Is E3 (or any industry show) Relevant Anymore? (Plat Cast Topic)

[Bushido7745785]

Hey folks! Hope you're having a great week so far! @ChernobylNinja and I are once again at it with another question for our PlayStation fueled podcast, Plat Cast! We'd really like to hear your all's opinion on this one as it is a bit more Sony-centric than you might think. 

 

This week, with the approach of Games-Con coming soon and Sony being present despite an absence at E3, we would like to ask you simply:

 

"Is E3 (or any other game industry show) relevant?"

 

What do you think? Do you enjoy watching the presentations? Do you think this form of conveying new IPs, games, and consoles is outdated? Do you think Sony is smart for skipping E3, or are they missing out? Do you think that physical presentations where people actually attend are still important, or are online presentations such as Nintendo Direct and Sony's State of Play the way to go?

 

Let us know! We'd really like to hear your opinions on this one! 

 

In the meantime, be sure to check out our discord, say hey, and just come hang out if you want! You can check that out at: https://t.co/ayqM2pr6eq?amp=1

 

Thanks gang!  

[PhantomBlade19]

E3 stil is the best source for memes and cringe, also some games are shown but that's beyond point.

[Peneuvista]

At this point, there are more like an stage in a youtuber tour, or a touristic place for groupies who wanna cry with nothing else than a title screen, than a serious event. You can announce games by yourself, and info is gonna be easily to gamers on internet. We are not in the 90s.

[Cryogenicide_X]

I think E3 is still relevant yes. I mean, it's the grandest stage of all for developers to showcase there games. I personally wish Sony hadn't skipped E3 this year but what can you do? 

 

I just hope Sony doesn't skip on E3 next year, I hope that they'll be there. 

[SKyZoX9]

It can be relevent if you are presenting a new console, or a lot of new games like square enix. Irrelavant if you did like EA/Bethesda this E3, waste of money.

[dottyduke1]

E3 or any other industry show used to be enjoyable to check out for what's new but I don't feel that way anymore. When developers are announcing new games a week or so prior to these shows (or even if they're leaked which is getting worse and worse), I have no enthusiasm to watch. Perhaps it's the continued rise of social media that envelops this, but the element of surprise is gone. What's the point of a show (besides for those to play the actual demo) if most big titles are revealed ahead of time? 

[AJ_Radio]

There was a time when E3 was considered to be a huge showing for all the big AAA releases set to be out in a few months. Games that were supposed to be groundbreaking and revolutionary in their own right, and they generated a big buzz.

 

The problem is with the internet being a part of our everyday lives and being so important and prominent, E3 has been declining. All forms of physical media are slowly dying out. I don't consider "leaks" to be exactly uncommon anymore, since there are people skilled enough to find anything (including government sensitive info) plus there are people who work with the gaming companies who leak out information anyway. By the time the games are shown at E3, somebody probably already has shown the game somewhere on the internet weeks prior to the event.

 

15 - 20 years ago, yeah. These industry shows had more of a purpose. The internet is killing them off. Much like Amazon is killing off retail stores, like Netflix helped kill off Blockbuster and all the old video rental stores.

 

There is very little of anything anymore that you can't just look up on the internet. E3 is going the way of the newspapers. What may be shown at E3 has already been revealed and showcased somewhere on the internet. It's not exactly stuff nobody has seen like it used to be.

[Brawler]

I would say these events are certainly relevant. That said, I love watching the shows at E3 but I don't think it's necessary in this day and age as each of the big 3 could have their own separate events and it'd get the point across all the same on their own time. 

[Beyondthegrave07]

I think they're relevant right now, but will be irrelevant in the next 5 years. It seems that the big 3 will eventually host their own events instead of sharing the spotlight with another company. Nintendo is already heading in that direction and so is Sony. It wouldn't surprise me if Microsoft heads in that direction too.

 

Then, it'll be up to Square Enix, Bethesda, Ubisoft, and others to step up and wow the audience and keep the event afloat. I'm just not sure that'll keep the event relevant in my eyes. I was already pretty disinterested without Sony.

[fisty123]

I lost focus in e3 due to my gaming tastes and it turning out to who can show off the most. But I still look forward to TGS every year.
 

[danceswithsloths]

I still like the big events, I learn about all kinds of new games from them and see cool trailers. 

 

Attending them in person is pretty darn fun too. I've never been to E3 but I've gone to a couple Playstation Experiences and whether they are relevant or not it's a good time.

[RadiantFlamberge]

 

2 hours ago, Spaz said:

There is very little of anything anymore that you can't just look up on the internet. E3 is going the way of the newspapers. What may be shown at E3 has already been revealed and showcased somewhere on the internet. It's not exactly stuff nobody has seen like it used to be.

Exactly this, thanks to Sony's social media presence, YouTube videos of games or relevant material, game news sites, & online communities such as PSNProfiles. It's like print video game magazines... I couldn't really say exactly when I last bought one, but I'd have to guesstimate it at more than 8 years ago. I'm sure that Sony didn't do themselves even the least bit of harm by ditching E3.

[Feral]

The leaks and pre-E3 announcement are making it less relevant. Think if more companies skip it like Sony did then it'll be gone within the next 3 years.

[Terra]

It’s still relevant but the quality has been on a decline for the past few years. I still pay attention to it since it allows me to keep track of upcoming releases I’m interested in but I still feel its lacking.

[Fr_0zt]

A bit but not really. ?

[Mori]

I would guess for well informed gamers, its not mandatory to have an E3. The fact Sony didnt attend this years E3 shows that. Next year, before releasing PS5, they most certainly use E3 to push it for the masses and get anticipation sky-rocketing.

 

Regarding games. Just take a look at Ubisoft conference. One friggin game had gameplay. The rest was cgi, movie crap that basically showed nothing. Bethesda, besides DOOM, was on a complete redemption tour.

 

 

Still I love to watch E3 and just get some hype, even though I know the sad truth, that many games will be disappointing.

Edited August 15, 2019 by Mori

[Slava]

It is still relevant. It is still a big source of hype moments and a great way to bring attention to all kinds of games. It's like christmas, only instead of getting presents on the same date every year, you get game announcements on the same week every year. You always know you can expect something in june. It is something to be excited about, and I think it is important.

 

I don't see the Internet killing E3. Every conference and event is streamed online. But people can also come to the show floor and play the games, which is also important. State of play or directs by themselves can't give you this experience. edit: Nintendo does the smart thing where they make a direct around E3 but also have playable games at the expo and Treehouse Live coverage. They just save money not doing big stage shows.

 

Lastly, I don't see the decline. This year's E3 was the only outlier (E3 2018 and 2017 were great), because the industry is shifting forces into the new generation. Most major studios are probably working on next-gen titles. One of the reasons Sony was absent this year is because they didn't have a lot to show at the time. For them it wasn't worth spending money. But I'm sure they will organize events in 2020 (they'll have to show PS5 at least), not sure about them being at E3 2020, though.

 

 

Edited August 15, 2019 by Alderriz

[Bushido7745785]

Thanks for all the thoughtful, and surprisingly even mix of positive and critical responses! I really enjoyed reading everyone's answers on this one and look forward to the next discussion as always gang! Have a great rest of your week!

[AJ_Radio]

On 8/15/2019 at 5:01 AM, Alderriz said:

It is still relevant. It is still a big source of hype moments and a great way to bring attention to all kinds of games. It's like christmas, only instead of getting presents on the same date every year, you get game announcements on the same week every year. You always know you can expect something in june. It is something to be excited about, and I think it is important.

 

I don't see the Internet killing E3. Every conference and event is streamed online. But people can also come to the show floor and play the games, which is also important. State of play or directs by themselves can't give you this experience. edit: Nintendo does the smart thing where they make a direct around E3 but also have playable games at the expo and Treehouse Live coverage. They just save money not doing big stage shows.

 

Lastly, I don't see the decline. This year's E3 was the only outlier (E3 2018 and 2017 were great), because the industry is shifting forces into the new generation. Most major studios are probably working on next-gen titles. One of the reasons Sony was absent this year is because they didn't have a lot to show at the time. For them it wasn't worth spending money. But I'm sure they will organize events in 2020 (they'll have to show PS5 at least), not sure about them being at E3 2020, though.

 

 

 

If you're like me who has seen the last 10 - 15 E3 events over the past 10 - 15 years, it's not so much exciting anymore as it is seeing video game content and CGI movies that we've probably already seen on the internet somewhere else.

 

As for the new generation, I'll just wait just like I did with the PS2, PS3 and PS4. Waiting gives you more choices, and had I waited another year for the PS4 I would of gotten the Slim or Pro, both of which would of been a definite improvement over the vanilla PS4 that I'm currently stuck with. But it's too late to upgrade at this point.

 

People who will buy the PS5 right on release date can probably afford the upgrades that will come later. Much like those who bought their PS4 back in November 2013, then traded their console into Gamestop or some other retail outlet or traded it off online to get the *improved* version of the console.

 

The PS5 generation is going to have to be more than just 4K - 8K graphics like we're going to see with Death Stranding and Sucker Punch's open world game Ghosts of Tsushima. If it's going to be more of the same like we've seen with the PS4 then I'll save my money and wait a few years. But I'll just wait anyway, because waiting means reduced prices for the console and a lot more choices for games.

[Slava]

On 27.08.2019 at 11:42 AM, Spaz said:

 

If you're like me who has seen the last 10 - 15 E3 events over the past 10 - 15 years, it's not so much exciting anymore as it is seeing video game content and CGI movies that we've probably already seen on the internet somewhere else.

I've been watching since 2010, I think. IDK, It's still exciting for me.

By "content we've seen somewhere else" you mean leaked stuff? Because they always have new trailers and demos to show. And I still enjoy seeing those. This year, for example, Nintendo revealed Zelda BotW sequel in the E3 direct and showed Astral Chain and Animal Crossing demos with gameplay details In their stream.

Jedi Fallen Order gameplay was revealed at EA Play. 

Keanu reveal at Xbox event had me hyped.

Etc.

Edited August 28, 2019 by Alderriz