Gamers around the world felt a collective loss in June when the dates for E3 2020 came and went with no event.
The Electronic Arts and Entertainment Expo, also known as E3, is one of the biggest events in the gaming year. While it once started as a simple industry trade show, it has evolved into a mega event, much like San Diego Comic Con.
Every year, major gaming companies take to the stage to announce what’s coming to your console in the next few years. Major reveals are shown, trailers debut, gameplay footage is consumed, and many developers even bring out celebrities.
However, this year, because of the issues posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, E3 2020 was cancelled. Square Enix, one of the world’s largest game developers, has decided to roll out the announcements they had slated for the show over the next few months.
Square Enix spoke about its announcement plans during a stock holders meeting that took place on June 24. When asked about how E3’s cancellation has impacted the company’s plans for the future, Square was happy to reveal some interesting information.
“We would normally announce new games at E3,” Square said in the meeting. “We had planned to have a press conference as a replacement event, but were unable to do so since assets were not complete. We’ll be announcing new titles individually as the timing permits. Several will debut around July to August.”
So, instead of one large event, Square is planning a series of individual announcements to get gamers ready for its upcoming line up of titles.
What could these announcements be? There are a number of possibilities, all of them exciting.
Square has a major release coming later this summer, with Marvel’s Avengers hitting shelves on September 4. It is likely that there were one or two additional trailers that the company was holding back to give a late in the game push to pre-orders.
It is also likely that we’re going to hear something about the long-awaited Final Fantasy XVI. This latest numbered installment into Square’s signature franchise has been a question in the minds of fans for some time now.
It’s also possible that we might get a small teaser for the next installment of Final Fantasy VII Remake. While this game is still in very early development, it is possible that Square may want to capitalize on the excitement generated by the first game’s release and give fans an update on where the project is.
