E3 2021 is now just a few days away. Gamers are now at a fever pitch. Store shelves have been emptied of Doritos and Mountain Dew as people everywhere prepare for their E3 viewing parties. But if you don’t want to wait until E3 2021 officially airs to find out all the latest and greatest gaming news, then check out the following rumours, leaks and insider winks. After all, if there’s one thing the gaming industry does, it’s leak like a rusty sieve.
The Nintendo Switch Pro?
The idea of a Nintendo Switch Pro is nothing new. Fans have guessed at its existence for a long time, but a recent listing at French retailer Boulanger listed the price at 400 Euro. The listing didn’t provide any details about the device, but it didn’t need to. Another piece of evidence that seemingly confirms the existence of the Pro was enough.
While a retailer’s listing of a product doesn’t necessarily mean the product exists, it often does. And this particular retailer boo-boo only lends more credibility to the idea of a new Switch model.
In addition, Nintendo has also filed patents for work with 4K screens in recent months. Ultimately, we won’t know if the Switch Pro is real or not until Nintendo makes an official announcement, but they did deny the existence of the Switch Lite up until the day it was announced. That means there’s still a chance for Switch Pro hopefuls.
Ubisoft Leaks Details on The Division, New Games
A major series of leaks regarding upcoming Ubisoft titles has provided fans with plenty to chew on leading up to the Ubisoft Forward event. Roughly 20 minutes of footage leaked showing off The Division: Heartland, the latest entry in the Tom Clancy series. There are also hints that Rainbow Six Quarantine is now called Extraction, as well as new IPs like Rider’s Republic and a possible new Just Dance entry.
Of course, what fans most want is information about Assassin’s Creed — not just Valhalla, but also what comes after. One of the most interesting leaks (and the one with the least info) is about a new title codenamed Battlecat. The leak originated from an internal marketing document and points toward a game that combines Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, and The Division into a single multiplayer title.
Multiple Bethesda Leaks
A thread popped up nearly a month ago on 4chan’s /v/ detailing Bethesda’s supposed programming lineup for E3. It comes as no surprise to anyone that Starfield is set to be front and center this year; after all, fans would likely riot if the studio ignored the game once more.
More interesting than Starfield is the idea that a more cinematic trailer for The Elder Scrolls VI might be shown off. It’s been ten years since the launch of Skyrim, so it is beyond time.
There are also indiciations that Deathloop will hold a major presence at the conference with the announcement of a Day One Game Pass release. The same holds true for Ghostwire Tokyo, and there might even be a new original IP MMO announced that is superhero-themed — but notably not DC or Marvel.
Halo Infinite Multiplayer?
It’s not much of a leak to say that Microsoft will show a lot of detail about Halo Infinite at E3, if only for the fact it’s the company’s most-anticipated title. That said, a lot of footage has been shown of single player, but almost no details have been given of multiplayer.
Rumors suggest a public multiplayer beta will be made available at E3. It could give fans everywhere their first taste of Halo Infinite.
Microsoft will likely announce a release date at E3, too. Even more rumors point toward a fall 2021 release, likely around November given the franchise’s history.
Tiny Tina Makes a Comeback
Depending on your sense of humor, Tiny Tina was either the most-hated or most-loved character in Borderlands. For those of you that loved her, good news: there’s a lot of indication that a Borderlands spinoff will be announced at E3 this year that features Tiny Tina as the main character.
Other leaks point toward an XCOM-style game featuring Marvel characters, and a very-early development title with the name Codename Volt.
METROID?!
Famed Nintendo Insider and leaker Emily Rogers says she is “confident” a new Metroid title is releasing this year. Will that be Metroid Prime 4? Well…probably not. Given the timeline and the complete restart of the development process the title underwent a few years ago, Metroid Prime 4 is likely not ready.
However, there are plenty of opportunities for Nintendo to bring new Metroid titles to the Switch, whether these are reboots of 2D games like Zero Mission or Fusion, or maybe a collection of the three previous Prime titles à la Super Mario 3D All Stars.
Some of these E3 2021 rumors should be taken with a grain of salt while others are from reliable sources with a track record of quality info. Regardless of what announcements companies choose to make at E3 2021, it’s a bit like Christmas for gamers. There will be at least one or two announcements that will have everyone in the room cheering, regardless of your gaming tastes.