Square Enix E3 2021: Final Fantasy, 'Forspoken,' and 3 more games to expect

E3 2021 hype is about to kick into full gear. The digital expo is two weeks away, and registration is slowly starting to open up in phases. That’s not the only faucet that’s been turned on, though. According to rumors, some companies’ E3 plans are starting to leak out ahead of the show.

Reporter Alex Donaldson says that one major studio’s entire E3 slate has leaked. Shortly after that news, another Twitter user claimed that Square Enix is the “leaky ship.” While the information isn’t public yet, it might only be a matter of time before it’s passed around the internet. Before that happens, let’s break down five games that we may see from Square Enix at this year’s E3.

5. Life is Strange: True Colors

Life is Strange: True Colors is Square Enix’s big fall release this year. It was front and center at the publisher’s first-ever digital showcase, so it’ll more than likely show up at E3 too. We can probably expect to see a new trailer for the game that goes into more depth about its gameplay. There probably won’t be many surprises here, but it’ll be nice to get another glimpse at what’s shaping up to be a charming installment of the franchise.

4. Forspoken

Nobody was really expecting to see Project Athia for a long time, but it made a surprise appearance at the end of last Square Enix Presents with a new name: Forspoken. Now that we’ve actually seen gameplay, it seems like the action RPG is further along than we initially thought. With that in mind, it seems likely that we could see it again at E3. Granted, the game itself won’t be launching until 2022.

3. New Tomb Raider game

We’re overdue for a new Tomb Raider game. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the franchise and fans are expecting to see some sort of new announcement to coincide with that. We know we’re getting a new Netflix series, a movie, and a cookbook, but what about a video game? We do know that Crystal Dynamics has a game in the works that’s said to unify the original franchise and the recent reboot. The studio previously said not to expect announcements anytime soon, but E3 seems like the perfect spot for a teaser.

2. Final Fantasy 16

Final Fantasy 16 is a bit of a no-brainer. It’s been a long time since we’ve gotten details on the game. It didn’t appear at all during the last Square Enix Presents event, so there’s a good chance the publisher was saving it to headline its E3 slate. The only question is whether or not Sony will want to save it for its own event. The game is a PS5 exclusive and Sony will be a no-show at E3 this year, so there’s a chance Square Enix might save it for a Sony State of Play. Still, it’s Square’s most anticipated project, so it would be strange for it to be completely absent from the biggest gaming show of the year.

1. Final Fantasy Origin

This list could have been entirely comprised of Final Fantasy games. While Final Fantasy 16 is the biggest game we know about, rumors indicate that something even more exciting is coming. According to reports, Final Fantasy Origin is a new timed PS5 exclusive being developed by Team Ninja. Rumors say that it’s a Souls-like game in the style of the Nioh series. E3 is a time for surprises and this certainly would be a shocker, if true. The news comes from a credible source, so it seems like we could get a double dose of Final Fantasy news this year.

Everything else...

That’s not all. There’s way more that Square Enix could show at E3 this year. Outriders and Marvel’s Avengers will likely make an appearance in some form. The publisher also has games like Project Triangle Strategy that could pop up during Nintendo’s showcase. We’re also expecting to see a new Dragon Quest game debut later this week, which could make a second appearance come E3.

And, of course, there’s always Final Fantasy. Yes, more than we’ve already talked about. Final Fantasy VII Remake 2 is in development, so a tease isn’t out of the question. Intergrade, The First Solider, and Ever Crisis are all coming too and could pop up here.

There’s a more tantalizing possibility too. Developer Forever Entertainment is currently working with Square Enix to remake “several” of its games. That raises questions about whether or not we might see a classic like Final Fantasy 6 get a more traditional remake soon. Whatever actually comes to fruition, we expect to see at least one Final Fantasy game this year.