7 Winners And Losers Of E3 2019

E3’s a wrap, and we’re ready to call it. Here are seven winners and losers of E3 2019:

1. Winner: Keanu Reeves (Cyberpunk 2077)

No one can talk about E3 2019 without mentioning Keanu Reeves’ brief stint on stage.

 

So why did we love it so much?

Not only is this Keanu Reeves’ year, with impressive success in John Wick 3 and a delightfully comedic turn in Always Be My Maybe, he also had one of the most genuine moments of E3.

The audience screamed. Keanu Reeves was amused and seemed to enjoy his time on stage. His reactions to and interaction with the audience were off-the-cuff and created a rare unscripted moment among some very produced presentations.

 

The game itself is highly anticipated. The cyberpunk aesthetic hasn’t gotten a lot of love in major titles in recent years. And of course, the game was adapted from Cyberpunk 2020, a popular 1988 tabletop game.

Early game demo reviews suggest if you’re a fan of games like the Deus Ex franchise, this title is for you.

2. Loser: Nintendo

After their press conference and the social media reactions (mostly joy) to Nintendo’s announcements, we were prepared to call them a winner of E3.

And then we saw this headline on CNET:

Animal Crossing: New Horizons delay cuts $1B from Nintendo stock.

Talk about voting with your dollars. Phew.

Nintendo made some great announcements including Luigi’s Mansion 3, a Dark Crystal-themed tactics game, Panzer Dragoon, Astral Chain, Banjo-Kazooie coming to Super Smash Bros.Ultimate, and the in-development status of a sequel to Breath of the Wild, among many other details.

They used their Nintendo Direct model instead of a stage-based show as many of the other big publishers did.

Honestly, Nintendo could have come out a winner at E3 if not for that jarring stock drop. With no next-generation console teased and the delay in Animal Crossing, apparently, investors were not impressed.

3. Winner: Square Enix

Square Enix had plenty of material to share. Up front, the Final Fantasy VII Remake looks breathtaking, and we finally got a look at Tifa, which fans had been hotly anticipating.

Good news for Final Fantasy fans:

There’s also a Final Fantasy VIII Remastered coming.

There’s a new expansion coming for online title Final Fantasy XIV, DLC for Kingdom Hearts III, an FPS called Outriders, and plenty more.

Square’s biggest surprise might be the final game in their conference, which was Marvel’s Avengers. The game has a controversial look to it -- its developer Crystal Dynamics’ take on the superheroes -- but who doesn’t want to play as an Avenger?

 

With single-player and co-op mode options, and the promise of no loot boxes or pay-to-win options, the game was pretty well-received. The release date is May 15th, 2020.

Read more:

The Best Weapons In Final Fantasy VII Remake (And Where To Find Them)

4. Loser: Fallout 76’s Battle Royale Mode

Who asked for this?

Fallout 76 has struggled since its release with bugs and a lack of content. At some point, the introduction of a battle royale mode to falling games has become a meme.

Apparently, someone at Bethesda thought it was a good idea because now we’re getting Nuclear Winter.

 

Maybe the gameplay is good. It certainly has that Fallout feel combined with the necessary battle royale elements. You can check it out for free until June 17th.

5. Winner: Watch Dogs Legion

Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs franchise leaves the United States and heads to England for the third installment in the series. Watch Dogs Legion has been widely called an ambitious game, with a robust NPC system. The open-world, action-adventure title is set to release March 6th, 2020.

 

The trailer provides a good look at the setting, a dystopian London. The ability to recruit and play as any NPC in the game is pretty impressive.

There’s also a variety of non-lethal combat options. Clearly, the emphasis here is on giving players as many options as possible for playing the game how they would like to.

6. Winner: Code Vein

Sony and Bandai Namco may not have had a presser, but they did release a lovely trailer for Code Vein that announces the game’s release date: September 27th, 2019

 

A dungeon-crawling, Dark-Souls-esque game set in a dystopian future with vampiric Revenants and the Lost, Code Vein should delight fans.

“It seems everyone, everywhere is thirsty.”

Thirst plays a role in Code Vein, and we’re excited to say that G FUEL has partnered with Bandai Namco to quench your IRL thirst. CODE VEIN Type-O G FUEL will be available for sale at gfuel.com next week.

 

7. Loser: Our Bank Balances

Between Microsoft’s next-generation XBOX announcement (Project Scarlett), the hundreds of new game titles coming our way, and the various game-streaming services soon to be on offer, our collective net worth is about to drop.

What games, developers, publishers stood out to you at this year’s E3?

Read more:

E3 2021 Schedule, Dates, Lineup, Where To Watch, Announcements, News, Games List & More

 

This article was written by Hotspawn. Hotspawn combines news, in-depth analysis, and how-to guides into one place to help you learn everything you need to know about esports.