Bethesda’s E3 2018 Press Conference Recap
The next press conference on the docket from the 2018 E3 schedule is from Bethesda. After their live Twitch stream from a couple weeks ago, many people are chomping at the bit to hear more about Fallout 76. But they’ve also got a lot more up their sleeve, as expected. You can hear Scott, Chad, and Chris B. share their impressions of the presser on our most recent podcast episode.
If you prefer the written word over audio, you’ll find a recap of everything shown at the conference below. There’s even links for every trailer shown during the presser.
Intro
Bethesda gave a very personal touch to the start of their press conference. They made the company feel like a very human one, which was very fresh to see compared to other pressers. It was a very “warm and fuzzy” way to kick things off.
What followed after was a live performance by frenetic rocker Andrew W. K.
Very human company. Showed a lot of the developers, discussed diversity. Very “feels good”. The theme this year is “create”. Andrew W.K. on stage to introduce their first game. Words can’t even begin to describe the looks on the majority of the crowd’s faces who had no idea how to react. Even though it might have matched the energy of the game, it did not have the intended effect on the audience.
Rage 2
Despite the unexpected intro, we were given a good look at the gameplay behind Rage 2. You play as Walker, the main protagonist. Bethesda promises a seamless open world along with the over-the-top shooting. The game releases in the spring of 2019, and you can see the trailer yourself below.
The Elder Scrolls Legends
Even though The Elder Scrolls Legends, the strategy card game based on the franchise, released last year, we saw it again at this year’s presser. The only real news was that the game has updated its graphics and is coming to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PS4. What’s interesting is that your progress can be carried over to console from your PC or tablet (where the game is available now) through your Bethesda account.
The Elder Scrolls Online
Speaking of games that were released in the past, Bethesda decided to give us an update on The Elder Scrolls Online. They boasted about their 11 million players they have currently and the fact that they were voted the best MMO for the third year in a row. After a reminder of the recently release expansion, “Summerset”, they showed us two more upcoming expansions called “Wolf Hunter” and “Murkmire”.
DOOM Eternal
We were expecting a new Doom, but what was unexpected is the title. There’s no real info on Doom Eternal at the moment. It will be debuting at Quake Con this August in Dallas, Texas.
Quake Champions
Quake Champions is still in early access, but the trial of the free version is available now before the game actually launches. For those interested in playing further, if you download it this week (June 10th-17th), you can keep playing even after the trial closes.
Prey Expansions
Prey is getting a new Story Mode, a New Game+, and a Challenge Mode. In addition, there’s a new DLC called “Mooncrash” that places enemies, loot, and other items in randomly generated locations to provide unique experiences with each run. Later this summer, we’ll also see another DLC called “Typhon Hunter”, where players can be a human or a mimic in a virtual form of hide-and-seek.
Wolfenstein Youngblood
One of the bigger surprises from Bethesda’s press conference was the announcement of a new game in the Wolfenstein franchise. In Wolfenstein Youngblood, you play as B.J. Blazkowicz’s twin daughters, who save the world from the Nazis. This co-op experience arrives sometime in 2019.
Virtual Reality
Before the biggest reveals of the conference, Bethesda briefly talked about some VR experiences coming soon. The first is in the Prey universe and is the above-mentioned “Typhon Hunter” as well as a single-player experience. There’s also a new Wolfenstein VR game called Wolfenstein: Cyber Pilot. In this one, you get to take over the Nazi robots. Stay tuned for more info on these titles.
Fallout 76
At this point in the show, Todd Howard stepped onto the stage to talk about Fallout 76. Before he got to the details, however, he shared a spoof video with the crowd, and it was pretty hilarious.
Finally, it was time to have our questions answered. He started by unveiling a new trailer for the game. Apparently, Vault 76 is one of the first vaults to open. Your character is selected as one of the few to be an occupant of Vault 76. You and the rest of the inhabitants are to remain in the vault for twenty-five years. You start playing at Reclamation Day, the day when the vault dwellers emerge from their confinement.
Fallout 76 boasts six distinct regions of West Virginia. Apparently, they also use actual folklore from the state’s history to create the new creatures for the game.
At this point, Howard dropped the biggest bomb of all. Every character in the world is a real person because Fallout 76 is entirely online. He went on to explain that this isn’t a hardcore survival game, but what he considers “softcore” survival. In other words, death doesn’t make you lose progress.
Something else interesting about the multiplayer aspect of the game is the inclusion of nuclear missiles, which are scattered all over the map. Players have the choice to do whatever they want with this weaponry, which sounds like it will make for some very interesting online experiences.
Finally, he gave us a release date of 11/14/18 along with some details about Collector’s Editions for the game.
Before stepping away from Fallout 76, Todd reminded us that “Fallout Shelter” is still a thing. It’s now available on PS4 and Nintendo Switch for free on both platforms.
The Elder Scrolls Blades
The next project is one of the most ambitious. The Elder Scrolls Blades is a console-quality pure Elder Scrolls game on mobile. It looks incredible and can be played in portrait or landscape mode. There are three game modes available: “The Abyss”, a roguelike experience, “The Town”, the main single-player experience, and “The Arena”, where you can play against other players. The game also includes a town-building mechanic.
The Elder Scrolls Blades is available on all phones/tablets as well as all virtual reality platforms from phone to high end. What’s most interesting is that players can play with others on any device. It releases this fall for free, but you can pre-order it now.
Starfield
Before closing out the show, Todd Howard had a couple more surprises up his sleeve. Starfield is the first original game from Bethesda in twenty-five years. Although the only information we received was the teaser trailer below, we are very intrigued to see exactly what this game might be.
The Elder Scrolls VI
Bethesda closed the press conference with the epitome of a mic drop. Sure, it was a very brief teaser, but the fact that The Elder Scrolls VI exists is enough to make everyone on our team giddy with excitement. What’s most interesting about this announcement is that Howard made it sound like this game wouldn’t see the light of day until the next console generation. That’s twice today that press conferences have discussed next-gen, which raises a lot of questions. Still, this teaser is enough to make our hearts happy about the possibility of the future.
And that’s a wrap on Bethesda’s 2018 E3 press conference. Although it started a bit awkward, they closed with some epic moments that sparked our curiosity in a big way. We can’t wait to learn more about many of these titles.
