Here's exactly when to watch Square Enix Presents — and what to expect
Square Enix has its own Nintendo Direct now.
For the first time ever, Square Enix will host an all-digital showcase to deliver news and updates about upcoming games. They’re calling it Square Enix Presents. Even if there probably won’t be any news related to Final Fantasy at all, it’s still cause for excitement. After all, Square Enix publishes several high-profile games like Marvel’s Avengers and the upcoming Outriders.
Here’s everything you need to know about the unprecedented event, including how and when to watch it, along with what to expect.
When is the Square Enix Presents livestream?
Square Enix formally announced the presentation on March 11, and it’ll broadcast on March 18, 2021 at 1 p.m. Eastern. Official materials say that the presentation is expected to last about 40 minutes, so things should wrap up by about 1:40 p.m. Eastern.
How to watch the Square Enix Presents livestream
Outriders could be 2021’s sleeper hit.
Like many livestream presentations these days, Square Enix Presents will be broadcast on YouTube and Twitch, but Square Enix also has a registered domain name dedicated entirely to this presentation where anyone can watch: “sepresents.com.” Based on that — and the fact that official materials call it the “inaugural show” — it’s pretty safe to assume that there are plans to make this an annual or even quarterly event.
Here are your three options:
What games will be shown during the Square Enix Presents livestream?
The first-ever Square Enix Presents will include a varied assortment of games.
Square Enix is being pretty upfront about what’ll be shown during the presentation. The top-billed item is the reveal of an all-new title in the Life is Strange series. It’s not being referred to as Life is Strange 3, which makes for an interesting distinction here: “the next game in the critically acclaimed and award-winning Life is Strange series, featuring an all-new protagonist wielding an exciting new power.”
There will definitely be feature trailers, gameplay videos, and announcements related to the following games and more:
- Outriders
- Balan Wonderworld
- Marvel’s Avengers
- Just Cause Mobile
- The ongoing celebration for the 25th anniversary of TOMB RAIDER
- New mobile game announcements from the award-winning Square Enix Montréal studio
- A look at a few of the whimsical games from Square Enix sister company TAITO
Balan Wonderworld will be released March 26, with Outriders following a week later on April 1, so we’ll probably get launch trailers. Microsoft also recently announced Outriders will come to Xbox Game Pass on launch day. Hawkeye will join Marvel’s Avengers on the same day as this presentation (March 18), so it’s safe to expect something tied to that update.
The free-to-play action shooter Just Cause: Mobile is slated for release sometime in 2021, so it’s likely that its place in the presentation will include a release date announcement of some kind.
As for Tomb Raider celebrations, several versions of franchise protagonist Lara Croft have already appeared in Fortnite Chapter 2, Season 6 starting March 16. It’s unclear what else is in store for this year, but the Square Enix Montréal studio line could be a hint.
A Tomb Raider Reloaded mobile game had a soft launch in Thailand and the Philippines on March 15, and though it’s developed by Canadian studio Emerald City Games and Square Enix London, Square Enix Montréal is the publisher. So we’re bound to hear more about that game.
As for TAITO, it’s unclear what to expect there, but the company has developed and re-released various retro and arcade games in the past. So who knows what’s next? We’ll find out soon enough.
Square Enix Presents kicks off March 18, 2021 at 1 p.m. Eastern.
