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After years of anticipation, Kingdom Hearts III has now been given a firm release date. As the conclusion to the core trilogy of games, focusing on Sora, Donald, and Goofy’s adventures through Disney-themed worlds, the third game looks to expand its scope even further while still showing that its still got charm and plenty of heart. Coming to PS4 and Xbox One, the Kingdom Hearts III will arrive on January 29, 2019.

This news came rather suddenly, with the official Kingdom Hearts III twitter page unceremounously revealing the release info. While it’s been in development for years, series creator Tetsuya Nomura previously stated at last year’s D23 event that the release was planned for 2018. During a Kingdom Hearts III fan event in May, he also revealed that the final release date for the game would be unveiled soon.

Last month, we had some hands-on time with the game, and we were pleasantly surprised at how much the game’s style and tone has held over the years. While fans can still expect to explore worlds themed after many classic Disney animated films, Pixar is now set to make its debut with the Kingdom Hearts series. As of now, the confirmed Disney worlds in Kingdom Hearts III are Tangled, Big Hero Six, Hercules, Toy Story, and Monsters Inc.

For more info on Kingdom Hearts III and other Square-Enix titles during E3 2018, be sure to keep up with us we publish more content from the gaming world’s biggest event. The game will likely feature in Square Enix’s press conference, which is scheduled to be held on June 11.

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The E3 2018 Xbox briefing, which is around 100 minutes long, will apparently include a lot of game reveals and other big announcements. Xbox boss Phil Spencer said on Twitter today that he is excited to “world premiere 15 games” during the event, and announce “much, much more.” The exact wording leaves some things ambiguous, however, as “world premiere” could mean the premiere of a new mode for an announced game or something other than a full game announcement.

He tweeted after finishing the final rehearsal for the Xbox briefing. Spencer didn’t tease any of the reveals. However, EA announced during its own briefing today that more details on Battlefield V‘s single-player mode will be announced during the Xbox briefing.

Microsoft’s press conference kicks off Sunday, June 10 at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 9 PM BST (6 AM AET on June 11). We don’t know yet what Microsoft will show during the event, but game announcements, new gameplay footage for existing games, and surprises are expected.

You will be able to watch the entire event here on GameSpot, while we will have a liveblog of the show as well so you can see a blow-by-blow breakdown of the event.

Following Microsoft’s briefing on Sunday will be Bethesda’s E3 2018 press conference at 6:30 PM PT / 9:30 PM ET. The show then rolls on from their with Ubisoft and Sony on Monday and then Nintendo on Tuesday.

For more, check out GameSpot’s E3 2018 hub to get up to speed on all the big news, videos, previews, and more.

The Madden franchise returns to PC this year, but what about Nintendo Switch? It’s not happening. Producer Ben Haumiller told GameSpot today at the EA Play event ahead of E3 2018 that while Madden 19 isn’t coming to Switch, future instalments could.

“We always think about every platform out there,” he said. “It’s really a decision of what’s best for Madden and us as EA and where we’re going.”

2017’s Madden 18 also skipped Nintendo Switch, but another EA Sports game–FIFA 18–came to the hybrid console that year. FIFA 19 is also scheduled to hit Switch, so it’s a bit of a bummer for American football fans to see the Madden franchise skip the console two years in a row.

In potentially more positive news, Haumiller said EA Sports has “always” evaluated bringing Madden to new platforms such as Switch. He suggested that if the Switch’s install base grows big enough, EA would more seriously consider bringing the game there.

“You never rule out getting you game in front of players. you want to go where everyone is. We’d never rule it out,” he said. “We just don’t have any current plans right now.”

It is understandable that EA would launch FIFA for Switch before any other sports franchises given the global appeal of soccer relative to the America-centric nature of football. While FIFA 18 did come to Switch, it was not the best-looking or most feature-rich version of the game. GameSpot’s FIFA 18 Switch review scored it a 5/10, compared to 7/10 for the PS4/Xbox One editions.

Haumiller didn’t give a specific reason for why Madden 19 isn’t coming to Switch. Like last year’s game, Madden 19 runs on the Frostbite engine, which also powers the new FIFA games. FIFA 18 for Switch, however, used a modified game engine.

In other Madden news, EA Sports told us to that Madden 19 will not address the NFL’s controversial new kneeling policy.

EA’s Madden franchise aims to be the most authentic representation of the popular American sport, and year over year it delivers improvements that make the game look and feel even more genuine. The same cannot always be said for what happens off the virtual field, however.

This year, the NFL has instituted a much-criticised, Trump-supported policy that requires all players on the field to stand during the national anthem, lest they face a fine. Players can also remain in the locker room during the anthem if they wish to avoid the fine. This new pre-game setup will not be reflected in this year’s Madden 19, producer Ben Haumiller told GameSpot today at the EA Play event ahead of E3 2018.

He explained that the team at EA Sports is instead focusing on getting players into the game as quickly as possible. Haumiller suggested that the new kneeling policy is a “distraction” from the real reason people play Madden games: to play Madden.

“We work very closely with the NFL and the NFLPA. We work very closely about how we want to represent the game, and really make it a celebration of the sport,” he said. “And maybe a place where you don’t have to … you love the game, but you don’t have to worry about everything else that’s going on that might be distractions from [the reason] you’re trying to be here–it’s about the game.”

The pre-game presentation in Madden 19 will remain largely the same as in previous years. You’ll see cuts of the stadium and the players coming out of the tunnel. “We really want to get you to the gameplay,” he said, adding that EA Sports focuses most on making everything from the start of the game to when the final whistle blows as authentic as it can be.

Madden 19 will feature commentary updated on a regular basis, but it remains to be seen if the announcers will talk about the kneeling issue. In speaking with Haumiller, it appears unlikely that they will.

EA has been wishy-washy in recent years about having the announcers discuss controversial issues. In 2016, EA said the commentary in Madden 17 would have the announcers briefly discuss Coin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the national anthem. His brave protest over violence against minorities was one of the biggest pieces of sports news that year, so it was a big deal that Madden 17 would have its announcers respond to this. However, they never did, and EA was called out for backing out of responding to the issue, and that may happen again this year.

Madden 19 launches on August 10 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game is also coming to PC, which marks the first entry in the franchise for PC since 2007’s Madden 2008.

At EA Play to kick off E3 2018, the company closed with a deep dive into Anthem. During the interview, BioWare general manager Casey Hudson shared more details on the Javelin mech suits and customization options. But, loot boxes won’t be an option.

Hudson was clear that it wouldn’t be selling randomized loot boxes, but you can purchase cosmetic items a la carte. The suits come in at least four different archetypes: Ranger, Colossus, Interceptor, and Storm. Each of them performs a bit differently, and you can switch between them for any given mission.

The customization options will let you change the paint jobs and even the actual geometry of the suit. Further details weren’t shared, but it sounded as if cosmetics will be available by playing the game. It’s unclear at this point if there will be some skins and vanity items that you can only get by spending money.

We’ll be checking out Anthem at the show, so we’ll have even more details in the coming days, but we also rounded up other notable details from the game’s on-stage demo here. Anthem’s release date is set for February 2019.

One of the biggest games from EA going into E3 2018 is the multiplayer-focused shooter Anthem by the iconic developer BioWare. Plenty of details were revealed on the upcoming game during the EA Play event, but the more curious aspect is how the exosuits, called javelins, will work. These suits are the focus of gameplay and function as character classes with a number of distinct abilities that affect the way you approach combat.

There are four javelin types: Ranger, Colossus, Interceptor, and Storm. The Ranger is a more generalized suit, a sort of all-purpose javelin. It appears to have fluid mobility and can hold its own in close-range combat. If you’re interested in laying down more damage, the Colossus is a heavy, specialized type that packs big weapons to cause high level of destruction and area-of-effect attacks. Details were scarce on the Interceptor, but we know it’s the most agile of the classes while the Storm is a caster-type that could help support the squad.

While javelins share similarities to traditional classes, players can swap between different javelin types since actual characters are just the pilots, called freelancers. You can switch between these for any given mission, it’s not a permanent choice.

Javelin customization is also a big deal. Not only will players get gear and weapons, personalization through different paint jobs and armor pieces/geometry will be part of the fun. There will be cosmetic/vanity items for purchase, but EA says you’llknow what you’re getting; there will be no loot boxes. Additionally, Anthem won’t contain microtransactions that give gameplay advantages.

A release date was announced for BioWare’s new game–expect to see Anthem for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC this February. We have Anthem covered from all angles; be sure to check out the entire reveal that happened at EA’s E3 press conference and our compilation of all the Anthem details.

BioWare revealed a ton of new information about its upcoming IP Anthem during EA’s pre-E3 2018 press conference. The Destiny-esque shooter is slated to launch for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on February 22, 2019, and now we’ve gotten a better look at its mysterious setting and how progression works.

As BioWare previously revealed, Anthem puts players in the role of Freelancers–individuals who pilot powered exosuits known as Javelins. There are four types of Javelins available and they’ll be fully customizable. Players can fly these Javelins freely out into Anthem’s world to take on missions. Despite being designed to be played with allies, the game can also be completed solo–although you will need to have a persistent internet connection regardless of how you play.

Anthem takes place in a dynamic world that’s built around a core narrative. Freelancers are the guardians of the rest of the human population. They venture into a dangerous world, described as being “abandoned by the gods,” to fulfill contracts, complete missions, and handle threats.

Whenever the player returns to the main hub, they’ll witness the effects of the choices they made and experience the next stage of Anthem’s narrative. This is where most of Anthem’s story exists. Exploring the world will be more of a social experience; players will experience the same weather patterns and day/night cycle, as well as see the same wandering enemies and detailed environments.

BioWare promised Anthem will get plenty of updates post-launch. Some will be gameplay related, as the world will reshape and change in response to new developments over time. Others will be story-driven updates. BioWare says it has built a world where players interact with characters that they’ll fall in love with, and lead writer Cathleen Rootsaert wants players to have new experiences with those characters over time.

We’ll have more details on Anthem this week as E3 unfolds. You can read more about the game–and other news from EA’s E3 briefing–in our recap of all the announcements from EA Play. For our full coverage of the big event, be sure to visit GameSpot’s E3 2018 hub to follow along with all of the biggest news from the show.