Image Source: PlayStation
At E3 2020,Warner Bros Games was set to host its first-ever conference at the expo.Unfortunately, but with a rational explanation, the event due to take placefrom 9 June has now been cancelled.
Since itscancellation, however, it has been revealed that WB Gamers wanted the stage toannounce some huge new games including one within the Batman gaming franchise, andanother set in the Harry Potter universe.
E3 does,however, look to be formulating a new platform for this year’s event, so we maystill get to see the new Harry Potter and new Batman game showcased this summeras a part of the stand-in E3 experience.
WB Games has at least three big titles on the way
As reported by Kotaku, WB Games wanted to showcase at least three potentially massive new games at E3, one of which is a new Batman game.
Alongsidethis new Batman game, there will be another new game from the developers of theArkham series, Rocksteady Studios.
Then, ofcourse, WB Games was going to officially unveil a new Harry Potter game, someof which was reportedly leaked in 2018. Given that the title has been in theworks for at least a couple of years, the WB Games E3 stage may have unveiled somenearby release windows.
The creatorsof Mortal Kombat 11, the Lego games, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, Batman:Arkham City, and Middle-earth: Shadow of War are no strangers to colossal IPgames. These upcoming titles look to add to their impressive library of games.
E3 struggling before official cancellation
As has beenthe case for so many major upcoming events, E3 has been cancelled, with thereason being Covid-19. The event set for early June had already seen some ofits key partners jump ship, with many of them citing a clash in vision for theshow.
As they did in 2019, Sony decided to pull out of E3 2020 and will undoubtedly be showcasing its upcoming games and the PlayStation 5 via one of its State of Play videos. As relayed by Engadget, the PlayStation team stated: “We do not feel the vision of E3 2020 is the right venue for what we are focused on this year.”
One of the biggest names tied to the annual expo – some might call him the face of E3 – is Geoff Keighley, but even he pulled out of the upcoming event months in advance. Speaking in February, Keighley told the Washington Post: “Based on what’s been communicated to me about the show, I just don’t feel comfortable participating.”
What may have ended up being the telling blow in a world without SARS-CoV-2 running amok, though, was Iam8bit pulling out of E3 2020 as the creative design team at the beginning of March. The company was to run the E3 floor experience, setting up art installations for games and co-ordinating interaction experiences. However, Venture Beat reports that they backed away from E3 a mere three months before it commenced “with mixed emotions.”
So manymajor names tied to the event pulled out over the plans for E3. Allexplanations were hidden behind murky PR speak, as you would expect, but all ofthem hint to the show’s organisers taking the 2020 Electronic EntertainmentExpo in a direction which they felt uncomfortable being a part of.
Those whorun E3, the ESA, have come under fire in recent months for their response tothe increasing prevalence of gambling mechanics in video gaming, with their generalstance on the matter being along the lines of nah, it’ll be fine.
How are game companies making announcements without E3?
Since theannouncement, Microsoft has stated that it will be staging an Xbox digitalevent to keep the community up to date with all of their news. Nintendo willalmost certainly put on another Nintendo Direct, as they always do, so now what’sleft to be seen is how WB Games will react to the cancellation.
The team hassome huge announcements to make, which is why they sought to use E3 as theirstage. So, will they stick with E3 or go out on their own?
The ESA is exploring a possible online alternative, per Game Spot, but with Microsoft and, presumably, Nintendo going it alone, other game companies may follow suit to create their own success.
Given the gargantuan nature of the IPs at play, Batman and Harry Potter, an online showcase from Warner Bros Games should suffice if they get the word out about the impending announcements.