Publisher Square Enix has revealed they’re holding a Square Enix Presents Spring 2021 showcase next week on Friday, March 18. During the 40 minute show full of announcements and new trailers, the team will be revealing the next game in the Life Is Strange franchise, as well as a look at upcoming titles and new content in existing titles.
The headlining act will be the world premiere of the new Life Is Strange title. The title will have a new story and feature a new cast, one or more of which will have a new power. Original franchise developer Dontnod had six games in development at the start of November; however, the latest rumors suggest the developer has parted ways with Square Enix and all work on the Life Is Strange franchise has been passed on to Deck Nine, the developer of Life Is Strange: Before the Storm.
Upcoming title Outriders will be making an appearance too, ahead of its release on April 1. The title’s demo has been downloaded more than 2 million times. Having observed players as they have fun with the demo, the team has decided to make changes to game mechanics like loot drops so they’re more befitting the spirit of the game. The show will demonstrate a new look at the game, possibly with some of these changes implemented into the title. Another upcoming title, Balan Wonderworld, will also be showing itself off before its release later this month on March 26.
Marvel’s Avengers will show off some of the new additions to the title that will arrive on the same day as the showcase, including the upcoming free chapter Operation: Hawkeye – Future Imperfect. Those upset at the upcoming changes to the leveling system within the game may be somewhat appeased to find there will be a campaign replay option added to the game as well as HARM Room customization to add variety to the increased grind. The latter will allow players to choose the number and type of enemies they face, as well as adding hazards and buffs. We might even get a look at the next-gen versions that release on March 18 too.
Tomb Raider‘s 25th anniversary celebrations will continue during the show. The publisher dropped no hints as to what we can expect, although franchise director Will Kerslake has already said they’re not announcing a new game in the near future. That doesn’t mean we won’t see new versions of existing games, like the leaked Definitive Survivor Trilogy that includes all of the definitive edition content from Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, as well as a long list of bonus content. Coincidentally, this trilogy is due to be released on the same day as the show.
There will also be new titles from Square Enix’s sister company TAITO. Their more recent titles have only been released on Nintendo Switch so there’s every chance these won’t be appearing on PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5. On mobile, Just Cause Mobile will be introduced with gameplay featuring “explosions, explosions and probably some more explosions.” Finishing the list are new mobile game announcements from Square Enix Montreal too. You can see all of these announcements when the very first Square Enix Presents show airs at 10am PDT / 1pm EDT / 5pm GMT / 6pm CET on March 18.
[Source: Square Enix]
