The 2018 Electronic Entertainment Expo officially kicks off June 12-14. Much of the news, trailers, and announcements will come from the various press conferences held by the biggest companies in gaming leading up to the show. Stay tuned for Pixelkin for the biggest headlines, and see below for the schedule of conferences throughout the week and weekend, beginning June 9.
Saturday, June 9
EA Play 2018 – 11 am Pacific/3 pm Eastern
We’re expecting many more details and trailers surrounding BioWare’s Anthem. Other than that expect the usual slew of sports games like Madden and FIFA, and perhaps some new EA Originals indie announcements.
Sunday, June 10
Microsoft – 1 pm Pacific/4 pm Eastern
Watch live video from Xbox on www.twitch.tv
Microsoft has been exceedingly quiet in the weeks leading up to E3, which could be a bad thing or a good thing. The Xbox has lagged behind this generation, due in large part to a dearth of console exclusives. Might we see a price cut to the Xbox One X? Expect Microsoft to push Mixer as the next big Twitch platform.
Bethesda – 6:30 pm Pacific/9:30 pm Eastern
Watch live video from Bethesda on www.twitch.tv
Bethesda’s press conference in the past has been late at night, but thankfully they’re bumping it up a bit this year. Bethesda has already announced sequels Rage 2 and Fallout 76, with the latter spurring lots of speculation on what kind of game it is. Expect to get some answers Sunday night.
Devolver Digital – 8 pm Pacific/11 pm Eastern
Watch live video from Devolver Digital on www.twitch.tv
With Bethesda vacating the late night spot, indie publisher Devolver Digital slides right in. Last year’s inaugural press conference was highly irreverent and very goofy. Yet they still managed to show off lots of neat trailers for upcoming games. Best of all, the whole thing only runs about 15 minutes.
Monday, June 11
Square Enix – 10 am Pacific/1 pm Eastern
Watch live video from Square Enix on www.twitch.tv
Despite Square Enix publishing several high profile games each year, including Final Fantasy, Tomb Raider, Dragon Quest, and Deux Ex, the publisher hasn’t held an official E3 press conference in two years. We can expect updates on Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Dragon Quest XI, and especially the highly anticipated Kingdom Hearts III.
Ubisoft – 1 pm Pacific/4 pm Eastern
Watch live video from Ubisoft on www.twitch.tv
Last year’s Assassin’s Creed Origins was hugely successful. Ubisoft has already announced Assassin’s Creed Odyssey as the next game, so expect their marquee franchise to be the highlight of the show. Will it actually come out this year? And will we see actual gameplay of the mysterious Beyond Good and Evil 2?
PC Gaming Show – 3 pm Pacific/6 pm Eastern
Watch live video from PCGamer on www.twitch.tv
Since the PC doesn’t have a single big publisher press conference, media outlet PC Gamer has taken on the reigns in the last few years. It features a more late night talk-show format, with less fancy trailers and more deep dives with developers.
Sony – 6 pm Pacific/9 pm Eastern
Watch live video from PlayStation on www.twitch.tv
Sony may have the least surprising press conferences of the bunch, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We expect major updates on Spider-Man, The Last of Us Part II, Days Gone, and maybe a little more Death Stranding, one of the most mysterious and talked about games from last year’s E3.
Tuesday, June 12
Nintendo – 9 am Pacific/12 pm Eastern
Watch live video from Nintendo on www.twitch.tv
Last but certainly never least is the pre-recorded Nintendo Direct. The Switch remains in full swing and Nintendo has many exciting franchises to announce, tease, and detail. We fully expect the upcoming Super Smash Bros. for Switch to be the main focus, but perhaps we’ll get teases for Metroid Prime 4 and the new Pokémon games.
