With only a few more days until the E3 press conferences begin, we turn our attention to Activision, one of the publishers that officially pulled out of having a booth on the show floor. Though that doesn’t mean they won’t have a presence at E3 at all, as their games will be featured prominently in the Sony press conference and in their booth.
We don’t expect many surprises out of Activision this year, as they chose the weeks leading up to the show for their big reveals. So unless they are in on the big Crash Bandicoot surprise our own Matt Hadick predicted in our Sony E3 Predictions article (they would have to be as they own the character rights), I think it is safe to assume these are the Activision titles we will see at E3 this year.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Matthew Allen, Executive Games Editor
Last month during a livestream reveal, Infinity Ward showed off the next game in the blockbuster first-person shooter series, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. The new game will feature space combat sequences — including dogfights — mechs, near-future tech, and the huge, exploding set pieces you have come to expect from the Call of Duty series. The game will also include a Zombies mode, and will come packaged with a remastered version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
Shortly after Activision confirmed the title, the reveal trailer quickly became one of the most disliked YouTube trailers of all time, while at the same time their closest competitor, Battlefield 1, received just the opposite reaction. It will be interesting to see how Activision and Infinity Ward respond to the negative sentiment for the new game. We may have seen the first announcement meant to do just that, as it was revealed earlier today that actor Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow on the HBO series Game of Thrones, will play the villain in the game in segments directed by Guy Ritchie. Perhaps Activision has another surprise announcement or two planned for the Sony press conference to try to win back some good will and prove to audiences that the next Call of Duty is truly going to be… Wait for iiiiiiit… Out of this world.
Skylanders Imaginators
Matthew Allen, Executive Games Editor
The biggest news about the latest Skylanders title has nothing to do with the game itself, but rather centers around the fact that one of its biggest competitors in the Toys-to-Life category, Disney Infinity, has been canceled. This leaves Skylanders Imaginators with only LEGO Dimensions (and sort of Nintendo amiibo) to compete with this holiday season. Warner just announced that Dimensions would be getting some major brands in upcoming expansion packs, including Adventure Time, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Harry Potter. I don’t expect Skylanders to respond in kind, but rather to double down on what makes this year’s game unique, namely the ability to create your own Skylander. Hopefully we can see a few more of the new toys at the show, and get some more hands-on time with the creation tools.
Destiny: Rise of Iron
Doug Trein, Staff Contributor
Bungie’s MMO/FPS hybrid has made a major impression on the game landscape since its release in 2014. The game’s polished gunplay, slick aesthetics, and unique rare weapons absolutely hooked the player base. After The Dark Below, House of Wolves, and The Taken King expansions, Destiny has been mostly quiet. However, Bungie is starting to make some noise again, most recently with the official reveal of the upcoming Rise of Iron expansion. The latest expansion will include a new raid, along with more PVE content for Guardians, including new enemies, three new areas to explore, a slew of new weapons and armor (including a new and improved Gjallarhorn) new patrols, new crucible modes, maps and more. We expect to see the PlayStation timed-exclusive content for Destiny: Rise of Iron announced during the Sony press conference.
