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, ANTHEM, Middle-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.
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)
- Games, games, games, and more games
- Go all-in with exclusive titles
- Keep its conference snappy and to the point
- Bring out the biggest surprises
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Comments 47
2 dozen 'Console Launch Exclusives' a Mini Cooper on stage and Shu doing the lambada.
I think they already won E3 tbh honest. But to answer the question all they gotta do is show the big guns n the new sucker punch game and they're good. Imo i thought Microsoft E3 was very weak. People got more excited to hear about original xbox bc than the new games coming out, that's a problem!!! Scorpio specs sounds amazing and i think the price is fair but once again no exclusives worth bragging about.
Just showing up with all the games we already know would do it really. I think release dates are important this time round as well.
Seeing as Crimson Skies got the biggest cheer at Microsoft last night, they should announce Ace Combat 4 is coming to the PS2 Classics program.
@get2sammyb Sony doesn't remember that program exists for 6 months at a time
But yeah, the last two E3 things are tonight. Gonna be interesting to see how Ubisoft cocks up and how Sony beats its chest again. Then we have 3 days of impressions coming from the show floor, and then E3 is over for the whole industry for another year. How time flies XD
@get2sammyb you're in a brutal mood pre-Sony's presser, Sammy
So far none of the conferences have really been that gre8 so a lot of hope and expectations are on Sony
After the Xbox event, Sony could simply replay last year's event and still "win". The bar is very, very low.
We own these boxes for the games, not because they look good or are super powerful. Thus games are the most import part, and should be what is focused on.
It's pretty much there for the taking - we know they've got the strongest lineup - just a case of making sure they all show up. If they wanted to deal a blow to MS in particular then a PS4 Pro price cut would certainly be a massive talking point. But other than that, keep on as they are. More great games, more great exclusives. Bloodborne 2 would seal the deal for me without a doubt!
Just announce Bloodborne 2 and I'll walk away a happy man.
Bloodborne is the best series. Word up son.
Honestly nothing Sony shows this year can top Cuphead for me, I can't wait!
@waluigifan1 Yeah to be fair, Cuphead looks fantastic, wish it was coming to PS4!
News of games from R* would be nice... GTA6, Agent 😜
I don't know about "winning" E3, but what Sony has to do is get the release dates right and judging by Jan-April 2017, they have this year all locked up software-wise.
If all the bigger games are aiming for Q3 2018, that won't bode too well. And by that I mean in regards to gamers playing games, not from a marketing point of view, Sony has that in the bag currently.
basically, don't screw the conference up. i haven't seen anything new so far that's gripped me by the short and curlies. battlefront 2 looked better than i thought it would, but i'd still be sceptical of it based on my experience of the first game. so the games i'm most anticipating are still sony's first party and published games - lost legacy, days gone, GoW, TLoU2, dreams, wild, detroit.. plus it's still got the potential to surprise us with new reveals. providing there are no serious embarrassments or gameplay segments that go horribly wrong and the game crashes or whatever, the bar set so far isn't particularly high to overcome imo.
They just need to keep showing games, both exclusives and multiplats. I can't even imagine the conference being as poor as Microsoft's just knowing Spider-Man, Days Gone, and God of War will be there, let alone everything else we know is in production. Add in a few surprises, and it should be great.
@THRILLHOU Word up son but Bloodborne isn't the best series as it's only one game. You need at least two games for a series to be a series...
um how about only announcing games that come out within ONE YEAR?
Bloodborne 2 and I'm happy.
@BLP_Software there's rumours that Ubisoft conference is going to be stunning, we'll wait and see.
'Win' is quite an objective view. For Sony fans, all they need to do is turn up and they 'win' E3. Sony could get away with only showing games they have shown off before - bring nothing 'new' except a bit of 'new' game-play and a few release dates. Having something 'new' like Sucker Punches project would be the cherry on top of the icing.
I have heard comments like 'have RDR2' or some 'LoU2' game-play and that's enough to Win.
MS's was 'good' but it was also a bit 'disappointing' as an Xbox gamer too. The XBX looks impressive but the price seems a bit high comparatively. As for games, the only 'new' AAA exclusive was Forza 7 and that was 'predictable'. As good as it looked, its still 'Forza' and apart from a bigger rosta of cars, didn't look to bring something fundamentally new to the franchise in terms of game-play - I know limited with a Racer...
For those who 'prefer' Xbox, the rest of the games at least showed more diversity than before - even if some/most end up on PS4 too (eventually). Games that you expect Sony to bring are now available to Xbox gamers - I am referring to the 'typical' Japanese games. Whilst many of the games were 'indie', budget, ID@Xbox games, most though will be out before their next E3 - some later than expected - although Sony had a lot of delays too - the nature of the industry. Never the less its still a 'good' showing and at least the most diverse showing from MS for years. The OGXbox BC was well received but that's because fans have been asking for it since BC was announced. Its giving something the fans really wanted.
As stated, its very objective about who 'wins'. At the end of the day, I think gamers 'Win'. MS has given us a impressive piece of hardware that will make all of our Xbox (exclusives and multi-plat) games - from the OG era all through the 360 era and all future XB1 games look and run better and a more diverse line-up. Sony will bring a plethora of Exclusives that showcase the talent in their studio's and partnered developers.
Whether you own an Xbox/PC or PS4 - chances are, we as gamers win...
finish with last of us part 2 and drop the MIC! BOOOM
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi Amazing is a loose term. For memes or games?
@Neolit So if they release a licensed game at that specific time and it turns out to be good, Microsoft will stop making consoles? Dope.
Microsoft and Nintendo are already dead. Sony only has to show up and they win.
...unless they unveil a PS4 Pro 2 for $599.
Tell some classic Bernard Manning jokes?
Dear Sony please make it possible to play my Game collection with out the need to keep swapping discs
Thank you a long time console player.
Spiderman has a plan.
@Dodoo that was kind of the joke, dawg. Still if there's a bloodborne 2 then word right up son as it'll be a series. Then those words will be right up there for all to see. Especially our sons.
@THRILLHOU lol I see. Word up!
So far I think the E3 has been lackluster, so really all they need to do is explore the titles we know are coming GoW, TLOU2 and throw in a surprise or two (Bloodborne 2 please!!!) and they have another year in the bag. Xbox exclusives underwhelmed, like @Brasilkilla said, when your biggest applause if for supporting games from 2 generations ago, you did not have a great lineup to show.
show more than 3 AAA titles
To be honest, I'll be satisfied just to see more on Spider-Man and God of War. Sony tend to show off most of the games that appeal to me, so they don't need to try very hard in my view.
@WasabiPeanut exactly!!! Bborne 2 announcement would be sooo sweet and def the cherry on top
Xbox has like maybe a handful of actual exclusives, Sony can easily double or triple up, just showing those should be enough to win the conference.
It's all about pacing. Last year was perfect. Don't get too stuck on exclusive dlc. Just keep it going and don't stop.
@Dodoo @THRILLHOU
Haven't posted on here for a while but that comment had me in stitches! Deffo the 1st push square meme! Anyway on topic:
Scalebound ps4 reveal..word up son
Exclusive games are what I want to see. I like to be excited to own a PS4 because it is getting the best lineup. Along with that usually comes the biggest surprises, which are also what elevates E3 presentations into memorable experiences.
@BAMozzy
FINALLY!!! Someone who doesn't buy the "must be Sony to win" crap! I thought the MS conference was good - anything specifically stand-out? Maybe not specifically unless you looking for that type of game (Forza, Crackdown (yes!), Cuphead, Sea of Thieves (intriguing), etc). Was some good stuff there as a GAMES FAN! And yes Aftermath was by far best thing I saw there and yip not a 1st party title but cannot say am too fussed about that.
Xbox X is a silly name and easily confused with "S" and price is a little steep. Does look bloody spectacular though.
So "win" is a totally moot point. I just want to see what each publisher/holder has to offer as no doubt every one of them has something I will like/enjoy. So I walk away happy and excited again.
Bloodborne II would be cool; heck release date for GT Sport would be even cooler!!!
@CFDennett Thank You For Your Kind Word ups.
Show up.
Sony should tell the story about the time Nintendo took a dump on Sony's head. 😎
@CFDennett
Microsoft press conference was very underwhelming for the simple fact almost everything thay've shown will be on PS4 too. The ones that are exclusive delayed again apart from a few and that's the problem we are talking about a select few exclusives. Sony on the other hand will be showing new exclusive & new IPs obviously thay'll show a few we already know about and i'll bet now that's to give them release dates. And then you'll have all the 3rd party exclusive content and indie stuff i can bet now Sony will have a lot more games and content overall and that's a problem Microsoft doesn't seem to get games that can be only played on that platform.
@Mart1ndo_ that was just uncalled for.
Would it be too late for sony to change things around in their conference after seeing Microsofts underwhelming presser?..just wondering if sony think that they dont have to go in with all guns blazing and maybe hold one or two things back?
Two words...Devolver Digital! Their conference was fantastic
Just don't make it like the last fewwhere they won't shut up about rubbish indie games and they'll get all the goals.
Just show up at e3.
@get2sammyb Rather than ps2 classic, I hope namco remaster it with 4k & 60 fps like wipeout omega collection.
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