There are tons of games we know will be featured at E3, including a new Assassin's Creed, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Destiny 2, State of Decay 2, Sea of Thieves, and Crackdown 3. But there are piles of dormant franchises just itching for a sequel or even a full reboot.
Here are just a few we'd like to see reappear at E3 2017, with a focus franchises that are more likely than not to get some new life.
Dead Space
You can file this under "unlikely," but a new Dead Space would be a welcome sight at E3 2017.
Dead Space effectively went into hiatus following its disappointing third installment, which saw the addition of co-op and strange microtransactions embedded into the campaign. Visceral Games has since released a law enforcement-focused spinoff in the form of Battlefield: Hardline, and the team is known to be hard at work on a Star Wars game as part of EA's console battle plan.
Following the success of titles like Resident Evil 7, the industry seems primed for a reintroduction to Dead Space, although that's unlikely given Visceral's focus on the Star Wars franchise.
Splinter Cell
This one is far more likely, given Ubisoft's recent trademark filing for "Splinter Cell," hinting at a possible reboot.
Splinter Cell is a beloved stealth franchise from the Tom Clancy universe. The sixth installment of the mainline series, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, won generally positive reviews, with fans lamenting the loss of Michael Ironside as Sam Fisher's long-standing voice actor.
The last few Splinter Cell games have focused a little more on action rather than stealth, simplifying the experience to chase a broader audience. Perhaps a series reboot will take Splinter Cell back to its roots?
Dragon Age
Dragon Age Inquisition came out a few years ago, making the series primed and ready for a return.
While it might still be too early for Dragon Age to make a reappearance at this year's E3, it would be awesome if it did. Dragon Age is a series of action RPGs with a tactical slant, taking place in a rich world designed and maintained by BioWare.
Like Mass Effect, Dragon Age is heavily character-driven and enjoys a passionate fan base built up across its three titles, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, and Dragon Age Inquisition. Hopefully, it won't be too long before we see the franchise re-emerge.
Elder Scrolls
Elder Scrolls is one of the most beloved and venerated RPG series of all time, most notably for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Bethesda's most recent game, Fallout 4, made huge waves as an open-world shooter but fell short of the true "RPG" Bethesda is known for.
Again, it might be too early for Elder Scrolls to make an appearance. Fallout 4 was revealed just six months before its launch, and I expect Bethesda will do something similar for the next Elder Scrolls. Plus, Elder Scrolls Online just received a new expansion in the form of Morrowind, so perhaps the company would rather keep the focus on that for now. Still, a new Elder Scrolls would undoubtedly be the biggest announcement of E3 2017.
Wolfenstein
Wolfenstein: The New Order launched a few years ago to a huge amount of praise for its wide and detailed level design and surprisingly well-written story.
Built by Machine Games, it seems that we're overdue for a sequel to The New Order, and this is one game we very likely could see at Bethesda's E3 2017 conference.
Wolfenstein is a violent shooter series, widely credited with inventing the first person shooter (FPS) genre. You play as soldier B.J. Blazkowicz, carving through legions of alternative-universe Nazi cyborg soldiers who utilized a combination of occult artifacts and advanced technology to win WW2 and enslave the world. Games that let you stomp Nazis are always awesome, but few do it as well as Wolfenstein.
Metro
Speaking of shooters, it seems about time for a sequel to Metro, whose last game launched back in 2013.
Built by 4A Games, Metro is inspired by the post-apocalyptic novels of the same name. Metro is an atmospheric shooter with stealth elements, taking Ranger Artyom through the bowels of the Russian metro network, now populated with mutated beasts, warring human factions, and desperate survivors.
Metro Redux brought an HD version of both Metro 2033 and Metro Last Light to Xbox One, and it continues to be one of the best shooter packages you can buy. Hopefully, 4A Games and Deep Silver will have something new for us at E3 2017.
Fable
You can file this under "unlikely" but a new Fable would certainly plug the RPG hole in Xbox's lineup.
Fable is a beloved action RPG franchise built on vibrant, colorful worlds with an edge of light-hearted British humor. The first three games in the series never really saw the franchise reach its full potential, and its most recent project, Fable Legends, saw the closure of the entire studio.
Fable Legends was a stunningly beautiful, but fatally flawed 4v1, free-to-play multiplayer game, crammed with micro-transactions. It was very much not the game any Fable fan asked for, and the project was ultimately shelved. Hopefully, Microsoft will see the potential for the franchise as a real, honest-to-goodness RPG, and revive it for the modern era.
The Evil Within
The godfather of survival horror, Shinji Mikami, lent his talents to The Evil Within under the Bethesda brand a few years ago. The result was an utterly insane and thoroughly diabolical horror title that blended some of Resident Evil 4's more action-oriented elements with Silent Hill's crazy supernatural monster designs.
The Evil Within was an excellent survival horror title, and following the success of Resident Evil 7, it stands to reason that the appetite for AAA horror games has grown. Hopefully, Bethesda will lift the lid on The Evil Within 2 at E3 2017.
Knights of the Old Republic
EA has exclusive access to the Star Wars franchise for AAA games and even has the license to add new elements to the franchise's lore. Star Wars: Battlefront II's campaign will be official canon, but sadly, BioWare's beloved "Old Republic" games were revealed as non-canon by Disney a while back. Still, EA maintains The Old Republic MMO on PC, and given its ownership of the license, I think the publisher should at least be considering a true Knights of the Old Republic classic RPG for modern consoles.
It's probably not particularly likely that we'll see Knights of the Old Republic make a return at E3, but the original game was a tremendous RPG that really captured the Star Wars feel with BioWare's signature branching narrative. At the very least, hopefully we'll see some form of AAA Star Wars RPG from EA this year.
Resident Evil
Here's one that seems a little more likely, particularly given the success of Resident Evil 7.
Capcom rebuilt Resident Evil 1 for the Nintendo Gamecube and later ported it to the Xbox One. Despite the game's age, it remains one of the most intense and rewarding survival horror experiences on the console, and it proved that Capcom has the ability to transform a PlayStation 1 classic into a modern blockbuster.
Capcom previously confirmed its work on giving Resident Evil 2 the same remake treatment. Resident Evil 2 stars Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield as they fight through a zombified Racoon City, a government conspiracy, and horrific mutants that lurk within. Hopefully, the remake will break cover at E3 2017.
Your thoughts
These are our picks for some of the franchises we think we could or should make a reappearance at E3 2017. There are hundreds of potentially awesome franchise reappearances out there, including Age of Empires, Bully, and Bioshock. Some of them don't make much sense — perhaps they're too old or they've already been confirmed to not be at E3, such as Halo — but E3 is the place for new games, so who knows? Maybe we'll be surprised.
What games and franchises do you want to see reappear at E3 2017? Let us know in the comments.
