sony win e3 2017

As is now tradition, Sony will host the final big E3 publisher press conference tonight - or tomorrow morning, depending on your timezone. At the time of writing, we've seen a total of three shows: EA, Microsoft, and Bethesda. Ubisoft is up a few hours before the PlayStation maker takes to the stage, but we think the time is now right to ask one important question: what does Sony need to do in order to "win" E3 2017?

We're not going to beat around the bush here - we think that Sony's just about blown the competition away over the last three years or so when it comes to putting on E3 presentations. Riding on the back of the huge success of the PlayStation 4, the company has pulled few punches during the Los Angeles event's most recent incarnations - and in truth, we doubt that tonight will be much different.

First, let's take a look at Sony's only real competitor here: Microsoft. The Xbox team held its presser yesterday, and for the most part, it was a solid showing. It kicked things off with the official unveiling of the Xbox One X before diving into a long list of titles. An abundance of gameplay demos and trailers certainly made it seem as though the company had a lot to show, and the conference lasted a rather lengthy hour and a half.

However, its impact was dampened by a couple of key takeaways. The first was that the vast majority of games on display aren't exclusive to Xbox. Outside of a handful of true exclusives and a few console exclusives, Microsoft doubled down on "launch exclusives" - titles that will only be available on Xbox at the time of their release. Some of these games looked great, but none of them were really enough to bring the house down. Meanwhile, bigger third party titles like Assassin's Creed Origins, ANTHEMMiddle-earth: Shadow of War, Code Vein, and Dragon Ball FighterZ put in an appearance, but aside from promised Xbox One X enhancements, we all know that they'll basically end up being the exact same games on PS4.

We don't think the pacing of the presser was that great, either. Sure, the firm did wheel out a lot of content, but boring bouts of marketing fluff took the edge off at times, and a couple of the aforementioned gameplay demos went on for way too long without actually showing much of value. Still, when you compare it to the Kinect-riddled travesties that Microsoft was peddling just a few years back, this year's show was a definite step in the right direction.

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But hey, we're not here to relive the Xbox event - we're here to ask how Sony could better it and go on to "win" E3. For us, there's an easy way to victory for the Japanese giant that's certainly not unprecedented: games, games, and more games. At E3 2016, Sony put on a super slick show that was stuffed with nothing but games. It wasn't perfect - you could argue that concluding the presser with Days Gone was underselling the event just a tad - but other than that, it was pretty much exactly what we want from an E3 conference. Very little downtime, a tidal wave of great looking software, and some big reveals to get the hype pumping.

More of the same from Sony this year would do the trick - and the company absolutely has the lineup to seal the deal. We'll no doubt be seeing more of God of War and Spider-Man for starters - two gigantic PS4 exclusives that many of us can't stop going on about. Add other exclusive titles like Detroit: Become Human, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, Days Gone, and, of course, The Last of Us: Part II, and this show could already be looking stupidly stacked. Heck, we could even throw Knack 2 in there - yet another exclusive. How about Dreams? The list just goes on and on and on.

And then, you've got to factor in all the blockbuster third party stuff. Much like Microsoft, you can bet that Sony will showcase a bunch of titles that it has a marketing deal on: Destiny 2, Call of Duty: WWII, and Far Cry 5 will likely all play a part. The point we're trying to make here is that Sony has an unrivalled library of upcoming titles to choose from. If its show consists of even half of the games that we've mentioned, then we're already looking at truly packed presser.

It doesn't stop there, though. Over the last few years, Sony has been on fire with the big reveals. People will argue that E3 2015 wasn't all it's cracked up to be because Final Fantasy VII Remake and Shenmue III haven't hit the market yet and probably won't for some time, but the sheer shock and awe that accompanied their announcements can't be ignored. They're the kind of reveals that make an E3 presentation memorable. More recently, the company opened with God of War at E3 2016. When Kratos stepped out of the shadows sporting a big bushy beard, people went nuts. Surprises that really hit home can elevate press conferences to a whole new level. These are the moments that stick with you, and Sony has had plenty of them.

So, are surprises on the agenda tonight? We reckon there's zero reason to doubt. Sucker Punch has been working on something for a long while now, and whatever it is could play a big part during the show. Likewise, the rumours regarding another Japan Studio and From Software collaboration just won't stop swirling; Bloodborne II would grab the hardcore crowd by the scruff of the neck. Sony always appears to have something boiling away in the background.

All all in, the PlayStation maker doesn't have to look too far beyond its established formula to put on an E3-winning event tonight. Like last year, the competition isn't too fierce, but even if Microsoft had knocked it out of the park yesterday, Sony still has a frankly insane lineup of software to lean on. Once again, it's all about the games.


What do you think Sony has to do in order to have a good E3? How excited are you for the upcoming press conference? Vote in our poll, and then feed us your thoughts in the comments section below.

What should Sony concentrate on most for its E3 2017 show? (76 votes)

  1. Games, games, games, and more games42%
  2. Go all-in with exclusive titles39%
  3. Keep its conference snappy and to the point7%
  4. Bring out the biggest surprises12%

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