E3 is the one time of year all eyes are on the games industry, from media and investors to fans. That makes it the perfect place for publishers to drop their biggest bombshells. This year was no exception, thanks to some curveballs from the likes of Microsoft, Nintendo, Bethesda, and more--from revivals of long-dormant franchises to new games we never saw coming.
EA kicked off the week's festivities with its EA Play event, which delivered both a game release and the promise of more Star Wars to come. Microsoft followed with first-mover advantage, offering several big announcements of its own along with big debuts from third-parties. Bethesda dropped one of the biggest names in its stable of franchises, and Nintendo wowed with the sheer level of content included in this year's tent-pole title.
Some of the surprises this year came from unexpected places. Microsoft announced a series of unexpected acquisitions, and Cyberpunk 2077 offered a twist ending to one of the major press conferences. EA and Bethesda both proved that just dropping a title can be enough to excite eager fans.
Check out the gallery for all of the biggest surprises from E3 2018, and catch up with which games are coming this year.