To prepare for this year’s show, News Editor Shawn Vermette took a look at some developers we hadn’t heard from in a while. Here are four he thought could finally speak about their projects: three usual suspects and one a little less well-known.

Quantic Dream

The one thing known for sure about Quantic Dream’s next project is that it will not be a Heavy Rain 2, as David Cage has repeatedly stated. However, a recent filing from them for the title Fiv5, taken together with the comments Cage has made since releasing Heavy Rain, may provide more information than expected about their current project. First, it will likely be a PS3-exclusive game, as Sony Entertainment Europe was also listed on the filing. Next, it will probably not be a story involving a serial killer, despite the previous Quantic Dream games being focused on that. Be assured though, it will focus on epic, believable storytelling that will play on your emotions. We know nothing about any particular setting for Fiv5, but it doesn’t really matter. All we really need to know is that Quantic Dream plans on continuing to produce mature, emotional stories, and that they are already working on their next project.

Bungie

Bungie is finally free to make any game they want, fresh off their deal with Microsoft and starting their 10-year agreement with Activision. What type of game could Bungie possibly make that would make Activision jump at such an agreement when they’ve been shutting down other studios left and right? How about an FPS MMO? Thanks to Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, Activision is the undisputed king of both the FPS and MMO genres. However, it has been widely speculated that Activision is dying to combine the two genres somehow. What better developer to try to make that dream come true than Bungie, maker of the only FPS that can stand toe to toe against Call of Duty? Former contract employees of Bungie have stated that their current game is an FPS that could be called ‘WoW in Space’. Hopefully we’ll find out for sure at E3, especially as it is currently slated to be released in 2012.

Respawn Entertainment

Respawn Entertainment is everyone’s favorite new studio. Freshly out of the allegedly-suffocating arm of Activision, these former Infinity Ward employees are all set to work on and release a new game for EA. While nothing has been forthcoming from EA or Respawn regarding their first title, it is widely expected to be a FPS, since that was Infinity Ward’s specialty. That said, EA has plenty of hopes riding on this shooter, as they’ve (probably) referred to it numerous times as a centerpiece new IP in their attempt to take over the FPS throne from Call of Duty. Don’t expect Respawn to take it easy in this first title, they are likely aiming to take down Modern Warfare itself.

AlphaDream

AlphaDream is the sole Nintendo developer on this list, though it is far from the only Nintendo developer currently silent. This is, however, the best bet for predicting what game it is likely working on. AlphaDream, for those who don’t know, is the developer for the Mario & Luigi handheld RPG series. Each title has been better than the previous one, with Bowser’s Inside Story being one of the top DS games of the year in 2009. With no new project announced since that point, and no other major series in their track record, we would find it strange if AlphaDream was working on anything other than a new entry in the Mario & Luigi series. As for the system it would be released on? Obviously it would be a 3DS game. It would be a great addition to what is currently a sub-par RPG forecast on the 3DS.