They should have multiple shows throughout the year.
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I think doing a big show each quarter would be the best way forward. Filling 2-3 days of E3 has the huge problem of Xbox games getting drowned by other Xbox games.
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This is absolutely how it should play out going forward. Along with more frequent events with content worth showing throughout the year.
In any showcase, MS needs to show off more gameplay and make it very clear what system the footage is captured off (PC or Series X) and what is cutscene or gameplay and please no more 3 sec’s of actual in-game footage of Forza, stuff like that just doesn’t work.
Also IMO anything over 2 hours will put most people to sleep. An hour of solid gaming footage is more than enough.
Blizzard will get thier own event.
I basically see them decoupling Blizzard from Activision so that they will have four pillars.
Activision - Blizzard - Xbox - Zenimax/Bethesda
Each one will have their own events and announcements. Some content for each will appear in whatever the big Xbox event is for the year.
Or, Alternatively
Microsoft Gaming will create its own yearly convention/showcase where all of them appear over the course of a week or something.
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I gotta think they’ll break out King, right?
I keep forgetting about that one, Im not much of a mobile guy. But a fair point.
I could see them do updates like 4 times a year, with like a 1 hour shows every quarter
I suppose we will find out what happens in…like…2024 or so
They should do 3 shows. One in Spring, one in Summer, one in fall, and then jam The Game Awards full of as many trailers as Keighley will take
That does raise an awkward point. There is very little overlap between King users and the rest of the fanbase. Probably just never let King make a presentation during the big shows right?
Eventually leading up to a large “X0” event at the end of the year.
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I vote for having each segment (Activision-Blizzard, Zenimax, Xbox) get their own showcases in the summer on back to back Fridays. This gives them time to dive into the announcements, talks to devs, do deeper dives into new features announced or whatnot the following week leading up to the next team’s showcase. They should still hold back some stuff for Minecon, Blizzcon, and Quakecon though. Wrt time length, 90mins works I think. I’d normally want a lot more but if we are splitting things up then 90mins is plenty.
I’d also definitely have a big focus on indie games in the early Spring, late Summer and Fall of each year too. I’d like to see a brief showcase each year after GDC showing some of the technical advancements Xbox gamers can look forward to as well (like a mini-GDC, specific to Xbox platforms).
Obviously save big reveals of 3rd party stuff for Gamescom, TGS and the TGA’s too. Also have at least a couple large things to show at each of those shows from 1P teams. Add in an X0 event each year with a couple more medium/small announcements and we are good.
I really don’t think that they should separate Activision, Bethesda and Xbox events. Xbox needs to show that Bethesda and Activision ARE a part of Xbox now, and making separate events is not going to help with that.
Also, Bethesda had some good E3 shows but others were really mediocre. I don’t think that they have enough content to make an one hour show by themselves every year.
Plus, revealing a new COD game on an Xbox event will make their views go to the moon. They shouldn’t waste this opportunity by only showing Activision and Blizzard games.
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No idea if there is any future for BlizzCon, but if there is that means most of the AB titles will have their own venue. Microsoft will own three events, funnily enough.
- MineCon (Minecraft Live)
- QuakeCon
- BlizzCon
Wonder what their plans are with these events. And if XO will ever come back.
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I was going to write about this!
My theorycrafted head cannon would have MS and Xbox hire the Microsoft theatre and surrounding are for a week and run their own gaming convention called “XO SUMMER (year)” . You could have a press conference in the morning, the lunchtime slot would be for devs to exhibit their games ala treehouse and afternoon Q&A with teams across the orgs
Day 1 - console focused games and releases for gamepass in a 90 minute show. Lunchtime deep dives and pitches for indies in the ID@Xbox program. Afternoon Q&A with Sarah bond and Matt booty
Day 2 - morning PC focused show with more indies and updates on MMO / RTS genre games . Lunch time deep dives and afternoon Q&A with phil spencer hosted by Geoff Gerstmenn (retain giantbomb @ nite)
Day 3 - morning xcloud and mobile show followed by another lunchtime deep dives for indie devs and close the show with a Q & A with mike Ybarra/ Pete Hines on dates for blizz con / quake con etc
Here’s where it gets wild
At night you hire containers to house ID@xbox booths and food trucks and call it a night time marketta sponsored by summer of arcade. Food trucks / DJs the whole shebang and on nights 4 and 5 you open the marketta to the general public (nights 1/2/3 for press and 1000 xbox vip fans who won a contest)
And that’s how we save the e3 format
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I only want them abandoning the “E3 or nothing” attitude, I get it’s “american”, but the world has moved on. They have more than enough content for multiple showcases during the year, even now, so much more when the AB deal will be done.
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I’m not American, and I certainly haven’t moved on. I love me an E3-style avalanche of announcements and excitement spread out over a few days. As an adult, it’s the closest I get to the giddy feeling kids get at Christmas-time. Including the anticipation leading up to it. And even the inevitable disappointed when my every dream and fantasy didn’t come true, mixed with the excitement of those that did.
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As much as I like my own pitch posted above, this sounds epic and fantastic. I’ve traveled to attend a couple of PAXes, and you can bet I’d do the same for this.