The Switch Pro Is Reported To Launch In September

The Nintendo Switch Pro rumors have been swirling around for a while now but according to a new report, we could hear about the upgraded console soon.

The report comes from Bloomberg, who said that the assembly of a new Nintendo Switch model is to begin in July, with the new console arriving on shelves by September or October.

According to Bloomberg's sources who have asked not to be named, the new console will likely be priced higher than the RRP of the standard Nintendo Switch with the dock, but will also replace that model as the older machine is phased out.

Eurogamer went on to say they've corroborating Bloomberg's report their own sources and added that

an announcement is expected before E3, to give third-party developers and publishers currently working on games for the new hardware the ability to announce their games at the event.

As usual, take the report with a grain of salt as Nintendo has yet to comment on the report. It would make a ton of sense though, especially since Xbox has been teasing a possibility of the two companies working together. This new hardware could be capable of you know, running Xbox Game Pass. That's all speculation on my part but i think Xbox has to do something BIG for E3 2021 and this would be a gigantic move for both companies.

Gearbox Could Be Developing A New Franchise Releasing By April 2022 According To Take-Two

Take-Two has revealed some interesting details in its latest financial results earnings call and how it has plans to launch a new franchise from Gearbox Software during the next fiscal year.

the company announced it hopes to release 21 games during the current financial year from April 1, 2021, through until March 31, 2022. Out of the 21 games, there will be four "immersive core" games with two of them from already existing franchises. The other two games are completely new IP and CEO Strauss Zelnick comments seem to confirm that one of them is from Gearbox.

No more details were given on the project sadly, hopefully, we'll find out some more details shortly at E3 2021.

I'm personally not a huge fan of Gearbox games but I do hope they end up making some new and fresh and not another Battleborn or Borderlands spin-off game.

EA Teases Battlefield 6 reveal for June

EA and DICE are seemingly teasing a reveal for Battlefield 6 coming next month according to the game's official Twitter account.

In an extremely brief teaser, they tweeted "Words that rhyme with Soon: June. Boom." My guess would be that the game will show up at E3 2021 and i think it'll be available on Xbox Game Pass. Notable the EA Play addition on Game Pass Ultimate shows on the app to claim by 02/06/2021 which could mean when EA Play leaves the service but that's speculation. Hopefully, I'm wrong on that one but it wouldn't surprise me if EA Play was removed from Game Pass Ultimate and then Ubisoft Plus is added.

Sega, Square Enix, Bandai Namco and Gearbox confirmed for E3 2021

E3 has announced a ton of new additional partners who will be showcasing their games at E3 2021 from June 12 to June 15.

The latest companies who have signed up for the show include Sega (who plans to announce something Judgment related tomorrow), Square Enix who's currently developing Final Fantasy XVI, Gearbox, and Bandai Namco who are currently publishing Elden Ring.

They'll also be joined by XSEED Games/Marvelous USA, Freedom Games, Devious Eye Entertainment, Turtle Beach, Verizon, and Binge.

No specific details were given on what possible games will be at the show but we won't have to wait much longer with E3 happening next month.

E3 2021 will kick off on June 12 at approximately 8 pm UK time and will be hosted by Greg Miller, Jacki Jing and Alex 'Goldenboy' Mendez.

Square Enix Joins E3 2021

Square Enix has confirmed that it will be at E3 2021 in some capacity according to a recent interview.

Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda said the following:

"We'll be announcing the rest of the line-up [later], and we're also planning to make an announcement at E3 in June, so please keep your eyes peeled,"

It's unclear if the company will be holding a full show or maybe something smaller but Square Enix is having a great year so far with the launch of Outriders and I'm sure they'll want to keep that going for as long as possible.

E3 2021 Announced To Begin On June 12

The ESA has officially announced its plans for a virtual E3 this year, confirming that the event will take place between June 12 and June 15 of this year.

Revealed In a press release, the ESA confirmed that multiple publishers will show up show which includes Xbox, Nintendo, Capcom, Ubisoft, Konami, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Games, Koch Media. They also went on to say that there will be "more to come" who will be "showcasing their latest news and games directly to fans" with the group promising the event's content will be available for free. Lastly, they confirmed that more details such as how viewers will be able to watch the event at a late date.

There are a few notable publishers that seemingly won't be participating in this year's E3 that include Sony, EA, Sega, and Square Enix. Sony hasn't held a show at E3 since 2018 so that isn't too surprising and a similar situation follows with EA focusing on their EA Play event. I am hopeful that SEGA or Square Enix could show up in some fashion at one of the main conferences for Xbox or Nintendo.

Either way, I'm super excited to see E3 return after the garbage fire that was the 2020 gaming announcement shows. Hopefully, this means it won't be spread out over the course of multiple months and is more condensed. I can't go another year of watching 12 different showcases over the course of three months.