Devolver Digital E3 2017 Predictions

Posted on June 9, 2017

New to the E3 stage this year is Devolver Digital, a company who only recently announced their involvement with the massive gaming event.

Typically only the biggest of AAA developers will have the resources and catalogue to be able to fill their E3 press conference, so to have an indie publisher like Devolver up there is great news for indie gaming and Devolver’s current success alike.

Known for publishing classics such as the Serious Sam series, the Shadow Warrior series, the Hotline Miami series and games such as Broforce, Enter the Gungeon, The Talos Principle and even Hatoful Boyfriend – Devolver have begun creating a serious reputation for themselves when it comes to publishing successful games.

So what are we expecting to see out of Devolver at E3?

Absolver is one title we know will be at E3. The game is due out August 30th and its stylish and slick combat has solidified it on the top of my personal anticipation list. Described as a Dark Souls inspired game, you will use hand-to-hand combat to fight both computer controlled foes and other players. With elements of PvE, PvP and coop, there’s a bit of something for everyone with Absolver. We know of the game’s involvement at E3 2017 thanks to the following tweet.

There are also a few games confirmed to be coming out for Devovler soon which would make for fairly safe bets to be seen on the E3 stage. Crossing Souls for instance is set to release later this year.  The game is an action adventure game with light RPG mechanics. Take control of 5 characters, each with their own specific abilities, as you go through an 80’s inspired romp. Solve puzzles, jump into combat and square up against bosses. Crossing Souls seems like a fairly safe bet for Devolver’s E3 2017 press conference.

Eitr is another safe bet to be shown off on the E3 stage. The Souls-like title has been teased for a while now but we are just about ready to get a more in-depth look. Due out in 2017, the game offers a unique visual style mixed with crushingly challenging combat.

In a similar style to Hotline Miami, Ape Out is another title arriving shortly from Devolver Digital. The game plays in the top-down perspective and has you control a rampaging ape. Kick, punch, and run down your attempting captors in what looks to be a fast paced and challenging riot. Using your enemies as a weapon or as a shield brings an additional interesting element which will hopefully be shown off more at Devolver’s E3 press conference.

Hitting early access this year, SCUM is another big title on its way from Devolver. SCUM is a survival game with an increased focus on realism. A bunch of videos have already been released that show off many of the game’s base mechanics and there seems to be a lot of depth here. Still presumably a while away from release, SCUM may not be in a playable state when E3 comes around but I’ll be surprised if we don’t see a trailer at the least.

If that wasn’t enough we are also likely to see some gameplay from Minit, the game where you play one minute at a time, Serious Sam’s Bogus Detour, the next in a line of smaller Serious Sam games, and The Swords of Ditto, their freshly announced, super cute rogue-like.

We may well also get a peak at updates coming for Shadow Warrior 2 and Genital Jousting, two of Devolver’s more successful titles from last year. With STRAFE and Block’hood releasing quite recently, we may also see additional promotional material for these games or plans for future updates.

Last but most certainly not least is RUINER. A game we have been teased with already but don’t know a whole lot about. Any footage released makes the game look incredibly fun though and I most certainly expect to see more of it at E3.

What do we hope to see from Devolver at E3?

Good question, me!

With Devolver’s eclectic mix of games on offer and less well-established IPs to make sequels out of, it becomes harder to know what surprises I would want from their E3 conference. Harder, but not impossible! An announcement along the lines of Hotline Miami 3 would be exciting for very obvious reasons. Arguably one of Devolver’s most iconic franchises and most certainly one of their most successful, the game introduced a really brutally fun style of gameplay that has now been replicated time and time again. Hotline Miami’s unique style and great soundtrack made it stand out in the best of ways. If Devolver can surprise us with a new game in the franchise, I’m sure many gamers will be excited, myself included.

Serious Sam 4. It exists, it has been in development for a while now, but we still barely know anything about this title. It was expected to be seen at E3 last year but was nowhere to be found. Since then the development of this game has been essentially silent, which is scary. Either way, whether or not Serious Sam 4 is shown off at E3 2017 is unknown, but boy would it be great

With a lot of games potentially being shown off I’m not sure if Devolver will have many surprises. Regardless, their line-up of smaller titles most certainly has this indie gamer very excited.