English
Gamereactor
articles

Bethesda at E3: Everything You Need to Know

All the announcements and lots of trailers.

Subscribe to our newsletter here!

* Required field
HQ

At this year's Bethesda E3 conference we got a look at what the publisher has been working on and developing over the past year. This included a better look at Dishonored 2, more Doom news, and even the return of a classic IP. The show was mainly hosted and introduced by Peter Hines, the Global VP of PR and Marketing at Bethesda Software. However the event launched with Tim Willits introducing a reboot of a classic multiplayer game.

Quake: Champions

Kicking off the event we got a first glimpse at the new Quake reboot, called Quake: Champions. The opening trailer gave us a cinematic look at what we can expect from the new shooter. In the trailer we saw some of the new characters and classes available to play, along with their abilities.

Time Willits, Studio Director at id Software, took to the stage to give us some more info on what the studio hopes to achieve with the new title. The game is set to run with graphics at 120Hz and unlocked frame rates. It also features a new roster of characters, each with their own stats and abilities.

This is an ad:

The original Quake was released 20 years ago and laid the foundations for multiplayer gameplay and esports as we know them today. Bethesda have said they will be now hosting more large scale esports games for Quake, starting at QuakeCon in August.

HQ

The Elder Scrolls: Legends

Next up was more information on the strategic card game, The Elder Scrolls: Legends, which is set in the Elder Scrolls universe, but with a completely new story and fresh characters. It will feature a two lane battlefield, which the studio claim will "provide more variety and strategic depth."

This is an ad:

It will have a full solo campaign and multiple ways to play online. Public beta testing started in April and is now open to even more fans. Check out the Bethesda website for more details. Legends will be available on PC, iPad, iPhone, Mac and Android tablets and phones.

HQ

Fallout 4

Details of all the upcoming Fallout 4 DLC were announced along with footage of new gameplay. The fourth add-on, Contraptions Workshop, is going to allow players to create even more complicated machines and inventions at their shelters. The DLC includes elevators, armour and weapon packs, track kits, sorting machines, and conveyor belts. Contraptions Workshop will be released at some point next week.

They also announced what will be in their fifth DLC pack: Vault-Tec Workshop is an expansion that will allow players to build their own vaults and experiment on the dwellers. Like a big 3D version of Fallout Shelter, this is set to be an interesting release when it arrives in July this year.

Finally we got a brief teaser at what we can assume is going to be the sixth DLC. All we saw was a shot of a new area called Nuka World, which appears to be a theme park based around the franchise's infamous Nuka Cola. This is set for release in August 2016.

Skyrim Special Edition and Fallout Shelter

Off the back of the Fallout announcement we got some insight into something that a lot of fans have been asking for and that's a HD remaster of The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. The Special Edition of the RPG has been shown with updated graphics, remastered art and effects. Along with this the console versions will also support mods made by the community. The game will be released on October 28 2016 on PS4, Xbox One and PC (it's free on PC if you've got the game and all the DLC).

In other news, the hugely popular mobile game Fallout Shelter was also discussed by Bethesda, who said the game is getting a big update and will be expanding to PC. The update will include the ability to send dwellers on quests, exploring new locations, battling new enemies, a fresh combat system and even interactions with new characters.

HQ

Prey

President of Arkane Studios Raphael Colantonio took to the stage next in order to give us some insight into their new game, simply titled Prey, which is a reboot of the series now under the control of the Dishonored devs.

The game is another action adventure with a strong narrative, but the twist came in the fact that it is also a psychological thriller. The sci-fi story follows a character called Morgan in the year 2032 who is the key subject of an experiment that is meant to alter humanity forever, but of course things have gone wrong. Set on a space station where things have turned sour and Morgan is being hunted, the player must use their initiative and things on the station along with their newfound "mind bending abilities" to survive. More information will be released at QuakeCon.

HQ

Doom

Doom was released just over a month ago and now we have details on the new updates and DLC. Firstly, we will see a free update to the Snapmap feature. This update will include new construction modules, along with Hell visuals, new props, objects, weapons and items, along with new logic options that will allow players to create maps similar to the single player campaign.

There will also be five new multiplayer modes: Exodus - Doom's version of capture the flag, Sector - a multi-zone hold and capture game, and three new free-for-all modes including a classic death match mode. All new and current maps will be available for these game modes.

The first DLC was also announced and is called Unto The Evil, giving players a fair amount of new content, mainly for online play. It will include three new multiplayer maps, a new playable demon called The Harvester, a new gun and equipment item, armour sets, taunts and much more. There isn't yet a release date for this upcoming DLC.

HQ

Elder Scrolls Online

This online expansion of the Elder Scrolls universe got a brief mention at the conference. This included its launch in Japan on June 23rd and their next DLC, Dark Brotherhood, which naturally will be focused around assassination. It's based on a quest from Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion which presenter Matt Firor of Zenimax Online Studios praised. This DLC is being launched later this week and is discussed in full on over here.

Bethesda are also introducing a new feature called One Tamriel. This will allow players to flatline a group's levels, meaning that they can play any quest with any player, removing level restriction completely. It will be introduced into the game this autumn.

HQ

Bethesda VR

When Bethesda went on to discuss what else we can expect at the conference, they dropped the news that they have two titles being introduced onto VR: Doom and Fallout 4. They were available for players at the conference to try out. Along with this they announced that Fallout 4 is going to be released onto the HTC Vive in 2017.

Dishonored 2

Finally, Harvey Smith took to the stage to give us some information about Dishonored 2. After being announced at E3 last year fans have been craving more intel and Bethesda really gave it their all, including real gameplay footage and details of pre-orders.

We also got some information on the story. It is set 15 years after the original game and Emily has taken the throne. With her father Corvo Attano (!) at her side, they are ruling the empire, however, many of her enemies are being assassinated and when people start to blame her father the two of them must uncover what is really happening.

The new game is set in the city of Karnaca, which is rich with history and has new environments to explore. We get to see some of this in some gameplay footage which showcases a couple of the missions0.

In this sequel players will have the choice to play either Emily or Corvo. Both have a range of new abilities, some of which were showcased at the conference. These include shadow walk and domino, which you can see in action in the gameplay trailer. These abilities will also be upgradeable, allowing players to hone their techniques.

Dishonored 2 will be released on PS4, Xbox One and PC on November 11 this year. Pre-orders will be open soon and the special edition was announced. This includes a replica of Corvo's mask and Emily's ring. Also pre-orders of any edition of the game over a certain period of time will also contain Dishonored Definitive edition which includes the original game, plus all of the add-on content that was released.

HQ


Loading next content