Bandai Namco at E3 2017: What to Expect Them to Show

Shedding More Light on Code Vein

Bandai Namco AT E3 2017

Code Vein was a surprise announcement from Bandai Namco last month, an ambitious looking new title from the God Eater team that also looks a bit like Dark Souls. While we do know that the game won’t be arriving until 2018, the positive reception from fans so far is likely encouraging to Bandai Namco.

The Vampire-themed RPG certainly looks stylish, but up to this point all we’ve seen are screenshots and the announcement trailer. E3 would be the perfect time to show off some early footage of the game, it doesn’t have to be much of course, but just a small tast of gameplay. Popularity for Souls-like games certainly isn’t going away, with releases like Nioh and The Surge getting plenty of attention. Bandai Namco will want to capitalize on that, especially with no Dark Souls game coming in the near future.

Bringing Support to the Switch

Bandai Namco AT E3 2017

The recent success and acclaim for the Nintendo Switch is practically nothing but good as of late, and that’s encouraging to publishers like Bandai Namco trying to figure out the level of support they should bring. So far the company hasn’t brought much to Switch, but we do know that Namco Museum and One Piece Unlimited World Red Deluxe Edition are planned for the system.

Recently, however, we did find out that Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 will also be arriving on Switch this Fall. On top of this we know new entries in both the Taiko Drum Master and Tales series, are in development as well. All of this shows an increasing level of support that Bandai Namco has for Nintendo’s new system, and as sales of the Switch keep rising, the publisher has more and more reason to bring over games.

E3 2017 will undoubtedly bring more announcements of games coming to the Switch, both ported titles like Dragon Ball Xenoverse and perhaps a few new ones as well. Perhaps we could even see that rumored Dark Souls trilogy, or some kind of rerelease for at least one of the games in the series.

 Release Date for Ni No Kuni II

Bandai Namco AT E3 2017

Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom has been a hotly anticipated title on PS4 for a while now, and yet, we’ve only gotten a slow trickle of information on the game in the last couple years. Announced at PlayStation Experience all the way back in 2015, to date we’ve gotten nothing more than a couple gameplay trailers and a handful of information.

We do know that the title is planned for a 2017 release, however, making E3 the perfect time for Bandai Namco to officially announce a release, both on PS4 and PC. The first Ni No Kuni was a visually stunning experience, that felt a bit lacking in some of its systems, like combat. Luckily, it looks like Ni No Kuni II is fixing some of those issues, and significantly amping up the combat system. E3 also presents the perfect opportunity to blowout information on the game, finally shedding light on more of its story and gameplay, particularly the kingdom building aspects that are coming.

JRPGs and Anime Games Galore

Bandai Namco AT E3 2017

If there’s one thing that Bandai Namco has gotten good at, it’s consistently releasing a string of quality JRPGs and anime adapted games. With big series like Dragonball Z, Naruto, Sword Art Online, and One Piece under their belts, we’re sure to see at least a couple announcements of new games in development. This is on top of the games we already know about like Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Hacker’s Memory, Gundam Versus, and Code Vein, which we’ll no doubt be getting more info and footage on.

There’s also Bandai Namco’s ever-popular Tales series, which receives a new entry almost every year, with Tales of Berseria releasing this January. We can expect some kind of Tales announcement, whether it’s simply the title of the next game, a reveal, or a past title finally making its way to North America.

Soulcalibur Returns

Bandai Namco AT E3 2017

The legendary fighting series, Soulcalibur, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, no small feat to be sure. At this point, it’s also been five years since we’ve seen a main entry in the franchise. However, that seems like it could change with E3 2017, the perfect time to reveal a brand new entry in the franchise. Earlier this year, Bandai Namco released a “20th Anniversary Trailer,” for the Soulcalibur series, something that’d be a bit strange to do if there’s no new title in the works.

Now would also be an opportune time for Soulcalibur to hit considering the resurgence we’re having of fighting games with titles like Injustice 2, Tekken 7, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, and Nintendo’s Arms. Soulcalibur has always separated itself from the pack with its 3D fighting arenas, and focus on weapon combat. With so many other fighting games this year, Soulcalibur can once again benefit by being different. Maybe they can even bring back guest characters with some kind of crazy crossover, mascots like Kratos or Marth from Fire Emblem for specific consoles, or even Final Fantasy for its 30th anniversary. The series used Star Wars characters in Soulcalibur IV, so nothing is impossible at this point.

Dark Souls Isn’t Over Yet

Bandai Namco AT E3 2017

Dark Souls 3 marked the end of an era, with series’ director Hidetaka Miyazaki announcing that it would be the final game in the series, at least for From Software. The developer is clearly ready to move onto something new, into unknown territory. However, with the popularity of the Dark Souls franchise it’s hard to imagine Bandai Namco just letting it slip away.

The tricky part with this, of course, is that Bandai Namco owns the Dark Souls trademark, while From Software owns the IP. This doesn’t mean that another Dark Souls game can’t ever be made, just that some kind of deal needs to be struck. Late last year, Miyazaki cleared up his comments on the end of Dark Souls a bit, stating that the third game was merely the end for him.

E3 2017 is a great opportunity for Bandai Namco to at least confirm the series isn’t ending at this point. We may not necessarily see a new game or even an announcement at this point as it could be too early, but merely stating there’s another Dark Souls on the way would be enough to sate fans of the series. Of course, there’s also the option of bringing the games over to Switch, letting players take Dark Souls on the go, and keeping the series on people’s minds.