After the success of its first E3 conference last year, Bethesda came back this year with a new show and a mostly new batch of games to announce and showcase. Did it match the one two knockout punch of last year's Fallout 4 and DOOM debuts? Probably not, but with Dishonored 2 looking fantastic, and the surprise return of both Prey and Quake, they came pretty close.

Kicking things off in a decidedly old school fashion, the presentation began with a faux-DOS prompt highlighting the recent games from Bethesda before jumping straight into Quake.exe and the surprise announcement of Quake Champions. A new, PC entry in the long running arena-shooter that will be multiplayer-focused and star a cast of new characters with distinct abilities. Although no in-game footage was shown a cinematic trailer was used to announce the title. Developer id Software is expected to showcase more on Quake Champions at Quakecon in August.



Next up on the cards was the err, card-based The Elder Scrolls: Legends, which is Bethesda's entry into the increasingly popular and populated competitive card-game scene. In fact CD Projekt RED is expeced to unveil its foray into the genre at E3 with a standalone Gwent title (as seen in the popular The Witcher III). The Elder Scrolls: Legends though is set in the Elder Scrolls universe and will feature a single-player story mode in addition to multiplayer card battling. Already in beta, Bethesda used the conference to present the first cinematic narrative look at the game.



Next up was a video presentation from Bethesda Game Studios showcasing what to expect from the developer in the coming months. Presented by studio head Todd Howard news that the next batch of Fallout 4 DLC will begin as soon as next week was certainly welcome, as was the recent addition of mod support for the console versions of the game. In addition to a fresh batch of Fallout 4 content that will include a new slate of settlement options, including the ability to build your own Vault, new story content set around a Nuka Cola theme park is also expected in the coming months. As is a remastered version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for PC and console, featuring revamped visuals and full mod support.



The last time we saw Prey it was called Prey 2, and looked to be set in a futuristic city where aliens and humans co-existed. This time however what we saw was an entirely new game from Dishonored developers Arkane Studios, called Prey. Part sci-fi, part psychological horror, part Groundhog Day, the reasons as to why its called Prey are hard to pin down. But that doesn't detract from how great this looks, from the setting to the story beats, to the weirdness.



The main highlight of Bethesda's E3 showcase however was the gameplay debut of Dishonored 2, where both a new trailer and extensive in-game footage was shown. Built using a new in-house engine to give the game a hand painted and vibrant aesthetic, Dishonored 2 looks incredible. And with the same attention given to both player choice and freedom, the gameplay itself looks better than ever.



In addition to the above Bethesda also made mention of its commitment to VR with the news that both DOOM and Fallout 4 are headed to HTC Vive sometime next year. Plus some love for both DOOM and The Elder Scrolls online in the form of DLC trailers for both. You can watch the full presentation below.