As the 2012 gaming season draws to a close, both consumers and analysts alike have already begun salivating over what possibilities lie ahead in 2013. While new consoles are poised to usher in the next generation of gaming experiences, the current cycle of platforms are also expected to go out strong with a wide variety of blockbuster titles. Both of these dynamics present an interesting problem in the sense that there are still plenty of titles being developed that we don’t know anything about yet. In this article, I will give my own personal thoughts on 13 games that I feel will be revealed at some point and time in 2013.
13) Modern Warfare 4
When Activision announced that Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 made $500 million dollars approximately 24 hours after being released, it pretty much confirmed that Black Ops 3 would eventually see the light of day. Many who are familiar with Call of Duty’s annual release schedule could also conclude that a sequel to Modern Warfare 3 can’t be too far behind either. I fully expect a MW 4 teaser trailer to hit the Internet anytime between now and May. Fans can then expect both a formal announcement and gameplay demonstration during E3 2013, with the game hitting stores right around the second week of November.
12) Dragon Age III
Ever since making an announcement last September, Bioware has remained quiet on further details regarding Dragon Age III. Many diehard fans of the series are already writing this game off as a failure due mainly to EA’s mishandling of the Mass Effect franchise over the years. With the use of the Frostbite 2 engine and the promise of a more open world gameplay experience, the developers are pulling out all stops to make this the most ambitious sequel in the series yet. While reports have suggested that this game won’t hit retailers until either late 2013 or early 2014, I do expect that we will at least get a glimpse of a trailer or two by the time this year is over.
11) Hotline Miami 2
Heralded as being one of the sleeper hits of 2012, Hotline Miami has proven once again that independent PC games deserve just as much attention as AAA console titles. While developer Dennaton Games haven’t officially confirmed that a sequel is currently being development, they have acknowledged that they are already thinking ahead and listening to songs for the next game’s soundtrack. My prediction is that by the end of 2013, the game will be announced along with a few screenshots to hold us over until it’s release later down the road.
10) Saints Row 4
THQ’s financial hardships have been heavily documented for the last two years. Amidst all this negative press, Volition has been hard at work on the next installment in the popular Saints Row franchise. Whether or not the game releases this year, depends solely on what happens to the IP during the title auction on January 22nd. The buyer could launch the game as soon as this fall depending on how far along the development team are or wait until 2014. Either way, I predict that we will learn more about the game later this year.
9) Two Worlds III
Reality Pump’s acclaimed action RPG franchise has received a ton of criticism from both fans and analysts alike. While Two Worlds II received generally favorable reviews, the creative team failed to follow through on their promise to release a sequel in 2012. Fast-forward to 2013 and my thought now is that we will finally find out if this game is indeed a reality or just a fantasy.
8) Dead Rising 3
Long before a rigging supervisor who worked on the cinematic trailer confirmed the existence of this game, everyone knew Dead Rising 3 was coming. Capcom Vancouver released two downloadable episodes before and after the launch of Dead Rising 2, which hinted at approaches the studio might take when moving the series forward. Lastly, there were also a few leaked stories back in 2011 stating both the setting and character that would appear in the next game. With all this said, I fully expect Capcom to reveal more about this game any day now.
7) Alan Wake 2
At the beginning of this year, both Remedy Games and Alan Wake writer Sam Lake announced that news on the future of the franchise was forthcoming. A day after this news, Major Nelson decided to post a countdown to Microsoft’s E3 2013 press conference on his blog. If I were a betting man, I would guess that the next gen Xbox will be announced at E3 along with Alan Wake 2 as a confirmed launch title.
6) The Walking Dead Season Two
After selling over 8.5 million episodes in 2012 and taking home a 2012 VGA award for game of the year, The Walking Dead has proven to be one of Telltale Games most successful adaptations yet. With all the expectations now placed firmly on their backs, I would expect plenty of news on season two throughout 2013. I also predict a possible teaser trailer to debut exclusively during the 2013 Spike Video Game Awards.
5) Halo 5
When 343 industries unveiled Halo 4 to the masses last November, fans everywhere were impressed by how great this game turned out. Frank O’ Connor has gone on record many times saying that he has already mapped out every Halo sequel for the next 10 years. Following this theory and knowing that a new Xbox console is right around the corner, Halo 5 will more then likely receive a teaser trailer during E3. While I don’t expect the game to hit stores until the fall of 2014, I do anticipate that Microsoft will do as much as possible to let everyone know that the game is under development.
4) Killzone 4
Guerrilla Games flagship first-person shooter franchise has received generally favorable reviews across the board from just about everyone. Shortly after Killzone 3 was completed and shipped to stores, the development team immediately started coming up with ideas for the next game. As early as last year, there have been rumors going around that Killzone 4 would launch as a PlayStation 4 exclusive in 2013. Seeing as how we still don’t know what Sony has planned for holiday releases this year, there is a lot of truth to this theory and we should know some answers very soon.
3) Infamous 3 or Infamous Vita
Aside from releasing an Infamous Collection late last summer, Sucker Punch Productions has been very quiet over the last two years. While many who completed Infamous 2 will argue that another sequel isn’t entirely possible, the truth is that both the character and the series is still capable of going in many different directions. My guess is that either Infamous 3 or an Infamous Vita title is currently being developed and will be announced during next month’s Destination PlayStation event.
2) Super Smash Brothers U
The Wii U is only a few months old and yet already will be missing out on most of the AAA multiplatform titles hitting consoles during the first quarter of 2013. On the flipside, Nintendo is already starting to counter these setbacks by focusing specifically on the strength of their own first party titles. While Smash Brothers U may still be a long way from being released, my guess is that we will at least get a glimpse of the game during Nintendo’s E3 2013 Press conference.
1) Uncharted 4
When Naughty Dog premiered The Last Of Us during the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards, many fans believed that the studio was taking a break from their critically acclaimed Uncharted series. Once it was revealed that the team had been split up to work on both franchises it then became clear that sooner or later we would see more of Nathan Drake. With rumors of the next gen PlayStation console circulating throughout the net, I can’t help but think that an Uncharted 4 announcement is forthcoming. Perhaps E3 2013 will shed some light on all this and more.
This concludes my list of 13 games that will be revealed in 2013. Do you have any games in mind that you think will be revealed in 2013? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below.
