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Pax East 2019 Possible Developers/Games/Panels being present.
Hello All,
Not sure if anyone has started a thread about Developers that may appear at Pax and games that may be present yet but figured I set a post here to get everyone's input on what is official and not official as we get closer to March. I know the usual Microsoft, Playstation, Blizzard, Behemoth, Square Enix and Nintendo will be present unless this year is a twist in budget and time to show up but what do you all look forward to and heard/read online that seems likely or confirmed? Also any games you wish to see/play or at least hope for a Demo/Panel be available. Any panels that you normally attend every year or hope one exist based off anything new or old upcoming? List all you would like and those that you know deemed impossible lol.
For me, I look forward to anything and everything but as of now being how much Nintendo has been consistently doing well, looking forward to their booth if it's like last years approach. Also, notable list of games are but not confirmed:
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice: Though is coming out next month, it may likely show up as a demo.
- The Division 2: Was a fan of the first but was not delivered well in the beginning but with the work they invested afterwards, got to give them credit for what they've done and seeing they learn their prior mistakes.
- Gears 5: Though I have given up on the series but loved the original 3, they may push for this to appear at pax.
- Dead or Alive 6: Being released early next month, it may show up.
- Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order: Possibly being released this Fall, it would be nice to see how it looks in person.
- Days Gone: This one seems to be a big one and I would love for a Demo, possibly playable but we'll see.
- Doom Eternal: The reboot did a pretty good job bringing fans in and now to do more and better on this sequel will be interesting.
- Mortal Kombat XI: Possibly playable at Pax, this looks promising.
- Rage 2: The first was not as huge of a seller the company wanted but a lot of people enjoyed the game, this one should be more of an improvement.
There are many more great games to list and games that I've missed but being how big Pax have increase year after year, I'm sure there will be space to allow these games to be present. As for those games that are a long shot and too early to reveal... well, I have my hopes. Here's a few:
- Cyberpunk 2077: With last years release of their 45+ minutes demo, I can't get enough. Likely won't appear but maybe a panel of some sort from CDProject Red.
- The Last of Us 2: Yea, not likely appearing but worth mentioning.
- Death Stranding: Likely being shown at E3 or Tokyo Game Show but hoping...
- Ghost of Tsushima: This game looks amazing, want to see more.
- Beyond Good and Evil 2
- Dying Light 2
- Control
- Bayonetta 3
What do you all think? There's even a lot more Indie Developers bringing so much as well that is not listed. Let us know.
Confirmation on Games so far:
Confirmation on Panels so far:
Not sure if anyone has started a thread about Developers that may appear at Pax and games that may be present yet but figured I set a post here to get everyone's input on what is official and not official as we get closer to March. I know the usual Microsoft, Playstation, Blizzard, Behemoth, Square Enix and Nintendo will be present unless this year is a twist in budget and time to show up but what do you all look forward to and heard/read online that seems likely or confirmed? Also any games you wish to see/play or at least hope for a Demo/Panel be available. Any panels that you normally attend every year or hope one exist based off anything new or old upcoming? List all you would like and those that you know deemed impossible lol.
For me, I look forward to anything and everything but as of now being how much Nintendo has been consistently doing well, looking forward to their booth if it's like last years approach. Also, notable list of games are but not confirmed:
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice: Though is coming out next month, it may likely show up as a demo.
- The Division 2: Was a fan of the first but was not delivered well in the beginning but with the work they invested afterwards, got to give them credit for what they've done and seeing they learn their prior mistakes.
- Gears 5: Though I have given up on the series but loved the original 3, they may push for this to appear at pax.
- Dead or Alive 6: Being released early next month, it may show up.
- Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order: Possibly being released this Fall, it would be nice to see how it looks in person.
- Days Gone: This one seems to be a big one and I would love for a Demo, possibly playable but we'll see.
- Doom Eternal: The reboot did a pretty good job bringing fans in and now to do more and better on this sequel will be interesting.
- Mortal Kombat XI: Possibly playable at Pax, this looks promising.
- Rage 2: The first was not as huge of a seller the company wanted but a lot of people enjoyed the game, this one should be more of an improvement.
There are many more great games to list and games that I've missed but being how big Pax have increase year after year, I'm sure there will be space to allow these games to be present. As for those games that are a long shot and too early to reveal... well, I have my hopes. Here's a few:
- Cyberpunk 2077: With last years release of their 45+ minutes demo, I can't get enough. Likely won't appear but maybe a panel of some sort from CDProject Red.
- The Last of Us 2: Yea, not likely appearing but worth mentioning.
- Death Stranding: Likely being shown at E3 or Tokyo Game Show but hoping...
- Ghost of Tsushima: This game looks amazing, want to see more.
- Beyond Good and Evil 2
- Dying Light 2
- Control
- Bayonetta 3
What do you all think? There's even a lot more Indie Developers bringing so much as well that is not listed. Let us know.
Confirmation on Games so far:
- Dead Cells DLC : https://ca.ign.com/articles/2019/02/25/dead-cells-gets-free-dlc-this-year-playable-at-pax-east
- Days Gone: https://www.dualshockers.com/days-gone-pax-east-2019/
- Samurai Spirits - Samurai Shodown: https://gematsu.com/2019/02/samurai-shodown-launches-early-summer-teaser-trailer
- Streets of Rage 4: Booth 21097: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/03/streets_of_rage_4_will_be_playable_for_the_first_time_at_pax_east
- The Sojourn, Conarium, Antigraviator, Tech Support: Error Unknown and Railroad Corporation: https://www.tweaktown.com/pressrelease/12654/iceberg-interactive-attending-pax-east-2019/index.html
- Final Fantasy X|X-2 Remaster, TCG, XI Online, XII, XIV Online and XV-Episode Ardyn: https://gematsu.com/2019/03/square-enix-announces-pax-east-2019-lineup
- Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross]
- Left Alive
- Life is Strange 2
- Star Ocean: Anamnesis
Confirmation on Panels so far:
- Gearbox - Main Theatre on Thursday, March 28. The panel will run from 2:00pm to 3:00pm. : https://www.destructoid.com/gearbox-has-never-before-seen-reveals-saved-up-for-pax-east-2019-544667.phtml
Ryosuke on
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Looks like it's time to finish it up and post it later.
A CDProject Red/Cyberpunk 2099 panel would be awesome but I agree that's a long shot.
PAX East Attendee since 2011
It's a bit meaty, so I'll trim it down. But I should have that up shortly!
Edit: I put it as a new topic since this one is less formal (ie. cooler) seeing what people are looking forward to while mine is more of a primer for new attendees.
General Information
PAX East is not E3 – This is a common misconception. Most developers do not make major announcements at PAX East. In fact, the history of anyone unveiling huge projects is very slim. Once in a rare blue moon, someone will drop a news nugget on us that we didn’t expect (PAX East 2018 is when Blizzard announced the release date of the new WoW expansion). But going into PAX East expecting the newest PS4 IP or gameplay of Battletoads on Xbox One is asking for disappointment.
Keep Expectations Low – There will be plenty of games to play, but don't expect to see the greatest things coming this year. Most studios save their major announcements for mid-year, and anything that was just a logo is not going to have a playable demo (they’re called “vaporware” for a reason). In 2010, Nintendo came to PAX East and demoed Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver and Photo Dojo. Pretty lame, right? That’s because at E3, they unveiled the 3DS, Kid Icarus, Metroid Other M, Animal Crossing, and GoldenEye. Not exactly things you want to discuss earlier than intended.
Don’t Ask About Games That Aren’t There – It should go without saying, but 98% of the people who are in the booths do not actually work for the companies. Harassing the guy at the Microsoft booth about Halo Infinite isn’t going to get you info, it’s going to get you booted from the show. The other 2% are reserved for indie developer reps and the occasional personality (ie. Major Nelson for Xbox).
Pace Yourself, and Schedule Accordingly – With all of this said, studios will try to have the best that they can showcase. And the bigger the game hype, the longer the line (the exception being Nintendo, who just has long lines no matter what). Common sense goes a long way. If you want to play Days Gone, do you really think the best day is Saturday- the day that sold out first? Plan your days properly, get there early, and be ready to camp. Because even if you plan perfectly, remember that dozens of others are as smart and coordinated as you.
Not Everyone Attends PAX East – Fun fact: Sony only started attending PAX East four years ago. Capcom is frequently off and on. So is Sega. Namco-Bandai came back last year after taking a year off. There are multiple reasons why a developer won’t attend PAX. Maybe they only have one game to show and Microsoft wants it for their booth. Maybe their hot AAA game just came out. Having an early conference in the year isn’t always the greatest, but we make due with what we have. And until the schedule comes out, it’s best to just ride it out and wait.
Ok, with all of that out of the way, let’s talk developers!
The First Parties
Sony
What to Expect – Days Gone, Days Gone, and Days Gone. Sony smartly pushed this game from the ‘week of hell’ (a week in Feb when 7 games were launching simultaneously), leaving it as the next major AAA release after PAX East. And since their only presence at South were two booths devoted solely to this game, it’s safe to say this will be their #1 showcase this year. VR will also be on showcase, likely with newer releases like Borderlands 2 or Kingdom Hearts III.
What is a Possibility – Sony and MS are triple booth specials. Both companies like to go big and go hard. Last year, Detroit and Soul Calibur VI were big focuses with the remaining kiosks consumed by a sea of indies. Expect to see more indie games again this year, and don’t be surprised if they partner with potential third party games like Crash Team Racing, Mortal Kombat 11, and possibly The Division 2. Dreams has a very slim possibility, but where we still know so little about it I can’t imagine it will be available. I’d say 10% chance.
What NOT to Expect – The Last of Us, Death Stranding, Ghosts of Tsushima, and the ghosts of Final Fantasy VII Remake for that matter- which was last reported with an ETA of 2021. The only thing that would give pause to this is that Sony is not attending E3 to put their focus on other means of showing things to the public, so you never know if that means conventions or a Direct approach like Nintendo.
Microsoft
What to Expect – To be perfectly honest, I have no idea. With Crackdown and multiple third party titles that MS was promoting (Metro, Jump Force) launching earlier than PAX, this leaves their presence completely up in the air. However, a huge multiplayer setup of Crackdown 3 PvP is not entirely out of the question and right up their alley. Devil May Cry 5 and Sekiro are almost a certainty, with release dates close to PAX and heavy marketing for Xbox. It would not be surprising if some of the titles mentioned for Sony bleed into this as well, like MK11 and The Division.
What is a Possibility – This is also hard to gauge. A Sea of Thieves expansion is coming, so there is potential of showcasing that. Otherwise, I expect lots of indies to highlight Game Pass. Rage 2 is also a possibility, but if Bethesda decides to attend this year then I’m not quite sure it’ll make the cut.
What NOT to Expect – The easiest thing to say here is Gears 5, however they did bring Gears 4 multiplayer to PAX East 6 months ahead of its October release date. So I’m putting this here to lower expectations just in case they decide to repeat history and surprise us all. And of course, don’t expect obvious games like Halo Infinite, Battletoads, or the next Forza (Motorsport 8?).
Nintendo
What to Expect – Yoshi’s Crafted World, no question. Why? Because it launches the Friday that we’re at PAX. Expect this to be front and center, and don’t be surprised if a retail booth is spotted selling copies of the game as well. Nintendo has also been really big on having a large stage with multiplayer matches in various titles, so an impromptu Smash Bros tournament is almost a guarantee (note: there is an official North American Smash tournament with the Northeast Regionals being held at PAX East, but it’s unclear if it’s at their booth or in a theater).
What is a Possibility – With the recent slate of Q1/Q2 games announced at their last Direct, just about everything is up for grabs. Another Daemon X Machina demo, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, Box Boy + Box Girl…. There is even a possibility of seeing Mortal Kombat 11 here as well. And while this would likely show up at Square-Enix’s booth, FFX/X-2 and FFXII launch in April and FFVII comes out the Tuesday of PAX week so demos in some capacity are certain. Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn on 3DS is possible, but doubtful. Although Persona Q2 paired with Kirby could make for a fun 3DS demo station.
What NOT to Expect – Bayonetta 3, Animal Crossing, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Link’s Awakening, any Smash Bros DLC announcements or reveals. Similar to Xbox, I’m going to put Super Mario Maker 2 in here to lower expectations but I think there’s a 5% chance that Nintendo does something with this given the early summer release date. Fire Emblem is also another extreme, maybe 5% chance they come with a playable demo.
The Third Parties
Square-Enix
What to Expect – Shadowbringers, all day every day. The newest expansion for Final Fantasy XIV launches in July, so expect this to figuratively scream at you the moment you enter the show floor (since SE tends to favor the booth right near the entrance). Also expect Switch and Xbox One demos of FFVII, FFIX, FFX/X-2, and FFXII since those are all coming right around the corner as well (well, FFIX is out, but still worth showing). I doubt they will bring anything Kingdom Hearts to the show, but with their recent love of photo ops a keyblade photo session is almost a certainty. However, a PSVR experience did just drop recently. So this could be a nice way to have some KH presence at the show.
What is a Possibility – This should probably fall into the what not to expect category, but despite the Fall release date there is a distinct possibility that SE showcases Dragon Quest XI S for Switch- namely a short demo in both gameplay styles. Oninaki, the announced sequel in the I Am Setsuna trilogy, is also possible given its release this summer.
What NOT to Expect – I mean, it goes without saying, but just pretend FFVII Remake isn’t real. Crystal Chronicles HD is a hard one to gauge since it’s expected out this summer, but we’ve seen nothing outside of the trailer. Put this one at… 10% chance.
Bethesda
What to Expect – I... don’t know. With the cataclysmic meltdown of Fallout 76 and their 2019 slate of games mostly without gameplay to show (Wolfenstein, Doom Eternal), you’re looking at Rage 2 and a giant merch booth. Their other ace card is Elder Scrolls Blades, the mobile game. But that was recently delayed to an undetermined date.
What is a Possibility – Doom Eternal merch?
What NOT to Expect - So, recently preorders for an unannounced Bethesda game appeared on Amazon listing a standard, Deluxe, and Collector’s Edition for ‘Bethesda Placeholder’. These were accompanied by an old style film countdown, leading to internet speculation we’re looking at Fallout 3/New Vegas HD. Personally, I don’t buy it because neither game needs three different editions. One of my cardinal rules of PAX is to never expect a new announcement, however I feel obligated to put this here as a just in case.
Sega, NamcoBandai, EA, Capcom, Blizzard, Ubisoft
What to Expect – Individually? Nothing. If they’re attending, they’re aligning with someone else (ie. EA showing Anthem with Microsoft, etc). But I could be wrong! After all, the more the merrier!
What is a Possibility – It’d be weird, but if Capcom wants to park next to Nintendo’s booth and show off all the Resident Evil games they announced for Switch that would be awesome. Also bring back the Capcom Merch Booth, because your life isn’t complete without an Umbrella Corp umbrella or an actual Mega Man buster cannon.
What NOT to Expect – PC makers to agree to show Fortnite and Apex Legends equally. If you thought last year was a mess, oh man….
In Conclusion – Seriously, just enjoy the show. If you think about it too much, you’re just going to ruin your own good time. Don’t be that dude or dudette. The best moments I’ve ever had at PAX were the ones I never expected to. PAX is too short to be ruined. Just make the most of it!
Basically this. I've spent previous years so focused on the show floor, especially the larger AAA things that you'll definitely wait hours to see, that I pretty much missed out on the rest of PAX because I pretty much spent 80% of my weekend in lines. Never again.
https://ca.ign.com/articles/2019/02/25/dead-cells-gets-free-dlc-this-year-playable-at-pax-east
Really hoping that maybe we see a tiny hint of Darkest Dungeon 2 at the show as well - they had a big reveal for the original game years ago there - so maybe they will show some stuff at east since they just announced they are well in development of the sequel.
Totally understandable. That's why you're the boss!
We're getting into that sweet spot a month out where indie developers are starting to commit to what they are bringing to PAX. So this is awesome to see (Dead Cells is amazing, more please!).
As far as what I'm looking forward to most, I'm not. If my overdrawn post speaks to anything, it's better for me to just attend and let the show come to me.
He says as he guns it for the Nintendo booth first thing Thursday.
https://www.dualshockers.com/days-gone-pax-east-2019/
And I highly doubt it, but with it being at Magic Monaco coming up, I would absolutely love for a Shenmue 3 presence at the Sony booth.
Days Gone was at South, and comes out two weeks after East. So this makes sense, since this is almost exactly the position Detroit was in for Sony last year. Shenmue 3 is an odd duck since it was "revealed" by Sony at E3, but we found out moments later that it was being crowdfunded and was multiplatform. I could actually see it being its own thing if they attend.
We also just got confirmation at the EVO 2019 lineup announcement that a new Samurai Shodown is coming out for Xbox, PS4, Switch, and PC and will be first playable at PAX East.
https://gematsu.com/2019/02/samurai-shodown-launches-early-summer-teaser-trailer
You are correct, and I did note that there have been announcements before. Capcom revealed Ducktales Remastered out of nowhere at a Friday panel.
But these rare sizable occurrences have led some newcomers to believe that PAX East is mini-E3 and I've seen so many of said newcomers offer feedback afterwards each year citing disappointment at the lack of "jaw dropping announcements and information". If you accept the expectation of these not happening, the off chance that it does makes it a better surprise. That's all!
Edit: Gearbox has announced that their panel will have "never before seen" reveals. Naturally, the internet has jumped to Borderlands 3. Battleborn 2 anyone?? :biggrin:
No Bethesda, EA, Blizzard, Capcom.
Microsoft has a single booth for "Xbox" and a single booth next to it for Mixer, so who knows what's going on there.
Sony is two booths this year listed as "Sony Interactive", but one appears to be merch. So this may be a repeat of their appearance at South of just promoting Days Gone.
Ubisoft has their own booth.
THQ Nordic, 505 Games (Bloodstained), and Yacht Club Games also have booths.
Nintendo has two booths as usual, as does Square-Enix. BandaiNamco also has two!
Have to say that your post was spot on many things... great notes for those who are and aren't familiar of what may be showing at Pax East. Even setting expectations is right on. The people who are common Pax East visitors and Newcomers can attend to that.
I know last year and the year before is when Blizzard showed up with a Merch Booth that had a line for days. 2K years back had one and Capcom tends to have a Merch Booth like every other year or 2. Unfortunate since I do like the Capcom Merch to check out in person instead of online and Blizzard had some decent items. Last year, Xbox had I believe the same 2 booths. Probably like you said and try to drive people in with a crane game, a charging lounge and Chips Ahoy lol. If Sony does have a Merch booth, I wonder if it is going to be long lines as well since there is plenty to Merch they can sell but being Days Gone incoming soon that makes sense to do the same like Pax South. Nintendo will likely be my go to for multiple days if it's like last year where you can play lots of games in just one area... trying to remember what the other Nintendo booth last year. I remember the main one only. We'll see... and always, I do look forward for free Swag but its not the same as years past where I had many to take home. There is a site for that (probably still on Reddit but none made yet for 2019) where people can post what's to offer and where to go to help those who are unaware.
Bethesda is running game days like they did last year @ Laugh Boston.
That might be for the best given what they would have to show.
Their second booth for the last two years has been a stage with a video wall for live competitions for swag. Two years ago premiered Mario Kart 8 Deluxe while last year was a mix of Kart, Splatoon, Tetris/Puyo, and Tennis. Clearly this year will be Smash and likely some of the others if they go this route. Again, the outlier is where they are holding the Northeast Championship- on the stage or in a theater.
I miss the Capcom merch booth.
Ah, that's right. I can see them going the Same route it being a huge attention grabber. Hopefully some more swag and also yes... Capcom merch booth was pretty nice to have but we'll see some interesting surprises.
That was Blizzard's booth last year, so it might be the index is off. Blizzard and Bethesda tend to love that corner booth next to the escalator.
Looking at the map, a couple things jump out at me:
Nintendo has two booths this year, but one is separated from the main booth by an aisle. Judging by the size, it looks like a merch booth. The setup mirrors Square-Enix, who like last year has one giant booth and a smaller long booth beside it- which was used for merch.
THQ Nordic having such a large and upfront booth is very interesting. BioMutant is pretty much a guarantee, which I am definitely on board.
Sony's booths are too big to just be Days Gone and merch. Size wise they're similar to last year, so it looks like a repeat of your next big 1st party game (DG) and a boatload of third party and indies. I dig it.
BandaiNamco is certainly Code Vein (which, yes, was demoed at East 2018). I don't know if they would push the impromptu Jump Force tournament, but why not?
That Xbox Mixer booth better not be a stage....
True, as again Gearbox has always been a long supporter of all PAXes (Borderlands 3 development was announced at PAX South 2015, Borderlands 2 DLC was also announced at PAX East). It's more the trend of developers announcing AAA titles at every show. Gearbox is the anomaly, not the standard.
They just love being that anomaly. :biggrin:
I remember that year they announced the pre-sequal and free voucher for the game. They do look forward to Pax and based off the image MephistoN7 posted, it's likely Borderlands.
Looks like there is going to be some Penn & Teller announcement as well. Wish I could be there on Thursday!
Wow gearbox is pulling out everything for this panel!!! Should be a must see!
It seems a possibility that this may come up as well. Another article mention a switch release of Borderlands 2 but don't see credit to it. We'll find out soon enough... less than 10 days.
https://www.pcgamer.com/gearbox-tease-another-game-maybe-involving-penn-and-teller/