E3 2015: PC Gaming Show

PC gaming has seen an resurgence as of late after years of playing second fiddle to a crowded console market. Once thought to be a platform available to only the most elitist gamers with expendable incoming PC gaming is now more accessible than ever. Thanks to a less frequent need to upgrade hardware with each new game release and sales galore on various online marketplaces like Steam and GOG.com PC gaming is making a defiant comeback. Games like Killing Floor 2 and the upcoming XCOM 2 really showcase the graphical prowess and open development structure that so many PC gamers love. With almost unending gaming vps, modding options and games that can be played, purchase, and downloaded from almost anywhere PC gaming is in no danger falling to the wayside anytime soon. PC Gamer will be hosting the first ever PC Gaming Show presentation at E3.

Content Warning: The reveal footage may contain violence, drug use, language, and/or sexuality. Please watch at your own discretion.

Tuesday, June 16th

The PC Gaming Show 2015 began with a montage of the deluge of titles and mods that PC gamers have downloaded and played in year’s past. Hosted by PC Gamer, the PC Gaming Show is the first E3 press conference dedicated to PC gaming. The event was hosted by “Sean Day[9]” Plott.

John Gibson from Tripwire Interactive, developers of Killing Floor 2, was the first guest on the show. He discussed Tripwire’s approach to expanding the unique co-op gameplay mechanics of the hit FPS which is currently available through Steam Early Access. A trailer for the game introduced some of the new features players can expect to find in the sequel. Features such as a unique gore physics engine which makes the combat and damage feel meatier. Gibson touched on the robust community maps that have been created so far and upcoming content like new maps, weapons, and perks. Tripwire also revealed the world premiere trailer for a new sequel they have in development with Antimatter games entitled Rising Storm 2: Vietnam.

Chris Roberts, CEO and Creative Director of Cloud Imperium Games introduced new footage for the studios upcoming release of Star Citizen.

Richard Huddy, Chief Gaming Scientist for AMD, revealed the technology and science behind game development. He revealed that just this morning AMD release the Radeon R700 and R900 video cards. The new graphics cards are geared specifically toward providing PC gamers with a smooth experience for VR gaming. Huddy went on to discuss the advantages that Direct X 12 will bring. With DX 12, AMD is able to provide the maximum level of optimization and graphical performance through its hardware.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was chosen to showcase the capabilities of the new AMD cards running the game powered by the new Dawn Engine. The developers explained how they achieved the game’s impressive visuals and created environments that are highly detailed and crowded with interactive objects. The developers looked at how they played the game and compared that to how they expected players to play the game and developed the game in a way so that it can be played stealthily or players can opt to go in to missions with guns blazing.

A trailer for the newest entry in the Total War franchise was shown. Developers Creative Assembly sat down with Plott to discuss the new features of the Total War: War Hammer.

Head of Xbox at Microsoft, Phil Spencer, joined Plott on stage to talk about what gamers can expect out of the upcoming release of Windows 10. Spencer discussed the mindset behind offering Windows 10 as a free update for the first year from a developer mindset. With Windows 10 being a free upgrade developers have more options and opportunities for development on the new operating system. Spencer discussed some upcoming games for Windows 10 including Killer Instinct.

David Eckelberry of Lionhead Studios, developer of Fable Legends. of upcoming Xbox One/PC titles Fable Legends and Gigantic joined Spencer and Plott onstage to speak on their upcoming free-to-pay titles. Fable Legends and Gigantic will feature cross-platform play between Xbox One and Windows 10 platforms.

Gigantic features 5-on-5 MOBA/Shooter multiplayer gameplay on both Windows 10 and Xbox One. With distinct heroes geared towards a specific play-style or skill set the game appeals to players of all skill levels. A closed beta for the game will launch in August.

Rod Fergusson, Studio Head of The Coalition, developers of Gears of War Ultimate Edition, announced that the Ultimate Edition of Gears of War is coming to PC. The game will support mouse and keyboard controls, 4k resolution support, DX 12 support and many more PC exclusive enhancements.

SCS Software joint Plott to revealed new content for their game, American Truck Simulator.

Plott moved on to the Virtual Reality segment of the show to talk about what killer apps are coming for the various VR devices that are set to launch soon. Ryan Geddes, Global Brand Director for CCP games revealed VR gameplay of EVE: Valkyrie. Plott discussed his own experiences with the game using the Oculus Rift VR headset and how visceral the VR experience was for him when he tilted his head upward and could see the cockpit of his in-game ship. Geddes explained that the game was a learning experience for the developers as it was designed from the ground up for VR and they wanted to learn how to develop a game tailored for VR experiences. Geddes described VR as one of the future directions for PC gaming and elaborated on why he and his team find VR game development important in the industry today.

Dean Hall, creator of Day Z, joined Plott to discuss early access games and its effect on the industry. As Hall has vast amounts of experience in early access thanks to the overwhelming success of Day Z, he explained the challenges and advantages of developing early access titles. Hall, CEO of  his new studio, RocketWerkz, discussed his new game, ION, and his lack of continued support on Day Z and the controversy surrounding his departure form the open-world zombie survival project. The discussion moved to what Hall considered the best glitch in his new project. Hall described his favorite glitch at the moment as the one where a characters organs fall out when clicked on.

After the interview with Hall, Tom Glunt and Stephen Raney of Pixel Titans revealed gameplay of Strafe, a new procedurally generated FPS. The gameplay resembles classic FPS titles Doom and Wolfenstein with hidden secrets and classic FPS gameplay. With nearly everything in the game being procedurally generated, players will never experience the same thing twice. Weapons can be thrown at enemies when depleted of ammo and other impromptu weapons can be found in the game.

The next trailer shown at the PC Gaming Show was for the White March expansion for PC RPG, Pillars of Eternity. Developers Feargus Urguhart, CEO of Obsidian and Frederick Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive joined Plott to discuss the new content and features in the White March expansion. The expansion will offer new abilities, weapons, companions, and more. The discussion moved to how the game was funded on Kickstarter and the stigma that sometimes surrounds the crowdfunding platform.

David Braben, CEO of Frontier Developments, developer of Elite: Dangerous revealed their new game, Planet Coaster, an amusement park simulation game.

Game Director at ArenaNet, Colin Johanson revealed the world exclusive trailer for the new Guild Halls coming to MMO Guild Wars 2 in the Heart of Thorns expansion. Guild Halls will feature arenas for guild members to spar in and the ability to launch guild missions, and activities from your Guild Hall. The Arena can be decorated and tailored to the liking of your guild and players can even invite other guilds to their own arena to battle it out. Players can also use the War Room to build tools that can be used in a new world vs. world PVP mode. Pre-sales are open now for the new content and pre-purchasing the expansion will guarantee access to betas for future expansion and other content.

I-O Interactive joined Plott to reveal more details on how Hitman will reinvigorate and revolutionzie the franchise. Featuring live events that will only be available to players at specific times and many different ways to complete the sandbox-style assassinations, Hitman hopes to expand upon the Contracts mode that was introduced in Hitman:Absolution. Players will be able to share their best mission performances with friends. The game will launch on December 8th.

Lisa Su, CEO and President of AMD, revealed how her company hopes to provide developers with the tools needed to develop the best and most beautiful looking games possible. The AMD Radeon R9 Fury X will allow for 4k resolution VR gaming and the AMD Radeon R9 Nano is the fastest graphics card in 4k for its size. Su later revealed a 16 terraflop AMD console with two Fiji GPU’s and a dual-Fiji GPU card that powers the systems.

Following the interview with SU, Joris Jan van’tless and Jay Crow from Bohemia Interactive, developers of Arma III and Day Z, revealed new footage of the upcoming Arma III terrain piece, Tanoa. Along with new modding tools Tanoa will also feature new weapons, vehicles, and factions. The new content will arrive in 2016.

Beyond Eyes, revealed by Sherida Haletoe, Creative Director at tiger and squid, is an exploration game featuring a blind protagonist who must use her other senses to navigate and explore the environments. Sound plays a key role in the game as it is the primary means for navigation and exploration.

Paul Wedgwood, CEO of Splash Damage, joined Plott to talk about the growing popularity of their new IP, Dirty Bomb, which is the first IP that the developer has owned the rights to. Wedgwood shared a trailer for the game that showcases some of the various mercenaries characters can use in the game.

Steve Gaynor, Co-Founder of Fullbright, revealed more information on Tacoma, their upcoming first-person exploration game. Featuring a fully 3D world to explore, Tacoma’s exploration gameplay most closely resembles the studio’s previous release, Gone Home.

Frictional Studios’ Ian Thomas was introduced to viewers before revealing the studio’s new horror game, Soma. Launching  for PC, and also PS4, the game will scare players into a frenzy on September 22nd.

Bohemia Interactive returned to the stage to discuss the status of zombie-survival sandbox game, Day Z. Three new vehicles that will require parts and fluids to operate are coming to the game later this year along with a feature complete beta. Single Player content and mod support via Steam Workshop will also be coming to the game at a later date.

Another Arma mod-turned-game project, Take On Mars, was revealed via a world premiere trailer.

Cliff Blezinski, Founder and CEO of BossKey Productions, joined Plott to discuss his new studio’s upcoming title, Project Bluestreak . Blezinski discussed his temporary break from the industry and his desire to return to game development which led to the formation of the new studio. Blezinski discussed his desire to create a shooter that is competitive for players of all skill levels where the game is easy to learn and difficult to master. He also discussed the aim of the game is to further promote eSports and a growing number of professional competitive gamers.

Dave Crooks and Joe Hardy, developers of Enter the Gungeon, revealed co-op for the upcoming procedurally generated bullet-hell shooter. Demoed live on stage by Plott, the game features over 200 hand designed weapons to unlock.

Blizzard revealed the world premiere trailer for the first expansion to their MOBA title, Heroes of the Storm. The expansion entitled, Eternal Conflict, launches on June 30th. The Treasure Goblin from Diablo 3 will appear at the start of a match and players can earn extra gold from killing the creature. Blizzard discussed the new heroes and abilities that are coming in the expansion. Blizzard also commented on the upcoming Legacy Of The Void expansion for StarCraft 2, which will have a beta in July, and shared the newest trailer for the upcoming expansion.

The last guest of the PC Gaming Show 2015 was Hello Games Co-Founder, Sean Murray, who revealed that No Man’s Sky will also be coming to PC at the same time that it launches on PS4. No Man’s Sky is a massively ambitious, procedurally-generated space exploration game that was first revealed as a PS4 console exclusive. The game is being developed by Murray and his team of only ten people.

Plott closed the show by thanking all the guests for speaking with him about their games, PC Gamer for sponsoring and hosting the even, and Microsoft for their continued interest in PC gaming development.