Author: Trafficblast

Two of Bethesda’s major upcoming games, The Elder Scroll VI and Starfield, are not coming to E3 2019, but that doesn’t mean the company is keeping quiet about the projects. Bethesda boss Todd Howard spoke briefly about both projects in an in-depth interview with IGN this week.

Starting with The Elder Scrolls VI, Howard said Bethesda is designing the game to be played for a decade “at least.” He wants the game to have longevity in the way that Skyrim has. That game was released in 2011 and it remains popular and sells well on every platform Bethesda brings it to, Howard said.

He gave no indication as to when The Elder Scrolls VI will release, but he says you will understand why it’s taking so long once Bethesda finally shows it off.

“On one hand, I think it’s good to miss things. I think that makes people come to it with really really fresh eyes,” he said about the gap between Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls VI. “When you eventually, eventually see the game and what we have in mind [you’ll] understand the gap more in terms of technology and what we want it to do.”

The only piece of media for The Elder Scrolls VI released so far is the briefest of teaser trailers from E3 2018. The game will likely release on next-generation platforms, Howard has said in the past and mentioned again in the IGN interview.

As for Starfield, Howard talked about how it’s important for the game to have its own tone to help it stand apart from the numerous other sci-fi games on the market.

“[Starfield will have its] own tone in terms of there is so much science-fiction in the same way that Fallout has its own tone in post-apocalyptic,” he said. “Elder Scrolls has found its own tone, but originally didn’t. It was very generic fantasy.”

Howard wants Starfield to be the “be all, end all science fiction game that everyone’s always wanted to play.” He clarified that it is his own personal be all, end all sci-fi game, and not necessarily yours.

Whatever the case, it’s a bold ambition for Starfield, but Howard thinks he has put the pieces in place to make it happen. “We could be the ones to pull this off,” he said. “We have enough talent and experience and technology; we need to write a whole bunch of new technology that we’re doing [for Starfield]. But we think that we can pull it off.”

A scene from Starfield’s announcement trailer

Also in the interview, Howard said Bethesda knew it wanted Starfield to be its next game after Fallout 4 and that development is now underway across the developer’s North American studios.

But when will we see more of Starfield? “Everyone should be very patient,” Howard said.

Like Fallout 4, which was announced in June just five months before its release in November 2015, Howard said he wants to have a short announce-to-release window for Starfield. The five month window for Fallout 4 was the quickest turnaround the Bethesda’s sales team would allow, he said. Howard acknowledged there are complexities related to announcing and releasing quickly, due in part to allowing retail partners to prepare for release.

In terms of a release schedule, Starfield is coming first and then The Elder Scrolls VI, at least according to the current plan.

While Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI will not appear at E3 this year, Bethesda is still holding a briefing where it will announce other games and make additional announcements.

Following a retail leak, Ubisoft has now officially confirmed Watch Dogs Legion. The game’s Twitter account came to life today, and it basically confirms the rumoured London setting and more.

A teaser video states, “God Save the NPCs. Reveal at E3.”

“God Save the Queen” is the national anthem of the United Kingdom, and the mention of NPCs is likely referring to how Watch Dogs Legion reportedly has players controlling an NPC.

Watch Dogs Legion is not the first Ubisoft game to have leaked before E3 this year. A roller derby game called Roller Champions is also reportedly set for a reveal next week. Ubisoft’s E3 press conference is scheduled for Monday, June 10; that’s when we can presumably hear more.

According to the Watch Dogs Legion Amazon UK product description, the game takes place in a near-future, dystopian version of London. “It’s a post-Brexit world in which society, politics, and technology have changed and altered London’s fortunes,” it says.

It’s also rumored that the main character of Watch Dogs Legion is an NPC that you select. “The product description states, “Play as anyone, Every individual you meet in the open world, has a full set of animations, voice over, character traits and visuals that are generated & guided by gameplay systems.”

Some parts of the game will play out different based on the civilian you choose to play, according to a report. The system underpinning this is apparently very ambitious, so much so that it’s led to at least one delay.

No platforms have been announced for Watch Dogs Legion, and Ubisoft also has not shared a release date. Presumably more details will come to light at E3 2019 next week.

E3 2019 is expected to include a lot of big announcements, but the next game from Batman: Arkham studio Rocksteady Games will not be among them. Game director and co-founder Sefton Hill wrote on Twitter that the studio “won’t be showing at E3 this year.”

“We’ll be watching as fans but remaining in London, hard at work on our next big project,” he said.

It’s become tradition for Hill to release these kind of statements tempering fans’ excitement and expectations for Rocksteady’s new game.

In December 2018, Hill confirmed there would be no reveal at The Game Awards, while months prior he responded to fan feedback over Rocksteady’s E3 2018 no-show.

Rocksteady is clearly still not ready to show off its new game. There are a number of rumours floating around about it what be, but nothing is confirmed at this stage. Rocksteady created the Batman Arkham series, the latest instalment of which, Arkham Knight, was released in 2015.

Batman: Arkham Origins developer WB Games Montreal, meanwhile, is also working on a new game, but it too is shrouded in mystery.

WB Games Montreal and Rocksteady share a parent company in Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, which is one of the companies attending E3 2019 this month. That being said, nothing yet has suggested any new Batman games will be revealed at the show.

Rocksteady’s new game isn’t the only title skipping E3. The Last of Us 2 and The Elder Scrolls 6 are among the other titles that are also not going to be at the show.

While Sony is not attending E3 2019 next week, the PlayStation company still has news to share, specifically about its much-anticipated next-generation console. Sony’s Jim Ryan, who recently stepped into the position of SIE president, sat down with GameSpot sister site CNET to discuss some of Sony’s high-level plans for its next console, believed to be the PlayStation 5.

One of the biggest talking points was what Ryan called “cross-generational play.” This means those who pick up a PlayStation 5 (or whatever it is called), will be able to continue playing their PlayStation 4 games on the new box. Not only that, but Ryan suggested that PlayStation friends list will span both systems.

“Whether it’s backwards compatibility or the possibility of cross generational play, we’ll be able to transition that community to next-gen,” he said. “It won’t be a binary choice about whether you have to be either on PlayStation 4 or next-gen to continue your friendship.”

This is a big deal because the PS4 does not currently offer backwards compatibility like the rival Xbox One does. Ryan said in a previous interview that backwards compatibility and cross-gen play is “incredibly important” to helping make the transition between systems as seamless as possible.

Also in the interview, Ryan confirmed that the PS5’s new SSD that was custom-made for the system will be part of the standard edition, not a more expensive premium version. The SSD allows the PS5 to improve load times; you can see a demonstration of the faster load times here.

Ryan also talked about how the PS5 is capable of supporting 4K visuals at 120Hz for those who have TVs that can support that. 120Hz is a refresh rate around double the rate of standard TVs.

As for why Sony is talking about the PS5 (Mark Cerny shared numerous details earlier) before actually announcing the console, Ryan said it’s an effort to get ahead of leaks. PS5 development kits are being sent to outside studios currently, and Ryan said he wants PlayStation fans to have “clear and unambiguous” details about the system instead of “garbled nonsense.”

It sounds like the PS5 is still a long time off, as Ryan said, “This is just the start of the unveil process.” There is no word yet as to when Sony may officially announce the PS5.

As part of Sony’s Corporate Strategy Meeting recently, Sony said the PS5 will offer experiences that “greatly exceed” what is possible on PS4 and PS4 Pro. Sony said people can expect “completely transformative and immersive gaming experiences” on the PS5.

You can visit CNET to read the full interview in which Ryan touches on the changing landscape of the video game business, Sony’s partnership with Microsoft for cloud gaming, if the PS5 will be Sony’s last console, and lots more.

The PlayStation 5 will have an “appealing” price point given its specs, according to Cerny, but there is no ballpark estimate yet regarding what the price may be. As for the release date of the PlayStation 5, Sony has said it will not release in the next fiscal year, which means it won’t launch April 2020 at the soonest.

The production of James Bond 25 has suffered another filming accident. Not long after 007 actor Daniel Craig injured his ankle and needed surgery, the producers have now confirmed that a controlled explosion went wrong, with one crew member getting hurt.

There were no injuries on set at Pinewood Studios when the accident occurred on June 4, but one person outside the stage suffered a “minor injury.” No other details were provided.

According to the UK tabloid The Sun, part of the stage was blown off during the filming of a stunt involving a fireball inside a laboratory.

Presumably some extra time will be required to repair the stage at Pinewood Studios, though it’s unknown if this latest mishap will result in a delay for Bond 25. Craig needed about two weeks of downtime to recover from his own ankle injury and surgery sustained while filming in Jamaica. Despite that, the production team said at the time that the movie will not be delayed.

James Bond 25, or whatever it ends up being called, hits theatres in April 2020. In addition to Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, and Lea Seydoux will all reprise their roles for the 25th James Bond movie. Jeffrey Wright and Ben Whishaw also return, while Rami Malek has joined the movie as the villain.

Bond 25’s story begins with Bond no longer on active service but instead enjoying himself in Jamaica. “His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help,” reads a lin efrom the description. “The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.”

The movie was initially going to be directed by Danny Boyle, but he left due to “creative differences.” True Detective’s Cary Fukunaga replaced Boyle before the film was delayed first from October 2019 to February 2020 and then again to April 3, 2020.