Not-E3 is Nearly Upon Us – Here’s What We Need

gamesreviews.com:

It’s nearly that time of year when – for a week or two – there’s actual game news. And this not-E3 might be the most important yet.

Since the actual E3 died a death, publishers have collectively decided that June is still a good time to share your big marketing push for the coming year and beyond. And while I miss the organisation, pomp and cringe of the proper show, what we’ve got now is still better than the nothing we get for the rest of the year.

I hate to put too much pressure on it, because inevitably that leads to disappointment. Whether we like it or not, gone are the days of shows filled with blockbuster after blockbuster. One shows worth of titles from the early 2010s could fill a generation now and no amount of complaining can change it.

But that’s why this year is so important. The industry is at a crossroads. Now more than ever we need a strong show of what keeps us hooked on video games.

Let’s start with the obvious.

Microsoft are having a bad year. Some would say they’re having a bad generation. The harshest of critics would say they’ve been on a tightrope since about 2010.

The Series X is a tremendous console. There are tens of thousands of talented developers working on games under the Microsoft banner. You have had months to plan for the not-E3 show on June 9, and you get to pick your own script. The nonsense can’t be undone, but you can deliver a conference that makes everything make sense. You can give fans a reason to want to support the brand.

This one really does have pressure on it, because just showing some extended footage of “Fable (coming to PlayStation in 2026)” isn’t going to cut it.

As of right now, the brand feels directionless and weak. Xbox get one shot all year where every eye is on them. Make it count.

When PlayStation built its current identity on Too Huge To Fail blockbusters, it was in a different time. Now they have nothing major coming for the rest of the financial year. Helldivers has been an unexpected and giant success