Ranking the Best E3 2017 Press Conferences, Who Won?

6. Bethesda

Bethesda’s E3 2017 press conference was weird. Though it had a charming opening that showed the children of the company as they shared their dreams and the dreams of their parents, from then on it became clear that Bethesda didn’t bring much. A large portion of the show was dedicated to games that are already out, serving as a large, overly drawn, and completely unnecessary sizzle reel. There was DLC for Dishonored 2 here, more content for ESO there, and just lots of gameplay for games that many of us have already played. This isn’t to say that they didn’t show anything of importance. However, the important bits could easily have been crammed into a 10 minute video or within other conferences.

The new Wolfenstein game looks just as amazing as its predecessor, and The Evil Within 2 is bound to scare the life out of someone when it releases this October. But those were the only two huge reveals of the night, and they were at the tail end of the conference after sitting through trailers that we really don’t know why they existed. It felt like Bethesda padded the conference to justify the cost of setting up the show in the first place, and that’s not what these should end up feeling like. E3 2016 was very strong for the company, as they showed off tons of new games and content on stage. This year was more like a recap of that stunning show with a few extras thrown in for good measure. Sure those extras were great, but when surrounded by the mundane it was difficult to really walk away from that conference feeling awed. 

5. EA

EA had an interesting showing at E3 2017 during their event, but they kept some things back for other shows and relied mostly on their most predictable titles to carry them. This may have to do with the fact that EA holds its own, separate event from E3 called EA Play and they wanted to keep some things from there. Still, with a publisher that has studios with such high pedigrees like DICE, Visceral, and BioWare, you sort of expect more from them. Instead, we ended up with something extraordinarily safe with very few major highlights.

Star Wars Battlefront II was the major offering and it certainly does look impressive. It seems to address all of the issues present in the first game. However, it was also a reminder that the company has other studios working on Star Wars and we’ve yet to hear a peep, yet we already have a sequel in this series. A quick peek at or a logo from one of the secret games would’ve sent fans into a frenzy, definitely putting EA in the spotlight.

Another missed opportunity was saving Anthem’s gameplay, which looks absolutely stunning, for Microsoft’s stage. BioWare has created something massive once again, but it wasn’t the centerpiece of EA’s show. Still, as with many of the other press conferences on this list, it wasn’t absolutely horrible, it was just okay. And when competing with some of the biggest names in gaming, okay just isn’t going to cut it. 

4. Microsoft

Microsoft opened the show with the most powerful console ever built. Project Scorpio finally got an official name reveal as Xbox One X, which was somewhat predictable, yet still managed to be a bit disappointing. We got to hear more talk about all the things it can do, including how it was going to benefit the entire library on Xbox One even if users don’t have a 4K television. A price point of $500 is steep for an upgrade, though, so after showing off the box it was time to make the sale, and that revolved around games, games, and more games.

Microsoft took to the stage during E3 2017 and showed off over 40 games, 22 of which had some form of exclusivity with the Xbox and Windows 10 platforms (timed, launch, console). However, the exclusives didn’t all have that “wow” factor that’s needed to sell consoles, something that the company has been struggling with for the last two years. Strong showings like Forza 7, Crackdown 3, Ori and the Willow of the Wisps, and a few others were impressive to look at, but predictable and not what some fans were looking for. Major new IPs, returns of major franchises that may have missed the mark, or even some major third-party exclusives would have really put the company over the competition. Instead we got a lot of PC games that are making their way over, tons of indies that got little to no explanation, and some release dates for games that were announced way to long ago.

Don’t get us wrong, it was far from a bad showing. It just wasn’t the greatness that you’d expect from a company trying to push some brand-new hardware. The games that garnered the biggest responses are available elsewhere, and since Xbox is far from the lead it doesn’t necessarily have the desired effect of making the console more appealing. There are still Gamescom and TGS left for Microsoft to really sell the Xbox One X, it’s just unfortunate that they didn’t completely seal the deal during their press conference at E3 2017.

3. Sony

Many were expecting Sony to come out on top once again at E3 2017. That’s perfectly understandable considering that they’ve been a virtual dream machine at their last two outings, hosting the announcements for the likes of long wished for games such as a true Final Fantasy VII remake and Shenmue III. However, it’s clear that we’re now approaching that mid-generation point for the gaming giant, as their E3 2017 press conference was solid, but it didn’t have as much of a punch as 2015 or even 2016 did.

Maybe it’s because we’ve been spoiled by their seemingly endless stream of major announcements. But the fact remains that Sony set a very high bar not only for other companies at the event, but for themselves as well, and frankly, they just missed it. This isn’t to say that there weren’t reasons to be excited. In traditional fashion (well, their new tradition since a few years ago), the press conference was comprised almost entirely of trailers and gameplay reveals. Once again, the games did all the talking and thanks to the likes of God of War, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, Detroit: Become Human, Destiny 2, and Spider-Man, they had a lot to say. But with most of the above being due out next year, and all of these being known about before, it felt light. It wasn’t as heavy a shock when we saw great gameplay this time, as it was to be expected.

Still, when you take a look at what everyone else brought to the table, Sony once again impressed with a promising lineup that is sure to please. Once again leveraging strong third-party partnerships is a good move, and it should help them out during this holiday season, and the major exclusives waiting in the rafters will do some great clean up. 

2. Nintendo

Nintendo has come out swinging during E3 2017 and they even mentioned some heavy hitters to hit the Switch in the future. After showing off ARMS (which releases this week), it was a short but sweet stream of announcements and some interesting gameplay. First off are the games we already knew about, Mario Odyssey, Fire Emblem Heroes, and Xenoblade 2. All of them are looking like they’re forming up nicely and they’re sure to impress when they release. By the way, all of those big games are releasing at some point later this year, meaning Nintendo has a truly stacked holiday season for the Nintendo Switch.

What really helped set Nintendo apart were the new games that were announced, some with gameplay, some without. Two that were thrown out with a quick trailer are the simply titled Kirby and Yoshi. Both look like the adorable fun adventures we’ve come to expect from each franchise and are sure to be excellent bridges between the heavier hitting titles on the schedule. However, there were two huge announcements that didn’t get any gameplay but definitely got everyone hype. A core Pokemon RPG is currently in development at Game Freak for the Nintendo Switch. On top of that, Metroid Prime 4 was officially revealed to be in development for the console, as well. Nintendo may have lacked in major third-party, which is the only thing keeping them from first place, but when it comes to showing off a strong exclusive library and reasons to go out and buy a console, nobody can hold a candle to Nintendo right now. They needed to give reasons to invest in their hybrid, and they most certainly did. 

1. Ubisoft

Ubisoft has had some rough E3 showings over the past few years. It’s not that they didn’t show any good games – after all, we got Syndicate, Watch Dogs 2, South Park, and many others during the last few events – but their energy was sort of all over the place and the company had a record of showing things that were much better than final projects. Also, things started to become rather predictable thanks to annual franchises, dances, and other reoccurring stage events.

Things were different at E3 2017 for Ubisoft, though, and that lead to them being an absolute standout among their peers. First was the energy of the stage. Aside from some dance crews and a dancing panda, everything was very focused. There was no overhype coming from presenters, no celebrity doing the introductions. Instead, you had Yves Guillermot and Miyamoto taking to the stage to present a highly adorable and impressive Mario and Rabbids crossover. We got to see Assassin’s Creed Origins actually running and showing us just what the series could be when given proper time to bake. And, at the end of it all, we got Beyond Good & Evil 2. A sequel that’s been waited on for nearly two decades, and it brought tears to those on stage as well as to those off of it.

Ubisoft let the games do the talking at E3 2017, and for the first time in a long time their message was quite clear: They seek to make experiences for everyone to enjoy. No major hype needed, no spectacles, no 30 minute vertical slices that show us all the best parts of a game. Just glimpses into the reality that is on the horizon, and everything looked amazing. After years of working to earn back the trust of fans who felt burned by recent releases, Ubisoft put on a strong showing and we can’t wait to see what they have coming next.