Why did not Microsoft win the E3 2019?

A reader gives his verdict on the winners and losers of E3 and explains why he is disappointed with the way Microsoft handled the absence of Sony.

My biggest regret about E3 is that I did not write a reader function before that happened, to predict what would happen. Because what happened is pretty much exactly what I expected. Microsoft was able to dominate the entire series, especially since Google was not really present with Stadia, and what did they do? Almost the minimum effort, without major announcement of note, with the exception of what had already been said – and even then, they left a ton.

Thinking about this feature, I do not even know what was supposed to be the biggest ad. When the two main options are Lego-themed content for Forza Horizon 4 and Phantasy Star Online 2, you know something, somewhere has gone drastically wrong. The trailer for Halo Infinite was strange and boring, and all the best stuff, like Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and The Outer Worlds were multiformats and had nothing to do with Xbox.

In hindsight, it is now obvious that they did not want to show what would happen in the Scarlett Project, like Fable IV and Forza Motorsport 8, but I really did not think they were supposed to be so modest. It was their moment to move on and they packed him up. I saw quotes from a Microsoft executive saying they did not want to "empty the tank," but that's exactly what they should do. Now, Sony has the chance to beat them at the next E3 and / or during their revelation. All the benefits that Microsoft could have gained from the possession of this E3 have disappeared.

Of course, they announced the Scarlett project and showed a little more about the xCloud project, but no information was particularly useful or interesting. Some technical waves on their new console and confirmation that xCloud works under extremely controlled conditions – a revelation that is absolutely good to no one.

So who has 'won' E3? Well, I thought Nintendo, Square Enix, and Bethesda did a good job. While Ubisoft has behaved in an unusually mediocre way. Despite some surprises, the science fiction Rainbow Six seemed horribly derived from the trailer and the mobile game Elite Squad, I still can not believe that is the case. it looked so bad and seemed to be deliberately dragging Splinter Cell fans.

Bethesda has done a lot better and although some have thought about accelerating more information on The Elder Scrolls VI and Starfield, I think they have done the smartest thing by announcing new intellectual property. Obviously, they were not far off and I guess they would not have been revealed this year if Bethesda did not need to regain the trust of the fans, but I certainly appreciated knowing they were on the way. And while that does not interest me either, I also thought that they had made considerable efforts to buy Fallout 76.

Square Enix has also been successful. I do not remember having such a show before at E3, but they totally justified it, with a lot of games and major revelations, but still feel that they have a lot more than they do have not mentioned. The revealers of the Marvel Avengers were slightly disappointing, although GC's glimpse of the scene behind the closed doors reassures viewers and gives them a slightly odd impression.

I still do not like the appearance of the characters, which is too close to the movies and yet not close enough. They should either become comics or create a unique look, although I guess that will in itself encourage buyers to buy outfits.

All this leaves Nintendo, who … did very well. They are really the masters of the livestream event, to the point that all the others are compared to a Nintendo Direct. And for good reason: it was full of ads and revealed, but it did not last forever and was not only composed of trailers summary (I was tired of doing it at the end of Microsoft well before you get to the other companies).

Zelda revealed at the end that it was the perfect combination for a really solid composition and I do not mind that Animal Crossing has been postponed to next year, as it seems that this formula has been upset. Luigi's Mansion 3 looked good, as did Zelda: Link's Awakening and Pokémon. For what it's worth (which is almost nothing without Sony), I think Nintendo won the E3, but Microsoft, for me, was not even among the top three.

By the reader Ashton Marley

Player functionality does not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.