Opinion: Microsoft won E3 2017 due to their clear message and ability to get gamers talking

After all the E3 2017 press briefings are over, many outlets and gamers like to argue about who won E3. Well, let’s examine some basic factors when it comes to “winning E3”. Who had the best games? Who had new reveals? Who had new hardware? While many would argue that either Nintendo or Sony had the best games, we already expected all of the titles. We knew God of War was going to be revealed alongside Spider-Man. And, the reveals were somewhat surprising. For example, God of War features generic combat now. Half of Spider-Man’s E3 2017 gameplay footage was filled with quick time events. Also, these experiences are coming out in 2018. Microsoft also has a few surprises up their sleeve for next year so revealing new games early doesn’t count especially when you have Gamescom for that purpose. Nintendo went the same way when they announced Metroid Prime 4 which recently entered development.

Microsoft unveiled or showcased games like Anthem, Crackdown 3, Cuphead, Dark and Light, Fable Fortune, The Last Night, Metro Exodus, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Path of Exile and Sea of Thieves…many of which you can play this year. While many titles are smaller experiences, they represent the pinnacle of technology. Sea of Thieves is a proper AAA title and it looks tense and thrilling. Sea of Thieves hasn’t looked this good since it was revealed all those months ago. Anthem—Bioware’s new game—is being designed for Xbox One X in mind which is extraordinary. When Phil Spencer made statements like these on the Xbox E3 stage, people realized that the Xbox One X was in a league of its own.

Due to the Xbox One X reveal—as well as the barrage of over 40 titles—Xbox’s E3 conference was the most talked about on social media. YouTube Live at E3 collated data a few hours ago which confirmed that it was more popular than Sony’s E3 event by almost a factor of 4. Microsoft did exactly what they set out to do in order to make gamers play third-party titles on their system. They had to convince gamers that all games run the best on Xbox One X and the system has many other exclusives you can enjoy. Microsoft won E3 2017 because they got people talking. They even got PlayStation 4 Pro owners questioning phrases like “Dynamic 4K” actively on social media.If that isn’t a win—and a clear indication of exactly what Microsoft wanted to do—I don’t know what is. This is why Microsoft won E3 2017 despite the fact that Ubisoft and others showcased stellar titles like Beyond Good and Evil 2 and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus—which also run the best on Xbox One X. The hardware was definitely the star of the show because everyone alluded to it during their events. It was also the talk of the town on the show floor because every outlet and gamer wanted to know which titles were getting enhancements and what to expect from the device.

While these are the main reasons, Microsoft also addressed complaints like how not enough Japanese games come to Xbox One. Well, Code Vein and Dragon Ball Fighter Z look phenomenal and they’ll play best on Xbox One X. Before I forget, remember the announcement that original Xbox games like Crimson Skies would be playable through backward compatibility? It was a shocking and truly fan-pleasing event despite the fact that some wanted the Xbox One X price to be lower. If you combine it all—from social media to games—the clear winner is Microsoft.