I hope you had a chance to read my reactions to the press conferences as they were happening. With E3 over and a chance to reflect, I’m ready to give my opinions of how everyone did in a more thoughtful manner. No letter grades and no winners, just a rundown of what happened and what it means, as objective as possible. I've presented each in the order in which they appeared.
Microsoft – Hurdling the lowered bar
As the self proclaimed avatar of objectivity, I don’t think it’s possible to “Win” E3. It’s just too subjective to be meaningful, with every vender at the show having a very different job to do and strategy to do it. But man, can you lose E3, and that’s exactly what MS did last year. They delivered a core message of “screw you, you’ll buy what we sell you and like it”, and it overshadowed everything else they tried to do. The game line up last year was one of the best we’ve ever seen ... but not one single person cared. The only thing that mattered was the baffling decision to doubled down on unpopular strategies and policies while coming out with a price point inflated by technology that they didn't effectively sell us on. As such, coming into this E3, the good news for Microsoft was the only thing they needed to do to have a relatively (compared to last year) good press conference was not shoot themselves in the head, and to have a GREAT press conference they just needed to avoid shooting themselves anywhere at all. Mission Accomplished ... but was it really a victory?
Without Question, Phil showed more class they we have seen at E3 in ages. He started the show off right; first thanking Nintendo and Sony for being awesome, and moving on to thanking Fanboys for complaining and making the Xbox better. Then he was done talking. He said the conference was going to be “all about games” and he delivered. Clip after clip after clip came at us at a frantic pace, with a good mix of exclusive content, first showings, and announcements. It was a great show and apart from a poor showing of Fable legends I enjoyed all 90 minutes of it, and wanted more. In the end, I was excited for gaming after seeing call outs to developer’s and presenters favorites games regardless of platform, and seeing the end of the made up “console wars” in Phil's opening statements. I was also excited for some big name games, with assassin’s creed getting a fantastic showing and dragon age getting a fantastic trailer. I was excited for Microsoft, how seem to have found the right man to lead Xbox division, and are doing everything they can to gain back the loyalty and momentum they lost last year. One thing I wasn't any more excited for, however, was the Xbox One.
It’s not that Microsoft didn't do a great job of showing me exclusive games that I’m going to want to play ... they did that. It’s not like they did a bad job of showcasing reasons to play multi-platform games on their console ... they did that too. They even showed a game that, if I didn't already own a Xbox One, I would happily buy one for in the Master Chief edition. They did a great job selling what was on stage, but it all came at a cost. The strategy of showing nothing but games wasn't a brilliant show of tactics, it was a simple necessity. 2 years ago Microsoft was talking about a revolutionary new “living room device” that played games almost as an afterthought. It would connect our world, allow us to share games with friends, pave the way to a new digital marketplace, and use the “magic of the cloud” in ways that would push gaming into a new realm. It was a vision I was very excited about. Last year at E3 they failed to sell us on that vision, and this year they retreated from it all together and for every bit of excitement Microsoft built around gaming, I lost just as much excitement about the future of gaming I was promised by a company that now seems content to fall back to the past. The net change was zero. I’m excited about the Xbox for new reasons, but not any more so. They didn't bring anything with a “wow” factor big enough to make me forget about all the awesome things that have fallen to the wayside.
In the end, however, I think Microsoft can be happy with what they accomplished. In only 12 short months they have effectively recovered what they spent the last 3 years destroying; the trust of gamers. But that’s all they had time for ... we’ll have to wait to see if they are able to do anything now that the audience is willing to listen to again, and as such it’s hard to give a final option. The Xbox One, as it stands, is only as good as it’s next show.
Sony – 322
Oh to live in a world where I didn’t need to explain the obscure DOTA reference. In a Starlader Match that was completely meaningless due to the two teams current placements in the standings, Solo from team RoX.KIS bet $322 against his own team and deliberately lost the game to zRage. It’s the perfect analogy for what I saw from Sony at E3 for two reasons. A warning to fanboys ... you are going to want to stay until the end on this one, because the start isn’t going to be pretty.
First, Solo was obviously no expert at fixing games and the way in which he lost was absurdly overt. He drafted Hero’s that had already been countered, banned Hero’s no one played, and set up the lanes in a way that wouldn’t even cut it in a Pub. I felt the same watching Sony’s press conference, where every decision seemed not only bad, but deliberately, comically bad. They didn’t bother to replace Jack Trenton, a strong and respected presenter, and instead gave stage time to various VPs. Not only was this devastating to the pacing, but some of them were just bad at speaking. I feel some key messages about PSN, SonyTV, and Sony Now were lost to poor presenting. They spent a huge chuck of time showing us the same content from Hard Line that we had seen a few hours ago at EA. They showed a destiny trailer that made the game look worse than trailers we had seen before, then invited us all to an alpha which was horrible and cost the game a lot of hype it had going into the show. They spent 5 minutes promoting someone’s graphic novel. They showed a trailer for a movie. But worst of all, Sony felt the need to insult me, and millions of other gamers, for no good reason. You see, like around 50 million people, I own gaming hardware from Sony , MS and Nintendo (about 2 million of that are people who own Xbox Ones and PS4). Where Microsoft gave me credit for loving games and shared my support for Sony and Nintendo in the opening minutes of their show, Sony though it would be better to tell me and my 50 million friends that we were idiots, and that anyone who had non-Sony hardware had been lied to, duped, and forced to buy things they didn't want. At times It felt like a political rally where the candidate had run out of good things to say about himself and was just making sure we hated the other guy. Sony also went over time at 106 minutes, even though they only spent about 60 minutes talking about games, and only had my genuine interest for about 30.
The floor showing was also a mess, although a much more enjoyable one. They had on showcase an incredible selection of Indie games that, while extremely fun to play, did nothing to combat the growing concern that Sony is putting Indie ahead of AAA games. In fact, it seemed Sony was oblivious to this (or any other) concern among gamers and answered any questions with canned deflections or shots about how MS and Nintendo don’t support indie. They showed us Morpheus, which was an absolutely fantastic demonstration of why VR technology is not even close to ready. But the most baffling part was how well the few AAA titles they did have looked and played, with Hard Line being a clear showstopper. Why wasn’t there more? Why not OWN the floor by having more big name games playable and devote more of your space to the titles people couldn't get enough of. Time and time again the answer to “where is this game” or “can you tell us more about this” was “You have to wait for TGS”. You know ... the smaller show that gets less air time.
All and all, Sony at E3 this year had only one message to deliver; that there was a WAR going on between the consoles, and that they we going to WIN. The PS4 was the best console because numbers (sales, specs, price) said so, and everything else, even ... no, ESPECIALLY ... games wasn't important. A message made far less powerful by the fact that Microsoft bowed out of that war with a message of peace just a few hours earlier, and the only other “combatant” wasn't even there.
For all the passion I put into the words above, it’s important to note that the SECOND way in which the 322 analogy is perfect is far more important; the game didn't matter. Where the above might seem like 730 words worth of hating on Sony and PS4, you might want to read again. There is nothing I say up there that amounts to anything more than “Sony had a bad show”. But they didn't change any policies. They didn't fumble the message of PS Now to the point where excitement faded. They launched a new product (PSTV) in NA and EU, and it’s going to sell like hotcakes. Even the annoying “you’ll see it at TGS” was the right call; the Xbox One is launching in Japan this year, with 40 strong Japanese developers behind it. Out-showing MS at E3 wouldn't have been a huge deal, but out-showing them in Tokyo would be devastating. Going into E3, the PS4 was a fantastic console that was selling great and had a lot of compelling reasons to buy it. And while E3 2014 might not have added a single new reason to buy one ... it really didn't need to. The hype and momentum is built on a solid foundation of a great product at a great price, and it’s not going away anytime soon.
I just hope Kazuo Hirai bet more than $322 against himself, he could really use the money.
Nintendo – An absurdly cute, insanely polite middle finger to everyone
If you read my blog, or even my comments, you know I fancy myself the champion of objectivity. Writing about Nintendo this year has put that mantle to the test as I’m forced to separate how much I loved everything Nintendo said this year (my subjective opinion) with how well they used the stage that is E3 to move product and strengthen their position in the market (the objective facts). While MS didn't really have a core message outside of “our gaming system plays games” and Sony fumbled to deliver any message at all, Nintendo spent 50 minutes delivering a message with razor precision; a clear invitation for hard-core gamers, the gaming media, and even 3rd party developers to pucker up kiss their ass. Standing in stark contrast to MS’s commitment to change based on gamer feedback, Nintendo told everyone they were NEVER going to change, because everyone is wrong. Games are all about fun, and if you don’t like that, they want nothing to do with you.
Introducing games with interviews from developers against backdrops like a yarn store or an aquarium was a subtle but deliberate choice. Nintendo put the people making games front and center and gave them a chance to not just talk about what they were building, but why. They wanted you to understand that Nintendo games are made by passionate people with vision, and that they were never going to ask them to stop being different. That Mr. Iawata and the shareholders (with the exception of Seth Fisher) are more than happy to burn millions of dollars, cut their salaries even further, and be the number 3 player in a field of 3 until the end of time if that’s what it takes to give these artists a canvas. Nintendo is making game for Nintendo, and they hope you like them. But if you don’t … that’s your problem.
The most depressing thing is that it worked, if only for the people who tried it. The energy on the floor at Nintendo’s booth was like walking into another world, and felt more like an amusement park then a media showing. There was nowhere at E3 people were as unified. No one cared about exclusives, release dates, resolution or hype … everyone was having a blast playing games. But for how clear it was that there was no system at E3 people wanted to spend more time with then the Wii U, it was just as clear that message wasn't going to leave E3 and get to the consumers. Where Sony and MS gave the media dozens of talking points, from AAA titles to new and exciting ways they are going to push the barriers of gaming, Nintendo only message was that the games are awesome, and people are going to love playing them. And as much as they nailed that … it’s nothing to write home about, literally. “The games are great, you kinda have to play them to understand” isn't an article most editors are going to be happy with, and this year for Nintendo … there isn't a lot more to say.
So hats off to you Nintendo. Not only do you have the best games, you have the best message. You stuck to your guns and have shown what makes you unique and precious to the industry. You went 50 minutes without showing me a single game I won't be buying, and only one that’s not going to be a day one pick up. But for all your efforts, I’m not sure you sold any Wii Us. Mario Kart 8 will have a huge impact on sales, and so will Smash, but that’s got nothing to do with E3. You didn't translate the NFC figure message to English very well in showing us why we need digital “high score cards” and you didn't leverage your exclusive Skylanders deal to make people feel like bad parents if the Wii U wasn't the system they buy trapforce on. If anything, the only message you gave to people who weren't already interesting in Wii U was that it’s not going away, and you’re still committed to it. Hopefully that will be enough.
The Final Word
E3 came and went with very little fanfare. Sony seemed content to ride the hype of last year’s conference, while Microsoft delivered the message they should have delivered back then and did nothing but catch up. Only Nintendo seemed to move things forward with a strong sales pitch, but one that is only going to convince Nintendo fans to gamble $300 on the Wii U, without doing much to get gamers to gamble $300 on Nintendo. In that way, E3 2014 can best be summed up in the answer Sony gave time and again to question about where the games and news we were all most interested in was ....
You’re going to have to wait for Tokyo.
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