10 Surprise Game Announcements You’ll Want to Hear in 2019
PS5 Announcement
The PS4 has had a good life, and there are still a bunch of quality games set to launch on the system before we finally wave goodbye to it, but there’s no denying it’s getting a little long in the tooth.
Not that we can honestly say that games like Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, and the upcoming Ghosts of Tsushima look dated –they’re some of the most graphically beautiful games ever made, and they totally belie the PS4’s near six-year age.
Still, with technology moving as quickly as it tends to do these days, it’s hard not to look forward, not to fantasize about the potential of a console that can run games at a native 4k 60fps, and have the memory capacity for open worlds on an even grander scale.
The next console generation, as it always is, is a hugely exciting prospect.
Truth be told, our main interest in a PS5 announcement in 2019 is so that we’ve at least got something to chew on from Sony this year. The news that the giant won’t be attending E3 has been a bit of a blow, so this would certainly more than make up for that.
10 Surprise Game Announcements You’ll Want to Hear in 2019
Metal Gear Solid Remake
Konami has somewhat disappeared from the games industry after its high-profile falling out with former employee and industry rockstar Hideo Kojima. Oh, and that blunder of a video game Metal Gear Survive.
Indeed, Konami’s first AAA entry in the franchise was a total bust and didn’t do anything to recover the publisher’s villainous reputation following the Kojima debacle.
But we’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: a tastefully executed Metal Gear Solid Remake could be the key to critical and commercial success for Konami.
The publisher has the Fox Engine, so let’s see it in action! Now, with classic franchises making triumphant returns left, right, and center across the industry, 2019 is the perfect time for Snake’s return.
Sullying the franchises’ name with new spin-off games like Survive won’t endear gamers to Konami’s post-Kojima era, but a remake certainly could.
10 Surprise Game Announcements You’ll Want to Hear in 2019
Cyberpunk 2077 Release Date
We’re big fans of Cyberpunk 2077 here at Twinfinite; I gushed over the game after seeing its E3 2018 demo presentation for the first time. But when a gameplay demo crashes because the individual playing it crouches at the wrong moment, you know it’s a game that’s some way off its release window.
Don’t get it twisted, Cyberpunk 2077 is not coming in 2019.
However, it would be nice to see more from the game this year and have some confirmation regarding its launch window. One that’s realistic, of course, but at least something tangible to set our sights on and give some indication of how development is progressing.
Let’s hope that in Sony’s absence at this year’s E3, major game announcements from third-party studios such as CD Projekt Red hold the fort.
10 Surprise Game Announcements You’ll Want to Hear in 2019
Final Fantasy VII Remake News Drop & Release Window
While we’re on the topic of release dates, let’s turn our attention to the elephant in the room. Final Fantasy VII has been too quiet for too damn long! Although we’re hearing good things from various Square Enix execs about its development, the lack of any tangible announcements is pushing the project into vaporware territory.
Don’t get me wrong, though, I’m happy the developer is taking its time with this one. Final Fantasy VII is sacred, hallowed ground, and not something we want to see botched. The nostalgic memories of a million childhoods across the globe are depending on Square Enix not producing another middling Final Fantasy game.
But 2019 has to be the year this game resurfaces properly, right? I don’t think I can take Final Fantasy VII Remake turning into Kingdom Hearts 3, with eye-rolls and jokes of its never ending development for the next five years.
This surprise announcement is a major priority on the wish list for 2019.
10 Surprise Game Announcements You’ll Want to Hear in 2019
Kingdom Hearts Switch Collection
Perfect segue! Following the inevitable popularity of Square Enix’s long, long-awaited Kingdom Hearts 3 – which for some bizarre reason is exclusive to PS4 – we’re looking for the publisher to spread the love to Nintendo Switch.
If we’re seriously going to be denied Kingdom Hearts 3 on Nintendo hardware, then we’d at least like to see a Kingdom Hearts collection release for Switch. It just seems like such a good fit for the console, and one that would surely do decent numbers for Square Enix.
Unfortunately, what seems like a win-win on paper doesn’t always translate to a sure-fire release, but if there’s any year it is likely, then 2019 is it.
10 Surprise Game Announcements You’ll Want to Hear in 2019
A Big New Marvel Game Teased
The Marvel entertainment franchise is now the most valuable on the planet; almost all of its $15 billion or so worth can be attributed to the incredibly popular films.
It’s been high time that Marvel video games have risen to the occasion, and last year’s Spider-Man certainly raised the bar for licensed games.
What we’re hungry for now is a succession of quality AAA game productions based on the most compelling stories from the comic books.
Wouldn’t it be fantastic if Spider-Man marked an Iron-Man sort of equivalent for the games industry, becoming a watershed moment for the green light to be given for other developers to start production of different Marvel properties?
Of course, we know that Square Enix’s mysterious Avengers game is in development, so there’s every chance we’ll get to see that in action in 2019 for the first time.
But with so many awesome stories from the Marvel Universe to be told, there’s plenty of room for more Marvel game announcements this year.
10 Surprise Game Announcements You’ll Want to Hear in 2019
Pikmin 4 Comes to Switch
Pikmin games have always been a big deal for Nintendo, and Pikmin 4 is a game that seemingly everyone wants to happen. And yet, actually delivering this mysterious next entry in the series doesn’t seem to be too high on Nintendo’s agenda.
Almost all we’ve heard in the past 18 months is that Pikmin 4 is certainly in development, but that’s it… What gives?
It’s unclear exactly what the holdup is, though it’s hardly unusual for Nintendo to take its time to ensure quality products. Nobody will be complaining if Pikmin 4 continues the series’ history of positive critical reception when it finally does release.
Normally, I wouldn’t suggest pinning too many hopes on Nintendo forecasting content too far in advance of release, but the publisher has been breaking its own rules this generation (think Metroid Prime 4), so it’s not unreasonable to say we’ll at least get an update this year on Pikmin 4.
10 Surprise Game Announcements You’ll Want to Hear in 2019
Fable Returns
Microsoft is working hard to ensure that the Xbox brand remains competitive with Sony. A huge part of that effort is rebuilding its first-party line-up, which is an area they’ve been comprehensively outclassed this generation.
New studio acquisitions, all-new IPs, and the return of fan-favorites like Halo and Gears are just some of the highlights from 2018 that suggest Microsoft is on the comeback.
Yet they’re still missing that crowd-pleaser title that tugs on the nostalgic heartstrings of their community, which is something Sony has been consistently pulling off for years. Fable can be that project for Microsoft.
After LionHead Studio was closed when in mid-development of a Fable spin-off, there’s no better morale booster for disappointed fans than the revival the Fable IP, this time as a project more closely aligned with the original games.
A new Fable game has been rumored for quite some time, and we’re hoping that 2019 is the year it finally becomes a reality.
10 Surprise Game Announcements You’ll Want to Hear in 2019
A New Star Wars Game
The news of yet another abandoned Star Wars game earlier this week has likely been hard to take for fans of the franchise. EA just doesn’t seem to be able to get into its stride with the IP, and we’re once again left wanting for a compelling single-player experience set in that fantastic universe.
What’s so upsetting is that at a time when Star Wars is taking center stage in pop-culture after years of absence, we’re just not getting the video games to complement the movies.
Thankfully, the saving grace is that we’ve heard EA is intent on replacing EAÂ Vancouver’s now-canceled open world game with something smaller, possibly with a view to releasing in 2020.
Especially in light of recent events, then, the announcement of this replacement has to go on this wish list of surprise announcements.
10 Surprise Game Announcements You’ll Want to Hear in 2019
Revised Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch has been a monumental success since its launch in 2017, fueled as much by its brilliant library of first-party games as its unique hybrid design.
The console’s impressive commercial performance has paved the way for third-party publishers to port games to the system, which has often required a bit of wizardry to make viable given the hardware’s capabilities.
For the most part, games like Wolfenstein, Doom, and Dark Souls run well enough on the system. Not perfectly, but certainly well enough that they aren’t vastly inferior experiences. That being said, we could go for some power…
Rumor has it, a revised Nintendo Switch could be on the way, and given the consoles’ already low-ball pricing, you’d have to imagine that means an up-spec rather than a budget offering.
Nintendo has a history of releasing different versions of its handheld consoles, and with Switch blurring the line between home and handheld console, we can see a revised Switch coming at some point in the future.
Now, whether it will be in 2019, only two years after its initial launch, is another question, but with souped-up versions of PS4 and Xbox One doing less to disgruntle each console’s respective communities as was initially mooted, Nintendo might feel an upgraded model appropriate even this soon.
Published: Jan 17, 2019 03:16 pm