It sort of snuck up on us — we’ve been a little busy with a massive project, you see — but E3 2017 is nearly here. As we predicted back in January, this year looks like one of the busiest yet for our favorite genre. So what are we most looking forward to when the doors open in California next week? Well, we’ve got a list for that, in no particular order.
The Next Evolution of Gran Turismo Sport
GT Sport is a big deal for Sony, and we fully expect the company’s booth at the LA Convention Center to reflect that. Polyphony released the closed beta of the game almost three months ago, and even updated it last week. With players across the globe having spent hours playing that version of the game, we hope to see some genuinely new content on display.
With Porsche officially part of the franchise after nearly 20 years, perhaps the 911 GT3 RS will be playable. It may even be joined by some of its Stuttgart stablemates. There are still a few dozen unknowns in GT Sport’s 140-strong car list, and there’s no reason other marques couldn’t be showcased.
Speaking of mysteries, over half of the track list has yet to be revealed as well. We caught a glimpse of Brazil’s Interlagos in GT Sport back in spring, and E3 would be the place to give the track its official reveal. There was also news of Pikes Peak becoming the exclusive domain of the GT series. Gran Turismo is one of the main sponsors of the event, which kicks off mere days after E3 concludes this year. It’d make for a good tie-in…
Oh yeah, and we shouldn’t forget that it’s high time for the yearly GT Academy events to get underway. It was already hinted at, after all.
Autumn is quickly filling up with racing titles. But traditionally, nothing sells quite like Gran Turismo. Since it’s been almost ten months since Polyphony delayed GT Sport, we wouldn’t bet against a release date announcement at E3. In fact, we’ll go as far as predicting it’ll land smack in the middle of the holiday season.
A Production-Spec Project Scorpio
Alright, we’ll admit it: a fair amount of the GTPlanet staff were initially skeptical about two-tier console ecosystems. But the PS4 Pro has served Sony well — word is one in every five PS4s sold is a Pro. There’s certainly a market for this sort of thing, then.
Microsoft will be joining the pumped-up ring a year late. Then again, the PS3 was late to market against the Xbox 360, and we all know how that ended up. To its favor, the Scorpio is coming with some deeply impressive stats, soundly trouncing any other console.
The big question, outside of an exact release date, is one of price. Microsoft has pitched Scorpio as a premium product since the first mention of it at last year’s Expo, so expect a price above the Pro’s. The Redmond-based giant could always throw a curveball in the name of market share, though.
Of course, no matter how powerful a console is, it’s the games that sell it. Fortunately, that brings us to the next subject…
A Giant-Sized Forza Motorsport 7
It’s all but confirmed Turn 10 will show off Forza Motorsport 7 at E3. We expect FM7 to play a role much like FM5 did in 2013: that of the system showcase title. In this case, Microsoft will use FM7 to showcase the power of Scorpio. It makes sense after all, as Forza helped shape the hardware.
Scorpio and the regular One won’t be the only platforms to play the new game. In addition, the seventh Motorsport title will follow FH3’s lead by being available on Windows 10. That means full cross-platform compatibility, pitting players from all three against one another.
As a headlining first-party game, FM7 should be a graphical powerhouse. We already know the Scorpio Forza Tech demo ran at 4K/60fps with power to spare, and Turn 10 has had months to further refine the code. One of the most-requested features is dynamic weather and time, something found in arcade-oriented Forza Horizon 3. Could it finally arrive in Motorsport?
FM7 is also expected to have far and away the largest car roster of the generation. Its predecessor crested 600 cars by the end of its lifecycle, while FH3 has added at least a few dozen more to the franchise. Thanks to a six-year Porsche deal, we can foresee a lot of Stuttgart sports cars in the game too.
Project CARS 2 Info Blowout
Every bit of news out of Slightly Mad Studios continues to intrigue us. Things kicked into high gear back in winter, when the first official trailer showed off the game’s multiple seasons. Last month, it was all about Indy cars (both new, and old). More recently, SMS welcomed Porsche to the fold.
Of course, the biggest news came just yesterday, when Slightly Mad confirmed PCARS2 launches September 22. With the release date pencilled in, we know the final few months of 2017 are going to be chock-full of big racing titles.
The first Project CARS was a good — if flawed — package. It explored the motorsports side of car culture in a more serious way than either Gran Turismo or Forza when it arrived on the scene in 2015. If Slightly Mad Studios has ironed out the bugs of the first game, and made the myriad settings more approachable to wheel and pad users alike, it could have a real hit on its hands.
New Sim Racing Hardware
With the wealth of games lined up for 2017, it only makes sense that a similar bounty of accessories arrives. Fanatec will be at the show, most likely showing off its new PS4-compatible wheel base. While that is the big feature for the new CSL Elite, it’s worth pointing out the base is still compatible with PC and Xbox One. This is good, since Fanatec let slip that FM7 is expected to be more wheel-friendly.
It’s hard to believe that only a few short years ago, Logitech seemed to be exiting the console accessory arena. Luckily, that’s no longer the case. The company will be present on the show floor at E3: expect more news on the McLaren-Honda partnership with the tech brand.
Completing the mainstream console sim racing trifecta, Thrustmaster will be bringing no less than four exclusive world premieres to Los Angeles. Leading the charge is the new Thrustmaster range-topper, with an Xbox-compatible sibling as well. Naturally, the new wheel will take centre stage at any Gran Turismo Sport pods, but we’re curious to see which wheel(s) the Forza team uses for its setup.
If you’re curious about more than just a wheel and pedals, Next Level Racing will be on hand with its high-quality cockpits and wheelstands. NLR also offers a consumer-grade motion platform if you’re looking to drop serious coin on your racing rig. We’ll be checking out the company’s offerings during the show — stay tuned for our thoughts.
Lastly, expect a lot of VR news out of E3 this year. There are a whopping 126 exhibitors in the virtual reality space this year: that’s over double the 53 that took part in 2016.
A Genuine Surprise
Don’t get us wrong, what we already know will be at the Convention Center next week is exciting. But what we’re equally giddy about is the idea of something flashing up in our rearview without warning. There’s a whole whack of racing games coming to E3 2017, but is there one we don’t yet know about?
It might be a long shot, but we’re looking at the newest addition to the Codemasters crew. Yes, the artist formerly known as Evolution Studios. The merger happened over a year ago, and with the promise of a new IP, now seems as good a time as any to show it off.
Of course, there are a whole bunch of other racing titles we haven’t mentioned that will be on the floor at E3. What are you most looking forward to? Sound off in the comments and let us know.
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