Skip to main content

Everything announced at Square Enix’s E3 showcase

Coming hot of the heels of Microsoft and Bethesda’s jam-packed E3 showcase, Square Enix delivered its own livestream full of announcements. Like its recent Square Enix Presents stream presentation, it was a tight 40-minute show that focused on a handful of upcoming titles.

Much of the news was expected, as Square Enix shared the itinerary beforehand. A large chunk of the stream was dedicated to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, a new single-player game from Eidos. Life is Strange: True Colors and Babylon’s Fall were a a big part of the show as well. There was only one surprise, though it had leaked beforehand: Final Fantasy Origin. Here’s a full breakdown of the breezy E3 showcase.

Final Fantasy Origin is a new Souls-like from Team Ninja

STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN | Announcement Teaser Trailer

As rumored before the event, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a new game from developer Team Ninja. It’s a “Souls-like” title that features a heavy emphasis on hack-and-slash action against giant enemies. The title is coming sometime in 2022 and will have a demo available “soon” on PlayStation 5.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy takes the stage

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy | Official Reveal Trailer

Square Enix is publishing another game based on Marvel’s superheroes, but it’s much different than Marvel’s Avengers. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a single-player action adventure game where players control Star-Lord. Like Mass Effect, it features branching dialogue options and a feature that lets players issue commands to their teammates. The title is developed by Eidos-Montreal, the team behind the Deus Ex franchise.

The game will not feature any post-launch content, such as DLC, and is not a live service game. It’s a complete single-player experience. It’ll launch on October 26 for PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Babylon’s Fall shows off NieR-esque action

BABYLON’S FALL | E3 2021 Trailer

Babylon’s Fall got a major spotlight at the show. The action title is the newest game from PlatinumGames … and it shows. The action looks similar to the studio’s hit NieR: Automata. In fact, the stream featured an interview with the game’s developer who explicitly mentioned the game.

The game is a live service title that will get continued updates.

Life is Strange: True Colors empathy powers detailed

Life is Strange: True Colors - Power and Consequence [ESRB]

A chunk of the stream focused on the Life is Strange series. First, we got a new trailer for the upcoming Life is Strange Remastered Collection.

Life is Strange: True Colors got the bulk of the spotlight. The developers explained how the game’s empathy powers work. Alex can see colorful auras around characters, which allow her to dive into their thoughts. If Alex empowers a strong aura, she can create an aura, which lets her experience a physical version of the character’s psyche.

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster updates six games

FINAL FANTASY PIXEL REMASTER | E3 Teaser Trailer

The first six games in the Final Fantasy series are getting a remake of sorts. Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster features every game in the series up through Final Fantasy VI. It will come to Steam and mobile platforms “soon.” It was a somewhat vague announcement that left several questions about what’s been updated in the new releases.

Marvel’s Avengers: War for Wakanda gets a new trailer

Marvel's Avengers Expansion: Black Panther - War for Wakanda Cinematic Trailer

Square Enix gave a closer look at the upcoming Marvel’s Avengers DLC. War for Wakanda brings Black Panther to the game in a new story line that takes place in Wakanda. The update will be free, though it still doesn’t have a release date.

Giovanni Colantonio
Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…
Here’s what E3 2023 could look like without Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft
Playstation character wall at E3 2018

Let's start with the good news: E3 2023 will be held in its in-person format once again after three long years of digital events necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this time with ReedPop at the helm. The bad news is that Sony, Xbox, and Nintendo -- gaming's "Big 3" -- may not show up at the industry’s biggest convention this summer.

This is according to a report from IGN citing multiple sources, who claimed the companies won’t be a part of the show or make appearances on the floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center in any way. Their absence from this year’s E3, especially Nintendo’s, may come as a shock to the gaming community, but it's not such a surprise when looking at the past few iterations of E3. Even before the pandemic locked everyone down in 2020, Sony and Xbox had been hosting their own E3-style livestreams, so it was more likely they would do it again this year anyway. Nintendo, on the other hand, managed to show off its upcoming games via Nintendo Direct streams and at its booth, console kiosks and all.

Read more
Summer Game Fest returns just before E3 2023 next June
The official artwork confirming Summer Game Fest's return on June 8, 2023.

Geoff Keighley has confirmed when Summer Game Fest will return in June 2023. It will begin with a live kickoff show on June 8, 2023, placing Keighley's game announcement alternative less than a week before E3's grand (intended) 2023 return.
Unlike past years, Summer Game Fest Live Kickoff 2023 will feature a live audience, like Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards. It will take place in the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park, with tickets going on sale in early 2023. It will still be livestreamed across platforms like YouTube and Twitch, though. It's currently unknown who's participating, how long Summer Game Fest will run afterward, or if it will feature a Summer Game Fest Play Days-like element for fans. Still, Keighley says all of that info will be revealed ahead of the event next year, teasing what people can expect. 
"In keeping with tradition, we'll have tons of exciting announcements from the developers that are pushing the games industry forward, and will once again highlight other publisher digital events, demos, and more surprises to be announced in the coming months," Keighley says in a press release. 
That June 8 start date, and the other Summer Game Fest events likely to follow, put Keighley's show just ahead of E3 2023. The ESA and ReedPop plan to bring E3 back between June 13 and June 16, 2023. With five days of lead time on E3, Summer Game Fest can coexist with the long-running gaming conference and encompass the plethora of publisher showcases that tend to precede E3.
Geoff Keighley made it clear that he wants Summer Game Fest and E3 to coexist for a while. "We've had extensive conversations with ReedPop about E3," he said in an interview with Epic Games Store. "I think it'll kind of fit together and flow kind of from what we're doing into what they're doing and stuff. E3, to me, is this kind of master brand that represents gaming news in June."
With the start date of Summer Game Fest confirmed, the coexistence of these two summer gaming events is a reality. Summer Game Fest returns on June 8, 2023.

Read more
E3 2023 returns in June with separate business and consumer days
The logo for E3 2023.

E3 2023 will return as an in-person event from June 13 to June 16, 2023, as announced by ReedPop today.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) already revealed that E3 will return in 2023, but now we know exactly when the event will take place, along with several other key details. E3 will once again take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center after a four-year hiatus, but will incorporate separate days for industry professionals and general consumers.

Read more