Bethesda Conference Recap - E3 2016

Bethesda start their conference with a trailer, which turns out to be a new Quake, though the trailer does not appear to feature any gameplay. The game will be titled Quake: Champions, and Tim Willits from ID comes on to talk about it. It is a brief overview of the series history and the series role in E-sports. Champions will be a PC-only multiplayer arena shooter, with Tim emphasizing that the game will run at high frame rates to fit the fast action. Bethesda will be supporting competitive leagues for the game to foster its E-sports scene, with more info to come at Quake-con. Bethesda’s Pete Hines is then introduced as the Quake segment ends.

Pete gives a formal introduction to the Bethesda E3 showcase, and gives a quick recap of Bethesda’s lineup over the last year. The long-dormant Elder Scrolls Legends, a strategy card game for those who forgot, will be the next game discussed. The opening cinematic for the game is played, and Pete announces an expanded beta for the game starting now. The game will also be coming to mobile platforms and Mac.

Todd Howard is on next to talk about what Bethesda Studios are working on, namely Fallout 4 DLC. More options for settlement building seems to be the bulk of this new content, including letting you build your own vault. Todd mentions that a big update for Fallout Shelter is also on the way, along with a PC version of the game. Finally, a current-gen console remaster of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is announced with a trailer that details the upgraded graphical effects. This concludes Todd’s contribution to the conference, and next up is Arkane Studios.

After some general discussion about the kinds of games the studio likes to make, the speaker announces they are working on a new game in addition to Dishonored 2. A first-person trailer sets up the atmosphere and indicates it will be a sort of horror game with some first person action and science-fiction elements. As it turns out, the game will be a reboot of Prey. It will take place on a space station overrun by aliens; the game will be coming in 2017 for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

A brief DOOM segment thanks players for their support. Updates to the game are detailed, with increased options for Snap-map, new multiplayer modes, and the first ‘premium’ DLC which will include new maps and a new playable demon. Pete returns after this to announce that the first level of DOOM will be made available as a demo, though this offer will only last for a week. Zenimax Online are next with Elder Scrolls Online, Matt Firor takes the stage to talk about it. A trailer showing highlights from the game’s past plays, followed by an announcement for the game releasing in Japan. An expansion featuring the Dark Brotherhood is discussed, along with a launch trailer for the DLC. Additionally, a new system called “One Tamriel” is also announced which will allow players to explore the entire world without any leveling requirements; players level will scale up or down accordingly.

Arkane are back, this time to talk about Dishonored 2. After recapping the story of the first Dishonored, the narrative premise for the sequel is detailed, focusing on the character Emily Kaldwin who is now grown up. A gameplay clip from her perspective is played which depicts Emily walking and conversing with Corvo, who will also be playable in the game. The narration will change dramatically depending on which character you play as. Gameplay is then discussed and shown with a new demo. The stealth focused gameplay appears similar to that in the first game, but there are new mechanics being shown for Emily. An increased use of vertical space is mentioned as an emphasis in the game.

At one point, a supposedly random dust storm blows in and reduces visibility. One new ability lets the player pull objects and enemies in from a distance, while another distracts a group of enemies. Emily and Corvo will have different powers so playing the two characters will change the experience significantly. More new abilities and gadgets are shown off and the lengthy gameplay segment comes to a close. However, after a brief pause, we jump back into another mission inside a manor. The player can use a device to see the manor before it fell into a dilapidated state which will apparently play into puzzle-solving and even combat. With a final gameplay trailer for Dishonored 2 that shows clips similar to the previous footage, the segment ends.

Pete Hines returns to announce there will be a collector’s edition of the game. After thanking the teams behind developing all of the games discussed during the conference, the event comes to a close.