Since its start in 1995, E3 has become a massive showcasing event for upcoming technology and games, a first-hand look for eager tech-lovers, a marketing tool for the biggest names, and all in all a gamer’s paradise. This summer, the event will take place June 11 through June 13 in Los Angeles, where it will remain for the next three years. Currently, over 200 exhibitors are scheduled to attend; Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft already have big plans for the event.
Sony and Microsoft are both expected to introduce their eighth-generation consoles, much like the Nintendo Wii U’s showcase at the 2012 expo. Nintendo, straying from its usual grand display, will be offering small-scale presentations and demonstrations to bring hype to several upcoming installments. This year, there will be less focus on advertising new games and more focus on added content, downloads, and episodes of existing games. This is an attempt to solidify the foundations of existing franchises and take the direction of attention away from advertising games for the eighth-generation consoles. The promotions and demonstrations will be of the consoles themselves, as Sony and Microsoft both fear the risk of excitement masking reality. Promoting a game comes much easier than managing the nearly insurmountable costs of making and marketing games for new consoles. For this reason, cost of the console itself will also be a hot topic at the presentations of each of these consoles, and questions about the vague details of certain features of the consoles are more likely to be addressed.
Though they may not be as numerable as previous years, new releases from some of the biggest titles will be on display for each console. Attendees can expect to see promotions and demonstrations for new installments of COD, Battlefield, Assassins Creed, and GTA, and a reappearance of Watch Dogs. Other games like Super Smash Bros., MGS 5, Diablo 3, and Final Fantasy are either scheduled or expected to make their appearances.
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