Activision is set to host a presentation at E3 2021, where we can expect to find out new information about games from franchises such as Call of Duty, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Crash Bandicoot.
Here's the latest on what we know so far ahead of any official E3 2021 announcements...
LATEST - Will Microsoft Announce A New Acquisition At E3 2021?
Earlier this year, Microsoft finalized their deal with Bethesda to acquire the company for $7.5 billion.
Now it looks like they are gearing up for their next partnership.
Speaking on the Windows Central Discord server, Windows Central editor Jez Corden said that he expects "at least one Xbox acquisition being announced at E3 2021".
He did also note that he doesn't expect it to be a AAA studio.
The current rumours suggest that it could be Crytek, the creators of the Crysis series, but nothing concrete has backed up that claim as of right now.
Call Of Duty Could Be Centre-Stage?
Recently, Activision made the announcement that Toys For Bob is going to be joining the growing roster of Call of Duty support studios. They didn't mention anything about the future of the Crash Bandicoot franchise, and they ensure that Crash 4 would be getting continued support, but does this mean that Activision is putting all their eggs in one basket?
It certainly seems that way when you look at the list of studios reportedly working on Call of Duty nowadays. When the news was announced, it looks like a number of Toys For Bob staff were let go and/or chose to leave.
Now, the following studios are all working on Call of Duty...
- Activision Shanghai
- Beenox
- Demonware
- High Moon studios
- Infinity Ward
- Raven Software
- Sledgehammer Games
- Toys For Bob
- Treyarch
With so many studios invested, you have to imagine that the next Call of Duty game will be the biggest thing Activision will announce at E3 2021.
We Could See a New Tony Hawk Game
As reported over at VGC, CKY band member (and Bam Margera's brother) Jess Margera revealed on a podcast that they might be on the soundtrack for a new Tony Hawk game.
After praising the recent remake of 1 + 2, he spoke of his inclusion and how much his son loved the game. It's important to note that their song "96 quite bitter beings" found its way onto the third game's soundtrack, implying a remake of the third game could be on the way
Will Call Of Duty 2021 Be Revealed At E3?
It has now been confirmed that the next Call of Duty title, believed to be WWII: Vanguard, will be developed by Sledgehammer Games, the team behind WW2 and Advanced Warfare.
With Call of Duty games typically releasing around November, it is likely that we will begin to see official announcements and news surrounding the game.
It is hard to pinpoint exactly when the reveal trailer could be released.
Black Ops: Cold War was officially revealed in August 2020, while 2019's Modern Warfare was revealed in May.
Activision does seem to keep the Call of Duty reveals separate from E3, but with it being a virtual event this year they might change things up and reveal it at E3.
Call of Duty Warzone Mobile
In a recent LinkedIn post, Activision announced they are hiring for their mobile team, a fairly common occurrence.
The odd thing about it is the constant mentions of Warzone alongside COD Mobile. They actively stated they are looking for mobile developers to work on Warzone, as close to an official confirmation as we could possibly get.
E3 2021 Announcement
E3 is now just weeks away and expectations are high for the first fully virtual annual video games conference.
On April 6, E3 announced its return this year!
While many companies were already signed up when the announcement took place, such as Nintendo, Xbox and PC Gamer, Activision remained absent.
Are Activision Involved?
On April 26 many articles were published regarding speculation of involvement from Activision, Sega and Bandai Namco.
This was first announced by NintendoLife, who spotted that Activision, Bandai Namco and Sega were added to the list of participating companies on the E3 2021 website.
The page on the E3 website has since been removed and NintendoLife followed up with an update regarding said participation.
"It's been highlighted (thanks to those that messaged us) that the participating companies page linked may be the list from last year's cancelled E3 event. Though the site header states E3 2021, direct links to the page obscure the fact that the current website doesn't directly point to that list. It's very possible this list is out of date, so we've updated the headline and will keep our eyes peeled for further updates." - NintendoLife
It seems that Activision is still not officially signed up for E3 2021. However, there is still a good chance the US publishing company may announce its involvement in the coming weeks!
Call of Duty 2021 In Trouble
According to prominent leaker Zesty, the new Call of Duty game, titled WW2 Vanguard, is currently unreleasable.
Sledgehammer Games, the studio in charge of development, has apparently been demoted back to the role of being a support studio.
It is now rumoured that we will see a Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer experience release this year instead of a brand new game, marking the first time in 15 years that we haven't seen a new Call of Duty title release each year.
Potential Upcoming Games from Activision
There is huge potential for exciting new releases from Activision over the coming year! Here are some we might see!
Call of Duty is one of the most successful, best-selling game franchises of all time. The free-to-play battle royale, Call of Duty: Warzone, reached over 100 million players in just over a year since its initial release in 2020!
What's next in the Call of Duty saga?
Call of Duty: WWII Vanguard
On Feb 9, Call of Duty insider, ModernWarzone, tweeted that the latest game in the series is under development from SledgeHammer Games.
Call of Duty: WWII Vanguard is rumoured to be set in an alternative timeline, taking place during and potentially after World War 2.
It's also possible that Warzone is involved in any reveal, just as it was for Black Ops Cold War in 2020.
If Activision were to join in E3 2021, this is definitely a game that viewers can expect to hear more about!
Sekiro 2
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, was developed by FromSoftware and published by Activision in March 2019. It has received a few updates since, showing they're still working on the game to some capacity
The highly-anticipated release was a roaring success. Could 2021 see the announcement of a sequel?
How to Watch E3 2021
This year E3 is coming to you!
E3 2021 is going to be an all-virtual event, available for streaming all around the world.
This year's digital experience will be available for streaming through a dedicated app, and various developers and company-specific YouTube and Twitch Channels.