Each year, Playstation Experience has kicked off with some kind of showcase event, with reveals big and small. In previous years, we’ve seen the debut of Uncharted 4 gameplay, and even the announcement of the Last of Us Part 2. Though the show was never at the level of E3, it was perfectly tailored for its audience – Playstation fans who will shout and cheer at the very mention of Vita.
This year, Sony began to curb the expectations of fans well in advance of the event. Playstation Blog revealed that there would be an event to start the show, but it would be moved to Friday night and be called “Playstation Presents.” Attendees could expect “candid discussions with some of PlayStation’s top developers, get updates on some key titles, and hear some special announcements.” Being clear and upfront was a good move, as setting the tone and expectations is important.
The event started strong. Sony’s top developers were brought out on stage to fill a long row of couches and talk about their upcoming or already released games. It was great to see the faces behind many of the games the fans love, bringing a more personal connection to people who create their favorite content. Along the way, fans were treated to bite-sized announcements. WipEout is getting a VR mode, The Last Guardian is getting a short VR demo and, biggest of all, MedEvil is getting a remaster. There were few updates to existing games, and some didn’t even make an appearance (looking at you Spiderman).
After a short intermission, the event began to drag. Though there were a few laughs and hard hitters from Kinda Funny’s Greg Miler, the event was now running well into two hours long. As the interview wained on, people began to trickle out of the arena. The conference ended with a delightful gameplay demo of Concrete Genie, but was unfortunately met by an audience who was no longer interested.
In the end, PlayStation made the right move to curb the enthusiasm of its attendees, but expected a bit too much from their attention span. We don’t need it to be E3 part two, but a tighter showcase with just a bit more meat would help quite a bit. The reveals were well received by the crowd, but even just one banger trailer, reveal, or even a single release date would have helped the event. Concrete Genie being buried at the end was one of the biggest missteps, since the game looks delightful.
