The dust has settled and all the big announcements from E3 2018 have been revealed. Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and all the big publishers have shown off hundreds of new games, a good portion of which are coming out in the next six to eight months. One of the most exciting parts of the E3 experience is being taken by surprise by games you weren’t expecting to see. While this E3 had a few less genuine surprises than we’re used to — Wal-Mart’s various leaks leading up to the show can be blamed for much of this — there were some bombshells we weren’t predicting.
Here are the biggest surprises of E3 2018! Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments.
12. The Last of Us Part II Kiss
Sony opened its oddly designed press conference in exciting fashion with an extended gameplay trailer for The Last of Us Part 2, which looks beautiful and violent and pretty much every other superlative you could think of. But while the majority of the trailer was devoted to watching a grownup Ellie – who, from what we can tell, is now the main playable character (still no sign of Joel) – brutally battle her way through a group of enemies, the biggest surprise from the trailer had nothing to do with graphics or lovely animations.
Naughty Dog’s games continue to push boundaries in terms of storytelling possibilities and the new trailer shows off this ambition by focusing on a kiss shared by Ellie and another woman while dancing together at a party. The fact that Ellie is kissing another woman shouldn’t come as a surprise to fans of The Last of Us, as the original game’s DLC chapter Left Behind confirmed that she is queer, but it’s still a bold (and welcome) choice to open an E3 press conference with. Here’s hoping the game doesn’t go the expected route and kill off Ellie’s love interest in the first chapter.
Naughty Dog