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Xbox One X is $100 off during Microsoft's E3 sale
It's one of the most wonderful times of the year for gamers as E3 is upon us. Not only will the next week or so bring more game announcements than you can shake a stick at, but you can expect sales galore from many of the big hitters. Microsoft, for one, has stepped up to the plate with an array of deals, including a hefty discount on Xbox One X.
'Baldur's Gate III' is real and it'll be on Google Stadia
Amid its wave of announcements for Stadia, Google confirmed several new games will be available on the platform. Darksiders Genesis emerged a few hours before Stadia Connect got underway, and there are some other notable upcoming titles too: Baldur's Gate III and Gylt.
Google Stadia launches this November with $130 Founder's Edition
On the eve of E3 (well, the night before EA's press conference, anyway), Google has revealed pricing and availability for Stadia, its highly anticipated game streaming service. The big date for your diary? November. The technology giant will launch a special Founder's Edition for $129.99 sometime that month. The pack, available to pre-order now, will come with a Chromecast Ultra puck, limited-edition Night Blue controller, "first dibs" on a Stadia username, and two three-month Stadia Pro subscriptions -- one for you and a friend. Stadia Pro will otherwise cost $9.99 per month and grants you access to Google's library at up to 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, with HDR and 5.1 surround sound.
'Darksiders Genesis' confirmed for Google Stadia, consoles and PC
THQ Nordic and Airship Syndicate have announced the latest entry in the Darksiders series following 2018's Darksiders III -- and it's one of the first games confirmed for Google's Stadia game streaming platform. Darksiders Genesis is a spinoff of the main series, according to IGN. It's said to be a Diablo-style top-down RPG, in which you'll hack and slash your way through dungeons and monsters, collecting loot along the way.
Watch Google's Stadia event here at 12PM ET
Google is hosting a Stadia event today, and it's set to reveal some big news for the game streaming platform, including pricing and launch details as well as some of the games you'll be able to play. Stadia Connect is taking place just ahead of E3, and less than three months after Google revealed the platform. You should find out details on when you can start playing games on Stadia and how much it'll cost when Stadia Connect starts at 12PM ET, and you can watch the stream right here.
Nintendo's E3 will center on Pokémon, Zelda and Luigi's Mansion
We already knew that Nintendo would be focusing on 2019 games at E3 this year (sorry, Metroid Prime fans). Today, the company has gone a step further and revealed the exact games that will be playable on the show floor: Pokémon Sword and Shield, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (the upcoming remake, not the original), Luigi's Mansion 3 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order. Nintendo said there will be "other games on the show floor," and "details about additional upcoming titles for Nintendo Switch" during its now-traditional Direct video on June 11th. That means there's still a chance the new Animal Crossing -- which is tentatively scheduled for 2019 at the moment -- will make an appearance at the show. We could also see Astral Chain, a fantasy-action game from Bayonetta developer PlatinumGames, and Super Mario Maker 2, which comes out just a couple of weeks after the show. Heck, maybe we'll get a release date for Mario Kart Tour, Nintendo's next smartphone game, too.
Xbox body wash is a necessary and terrible idea
Companies always like to show up to E3 with some surprises, but here's one that no one expected: GameSpot reports that Microsoft is partnering with body wash maker Lynx -- an alternate brand name used by Axe in some countries -- to create an Xbox-branded collection of personal care products. The lineup will include a body spray, deodorant and shower gel. Before you get too excited about washing with the fresh scent of Xbox, it's worth noting the line will only be available in Australia and New Zealand.
YouTube will offer 10 hours of live E3 coverage on June 9th
YouTube is giving you a gigantic dose of E3 this year -- the service will offer 10 hours of live coverage through its Gaming section on June 9th, starting at 1PM Eastern. It'll include obvious coverage of E3 milestones like the Xbox showcase and Bethesda's presentation, but YouTube is treating this more like a day-long festival -- it'll be hosted by the Game Awards' Geoff Keighley, and will feature appearances from internet stars like Felicia Day, Jacksepticeye and Markiplier as well as performances from the likes of Marshmello, Bastille and Lindsey Stirling.
'Watch Dogs Legion' leak claims players can take over any character
The next Watch Dogs title is Legion, Kotaku has confirmed after an Amazon UK listing from Ubisoft revealed the upcoming game. It's reportedly set in London, and it'll come with a gameplay element that could give it a lot of replay value if done right. "Play as anyone," the listing for the PS4 game says. "Every individual you meet in the open world, has a full set of animations, voice over, character traits and visuals that are generated and guided by gameplay systems." In other words, you'll be able to play as the characters you recruit in the game.
What to expect at E3 2019
We're barely a week away from the start of E3 2019 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in California! This year's event may be missing one of its stalwarts now that Sony has announced that it will not have a presence but there will be news aplenty from the show floor. Let's take a look at some of the anticipated high points.
'Beyond Good and Evil 2' won't be at E3
The highly anticipated Beyond Good and Evil 2 won't be making an appearance at E3 this year, but fans will get more information about the game's status before the major gaming conference. Ubisoft announced today that it will be holding a livestream to provide an update on the game's development on June 5th at 12PM ET/9AM PT.
EA announces E3 livestream schedule and 'Anthem' isn't on it
Electronic Arts revealed the schedule for this year's EA Play, its annual showcase of its flagship games that takes place during E3. The roughly three-hour livestream will air on June 8 and devote a segment each to six different EA titles; Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Apex Legends, Battlefield V, FIFA 20, Madden NFL 20 and The Sims 4. But what sticks out is the agenda's exclusion of Anthem, a decision probably made in the interest of optics. The much-anticipated BioWare shooter had a disastrous, bug-filled launch in April. Multiple patches have been released since then; the game's latest update was unveiled today. BioWare plans to drop some more Anthem-related news on May 30th during a separate livestream.
Square Enix will finally show its 'Avengers' game on June 10th
It's been a long two and a half years since Square Enix and Marvel teased plans for an Avengers game, but they're nearly ready to show the fruits of their labor. They now plan to unveil Marvel's Avengers at Square Enix's E3 event, which starts June 10th at 9PM Eastern. There's little else to show right now, but this confirmed that Crystal Dynamics (of Tomb Raider fame) and Eidos Montreal (modern Deus Ex games) are still attached to the superhero title.
Nintendo schedules E3 Direct for June 11th
Nintendo fans, grab your diaries: the company has announced its plans for E3. The house of Mario will start with two tournaments, the Splatoon 2 World Championship and three-versus-three Super Smash Bros. Ultimate World Championship, on June 8th. It will then broadcast its now-traditional Nintendo Direct presentation on June 11th, at 12PM ET/9AM PT. The company says the video will focus "entirely on software," reaffirming what we already knew -- Nintendo has no plans to reveal a new Switch at the show. Instead, we expect the company to focus on Super Mario Maker 2, Pokémon Sword and Shield, and the new version of Link's Awakening.
Nintendo has 'no plans' to reveal a new Switch at E3 this year
If you've been waiting for a cheaper, kid-proof Nintendo Switch, bad news: the company won't reveal one at E3 this year. "As a general rule, we're always working on new hardware and we will announce it when we are able to sell it," Nintendo CEO Shuntaro Furukawa told reporters in Osaka today. "But we have no plans to announce that at this year's E3 in June." His comments refute a Bloomberg report that suggested a new, more affordable Switch would be released by the end of June. Technically, it could be revealed later in the month, after E3, but that seems unlikely.
Microsoft's Xbox E3 showcase is set for June 9th
Xbox fans now have a particularly big date to mark on their calendars. Microsoft has announced that its E3 briefing will take place on June 9th at 4PM Eastern, complete with an option to watch at home through Mixer. The company unsurprisingly isn't saying exactly what it will show, but it is promising its "biggest" E3 presence to date -- a sharp contrast with Sony, which is skipping E3 and instead decided to spill the beans on the PS5 through an interview.
Leaked memo promises major Xbox streaming news at E3
Google had some major news on the gaming front Tuesday when it announced Stadia, its game-streaming service. Microsoft's Xbox chief Phil Spencer was among those who paid attention to Google's event, and he was quick to remind his team Stadia wasn't the only big-name upcoming game streaming project. "Google went big today and we have a couple of months until E3 when we will go big," he wrote in an internal email obtained by Thurrott.
Does the video game industry need E3?
E3 is not a place for us." Steve Filby handles marketing for Motion Twin, the studio behind Dead Cells, and he's been building and shipping games for the past six years. Dead Cells is one of the hottest independent titles around, following a wildly successful stint on Steam Early Access, where the studio sold more than 730,000 copies in just one year -- before the game was technically finished. It's a bright and sprawling roguelike reminiscent of Castlevania, and since officially launching in August, it's picked up a handful of accolades, including two nominations at the 2018 Game Awards. Dead Cells did all of this without exhibiting at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, the video game industry's most publicized trade show.
