A Twitter user known by the handle of Wario64 discovered a massive update on Wal-Mart Canada’s website potentially leaking some massive video game franchises that could make an appearance E3 2018. E3 2018 is less than a month away so the titles that were listed on Walmart’s website could be possible, if not probable. Since the potential leak occurred, Pete Hines and Bethesda have commented about the post in a comical manner.
Despite the listing had some errors such as Forza Horizon 5 and a Dragon Quest game that has already been released. Besides those two inconsistencies, a majority of the titles depicted have either been known to be in development or have been rumored to be. WalMart Canada’s listing included a new Splinter Cell title, Rage 2, Just Cause 4, Lego DC Villains, Borderlands 3, Gears of War 5, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Metroid Prime 4, Beyond Good and Evil 2, Insurgency Sandstorm, The Division 2, The Last of Us 2, and an unnamed Assassin’s’ Creed titles.
Even though Assassin’s Creed is one of the many titles listed on that Walmart leak, it would be surprising for Ubisoft to release a new Assassin’s Creed title after the release of Assassin’s Creed Origins at the end of 2017. Before Assassin’s Creed Origins, Ubisoft was criticized for not changing the formula of the Assasin’s Creed franchise and publishing games before development was complete. This criticism led to Ubisoft taking a year off to make certain that Origins was finished and had limited bugs; this year off led to Assassin’s Creed Origins receiving high praise from the gaming community.
Also notable on the list of Walmart preorders were Borderlands 3 and Rage 2. Both titles have been rumored to be in development for years, but only a Borderlands title had been officially announced. In April 2016, Gearbox Head Randy Pitchford stated that work on a new Borderlands Game would start after Battleborn and its DLC was complete. In September 2017 at PAX West, he stated that 90% of the studio was working on a project that fans would appreciate.
Although there has not been much news about another installment to the Rage franchise, The Rage, Bethesda, and Pete Hines twitter accounts responded about the potential leak. The Rage twitter responded by giving some tips about the Rage 2 box art. Bethesda responded with “Dude”. The last notable twitter response was from Bethesda spokesperson Pete Hines who would comment on the Rage Twitter page and say, “This is why we can’t have nice things.” On the same tweet, a user by the handle of Ckrawl would ask Pete Hines when the next Doom would come out to which he responded with, “Go buy a Magic 8-ball at Walmart and ask it.”
Obviously, the staff at Bethesda has a sense of humor, but it leads the community to wonder if these were authentic leaks or if a Walmart employee had their own E3 speculations. Most of the titles that were listed do seem probable but only time will tell. Luckily, the gaming community will only have to wait another month until E3 2018 is broadcast around the world. Could the pink missile and pink Big Ben tied into this leak; the color scheme matches that of Rage’s anarchy symbol.
