We are less than one month away from E3, and the hype train continues to press on! Today, we look at a company that made a special announcement earlier this week! Square Enix throws their hat into the ring with their very own Showcase! Their last conference was back in 2015 with games like Just Cause 3, Rise of the Tomb Raider, World of Final Fantasy and a small teaser for a sequel that came out last year: Nier Automata. The overall presentation was okay, but fans had their interest in other things. And this year, we may finally see those games.

So far, we’ve looked at Ubisoft, Nintendo, and Capcom. A nice spread of companies so far, but Square Enix holds a special place in the hearts of gamers. Chances are that if you enjoy JRPGs, you know all too well what Square Enix has in store. With this upcoming showcase, fans wasted no time putting together a list of what we will see and what they want to see happen come next month. These games include those in development for some time while others are games we can’t wait to get our hands on. There are quite a good number of games to cover and we won’t be able to cover them all. Let’s look at what the games that could appear in their showcase next month.

Just Cause 4: Do we need a reason to blow stuff up?

What poor country is about to feel the wrath of Rico?

The Rumor Mill loves to generate games that are M.I.A., Just Cause 4 being one of them. Because of a “recent leak” by Walmart Canada, a fair number of games that may get a reveal next month were on the site for all to see. It wouldn’t that far fetch to consider the chances of an announcement that may throw the name out and confirm its development. The Just Cause series is known well for the over-the-top action and the ability to traverse the world with a grappling hook, Parachute, and wingsuit. What mission will we get set on next time? We may find out soon enough. Just Cause 3 came out in December 2015 with a mixed reception.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Reboot Lara’s Third Adventure

What wacky antics will that girl get into this time in the jungle?

So after surviving the Dragon’s Triangle and Siberia, where does our little adventurer go to next? According to the premise, to Latin America to save the world from a Mayan apocalypse she sets off. Stating that the game cost $100 million dollars to make, it would be fair to say this will be the biggest Tomb Raider game yet. There will also be a bigger focus on swimming, as you will navigate waters while finding pockets of air to stay alive. What will lurk in the shadows? Find out soon at E3. Shadow of the Tomb Raider will come for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on September 14.

Kingdom Hearts 3: The final chapter of the “Dark Seeker” Saga.

Hype Train Coming In Hot!

With so many Kingdom Hearts games over the last 15 years, it’s hard to imagine that later this year, Kingdom Hearts 3 will arrive at long last. Continuing from Dream Drop Distance, the story (or at least “The Saga”) will come to a close. This time around, there will be a good number of worlds based on Pixar Films such as Toy Story and Monsters Inc. We will also see Tangled, Big Hero 6 and many others. With so many changes from Kingdom Hearts 2 and the spin-off games, there’s no telling just how gigantic Kingdom Hearts 3 will be when it comes out. Let’s cross our fingers hoping when they show the trailer for it, a release date will show us when we can dive back in.

Octopath Traveler: Eight travelers venturing into the world

Should be fun keeping track of eight separate stories, right?

When Project Octopath appeared on the Nintendo Switch Presentation at the start of last year, the game got everyone’s attention. With lavish 3D backdrops mixed with 2D sprites, the art style alone was more than enough to sell the game. With Octopath Traveler coming on July 13th, it would be the best time to highlight the game before it launches and showcase the other playable characters. At the time of this post, we only know about six classes out of eight (Dancer, Merchant, Warrior, Thief, Hunter, and Apothecary). What other classes will we see in Octopath Traveler? And may we get more details about the story before July? Either way, we’ll be keeping an eye out for what will be another fantastic RPG experience on the Nintendo Switch.

The Final Fantasy 7 Remake: What’s going on with this game’s development?

The game that looks so good, and yet we have no idea what’s happening with it.

What does one even say when bringing up the Final Fantasy 7 remake? Despite the announcement we got back in 2015, we’ve had little to no word on how the development process. Perhaps Kingdom Hearts 3 had to get that extra manpower behind it, but the status of where this game stand remains unclear. Some say it’s been running smoothly while others point out the constant recruitment of staff to make the game a reality. It’s difficult to say how far the game has come since 2015, but many believe this may be the year. Will we though? Or will the game remain in development until the start of the next generation of games? Stay tuned.

Final Fantasy XV‘s DLC: Telling the ongoing story of Noctis, his friends, and enemies

How much further can the story expand out?

For a game that came out almost 20 months ago, Final Fantasy XV continues to roll out the DLC with new content all the time. Even after the Royal Edition came out, Square didn’t hesitate to mention we would get even more stories based on a few more characters. These include the antagonist of the story, Ardyn, and his struggles that lead him to where he was at the start of the game. Next is the Mercenary Dragoon, Aranea Highwind, covering the downfall of the Empire. From there, we have Noctis’s fiancee, Lunafreya, which will be a delight to see since due to her lack of involvement during the main game. There will be one additional chapter that will have Noctis and a possible “True Ending” story.

Alongside with these DLC stories, what other special goodies will Square Enix add to the game? And will new content come to Comrades? We’ll find out soon enough.

Final Fantasy XIII Trilogy: Allowing Lightning to strike twice?

Is this a trilogy worth revisiting?

The Final Fantasy XIII series can be decisive in the Fanbase due to the story told and the gameplay style of the game. While the story of Lightning has ended, there are some that believe we could see as a remastering of the XIII games come to the current gen. Square Enix producer, Shinji Hashimoto said how “Final Fantasy will be big next year,” and we know it would expand out further than just Final Fantasy XV downloadable content and Dissidia NT. For all we know, they could announce another remaster of a classic game or bringing last-gen games to this generation of consoles. There are quite a several ways that this may appear in the eyes of a speculator, including the next item on our list.

Final Fantasy XVI?! Could it be time already?

Single Player? or MMO?

For as much time and focus that Final Fantasy XV will get this year, there’s no denying that many are looking ahead at what the next game in the series could be. It’s not that we’ll see the 16th game in Final Fantasy in 2018, but rather a small teaser of things to come in the coming years. Considering circumstances, it is possible that this can announcement may happen. The question we should ask would be in whether the game will be a standalone JRPG, or if the next game could be the next Final Fantasy MMO. Final Fantasy XIV launched back in 2010 and A Realm Reborn in 2013. Square Enix could take the series in an entirely different direction although time will tell if we will even see the number 16 come up or not.

The Avengers Project: Is it time to finally assemble?

Can Square Enix bring us the Avengers Video Game we’ve been waiting for so long?

Last year, a special announcement came out of Marvel Entertainment regarding a “Multi-Game Partnership” with Square Enix. While many still feel burnt from a certain fighting game, many are looking at this team up and what the Avengers Project will give us. Now more than ever with Infinity Wars being one of the biggest film releases of all time, this would be the optimum time to release a game that the fans felt like has been long overdue. Will we see a game focused on one Marvel hero? Or will the Avengers Project focus on the actual Avengers? Will this tie into the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Or will it be its own thing? The time to assemble maybe close at hand.

Conclusion: A couple down, plenty of other games to go!

While we did take a look at a good number of games, we have only scratched the surface of what Square Enix may show off. Other games to keep an eye out for would be Left Alive, The World Ends With You, and sequels to Nier and Life is Strange just to name a few. With everything that could be in the waiting, it’s understandable that they would want to move on this momentum and bring back their showcase. Plenty of choices to consider and we’ll get the chance to find out more about them in the coming weeks. The Square Enix E3 Showcase 2018 will happen on June 11 at 10 am PDT.

So what do you think? What games out of Square Enix are you the most excited to see? What surprise announcements do you think they will make? Leave a comment down below and be sure to follow us here at Culture of Gaming as we continue to look at the key players heading to E3.