Despite there being at least 45 amazing games at E3 2018, there were more than a few games we all wanted to see but didn’t. Making things even more frustrating, these were all games that were announced at previous E3s or other video game industry events. Regardless of the reasoning behind the omission, here are the 10 biggest, most disappointing no-shows from E3 2018.

 

“Core” Pokemon Game

Let’s start the list off with Nintendo since there were more than a few previously announced titles that were missing from the E3 Nintendo Direct. There was always a good chance that 2019’s Pokemon game wouldn’t make an appearance considering the focus on Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee, but many hardcore Pokemon fans — myself included — felt a bit slighted that the Pokemon game designed for us still isn’t in a place to be unveiled after being announced last E3.

 

Metroid Prime 4

It was a pretty big deal when Nintendo announced it was making Metroid Prime 4, though confirmation that Retro Studios wasn’t leading development was a bit of a sputter in the hype machine. Longtime Nintendo producer Kensuke Tanabe is leading a new team for this one, and it’s safe to say now that this is a late 2019 game, at earliest.

 

Bayonetta 3

Another Nintendo Switch exclusive that was announced with a title card and not much else last year, Bayonetta 3 was a sneaky pick to be revealed as coming out this fall. I think it’s pretty safe to assume that won’t be happening, now. It was a pleasant surprise that we’re even getting a third game, so I’m actually okay with Nintendo and Platinum taking their time with this one.

 

Yoshi

This one might have been the most surprising omission of all Nintendo’s omissions, as Yoshi was originally slated to release in 2018 and we saw a hefty chunk of the game at last year’s E3. Nintendo has confirmed a delay into 2019, but given how far along the project seemed to be, I don’t know why that stopped them from showing some sort of update. Even a short trailer would have improved the severely lackluster “press conference.”

 

Wild

The last time we saw this game was Paris Games Week in 2015, so it’s anyone’s guess whether this game is still being actively developed or not. I’m going with the latter, since creator Michel Ansel is hard at work on Beyond Good and Evil 2. I’ve been mostly impressed with what we’ve seen from that one so far, but Wild was such a unique idea that it would be a shame to see it fall away into nothingness.

 

Witchfire

Announced at The Game Awards in 2017, Witchfire stood out to me because the trailer started off looking like yet another horror walking simulator. A title card showed that it was coming from the makers of The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. Then the main character pulled out a shotgun and the trailer said it was also coming from the makers of Bulletstorm. Then the main character proceeded to shoot the hell out of various demons and ghouls. I really wanted to learn more about this one at E3.

 

Red Dead Redemption 2

This one wasn’t a surprise since Rockstar rarely attends E3, but it was disappointing nonetheless. This seemed like it could have been the year for Rockstar to align its marketing with Sony or Microsoft in a big way. Not that Red Dead Redemption needs the extra publicity, considering it’s the most highly anticipated game coming out this year.

 

Borderlands 3

Another case of disappointment more than surprise, Gearbox head Randy Pitchford came out in the weeks preceding E3 to confirm that Borderlands 3 would not be present at the show. The game still hasn’t even technically been announced, but an updated engine was shown off at PAX West in 2017 using clearly Borderlands assets. With all the secrecy and denials, it’s probably safe to assume this one is still a ways off.

 

Crystal Dynamics’ Avengers Game

Crystal Dynamics first teased this game over a year ago, and we already know the studio is hard at work on it after handing off some development of Shadow of the Tomb Raider to Eidos Montreal. The timing would have seemed right to show something this year with all the Avengers: Infinity War hype, but that wasn’t to be. If Rocksteady is, in fact, working on a Superman game, it would be pretty crazy to see these two competing IP shown at the same time.

 

Final Fantasy VII Remake

In my opinion, this was the biggest shock of the games we didn’t see at the show. Development on the remake of Final Fantasy VII has reportedly been troubled, with the direction of the game taking multiple iterations, but I still couldn’t believe there wasn’t a single update from Square Enix — especially considering how weak its overall show was. At this point, I’m in the camp that is considering this project to be canceled until we see something substantial.

 

And there you have it, 10 disappointing no-shows from E3 2018. What other games were you hoping to see at the show? Do you think these will all be present next year? Let me know in the comments below, and be sure to check out 7 games that I was hoping to see announced this year.