Pre-E3 2019 Week Recap: This Week's Schedule And Biggest News

Update: We know have explainers up for the E3 2019 press conference schedule in UK time or Australian time, if that's what you're looking for. Alternatively, check out the comprehensive E3 2019 schedule.

The pre-E3 festivities have largely wrapped up, with EA Play having now taken place. It delivered exactly what we expected: the first Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order gameplay, Apex Legends Season 2 details (including the new Legend, Wattson), Battlefield V maps, and more. With all of this out of the way, we head into Sunday, which is home to the first of the traditional press conferences--those from Xbox and Bethesda. For a look at everything that's already hit this week, read on below.

Officially speaking, E3 2019 is a three-day event that begins on June 11. The show floor is open through Thursday, with dozens of companies showcasing their wares to media, retailers, fellow developers, and, in recent years, the public. But as far as fans are concerned, E3 is a much longer event: press conferences are scheduled for the days preceding the expo, but those--and other reveal events--have come earlier and earlier. This week before E3 has been especially busy.

Today, June 7, is looking to be fairly light in terms of officially announced events. That said, it's not like we'll be going without any news: THQ Nordic's third of three game announcements was slated for today, and it's turned out to be a Destroy All Humans remake.

Wednesday was home to a Pokemon-centric Nintendo Direct, which revealed new details about Nintendo Switch's Sword and Shield. Thursday followed with two back-to-back events: Google Stadia Connect and a Destiny 2 livestream. Google confirmed Stadia's price, release date, and confirmed games, alongside sharing many other details and unveiling some brand-new games--including the rumored Baldur's Gate III from Larian Studios, the developer of Divinity: Original Sin. Destiny 2 was also showcased during the event before Bungie held its own stream to outline the game's future, which includes cross-save support across all platforms (including the new Stadia version) and the Shadowkeep expansion.

Before all this, there were other major announcements made recently; we got Death Stranding's release date and trailer and learned about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

Beyond that, there are also the rumors and leaks that continue to sprout up. Ubisoft had a roller derby game leak recently, and then this week brought word that Watch Dogs Legion is in development. This third Watch Dogs game has now been confirmed for a reveal during Ubisoft's press conference on Monday. And it looks as if Ninja Theory's new game has also been revealed through a leaked video before it shows up during Microsoft's E3 press conference on Sunday.

The wide swath of officially announced events coming this week is getting so large you may have trouble keeping track. So for your convenience, we've compiled a schedule of everything going on this week. Be sure to check out our full press conference schedule for what you can watch and when.

Apple WWDC Event - Monday, June 3

This isn't a first, as Apple often targets its WWDC event for early June, and its proximity to E3 has been noted as Apple ventured further into gaming offerings on the App Store. But in the overall sequence of E3-adjacent events, it seems to be the first out of the gate. This year's WWDC announced support for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One controllers for iOS and Apple TV.

Pokemon Sword & Shield Nintendo Direct - Wednesday, June 5

Nintendo doubtless has loads to show at E3, but it's giving more details on one of its biggest franchises its own time slot. Pokemon Sword & Shield, the next main installment in the hit franchise for Nintendo Switch, will have a dedicated presentation on Wednesday morning. It will be about 15 minutes long, but as Nintendo showed in its recent Super Mario Maker 2 presentation, it can pack a lot of details into that amount of time. Check out when and how to watch the Pokemon Direct for more details.

Update: The Pokemon Nintendo Direct is over, and it reveals a ton of new details about what's coming in Sword and Shield. We got a release date (November 15) and a look at many of the new gameplay systems in place, such as the open-world Wild Areas where you'll encounter raid battles that can be played alongside players. Check out all of coverage through the links below, and then see how we did on our predictions.

• New Legendaries
• Story and character details
• New Gen 8 Pokemon
• Dynamax lets Pokemon grow huge
• Pokedex replacement
• Pre-order guide

Beyond Good & Evil 2 Space Monkey Report - Wednesday, June 5

Ubisoft has outlined some of its plans for E3 2019, but has also stated flatly that Beyond Good & Evil 2 won't be among them. Still, the pre-E3 period won't be entirely without BG&E news, as the game is planning the next of its Space Monkey Report streams for the Wednesday prior. These have been semi-regular events updating fans on the progress of the game. Ubisoft's decision to hold back from E3 suggests it won't be chock full of big reveals, but if you've been looking forward to more Beyond Good & Evil, it should provide some interesting tidbits.

Update: The stream has concluded, and it didn't reveal much in the way of meaningful details. Ubisoft shared that more than 600,000 people are now in the Space Monkey program, and that they'll be the first to get to play the game. We also got a look at some concept art and other peeks at what to expect, but not much else.

Google Stadia Connect - Thursday, June 6 (9 AM PT)

Google will make good on its promise to reveal price and launch details for its Stadia streaming service this week, with the first of its "Stadia Connect" presentations ready to debut on Thursday. The company has confirmed that the presentation will outline launch plans, including game announcements and a price reveal. Check out when and how to watch the Stadia presentation for more details.

Update: Google finally confirmed the details we've been waiting to hear. We heard about how much Stadia costs and when it's coming. Google continued to outline its vision for the platform, as detailed in our news coverage linked below.

• Stadia Connect news recap
• Stadia Founder's Edition
• Stadia internet speed requirements
• Confirmed Stadia games
• What Stadia can do out of the box

Destiny 2 Next Chapter - Thursday, June 6 (10 AM PT)

Just after the Google Stadia announcement, Bungie will be explaining its plans for Destiny 2. The current season of content is coming to a close, and with Bungie now split with publisher Activision fans have wondered what will happen now. The "Next Chapter" announcement will explain these next steps, and given that it's targeting the announcement right next to E3, it probably isn't just going into maintenance mode.

Update: Bungie has shown us what the future of Destiny 2 looks like, and it involves more ways for new players to dive in, with a la carte pricing for standalone pieces of content, and cross-save support that allows players to move between platforms. That even includes PS4, which was rumored before the event to not offer this feature.

• Destiny 2 E3 stream recap
• Destiny 2: Shadowkeep
• Destiny 2 on Stadia
• Destiny 2 free-to-play version
• Destiny 2 PC moves to Steam

EA Play - Saturday, June 8 (9:30 AM PT)

Electronic Arts is once again forgoing E3 proper, instead holding a fan-focused event at a nearby location. This year, though, it's not having a formal press conference at EA Play. It will hold a series of livestreams covering several of its upcoming games, beginning with Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order. Others on tap include Apex Legends and its Season 2 Battle Pass, Battlefield V, FIFA 20, Madden NFL 20, and The Sims 4. Check out how and when to watch EA Play for more details.

EA Play Livestream Start Time

• 9:30 AM PT
• 12:30 PM ET
• 5:30 PM BST
• 2:30 AM AET (June 9)

Nintendo Invitational Tournaments - Saturday, June 8 (11 AM PT)

Between its Pokemon-focused Nintendo Direct on Wednesday and its E3 Nintendo Direct the following Tuesday morning, Nintendo has one more event during the weekend. It will be hosting a series of tournaments throughout the day on Saturday. The Super Mario Maker 2 tournament promises a lengthy look at the game to be released later in June, while the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament could drop some hints regarding upcoming DLC characters. A Splatoon 2 tournament is also planned to ink up the place.

Nintendo Invitational Start Time

• 11 AM PT
• 2 PM ET
• 7 PM BST
• 4 AM AET (June 9)