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JULY 2015 JB Hi-Fi
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visit FEATURE GAMES
A
Show To End
All Shows?
I t's customary for attendees of the
Electronic Entertainment Expo, or
E3, held annually in Los Angeles,
to conduct a post mortem once the doors
have closed on another year of showcasing
the video games and related tech we can
expect to be playing over the next twelve
months and beyond. Journalists, retailers
and industry analysts dissect the highs and
lows of the show that, in recent times, has
failed to deliver on pre-event promises.
This year, however, was different. Aside
from the most ardent pessimists, there
would be few who wouldn’t agree that it
was one of the best in recent memory.
Its location in the show business
capital of the world increases the focus
and interest on E3, with Hollywood
luminaries as keen as the most fervent
gamer to peruse the latest advancements
in technology and creativity in the video
game industry. According to the Electronic
Software Association (ESA), in 2015, over
52,000 visitors from 109 countries visited the
show to watch and play 1,600 products from
300 exhibitors. Social media played its part with
7.5 million likes on Instagram, over 1 million
videos posted to YouTube, and 6.3 million
Tweets reported.
The rumours leading up to E3 suggested
that publishers would be all about content,
content, content; and it needed to be.
Big generation-defining releases for both
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One have been
lacking since the consoles launched in
2013, so anticipation (and demand) for
quality new-gen titles was at fever pitch.
Much of that was satiated, with
Bethesda breaking with tradition and
holding its own event at the home of the
Oscars, The Dolby Theatre, on the Sunday
prior to E3. The publisher revealed a roster
of big-hitters including one of the most
anticipated games of the show, Fallout 4.
The traditional Monday press
conference day followed, and rolled out
a succession of announcements that
literally sent members of the audience
into an uncontrollable frenzy – widespread
tears of joy were shed when the Final
Fantasy VII remake was revealed (watch the
YouTube videos). If Microsoft and Sony were
playing a competitive soccer match, after a
well-contested 90 minutes with many game-