E3 2017 winners and losers predictions

[arcaneguyver]

pokoko said:

Ultrashroomz said:
Not to come off as a negative nancy, but am I the only one who kinda finds it cringeworth when people say such company will "win" E3?

Like, obviously, one company is gonna have a better conference than another, but when we say "win" it's like we're treating E3 like the Superbowl or something, which I find kinda weird.

Anyways, Microsoft will have to show some big guns to help really push out Scorpio, Nintendo is all dependent if they can show off some kickass content for the Switch, and I don't doubt Sony will show off some cool looking stuff as well.

I find the idea that only one company can "win" coming out of E3 to be kind of meaningless without listed criteria, which is why I have both Nintendo and Sony listed as winners.  Anyone who puts on a good show can improve their position in the marketplace.

It's a formless question that people ask that can have all kinds of answers.  Do they mean personal perspective?  Financial results?  Presentation quality?  I never know.

 

I think the criteria for 'winning' is fairly quantifiable.

The conference should have a variety of games - annuals need to REALLY impress to count, and some (good) surprises are needed. Actual gameplay is better than CG trailers, and even that can range from boring to exciting. UbiSoft has a problem here because they've used bullshit footage to make their games look amazing, so nobody takes their visuals seriously. Microsoft also has a problem, as they need to somehow guarantee the shown games will not be canceled.

Showing a new hardware, peripheral, or service is fine, but don't dwell much beyond a brief description of what it is, legitimately interesting new features, and the price. Game trailers featuring the new stuff is fine. Dwelling too much on this stuff, as well as corporate number bullshit nobody cares about, sucks the life out of an E3 conference quick.

Then there's basic showmanship - is it a professional show that is tuned into the audience or is it cringey? One or two technical goofs are fine, unless the goof undermines what's being shown (like a peripheral not working well).

"Winning" E3 simply means achieving the most hype. It doesn't mean much long term, unless that hype can be sustained.