The Biggest Games Announced at E3 2021
The game announcements are always the bread and butter of the event, and many of the reveals this year were exciting.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), which has remained one of gaming's most important events, kicked off this weekend, bringing together some of the world's biggest game publishers to give fans a taste of what's in the works for the holiday season and beyond.
While once again all online this year, E3 has still had some truly odd moments so far. For example, Microsoft, who has had a good sense of humor around the whole "it looks like a fridge" frenzy surrounding the Xbox Series X, took the joke too far and announced that they're now making an actual fridge. Advertised as "The World's Most Powerful Mini Fridge," it will indeed be shaped like an Xbox Series X and will feature "Xbox Velocity Cooling Architecture," a play on the Series X "Velocity Architecture."
But regardless of the bizarre antics that usually make up E3, the game announcements are always the bread and butter of the event, and many of the reveals this year were exciting. Here are some of the biggest games announced at E3 this year.
Elden Ring
The hype for Elden Ring has been at a near boiling point since its E3 announcement back in 2019. Helmed by George R.R. Martin and Hidetaka Miyazaki (Dark Souls, Bloodborne), details surrounding the game have been nonexistent since its reveal.
Well, it seems the game is indeed happening, as Bandai Namco debuted a new gameplay trailer for the work this weekend and set a release date of January 21, 2022. The game, which sports a gothic world and ghoulish enemies, seems relatively similar to Miyazaki's other prized works, but Bandai Namco elaborated a bit and said the game will include a "vast and seamless landscape" with different weather and a full 24-hour time-of-day progression.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
An unexpected premiere from Ubisoft came in the form of an Avatar game that looks sprawling and promising. Developed by studio Massive Entertainment, the studio behind Tom Clancy's The Division 2, the game was described as a first-person action-adventure game, and from the looks of its reveal, it seems the entirety of Pandora might be at the player's disposal. The game will exclusively hit next-gen consoles and PC, and players will assume the role as Na'vi as he explores never-before-seen areas of the famous planet.
Guardians of the Galaxy
That's right, players will finally take control of the Star Lord himself, as Square Enix revealed they're making a Guardians of the Galaxy game, and no, Star Lord is not Chris Pratt. Teased as a fresh interpretation of the series, the game's debut trailer showed that it will be a sprawling third-person action-adventure game, as players will get to explore different areas of the galaxy.
Starfield
Bethesda Game Studios, behind captivating RPG epics like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, is heading to space, and if past works are any indication, it's sure to be an experience unlike any other. Starfield will put players in the role of a fully customizable character of their choosing and allow them to explore space with an unprecedented amount of freedom. "It's an epic about hope, our shared humanity, and answering our greatest mystery," Bethesda's Todd Howard told E3.
Redfall
What happens when you combine cool looking vampires and a bunch of guns? Apparently Redfall. When a cult of super vampires invade the Massachusetts town of Redfall, you and three of your buddies need to strap up and investigate. Judging from the reveal trailer, the action seems chaotic and colorful, with superpowered vamps flying around doing damage as you and your friends try to fend them off. The game is being developed by the teams behind Prey and Dishonored, which for sure means that the action will be wild and unpredictable. Redfall is expected to release next summer.
Halo Infinite
The latest Halo entry had originally been teased alongside the announcement of the Xbox Series X and S back in November. The plan was for the release of Halo Infinite to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the original Halo, but Microsoft and 343 Industries soon postponed the game, crushing players' hopes that they would get both a new console and a new Master Chief adventure simultaneously.
But at E3 this year, the game developers confirmed that Halo Infinite will finally arrive this holiday season. A multiplayer trailer was also revealed, giving players a look at new vehicles, new weapons, and a few of the new maps they can expect. The game's multiplayer will also be entirely free. As for the story, still little is known past the cinematic trailer, where Master Chief stumbled upon a new AI companion amongst a slew of wreckage.
