“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
So starts the opening of Charles Dickens’ great novel, A Tale of Two Cities, a story set amid the backdrop of the social and economic dissatisfaction that eventually boiled over and led to the French Revolution.
It’s an appropriate parallel to draw, as that is exactly where the industry finds itself at this juncture. A calm before a revolutionary storm, not necessarily precipitating from dissatisfaction among the consumer, who are eagerly embracing gaming with no signs of slowing down, but out of necessity for survival.
Technology is changing, and there is a thick shroud of uncertainty that is enveloping the minds within the ivory towers of the major console manufacturers. The methods by which we have been enjoying games for the past 40 years, i.e. inserting physical media into a dedicated gaming box stationed to a television, is soon to become obsolete, and as one of my excellent sources pointed out, “no one knows how the future is going to play out. Everything has been fairly scripted for almost 20 years outside Nintendo…suddenly that is all changing.”
Fallout 76 was one of the few big announcements we got during E3 2018
It’s beneath this backdrop that we find E3 2018; an odd show that lacked any “bombshells” from any of the major industry players. This has led to a strange paradox of excitement over the confirmations of what we already knew was coming, versus disappointment following the show. With all of the biggest titles announced, with the exception of Fallout 76, releasing in 2019 at the earliest, the rest of the 2018 release calendar is looking modestly exciting, but no where near the level of joyous release overload that we were treated to in 2017.
It didn’t help that some of the actual press events of E3 2018 were so poorly conducted that one can’t help but wonder if fear and uncertainty are clouding the judgement of some key executives.
How else would one explain Sony’s absolutely idiotic decision to hold their huge prime time showcase in two different venues, which required a twenty minute intermission in order to move that audience from one venue to the next. It was a jarring break in momentum that completely detracted from everything that would follow. Had those twenty minutes been filled with anything meaningful, then perhaps I’d be sitting here typing praises over a bold artistic direction that Sony took with their event. Unfortunately, I have to type words questioning the sanity of those in charge.
Sony’s conference was particularly strange because in recent years, they had shown a remarkable sense of understanding as to what makes an E3 event good. Their recent success had featured a formula that featured a perfect mixture of information, showmanship, and most importantly, games.
I know I keep harping on Sony’s event; however, the audacity of their event underscores the key themes that people should be focusing on coming out of E3 2018: transition, uncertainty, and fear.
Starting your event in a country barn, then stopping everything so you can move your crowd to another space was a stupid, stupid idea..
As many of the more astute post-E3 2018 articles have pointed out, this E3 marked a year of transition for the industry.
Looking at the lack of any new announcements shows that most AAA teams have moved on to development for next generation hardware already, and that we will likely see announcements, if not releases of new hardware as early as next year. Sony’s conference (again, sorry to pick on Sony here) featured no new first-party studio game announcements and very few new announcements of third-party titles. The stuff that was shown was all loaded for 2019, which was a similar theme that played out over at Microsoft’s event, which at least wasn’t as tone deaf when it came to presentation as Sony.
Third-parties were also invited to the 2019 party, with very few announcements for new games coming in 2018, save for a scant few.
So what’s the deal with 2019 anyway?
Well here’s where all of those astute post-E3 2018 articles start getting dramatically less insightful.
Fear.
If you read my pre-E3 2018 articles, you will remember how I pointed out that Sony and Microsoft are scared to death over the impending arrival of one of the “titans” into the gaming industry: Apple, Google, and/or Amazon.
The reason you saw so many titles being loaded for 2019 is because both Sony and Microsoft are trying to create a buffer of content as a way of protecting themselves should one of the titans arrive next year. After all, how could there not be a level of frenzy among the gaming faithful, and especially the casual audience, should a company like Apple announce a device tied in with gaming?
It would be absolute mayhem.
Sony and Microsoft are doing their best to ensure that there will still be attention on their current machines next year should they suddenly be faced with new competition, while putting the finishing touches are put on their next-gen machines for 2020 launches.
As for Nintendo, it’s perplexing and worrisome how much momentum they are losing with the Nintendo Switch after its amazing debut last year.
Yes, Super Smash Bros Ultimate looks like a fantastic celebration of the series as we have known it; however, there is nothing here that is pushing the series forward. Nintendo apologists also need to face the reality that Smash is not a huge system seller to mainstream audiences. It’s just not.
Fans who have sat on the fence waiting for a Smash announcement will pick it up, but John and Jane Q Casual fan is less likely to care.
Super Smash Bros Ultimate will be good, but will it be the system mover Nintendo needs this holiday?
Pokemon: Let’s Go Evee/Pikachu is the opposite – It appeals to too much of a casual audience, and not enough to their core fans. Here, Nintendo is trying to tap into the same magic that propelled Pokemon Go into the status of sensation during the summer of last year. What they may not realize is that Pokemon Go’s lack of gameplay depth was forgiven because it was a free mobile game – so there’s little indicating that the same audience that doesn’t already have a Switch will run out and drop the $370 needed for the console and a copy of the game.
As for insulation against the Death Star that is Apple, Google, and/or Amazon? Nintendo will most likely try to rely on the roll-out of basic features for their online service, which is launching in September. Watch for things like an expanded lineup of classic games available for download as a counter should one of the titans arrive.
The biggest announcement throughout the entirety of E3 2018 came from EA, and their proclamation that they would be bringing full HD streaming content to their new EA Origin Access Premiere service. This, followed by Phil Spencer’s more understated confirmation that Microsoft wanted to stream content to any device”, were the largest public affirmations of the direction the industry will be taking in the next few years: streaming.
Like it or not, streaming full game experiences, whether it’s a small indy title, or huge blockbusters like the newly announced Halo: Infinite, will be the next big thing in the industry.
Next generation hardware will likely skip physical media, and offer multiple sku’s which allow for fully downloaded digital content, or souped up streaming devices for a reduced price.
In EA’s case, their streaming service will be an insurance policy of their own should one of the titans arrive. How attractive would it be for the mainstream public to buy the latest Apple TV, and subscribe to EA Origin Access Premiere to play Madden, Battlefield, etc?
The bottom line is this:
On the surface, E3 2018 was disappointing in its lack of surprises. Beneath the surface though, is a torrent of competing sentiments, as the established gaming veterans try to quickly grasp a coming technological shift, while also holding off those who would come take their throne.
All of the elements one finds in a typical revolution.
Written by The Watchman
He’s also an actor, a reporter, a pro wrestling connoisseur, and some say he’s a cat whisperer.
If you have any questions or just want to drop me a line, hit me up at thewatchman@butthole.nerdbacon.com
Or follow me on Twitter @DavetheWatchman
You can also game with me!
Look me up on Xbox Live @ DJKhadoken
Or on PlayStation Network @ Eaglevision_dl
