Bethesda E3 2019 Recap: Best of Bethesda at E3 2019

The Bethesda E3 2019 show is in the books, with a combination of known E3 2019 games and a few unexpected surprises rolling off the stage and into our eyeballs. Considering that Bethesda already said it wasn't bringing Elder Scrolls 6 to E3 2019, it was still a pretty fun show all told. Here's everything Bethesda announced at E3 2019, ordered by the biggest announcements first. Read up if you missed the show, then be sure to check back for all the other presentations in the E3 2019 schedule.  

Doom Eternal gets a November 22 release date 

Our Doom Eternal preview from E3 2019 highlights just how fun it is to be killing demons with reckless abandon again, with Eternal delivering "a fast, no-nonsense, old-school first-person shooter, that builds on the previous game in meaningful and noticeable ways." A new story trailer highlighted how Doom Eternal will let you slaughter demons in Heaven and Hell alike, and you'll even get to visit the Sentinel homeworld. Bethesda also showed off the Battlemode multiplayer, with multi-round matches featuring one decked-out slayer against two player-controlled demons who can summon reinforcements. Doom Eternal launches November 22, but we'll hear more about it at QuakeCon in July. 

Fallout 76 brings back NPCs in the Wastelanders update 

One of the most bemoaned aspects of Fallout 76 is how lonely the world can be, given that it's devoid of characters you can talk to - but that's about to change. Fallout 76 is getting human NPCs in its Wastelanders expansion coming free to all players this fall as part of the Year 2 content plan. These NPCs aren't just for show - they'll come with full dialogue trees that Bethesda says will offer "choice and consequences." If you'd like to try Fallout 76 for yourself, Bethesda is offering a Fallout 76 free to play week from June 10 to 17, so you can get a week in the wasteland and decide if you want to commit further. And the free trial is happening just in time to try out a new mode... 

Fallout 76 Nuclear Winter adds battle royale to Appalachia 

Yes, battle royale is everywhere - and soon we'll get our hands on Fallout 76 battle royale with the Nuclear Winter update, though no specific release date has been given just yet. This 52-player battle royale has you fleeing from a giant ring of fire, killing other players and monsters until only one player remains - and the winner gets to be the Overseer of Vault 51. Nuclear Winter is another free addition for Fallout 76, with a "sneak peek" of the mode starting June 10. 

GhostWire: Tokyo is a new action game from the makers of The Evil Within 

Tango Gameworks made its name on survival horror series The Evil Within, headed by Shinji Mikami - but now it's trying something a bit different with GhostWire: Tokyo. The cinematic reveal trailer is thoroughly spooky, featuring all kinds of spirits haunting modern-day Japan. Those spirits are a mix of "some dangerous, some peaceful," says GhostWire: Tokyo's creative director Ikumi Nakamura, who instantly became an E3 2019 crowd favorite with her ebullient presentation. People in GhostWire: Tokyo start disappearing without warning, and we get a glimpse of a hero(?) who looks an awful lot like Hawkeye's makeover in Avengers: Endgame. 

Deathloop is the next game from Arkane Studios 

The studio behind the Dishonored series and the Prey reboot has cooked up something wonderfully weird for its next game: Deathloop, featuring dual protagonists who are trapped in a time loop where they murder one another infinitely. Colt and Julianna are stuck in the Black Reef, a place where chaos rules the streets and shootouts can happen anywhere. Using dual-wielded uzis, swords, sniper rifles, and even teleportation abilities, the two combatants fight to the death repeatedly, and we can't wait to find out how they break the Deathloop. 

The Elder Scrolls Blades is coming to Nintendo Switch this fall 

Mobile spin-off The Elder Scrolls: Blades has been thriving on iOS and Android, so Bethesda has seen fit to bring The Elder Scrolls: Blades over to Nintendo Switch later this year. Thankfully, progress will carry over from the mobile version to the Switch (Switch Blades, if you will), so you can get started on the mobile version in preparation for a switch this fall. Updates coming to The Elder Scrolls: Blades soon include solo arena battles, a custom jewelry system, and a new dragon questline. 

Rage 2 teases the Rise of the Ghosts expansion 

A new Rage 2 trailer was trying very hard for the laughs with a sitcom parody style before transitioning into full dubstep mode, showing off new cheats (like Bloody Mess and Low Gravity) and new vehicles like a pilotable mech, the Skull Motorcycle, and the one-wheeled Armadillo. The centerpiece of all the updates is the Rise of the Ghosts expansion, featuring a creepy new enemy faction, more abilities, and a fresh storyline. 

Wolfenstein: Youngblood kills Nazis with style 

It won't be long before we can play Wolfenstein: Youngblood when it launches on July 26, but Bethesda showed off a slick new gameplay trailer featuring Jess and Soph Blazkowicz shooting up Nazis by the dozens. Bethesda also gave a shout-out to Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot, the VR spin-off that launches on July 26 as well.

More announcements: 

• Orion is new streaming tech being worked on by Bethesda, aiming to bolster Google Stadia and Microsoft's Project xCloud by focusing on software solutions for streaming. Orion is an SDK baked in at the game engine level, which should allow for 20% faster streaming per frame and 40% lower bandwidth. It should also allow for 4K, 60fps gameplay, and streaming games at max settings. The first game to test Orion capabilities will be the 2016 Doom, so you can register to try it out at Besthesda's Slayers Club site.
• The Elder Scrolls Online hyped up its Elsweyr expansion, available now, with an intense cinematic trailer as a Khajiit and their companions team up to take down a raging dragon. Later this year, we'll get some new story DLC named Dragonhold, so expect to see plenty more dragons to fight in the near future.
• Commander Keen is being rebooted as a free-to-play mobile game from Zenimax, much to the chagrin of old-school PC gamers. It's got a Saturday morning cartoon aesthetic, and stars twin geniuses Billy and Billie, who use a variety of gadgets to battle aliens or each other. It'll soft-launch on iOS and Android this summer.
• The Elder Scrolls: Legends is getting a new expansion, Moons of Elsweyr, coming to the card game on June 27.