Though it certainly had its moments, some may find it hard not to feel just a little underwhelmed byeverything that E3 2021 had to offer. Going into the expo,there were scores of big titles that could theoretically have made an appearanceand yet the majority of them failed to even get a mention, let alone a trailer. It’s possible that the gaming community’s expectations were a tad higher than they should have been, but there remains a sense of disappointment lingering in E3’s wake nonetheless.
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Sony’s decision toonce again pass on the expono doubt played a big part in this, with manyPS5 exclusiveslikely being saved for the company’s next State of Play event. The ongoing global pandemic won’t have helped much either, with the development of many upcoming games having beenhindered by COVID-19. With any luck, though, updates on some of E3’s big name absentees will not be too far away.
10Fable
Aside fromHalo, it’s difficult to think of too many IPs that contributed as much tothe early success of the Xbox brandthanFable. Two sequels and a number of remakes and spin-offs have followed in the years since the firstFablegame released in 2004. Other than a free-to-play card game in 2017, however, fans haven’t gotten a newFablegame in almost a decade now, although there is one in the works.
Following months of speculation, Microsoft finally announceda newFablegame for Xbox and Windowsback in July of 2020 and even provided a minute-long trailer to get fans excited. Since then, though, there’s been very little news on the Playground Games developed title. Many had hoped to get an update at this year’s E3, but were forced to settle foraHalo Infinite-centric showinstead.
9God of War
Given its PlayStation exclusivity, few, if any, will have expected to see the newGod of Wargame making an appearance at E3 2021. In that sense, expectations were well and truly met. All the same though, the absence ofGod of Warand otherbig first-party titles from Sonyperhaps highlights the impact that the company’s decision not to attend E3 is having on the event.
Despite diminishing interest in recent years, E3 is still the largest event in gaming. With many of the biggest and most anticipated games now being showcased elsewhere, however, some are questioning how much longer that will remain the case. Given the lackluster showing this year, it would not be too surprising ifSony’s next State of Playblows E3 out of the water, which may well lead to Microsoft and Nintendo reconsidering their attendance at next year’s event.
8Final Fantasy XVI
While Sony’s first-party titles were never likely to show up at E3, some of the PlayStation exclusives being developed by third-party studios were in with an outside chance. With Square Enix having already announced all of itsupcomingDragon Questtitlesahead of E3, in fact, some were expecting news on eitherFinal Fantasy XVIorFinal Fantasy VII Remake Part 2at some point during the developer’s E3 presentation just to fill the void.
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Those people were left disappointed, however, with neither game getting even a mention during the 40 minute conference. It wasn’t all bad news forFinal Fantasyfans, though, as two new projects were announced, including HD remasters of the series' first six mainline games. Still, compared toFinal Fantasy XVIandFinal Fantasy VII Remake Part 2,Stranger of ParadiseandthePixelRemaster collectionwere a little underwhelming.
7Chorus
Announced back in May of last year and currently slated for a 2021 release, many had expected Deep Silver to provide a closer look at its upcoming sci-fi adventure game,Chorus.The last real update came at Gamescom 2020and, as it wasn’t among the list ofgames de-confirmed by Koch Media ahead of the event,Chorusseemed something of a certainty for the company’s E3 2021 presentation.
Instead, those who tuned in for the event were instead treated to a long presentation about its new Prime Matter publishing label. In some ways, it felt more like a presentation aimed at developers and potential partners than one geared towards gamers, with very little on offer in the way of new gameplay footage and trailers. That said, there were one or two nice surprises on offer.
6Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
News ofa Switch portof Warhorse Studios' popular action RPGKingdom Come: Deliverancewill have pleased some, but it’s far from the sequel announcement that many had been hoping for. Rumors of a newKingdom Comegame have been floating around for a while now and intensified in the week leading up to E3 following a tease by Koch Media.
The company set up a website titled “We Know Something You Don’t Know” that featured a countdown to its Primetime Gaming Stream. In the background of said site was a CCTV feed of an office containing a coffin, a mace and a crown; three items with strong links toKingdom Come: Deliverance. Rather than a sequel however, it’s now clear that the items were instead teasingthe upcoming Switch port.
5State of Decay 3
Many consider Sony to have the edge over Microsoft when it comes to exclusives (at least for the time being), but when it comes toopen-world zombie games, the Xbox has a pretty strong lineup. WithDead Rising 5having been cancelled a few years back, though, Xbox players looking to get their fill of brain-munching monsters have been forced to look elsewhere, with many of them turning to theState of Decaygames.
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State of Decay 3wasannounced at the Xbox Showcase in 2020, but, much like the newFablegame, updates on the title have been sparse since then. Many had hoped to get one at this year’s E3 and maybe even a new trailer, but there was no mention of Undead Labs' upcoming title anywhere in the Microsoft and Bethesda event. Whether the developers will have something ready for Gamescom or Microsoft’s next big showcase event remains to be seen.
4Bayonetta 3
Having first been announced at The Game Awards back in 2017, it has now been more than 1,200 days since fans caught a glimpse ofBayonetta 3. Its absence from E3 2018 was perhaps to be expected and few really thought it would show up at the following year’s event either. For it to have once again been a no-show in 2021, however, will be a cause for concern for some series fans.
There have been a few updates over the past three and a half years, although they’ve generally been little more than confirmations thatthe game is still happening. According to creative director Hideki Kamiya, PlatinumGames has a lot of projects in development at the moment which is why things are taking so long. In January 2021he suggested that a real update could be forthcoming,but the game was once again absent from E3.
3Perfect Dark
ThoughGoldeneye 64tends to take most of the plaudits, many consider the originalPerfect Darkto bethe best multiplayer FPS of the N64 era. Critics seem to agree, with Joanna’s debut outing justedging out the Bond classic by a single point on Metacritic. With that in mind, when rumors of aPerfect Darkreboot began circulating back in 2018, excitement levels were fairly high among the gaming community.
It took almost two years for the game to be officially announced, with a two minute teaser trailerdebuting at The Game Awards 2020. With some of the creative minds behind such series asTomb Raider,God of War,TitanfallandDestinyworking on the project, expectations are high and many had hoped to get an update at this year’s E3. Much likeAvowed,Project DragonandEverwild, however, it was a no show at the Microsoft event.
2Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
Though announcements relating to thePokemonseries tend to take place during their own standalone directs these days, the likelihood of hearing at least somePokemonrelated news at E3 2021 remained high. Leading up to the event,the series had failed to miss even a single E3 since 2013, excluding of course, E3 2020 which wascancelled due to the global pandemic.
With this in mind, news regarding either theDiamond & Pearlremakes or the upcoming open-world adventure game,Pokemon Legends: Arceus, seemed fairly likely, especially as both games are due out in the next seven months.2021 also marks the franchise’s 25th anniversary; yet another reason why some fans had anticipated an appearance from Pikachu and his pals at some point during the event.
1Super Mario Odyssey 2
It may seem like only yesterday to some, but it has now been almost four years since the release of the last newSuper Mariogame. The last time that fans have had to wait this long for a new entry in the series was way back in 2002, withSuper Mario Sunshinereleasing some six years on fromSuper Mario 64. Given that a sequel toSuper Mario Odysseyis yet to be officially announced, that unwanted record may well be in jeopardy.
Fans have been clamoring for a true sequel to Mario’s debut outing on the Switch for years now, but, as of the moment, Nintendo has remained tight-lipped regarding the future of everybody’s favorite Italian plumber. An announcement at E3 2021 was always unlikely, but, witha new version of the Switch seemingly imminent, it could still happen before the year is out.
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