The Top 10 Surprises from E3 2019

E3 2019 might be behind us, but the discussions and the breakdowns of all the games and hardware we saw during the show are really just getting started. During the conferences, we saw the reveal of a few new IPs, gameplay trailers for previously-announced titles, confirmation of a next-gen console, and (my personal favorite) release dates.

With well over one-hundred announcements across three days of conferences, we’ve gathered the top ten biggest surprises of the show. Let us know if your favorite moment made the list!

10. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition on Nintendo Switch

Prior to this official announcement, there were heavy rumors pointing to the possibility of The Witcher 3 getting a Nintendo Switch port; and during its E3 Direct, Nintendo officially confirmed this is, in fact, going to be happening later this year. There has been speculation for a while as to whether CD Projekt Red’s game would be coming to Nintendo’s console; or if the Switch could even handle the specs needed to make the port, given The Witcher is so massive.

Not only will The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt be in the Nintendo eShop some time this Fall, but it will also include all sixteen pieces of DLC and the two major story expansions, “Hearts of Stone” and “Blood and Wine”.

9. The Outer Worlds Gameplay Trailer

The more I see of The Outer Worlds, the more excited I am by it. From the moment this RPG was revealed at the 2018 Video Game Awards, I thought it resembled Fallout: New Vegas, except in space, and this is something I’m completely okay with.

We got a longer game trailer during Microsoft’s E3 conference this week, which dove a little deeper into the colony worlds that are up for exploration, and the overarching narrative in which space corporations are seeking control over the colonies. After this most recent look of The Outer Worlds, this could be the new Fallout game we all deserve.

The Outer Worlds will release October 25, 2019 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

8. GhostWire: Tokyo + Ikumi Nakamura

As a whole, Bethesda’s E3 showcase was pretty lackluster. DOOM Eternal got a release date. We saw more of Wolfenstein: Youngblood. Fallout 76 did…whatever it is Fallout 76 is trying to do these days.

But. One moment that stood out from the rest was Tango Gameworks’ new IP GhostWire: Tokyo and its Game Director, Ikumi Nakamura, who introduced it to us in the most lively, yet lighthearted way.

“Is this normal or paranormal?” Nakamura joked. “I ask myself this question every time I go into the office.” She wasn’t on stage long, but it was long enough to win the crowd over with her sense of humor, enthusiasm, and intrigue surrounding this game.

GhostWire: Tokyo is a new kind of adventure game, in which people are disappearing around Tokyo, and it’s up to you to investigate what’s happening. Though this isn’t labeled as a horror title, there seems to be paranormal elements rooted in the game; not to mention, Nakamura previously worked as the lead artist for The Evil Within and The Evil Within 2, so there are sure to be some terrifying moments sprinkled throughout the game. This is definitely a new IP we have our eyes on.

7. Final Fantasy VII Remake Gameplay + Release Date

The details surrounding the Final Fantasy VII Remake are…concerning, seeing how the first episode of the game will only be set in Midgar and somehow the development team has expanded Midgar to the size of a full Final Fantasy game. For comparison, Midgar in the original Final Fantasy VII was only a small portion of the game.

Despite this detail, this first bit of gameplay that was shown off during Square Enix’s conference, along with the menu sound effects that evoked nostalgia, was pretty great to see. Beloved characters like Tifa and Sephiroth finally made an appearance, and the completely-overhauled battle system looks seamless in action.

Final Fantasy VII Remake will release on March 3, 2020 for PS4.

6. Double Fine Productions Joins Xbox Game Studios

The studio behind Psychonauts and Broken age just became the newest addition to Xbox Game Studios, following behind Obsidian Entertainment, Ninja Theory, and several others. The surprise announcement of Double Fine Productions joining the roster spoke volumes about Microsoft’s desire to invest heavily in first party studios that will create exclusive Xbox content. Though Psychonauts 2 will be coming to multiple platforms, it will be great to see the exclusive content the team develops under Xbox Game Studios.

5. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Announcement

This. Is. Awesome.

I actually had Xbox Game Pass a long time ago, but eventually let it go, in favor of PlayStation Now which, funny enough, I also no longer have. But when Xbox Game Pass Ultimate was announced during the conference, for the low price of $1.00 for the first month, I dusted off my Xbox One and immediately subscribed; and I imagine I’m not the only one who was pulled back into the subscription with this incredible deal.

Microsoft has been striving to show Xbox gamers the company is all-in on games, and this announcement highlighted just how pro-consumer it really is.

The Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription includes Xbox Game Pass (with over 100 games), Xbox Live, Xbox Game Pass for PC, and access to Xbox exclusive titles on their release day. Some recent additions to the Game Pass include: Metro Exodus, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, Shenmue I & II, Dead by Daylight, and more. Some popular titles worth checking out are: Monster Hunter: World, Just Cause 4, and State of Decay 2. For the low price of $1, you can’t beat that. Keep in mind, though, after the first month, the price for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is $14.99/month.

4. Blair Witch Reveal

The developer behind Layers of Fear is back with a new first-person psychological horror game which was inspired by The Blair Witch Project, but which gives off some serious Outlast vibes due to the found-footage element. The reveal of Blair Witch made it so far up this list, because in the midst of many other news leaks prior to the conference, and updates about games already in development, not only did Blair Witch come out of nowhere, but it actually looks good.

Set in 1996, a young boy goes missing in the Black Hills Forest in Maryland. We’ll play as Ellis, an ex-cop with a dark past, as he attempts to find the lost child. According to the official description, “What starts as an ordinary investigation soon turns into an endless nightmare as you confront your fears and the Blair Witch, a mysterious figure that haunts the woods.” Sign us up.

Blair Witch releases for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on August 30th.

3. Cyberpunk 2077 Cinematic Trailer + Release Date

Like everyone else with sense, I’m ready to finally get my hands on Cyberpunk 2077. Next to The Last of Us Part II, it’s one of my most anticipated games still in development, so anytime it makes an appearance is a good day.

Cyberpunk’s 2077 release date was one of the biggest surprises of E3, because I knew- just knew- this game was still a long way off. Possibly far enough away to be a next-gen title. So the reveal that it’s releasing April 16, 2020 blew me away. Could it be pushed back? Probably. However, CD Projekt Red has been adamant in saying when the game is ready, it’s ready.

2. Project Scarlett Announcement

We all knew it was only a matter of when (and not if) Microsoft would be announcing its next-gen console soon. The official reveal of Project Scarlett made an appearance at the very end of the conference, where Xbox head Phil Spencer, along with the Project Scarlett team, gave us a few details of what to expect.

Some of what we know so far, is that Project Scarlett will be eight times faster than the Xbox One X, with frame rates up to 120 fps. It also sounds like Microsoft’s cloud service xCloud will play a pretty big role in Project Scarlett’s design.

More details about Project Scarlett here.

1. Keanu Reeves

It’s safe to say that E3 2019 (and perhaps the remainder of 2019) belongs entirely to Keanu Reeves.

Everything from the surprise reveal that he will be in Cyberpunk 2077, to his appearance on the E3 stage to introduce more details about the game was…breathtaking.

Reeves’ character made a brief appearance at the end of the cinematic trailer, so we aren’t certain who his character is yet. Hopefully more details will be revealed soon.

Let us know if your favorite moments from E3 made this list!