Another E3 is in the books as we stroll into the sweltering, slumbering months of Summer. There’s always a quiet malaise that happens post-E3 that really underscores how electrifying and important E3 is to our industry and culture. Now that that the dust has settled and the news have started to dry up, it’s time to look back at this year’s E3 and see what it was all about.
Was it all just Battle Royale? Maybe.
Real People Make Games
This goes without saying but there were a few key moment at E3 2018 that really exemplified this. So often we forget that behind some our favorite games are real people with emotions, jobs, bills, ambitions and family. Thanks to the advent of social media such as Twitter and Instagram, we can get closer to these developers than ever before and it pains me when I see people call certain developers lazy or worse.
They are literally in this industry to make great games for us, and yet we turn around and spit in their faces when they remove a feature we like or change a thing or two. One moment at E3 that really touched me happened during Ubisoft’s highly exuberant press conference. All night, Ubisoft had all sorts of microphone issues but because of this, we got to listen in on some honest, raw reactions from some of the presenters and developers. Take a look down below.
Her enthusiastic “We nailed it!” was eye opening for me. You can tell that they’re passionate about this project and probably rehearsed tirelessly to get it right. We need to respect the hustle.
Brand New Games Were Announced
E3 2018 brought with it quite a few interesting new IP announcements but there wasn’t much to go on with some of them. Many times we just got a logo or a studio but no actual footage or gameplay. These are some of the standout IPs that impressed me the most.
Control: Remedy’s next world-bending adventure looks damn impressive. It looks like it’s going to take come cues from Quantum Break but it also looks visually stunning.
Sekiro: From Software’s follow up to Dark Souls III is a whole new adventure and a shift from traditional Souls games. Learn more about what From Software is trying to do with Sekiro here.
Sea of Solitude: This game surprised me quite a bit. I love the idea of a blight on the world turning everybody into monsters and a journey about self-discovery
For those games, we got to see full-length trailers that may or may not have featured actual gameplay but we saw a bit more than just a logo. During Square Enix’s lackluster showcase, they revealed a new IP being developed by PlatinumGames called, “Babylon’s Fall” but that barely had anything worth talking about until we see more. Still, this year saw a surprising amount of new IP along with the onslaught of sequels like Dying Light 2, The Division 2, and Battlefield V.
Everything Was Battle Royale
I was quite shocked when it was revealed Battlefield V would be tacking on a Battle Royale mode. As a fan of the series, I’m very curious to see how they balance this new game mode since newer Battlefield games already sport large scale 64-player matches. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 also introduced their Battle Royale equivalent for their new mode, “Blackout.”
Even Ubisoft is toying with the idea of having The Division 2 dabble in some Battle Royale action. Fortnite for Switch is another big Battle Royale game at this year’s E3, some may say the premier Battle Royale game debuting on Nintendo’s flexible machine. The highly impressive Mavericks: Proving Ground for PC is said to be sporting an enormous 1,000-player Battle Royale mode and we can’t wait to see how in the world they’re going to achieve such a technical feat.
What did you learn from this year’s E3? Perhaps to never trust Square Enix with an E3 showcase ever again? Or how about no more weird venue-swapping press conferences from Sony? Leave your thoughts down below. Still craving more E3? We have tons of coverage and more on the way.
