2. The 22nd annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (known as E3) hosted over 200
announcements and reveals, with more than 2,000 projects currently in
progress displayed on the show floor. Keynotes included Electronic Arts, Bethesda,
Microsoft, Ubisoft and Sony.
E3 is the world’s premier trade show for video, computer and mobile games. Held annually in Los
Angeles at the L.A. Convention Center, E3 offers the interactive entertainment industry three days of
jam-packed action. It is designed for the leading and emerging companies within the gaming and related
products space to showcase new technologies, game-changing products and connect with both current
and potential partners.
This year the must-see gaming event took to live streaming their three day experience on bothTwitch
(an online platform for watching video gamers play games) andYouTube (who has also made significant
investments in gamers and gaming culture).
The event also saw some interesting shifts with major companies opting out of booths for more
interesting plays, like Electronic Arts hosting their own event the same week focusing on the E3
livestream, andActivision partnering with Sony for the launch of Call of Duty InfiniteWarfare.These
moves hint at a shifting industry and forces us to look at the evolving ways content (including gaming
content) is developed, distributed and engaged with.
DID YOU KNOW?
155 million Americans play video
games
80% of American households own
a gaming device
*Entertainment Software Association, 2016
4. HARDWARE:THE
FUTURE OF
ENTERTAINMENT
Historically, much of the gaming industry has been based on the quality of the
games (e.g. the story, the playing options, the optics) more so than their
consoles. While major players like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have spent
years vying for console dominance, the emergence of newer technologies like
Wi-Fi and smartphones drove the impetus for hardware to be more flexible in the
quest for living room dominance.
The announcement of Project Scorpio has changed the console landscape for
good—gone is the day you could not buy your way into better console
performance and had to hope the game developers invested in their content
quality. Now, players who spend more will get higher resolution and better
specs, leading to advantages in multiplayer games. Additionally, with eSports
becoming more prevalent, this can make the gap between casual and
professional gamers even larger.
While Project Scorpio is not available until the end of next year, Microsoft is confident
that it will win the competition for the most powerful hardware.That power is one of
the things that was repeatedly mentioned during the presentation even though we
were only shown a few details. So now Sony knows what is coming and it is very
possible it may change some aspects of the upcoming PS4 Neo.This is exactly why
announcing before the show was such a strong move by Sony, and hints at the next
chapter of the hardware competition.
If Project Scorpion can live up to its promise, it will open new doors for developers
and gamers with 4x faster processing than the currentXbox, 4K capable and fullyVR.
5. EXAMPLES OF
HARDWARE:THE
FUTURE OF
ENTERTAINMENT
Microsoft’s smaller, cheaper Xbox
One Slim (Xbox One S) starts at $299
and costs up to $400 for a 2-terabyte
hard drive. It supports 4K video and is
40% smaller than the original Xbox
One, and also comes with a new
controller and vertical stand that
removes the need for a bulky power
cable (which means it will fit in your
media center more easily). Given
they announced this alongside
Project Scorpion, we assume this
device is targeting later adopters
who need a final push to invest in a
console.
Microsoft’s Project Scorpio
console will be able to run
games at 4K resolution as well
as power VR experiences. With a
new GPU and CPU with 6
teraflops of processing power, it
promises to be the fastest
console available.
Sony shared no details on but did
bring up Neo, a new version of its
PlayStation4 hardware that will work
with 4K TVs and run virtual reality,
thanks to more powerful graphics.
While Sony’s press conference
focused on the games, this
innovation makes sense given Sony
is the U.S. market leader and wanted
to focus on their core fans (and the
games that excite them).
Sony did take the opportunity to show
off a brand new gun peripheral to use
with PS Virtual Reality, called the PS VR
Aim Controller, it is an evolution of the
old PlayStation Move Sharpshooter
and allows for direct 1-to-1 tracking,
which means that you can aim in
games just as you would in real life.
6. VIRTUAL
REALITY: COMING
TO LIFE
It should come as no surprise that virtual reality (VR) was one of the hottest
topics at E3 this year.The number ofVR exhibitors has doubled since last
year's expo, and headsets (e.g. OculusVR’s Oculus Rift and Sony’s Morpheus)
have continued to draw interest of both the gaming and entertainment
industries.There were plenty ofVR games teased, with publishers like
EA, Ubisoft and Bethesda showcasingVR titles for PlayStationVR, Oculus
Rift and HTCVive.While some of these titles are a part of existing franchises,
many of them are getting reworked editions and modes forVR gameplay.
We saw plenty of announcements when it came toVR game-playing
opportunities, as well as scaling when it comes to device prices, offering
consumers more options for their investment. For example, Sony’s PlayStation
VR is priced at $399, which is more reasonable compared to the price points of
Oculus Rift ($599) and HTCVive ($799).
Consoles like Project Scorpio have the potential to unlock the power and
opportunities ofVR for a massive audience, going beyond the standard head-
based devices to offer an easy to use, plug-and-play experience to help scale
VR in ways previously unavailable. More important than the devices and
headgear is that there is now a commitment to bringVR gaming to
consumers, providing them with a reason to invest in the latest headsets.
Sony has promised 50VR games before the end of the year which is an
incentive that could help bring virtual reality into homes.
While cost has been prohibitive to many gamers, as new products - including
Fallout 4 (Bethesda), StarTrek (Ubisoft) and StarWar’s Battlefront (Electronic
Arts) - enter theVR space, it may help drive consumer’s to invest in the
headsets.
7. Sony announced their
PlayStation VR, the
$399 headset, will
launch on October 13th
2016. There will be 50
games (e.g. Arkham VR,
Final Fantasy XV,
Resident Evil 7) available
between the platform's
launch and the end of
2016.
Project Scorpio is actually an Xbox One that is
built with the hardware capabilities to support
high-end VR (although Microsoft did not
specify which VR headset it would use). While
Microsoft claimed it does not have a partner
set, they hinted at the possibilities in the
future. They noted that, “you can imagine at
the price point of Scorpio, which we have not
actually said, but think about consoles and
where they live in terms of price point —
having something at six teraflops that will get
millions of people buying is very attractive to
some of the VR companies that are out there
already, and we have architected it such that
something will be able to plug right in and
work.”Tempting!
Oculus still has not
announced when its
Touch motion controllers
will ship, but did
announce that, when it
does, there will be 30+ full
VR games that will have
support for Touch.
More details are expected
to come Fall 2016.
EXAMPLES OF
VIRTUAL
REALITY: COMING
TO LIFE
Ubisoft introduced Star
Trek: Bridge Crew inVR.
EA’s StarWars Battlefront X-
WingVR Mission will be aVR
game.
8. CONSUMERS:
COMMANDING
YOUR
ATTENTION
We have become a culture where consumer-generated content provides endless opportunities
for consumers to tell stories on their own or alongside brands.This year, the gaming community
embraced the same culture, recognizing the power of the fan and making them a major part of
E3.
In past years, fan participation has not been an option with E3 being a trade show (unlike
consumer-focused conventions like Comic-Con) with access limited to exhibitors and press with
credentials.While platforms likeTwitch andYouTube offer streaming coverage of many of E3’s
hottest events, access to E3 has been limited. However, this year we saw publishers and even E3
hosting fan demos. E3 further embraced consumers by hosting a free parallel show, "E3 Live,"
offering 20,000 gamers an experience designed for them, featuring demo stations, game
developer sightings, contests, dance competitions and live music. Meanwhile, publishers
like EA, known for their FIFA and Madden games, hosted public events, featuring athletes such
as NFL’s Marshawn Lynch.
Some companies have recognized the need to address consumers
directly for a while. For example, Nintendo does not hold an E3
press conference anymore, rather they speak to fans directly via
its Nintendo Direct webcasts. Nintendo did, however, focus their
entire booth to the new Legend of Zelda: Breath of theWild which
garnered consumer praise.
As brands look to determine the impact of a floor booth as opposed
to just being around the event, one can assume that there will
continue to be upheaval on the floor of E3 and the surrounding LA
Live event space.
9. EXAMPLES OF
CONSUMERS:
COMMANDING
YOUR
ATTENTION
Microsoft's Xbox Design Lab
is an online program that lets
users design their own
controller by customizing the
color of just about every part,
from the front and back
panels to the shoulder
triggers and D-pad. There are
around eight million possible
color combinations, as well as
the opportunity to engrave
the front with custom text.
Ubisoft announced
that as part of
Ubisoft's 30th
anniversary
celebration, the
company is giving
away a free PC game
each month for the
rest of the year to
consumers. June's
free game is Prince of
Persia: The Sands of
Time, and a new
game will be
announced every
month until 2017.
Nintendo did not let E3 pass without
announcing a slew of new Amiibo's,
Nintendo character toys, that
interact with multiple games on the
Wii U and 3DS—including Super
Mario figures- Daisy, Waluigi, and
Boo- as well as three new Zelda
Amiibo. When The Legend of Zelda:
Breath of the Wild is released next
year, it will be sold alongside the
Archer Link, Rider Link, and
Guardian Amiibo figures, which
Nintendo claims are the most
detailed toys to date.
Sony announced during E3 that
consumers will be able to play at
certain stores starting on June 17th.
The headset will be usable at more
than 30 GameStop and Best Buy
stores and will be available to try at
more than 300 locations nationwide.
Consumers will be able to play
PlayStation VR Worlds, Eve: Valkyrie,
Headmaster, Battlezone and
Superhypercube. The list will expand
before the PS VR officially launches
on October 13.
10. The ability to be connected at any time from any location is increasingly important for
consumers. Additionally, consumers often fail to distinguish between screens as they
can access their content on whichever screen is most easily accessible. Gamers have
the same demand, wanting uninterrupted access to the games they love no matter
what device or platform they are using.
Companies, like Microsoft, made announcements that hinted at the ideal future; one
that unites all of the gaming ecosystems. For example, Microsoft’s Xbox Play
Anywhere lets consumers buy participating cross-platform games once and own
them on bothXbox One andWindows 10, bridging the gap between console and PC
gamers, while Microsoft’s "Clubs" are groups of Xbox Live friends that are both on and
off Xbox One.
The option to save and transfer data between devices like consoles and
desktops introduces opportunities for expanding and creating new
ecosystems for publishers and experiences for consumers.
New technologies give games the opportunity to move beyond the
console, shifting seamlessly across screens and even into the real world,
allowing game developers and brands the chance to test and find new ways
to bring games to life, literally and figuratively.The result has the potential
to unlock new consumer interactivity and behaviors when it comes to how,
when, where and why people play games.
GAME PLAY:
WITHOUT
BOUNDARIES
11. Microsoft’s Xbox Play Anywhere
lets consumers buy participating cross-
platform games once and own them on both
Xbox One and Windows 10. For example, if
you buy a game on Xbox One, it will appear in
your Windows 10 library, and vice versa. Saved
games, achievements and other details will
carry over between the two versions, allowing
you to pick up gameplay on
either platform. Microsoft is also putting a
larger effort behind releasing its own games
on both platforms—the launch line-up
features some of Xbox One's biggest
upcoming games.
Microsoft’s "Clubs" are
groups of Xbox Live
friends both on and off
Xbox One. Instead of
forming new parties at
each game session,
a “club" is a voice and text
chatroom users can join or
leave at any time. The text
chat is accessible on PC
and the Xbox Live mobile
apps, moving the
conversation beyond the
console.
EXAMPLES OF
GAME PLAY:
WITHOUT
BOUNDARIES
Nintendo’s Pokémon Go Plus wearable
is an accessory to its Pokémon Go
mobile app game that lets you catch
pocket monsters using your
smartphone in the real world. Turning
players into Pokémon trainers, the
wearable alerts players when they are
near a PokéStop via vibrations and
colors. It is an innovative step in
bringing the real world into the
gaming world (and vice versa).
12. THANKYOUTO ALL OF OUR
MEC@E3 2016 CONTRIBUTORS!
For questions, please contact:
Whitney Fishman Zember
whitney.fishman@mecglobal.com
