Android Authority's favorite announcements from E3 2019

E3 2019 finally came to a close on Thursday. Although there weren’t any new gaming consoles on display this year, there were a lot of exciting announcements.

While Android Authority primarily focuses on Android, we obviously have a number of gamers here at Android Authority. WIth that in mind, we thought we’d do a special post about our favorite announcements at this year’s biggest gaming conference. We’ve compiled our favorite moments (spoiler alert: none of them are mobile), and listed them below.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel

Without a doubt, the game we are most excited for here at Android Authority is the Breath of the Wild sequel. The trailer above doesn’t give much away, but it appears that Ganondorf, the King of Thieves, is set to make his return.

There’s a lot to be excited about here. We now know that the game will take place in the same world as the original, and there’s a real possibility that Zelda herself will finally be a playable character.

Here’s what the team had to say about the Breath of the Wild announcement:

Without any hyperbole, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the best video game I’ve ever played. I am not a big gamer so that claim might seem ridiculous to some, but a sequel to this game is, to me, tantamount to the release of The Empire Strikes Back or someone’s favorite band getting back together.

I buy every Zelda game as soon as they are released, but this one could see me taking the whole week off work just to play it.
-C. Scott Brown

We know nothing about it, but ZELDA! There hasn’t been a Zelda game I haven’t enjoyed, except for those s****y ones on the CD-I, but we’ll pretend they never existed. Also, it has a Majora’s Mask-esque vibe, which is never a bad thing.
-Andrew Grush

It seems like it could be what Majora’s Mask was to Ocarina of Time — same engine, same console, darker tone, perhaps a new overarching mechanic driving it all.
-Scott Gordon

Wait, there were other announcements at E3? I thought Zelda was the only one.
-Chris Thomas (SoundGuys)

Cyberpunk 2077

Next on our list is CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk 2077. An already hyped game was taken even further by the surprising (and breath-taking) appearance of Keanu Reeves on stage.

The game was first teased way back in January 2013 (that’s before the announcement of the PS4, for reference), but we finally have a release date. It’s scheduled for release on April 16, 2020, which is a full 57 years ahead of schedule for those keeping score.

Here’s what we had to say about Cyberpunk 2077:

I’m excited because Cyberpunk 2077 looks fantastic and having Keanu Reeves, who’s experiencing some sort of acting rebirth, there was just awesome.
-Williams Pelegrin

I just love that whole setting from Deus Ex to Watch Dogs. If someone can make a good open world game like that, I’ll be the first in line to get it.

Adding the guy who played Johnny Mnemonic and Neo is like icing on the cake.
-Luka Mlinar

Xbox Project Scarlett

Microsoft might not have had a console on display, but they did tease their upcoming hardware under the code name Project Scarlett. It’s four times as powerful as current-gen consoles, and promises to all but eliminate load times in games. Plus, it supports ray tracing at 8K 120 FPS.

The new console is coming in late 2020, but this October Microsoft will begin testing its cloud streaming service, Project xCloud. Not only will it allow you to stream games from the cloud, you’ll also be able to stream from your own console. Time will tell how it stacks up against Google Stadia in the upcoming stream wars.

Read also: Microsoft’s Project xCloud: Everything we know so far

Here’s what we had to say about Microsoft’s E3 2019 announcements:

The glimpses that we saw of Project Scarlett were pretty exciting. Taking consoles to 8K and 120fps plus new audio tech will make for truly next-generation experiences for those who love to game. Of course, Sony is right there with the PlayStation 5, too, and both are using AMD hardware which is an interesting development. Many tech watchers pointed at Google Stadia as the real competitor to Xbox, but there’s a long way to travel before that happens.
-Tristan Rayner

They told us nothing, but IT’S THE FUTURE MAN!
-Andrew Grush

I’m less excited about Project Scarlett and more excited about Microsoft’s approach. The new console is definitely something to look forward to, but they’re seemingly taking the approach of having Xbox anywhere given the ability to use your Xbox One as a server for xCloud.

It’s a tantalizing future that Microsoft is proposing
-Williams Pelegrin

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

E3 2019 featured yet another Star Wars title, this time taking place between the two trilogies. in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order you play as Cal Kestis, who is on the run from the Empire after escaping the fallout of Order 66.

Respawn’s title features all the cool lightsaber and force tricks you’d expect from a Star Wars game. The gameplay trailer even showed a KX-series droid (made famous by the sassy K-2SO in Star Wars: Rogue One).

Resident Star Wars fanatic Jimmy Westenberg was most excited for this one.

I’m excited for Jedi: Fallen Order because it introduces thoughtful combat to a Star Wars game — it’s not just Space Ian Gallagher mowing down enemies with a lightsaber. The combat in Heroes vs Villains in Battlefront II is a little too hack-and-slashy for my liking.

I’m also excited to see a not-annoying KX-series droid in action.
-Jimmy Westenberg

Ghostwire: Tokyo

There wasn’t a lot of big news out of Bethesda’s E3 event, but one game that got our attention is Ghostwire: Tokyo. It’s the latest spooky thriller from Tango Gameworks, which was founded by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami after leaving Capcom.

Not much is known about its gameplay, but Ghostwire: Tokyo is centered around the mysterious disappearance of thousands (if not millions) of people, leaving behind piles of empty clothing in the streets of Tokyo. Unlike Resident Evil and The Evil Within, this game is less about survival and more about action. The trailer finishes with tagline “Don’t fear the unknown. Attack it”.

But what really captured the hearts of the millions of internet denizens was Ikumi Nakamura’s bubbly demeanor. Ollie Cragg says it best:

Bethesda held a fairly drab conference at E3 2019 with a couple of bright spots. Doom: Eternal looks devilishly good and Deathloop has an intriguing premise, but the real highlight for me was the reveal of Ghostwire Tokyo. Not only does the latest game from the studio headed up by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami sound really, really cool — an action-adventure game where you tussle with supernatural beings armed with a bow and arrow? sign me up! — but the announcement itself introduced the world to its creative director Ikumi Nakamura. Her infectious energy and charm was a welcome breath of fresh air from the endless parade of corporate dudes in suits. That final pose will go down in E3 folklore, and that’s why we stan Ikumi Nakamura.
-Ollie Cragg

Honorable mentions

Even without the participation of Sony, there was a lot to be excited about. Here are a few other announcements that caught our attention at E3 2019.

• Outriders – John Callaham is most excited about the latest release from Polish studio People Can Fly.
• New Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters – Dragon Quest’s Hero was the first new character announced, but Banjo & Kazooie really stole the show.
• Xbox Game Pass – We’re listing this separately from Project Starlett, but who could say no to $1 for the first month?
• Final Fantasy VII Remake – Final Fantasy VII is one of the most iconic games of all time, so it’s only natural that we’re pumped for the remake.
• Watch Dogs: Legion – Despite the leaks spoiling some of the surprise, the idea of playing as any NPC in a massive world could make for some really cool gameplay moments.

Related: 5 biggest mobile game announcements from E3 2019

That’s it for our favorite announcements of E3 2019! What were your favorites from this year’s event? Let us know in the comments below!