One Year Later Who Really Won E3 2018? Let’s Re-Rank the Press Conferences

Hindsight is 20/20 right? A lot of the games that were shown at least year’s E3 were meant to hype us up for the future. Some still have us excited, others have either dropped off the face of the Earth or landed… right onto their face.

Knowing what we know about the centerpieces of each company’s E3 press conference last year, let’s cheat and re-rank everyone from worst to first.

#7 One Year Later: EA

Last Year: Square Enix

Having Anthem as the centerpiece of your conference… well it seemed like a good idea last year but yikes… that conference didn’t age well did it?

It’s not like Anthem blew us away last year either. It was basically mandatory that EA showed us something Anthem-related so fans wouldn’t panic about the state of the game.

Too bad that’s what ended up happening this year when Anthem actually came out. It was half-baked and fans are still waiting for meaningful updates that address the major issues that the game is having.

Flush that down the drain and what do you have left from that EA conference worth getting exciting about? Battlefield V? Well, that didn’t end up being all sunshine and rainbows either.

Like Twinfinite senior editor Alex Gibson said last year: “It says something about the quality of the conference that arguably the most compelling announcements were the reveals of its EA Original titles, Unravel 2 and Sea of Solitude.”

Sadly, one year later that rings even more true.

#6 One Year Later: Bethesda

Last Year: EA

Last year we were shocked by the announcement of Fallout 76, a multiplayer GAAS-style game set in the Fallout universe. The reaction then was generally cautious optimism.

This style of game isn’t something that is in Bethesda’s wheelhouse and many expressed concerns about the beloved franchised getting sullied by potentially “predatory” practices designed to make a quick buck that are common in that genre.

Yeah well, it was pretty much worst case scenario for Fallout 76 hopefuls when it released back in November. It, like Anthem, did not feel like a finished product and it was panned by many outlets at launch.

At least for Fallout 76 fans though, Bethesda has been putting the work in to improve the game since its launch, and while it probably won’t ever get the same second chance with fans that Destiny has gotten twice now, it is markedly in a better spot than when it first came out and it’s continuing to get frequent updates. More than Anthem can say at the moment.

Rage 2 was also a centerpiece of Bethesda’s conference and sure while it was an entertaining spot at the show, it didn’t pan out to be anything that’s going to make any GOTY lists.

The two bright spots, Doom Eternal and Wolfenstein: Young Blood, both looked rad AF then and still do now. They will likely be a major part of this year’s conference as well.

#5 One Year Later: Square Enix

Last Year: Ubisoft

So we panned Square Enix’s conference last year and while we’re not going to talk ourselves into thinking it was actually good, it has certainly aged a lot better than the two that came before it.

The Square Enix games that formed the core of their show last year all at least were decent-to-great games that ended up fulfilling the hype behind them.

Both Kingdom Hearts 3 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider were solid games that released on time; which in the case of the former was not a guarantee. Just Cause 4, while it wasn’t groundbreaking, was more of what fans of that franchise enjoy playing, great.

While fans were disappointed to not get substantial news on Final Fantasy VII: Remake, it appears that this year Square Enix is prepared to right those wrongs.

Again, Square Enix’s show was pretty lackluster last year, don’t get us wrong, but at least they didn’t put games like Anthem and Fallout 76 up on a pedestal.

#4 One Year Later: Ubisoft

Last Year: Bethesda

This is where you draw the line between good and bad conferences from last year. Ubisoft’s E3 2018 press conference was very safe, devoid of any major groundbreaking reveals, but it was entertaining and filled with great games.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey was one of the worst-kept secrets heading into E3 2018, but at least it didn’t disappoint. It was beautiful, just like Origins, added romance options and for the first time the choice between a male or female playable character.

Shigeru Miyamoto showing up to gas up Starlink, or anything really, is always going to be hype for everyone. While Starlink didn’t take the world by storm, it was still a solid space shooter that is fun for all ages.

Finally, The Division 2 was an important part of Ubisoft’s E3 presence last year and it didn’t disappoint. You can probably expect some roadmap updates for The Division 2 this year too considering how popular it still is.

#3 One Year Later: Microsoft

Last Year: Nintendo

Microsoft’s conference last year in hindsight feels like the prequel to this year. Arguably the most exciting and impactful news was the acquisition of four new studios that would help produce new exclusive games for the Xbox One and/or whatever their next console is.

Since then, though, it has been business as usual for all those acquisitions as they finish up their already existing projects and we haven’t heard anything yet about what they might be working on exclusively with Microsoft in the future. Which by the way, is a company that still really needs some help on the exclusive games front to support an otherwise excellent infrastructure.

A new Halo and Gears of War game were revealed last year but neither released in the year since (as expected to be fair), so this year that will likely, again, be the main focus.

Again, Alex said it best last year and it’s still true:

“[We’re] once again back to leaning on a holy trinity of tried and tested IPs as the main punch of the Xbox’s future library. Weren’t we all hankering for a new AAA exclusive IP?

How is it that of Sony’s big four shown off this year, three were brand new IPs, and the only sequel was a hotly anticipated second entry in the franchise (The Last of Us Part II). Why is it that Microsoft still has nothing in the pipeline other than sequels and third-party multiplatform titles to showcase?”

#2 One Year Later: Nintendo

Last Year: Microsoft

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate dominated the E3 direct last year for Nintendo and for good reason. It was one of the most anticipated games in recent memory and at the time, its roster was still a mystery. With dramatic effect, Nintendo built up to the truth that in SSB: Ultimate: everyone is here… except for Waluigi.

Looking back it was one of the most memorable moments of the show certainly then, and maybe even more so now that we know that it lived up to its lofty expectations, and when you factor in the disappointment of other reveals from other shows.

Aside from Smash, the E3 show rattled off a number of exclusive games content, and third-party offerings heading to the Switch some of which have already released, or are on the way in the near future. And for what it’s worth, Nintendo has kept the momentum going with additional Directs throughout the year.

The one notable gaffe is the mismanagement of the next Metroid Prime game, it’s non-presence, and eventual delay. Even with that disappointment though, Nintendo’s E3 2018 was solid then, and still holds up very well now.

#1 One Year Later: Sony

Last Year: Sony

Last year we ranked Sony number 1 and declared it the “winner” of E3 2018. One year later, our opinion hasn’t changed.

It was a bit safe, and most of the games that were highlighted still aren’t out yet. With that said though, Sony showcased that they have stunning, unique, and high-quality exclusive games that will ensure the PlayStation 4 rides off into the sunset as dominant as it kicked this generation off.

The Last of Us Part II, in particular, looked next-gen, if what we watched was really PlayStation 4 and not “PlayStation 5” gameplay, then it’s a prime example of developers learning how to squeeze the most graphical juice out of a console as the generation comes to an end.

On top of that incredible TLOU2 gameplay reveal at E3 2018, Death Stranding, Nioh 2, Ghosts of Tsushima and the reveal of Resident Evil 2 Remake (non-exclusive) all punctuated a showing that was the strongest of any that participated in E3 2018.

Unfortunately, Sony won’t have the opportunity to repeat as champions as they won’t be showing up to E3 2019. Your guess is as good as ours, then, for which publisher will have the most impressive showing next week.