This year was the 23rd edition of the E3, also known as Electronics Entertainment Expo, in Los Angeles.
Many announcements have been made, but we are going to focus on what may be important for Esports world-wide.
So let’s see, in chronological order, what conferences have unveiled for Esports:
The first conference of this year’s Expo was Electronic Arts’. They fired announcements like a machine-gun, with some new titles and a lot of famous licenses sequels. Among those, the sports games had the place of honor, with Fifa 18, Madden 18 and NBA Live 18. The first one is already a well-established esports game, and NBA is going to become a huge actor in the landscape really soon, so who knows what the future has in store for Madden and other sports games?
They also announced some new content for Battlefield 1, with a new game mode, clearly competition-oriented, with smaller teams and lively maps. Story to be continued…
Microsoft hit hard this year, with a new console ready to hit the stores. The Xbox One X (or Project Scorpio) is about to become the most powerful console ever. What we know is that it features full retro-compatibility with previous consoles (games & accessories), and no doubt Microsoft will bet on it to be their new go-to platform for esports.
On games, two epic licenses with esports potential will see sequels this year: Forza 7 and Dragon Ball FighterZ.
The conference was also the occasion to bring up the updates to come for PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (that will be available on the Xbox One X), and a newcomer in the Arena-Survival genre: The Darwin Project.
If you need to remember only one thing from the Bethesda’s conference, it’s the resurgence of Quake esports. After having been one of the first ever esports titles, Quake is back with the recently released Quake Champions to reclaim its throne in the First Person Shooter category.
The competition will crown Quake World Champions, and $1,000,000 is up for grabs between Duel (1v1) and Sacrifice (4v4) game modes.
Just as usual, Devolver Digital went against the flow and offered a true WTF experience during their conference. Not much potential for Esports in their announcements, but a title which could feature a true competitive side: Serious Sam Bogus Detour, a top-down 2D shooter with (Team) Deathmatch and other PVP modes, available this summer.
Ok, this is no Esports, but i can’t not mention it… Beyond Good & Evil 2 is nigh!
Ubisoft also announced the next edition of Just Dance, which will probably see its World Cup start soon!
Skulls & Bones has been unveiled, featuring tactical naval battles, playable in solo or 5-players teams, and with a strong emphasis on competitiveness to become a legendary pirate!
They also decided to encroach on Cardgame’s territory, with a South Park game, very soberly titled Phone Destroyer, with cards from the South Park universe and a real-time multiplayer mode, so Wait’n See!
Sony made a point of honor giving space to Virtual Reality during the conference with many titles designed for VR, or existing titles becoming compatible with the PSVR.
On games’ side, the next Call of Duty opus, CoD WWII was displayed with a very dynamic trailer. The next Pro League will be played without jetpack or futuristic weapon, but with historic weapons and flamethrowers…
To be noted also, GT Sport, next opus of the legendary Gran Turismo series, with a beta soon available in Europe and UK!
On Nintendo’s side, a lot of big announcements for sequels to the legendary licenses of the brand. Mario, Kirby, Yoshi, Pikachu, Samus Aran or Link, no one was left behind.
But several titles are leaning towards Esports, with Splatoon 2, Arms and Poken Tournament, which see tournaments every day on their E3 stage!
Moreover, the release of Rocket League on the Switch, with a full cross-platform support, means that you should be able to compete in the next Championship Series from your Nintendo console!
Finally, outside of conferences was announced the Injustice 2 Pro Circuit, with ELEAGUE returning to fighting games after their Street Fighter V Invitational to host the $250.000 World Championship in October.
Supercell also revealed their new game with a Youtubers’ tournament: Brawl Stars (already available on iOS) , an arena shooter, definitely competitive, with 12 different brawlers, several game modes and maps.
The end of the year will definitely be exciting for all esports fans, and 2018 is bound to be even better!
