E3's return in a digital format last year inspired hope that 2022 would be another strong year for the gaming exposition, but sadly, that isn't going to be the case. E3 2022 has formally been cancelled, meaning game developers will have to turn to other means of advertising their games. Odds are that companies like Square Enix will set up their own presentation to show off games like Forspoken in their own time, rather than discussing their upcoming titles in relation to other developers. Late 2022 releases such as Forspoken shouldn't suffer too much from the loss of E3 as long as developers and publishers find new ways to publicize their games.
Forspoken in particular could use its own presentation. Square Enix may be tempted to lump it in with a presentation about other games that it has in the pipeline, as well as potential updates for recent releases, but Forspoken ought to get the spotlight instead. It has the potential to be one of Square Enix's biggest games of the year and a defining title for the company's future, meaning it deserves special treatment. There's still a significant amount of uncertainty surrounding Forspoken, too, so a presentation specifically focusing on aspects of Forspoken other than combat would have a lot of value.
Forspoken Needs the Spotlight
As an entirely new IP, Forspoken has a lot to prove. It may be published by Square Enix and developed by one of its subsidiaries, but nevertheless, it's a newcomer in the action RPG space, which means it has a lot of competition to face. Frey Holland's character, the setting of Athia, Forspoken's robust magic system, and more could add up to a rich new Square Enix franchise, but first it needs to convince RPG fans to give it a chance over 2022's other major RPGs. Square Enix needs to make a major show of support for the game in the next few months in order to better ensure its success.
Square Enix likely had plans to make such a display at E3 2022, but now that E3 2022 won't be happening, it's up to Square Enix to publicize Forspoken in its own way. A summer Square Enix presentation seems plausible. Console developers aren't the only ones making virtual game showcases nowadays; even Dungeons and Dragons will start running presentations soon. Rather than surrounding Forspoken with news about updates to Final Fantasy Origin or Babylon's Fall, though, Square Enix should arrange a presentation that's specifically about Forspoken. Letting the game stand on its own two feet, rather than being part of a crowd, will better emphasize that Square Enix thinks of it as something special.
Potential Details in Forspoken's Future
Although new trailers and gameplay clips for Forspoken are becoming increasingly common, there are still a lot of questions left to answer about the game. Most of these trailers emphasize Forspoken's combat, and while that combat does look very interesting, it's only one part of the game. A future Forspoken presentation needs to highlight the supporting characters that will impact Frey's journey, for instance, and provide some more specific details on the landmarks of Athia as well. In order to convince doubters to give it a chance, Forspoken needs to show strengths in all departments.
A solo Forspoken presentation may be unlikely. Square Enix is bound to work hard to improve the reputation of Babylon's Fall over the next few months, and it has upcoming releases like Live A Live to worry about too. Still, Forspoken deserves to get some special treatment. It really looks like it could be a special part of Square Enix's library moving forward, but in order to survive long-term, the Forspoken IP needs to make a strong impression with its first game. A Forspoken-centric presentation would work wonders for that.
Forspoken releases October 11, 2022 for PC and PS5.