undead while running from giant mutated monsters. Back 4 Blood is set for release this October, which means you’ll be able to experience the closest thing to Left 4 Dead 3 sooner than you think.
Diablo 2: Resurrected
The much anticipated remaster for Diablo II is set for release this September, and before its launch, you’ll be able to jump into the next beta for the game in August. Following the reveal at the Microsoft showcase, Geoff Keighley had an extended interview with Diablo franchise lead Rod Ferguson where he talked more about the upcoming game. The remaster also marks the first time Diablo II will play on consoles, as the original stayed as a PC exclusive.
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus
The original Doki Doki Literature Club was a game about catching you off-guard for those who don’t know. On the surface, it looks like an average visual novel game. But, as it turned out, it was a deeply unsettling psychological horror game that subverted the cutesy image of the game to present some horrifying, fourth-wall-breaking moments. It was a surprise hit, and now the developers are revisiting with an upgraded re-release on PC and consoles.
Elden Ring
While Elden Ring was revealed shortly before the beginning of E3 2021, it’s hard to deny that we aren’t still feeling the rush from the recent trailer shown during the Summer Games Fest event. It was a stunning trailer that gave us a detailed look at the game’s expansive world and its slick combat mechanics. We also learned that the game releases on January 22, 2022.
Trek To Yomi
One of the more surprising reveals from the Devolver Digital showcase was Trek To Yomi, a 2.5D action game that takes classic samurai action films. It’s being made by Flying Wild Hog, the devs behind Shadow Warrior 3, and it looks to be a visually stunning that showcases some slick action and platforming.
Check back with GameSpot as more updates from E3 2021 come in. We’ll be adding more games and rundowns for the later shows as they happen, including what’s new with Nintendo in 2021.
