PC gaming isn’t ceding the Electronic Entertainment Expo tradeshow to consoles, and it is even getting some of the biggest names in the industry to fill out its stage presentation.
Xbox and the popular Battle Royale-like online shooter PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds are joining the PC Gaming Show at E3. At 10 a.m. Pacific time on Monday, June 12, PC Gamer (a magazine and website that covers computer gaming) will take over The Theater at the Ace hotel in Los Angeles for an event that will feature news from Intel, Arma developer Bohemia Interactive, and more.
This shows how Microsoft is attempting to further its presence in the PC-gaming space. The company has backed off a console-first approach, and it now says that it doesn’t care where you buy its games because it’s more interested in getting you to use Xbox Live. Microsoft is planning to have “leaders” and game developers from its Xbox team on the show’s stage to talk about what the company is doing with PC gaming. The company will also talk about its Beam livestreaming video service.
“PC gaming is a huge part of our gaming ecosystem — across Windows, Beam, and Xbox,” Xbox marketing boss Mike Nichols said. “The PC Gaming Show is the perfect place for us to talk about what’s next from Xbox for PC gamers.”
Developer Bluehole will give its more than 2 million PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds players news and updates about where that shooter is headed. That game is the latest massive Early Access success on Steam, and fans are eager to hear more about what the studio is planning to do with its recent influx of millions of dollars.
Other games and companies that are headed to The PC Gaming Show include tactical mech combat sim Battletech from Paradox Interactive. Developer Creative Assembly will bring its Total War: Warhammer II strategy game on behalf of publisher Sega. And startup indie publisher Raw Fury Games are planning to participate as well.