(Bloomberg) -- Gamers across the nation gather in Los Angeles this weekend as video-game publishers and distributors look to energize the industry at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo.
The week's E3 events kick off Saturday, setting the stage for what videogame users can look forward to over the next few quarters. With a Playstation 5 release not expected to come until 2020, major hardware announcements are likely off the table at the trade show. So the focal point for industry insiders this year remains on continued progress in streaming, release dates for gaming titles and -- more intangibly -- hype.
Read more: With No New Consoles in Sight, E3 Will Focus on Streaming
Electronic Arts Inc. will draw attention on Saturday at its EA Play event if it says Apex Legends is available in China and on mobile phones, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Matthew Kanterman said in an interview. "Those are two big swing factors for EA" as revenue from those areas isn't yet reflected in Wall Street estimates, he said.
EA and Ubisoft Entertainment SA "have the most at stake" among the top video-game publishers at this year's convention, according to Stephens Group. EA hopes to revive momentum for Apex Legends with a season two battle pass, while leaks suggest “Ubisoft plans to roll out a subscription offering similar to EA Access or Xbox Game Pass," analyst Jeff Cohen said.
Investment banks will host management teams from a majority of companies in attendance at E3, clearing the way for analysts and investors to gain a better understanding of how the gaming sector will shape up as the second half of the year approaches.
To contact the reporter on this story: Kamaron Leach in New York at kleach6@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Catherine Larkin at clarkin4@bloomberg.net, Scott Schnipper, Jeran Wittenstein
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