E3 is one of the biggest yearly events in the games industry with an extensive history packed with exciting and memorable moments. While it may be canceled this year, that won't stop us from reminiscing about E3's from days gone. After all, there's a lot to talk about.
Below you can find GameSpot's personal favorite moments from E3's over two-decade long history. But what are some of your favorite moments? Which announcement or press conference got you to flip your living room table, or cringe at the awkwardness? Shout out your picks (and broken living room table stories) in the comments section below.
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Sony Full Press Conference - E3 2013
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Microsoft was careful to note that it wasn't personally charging for this and so the restrictions were entirely in the hands of the publishers. This was years before the advent of live games and the rise of digital sales, and publishers had been struggling to deal with the used game market with ideas like Project Ten Dollar. Regardless, it put Microsoft in the lurch, and left Sony an opening to pointedly go a different way at its own E3 press conference. It was the first time I had ever actually been inside a publisher press conference in person, and it had the raucous energy of a pay-per-view event.
"For instance, PlayStation 4 won't impose any new restrictions on the use of your game discs," Jack Tretton said, to such boisterous applause that he had to remain silent for several moments before he could resume his speech. When he could speak again, he playfully quipped about the audience's reaction. "Yes, that's a good thing. We believe in the model that people embrace today with PlayStation 3 and continue to demand--I just heard you there." He subsequently received even more applause for announcing that you can give your disc to a friend or sell it, and that it would not have an online verification check.
It was a knockout blow and many agreed Sony "won" E3, merely by promising to continue the status quo. Microsoft changed its policy plans soon after, so the potential unforced error never really impacted consumers. But it was an incredible moment to witness, if nothing else than because the hardware titans rarely come to blows quite so directly. | Twitter: @SporkyReeve
Of course, in that moment, all I could think about was what Microsoft would reveal at E3 2018. I was always taking particular pleasure in watching Microsoft’s gradual redemption throughout this past console generation and I felt that Microsoft did not hold back. Right out the gate they showed off what was really more of a technical demonstration for the SlipSpace engine, and I was left in awe. Images of animals in nature and textures with superb lighting and a moving score had me captivated and it reached this magnificent peak when the reveal finally happened: Master Chief’s infamous spartan helmet hanging by his side.
Several words come to mind when I try to describe the franchise but the one that stands out so well when I saw the helmet was legacy. It was so fitting! A brand new Halo with a brand new engine, which, not only triggers curiosity and hype for the game itself, but lights the path forward for the future: Halo Infinite would be the beacon at E3 that announced loud and clear: a new console generation was upon us and it is now closer than ever. | Twitter: Roshby57
Her name was Ikumi Nakamura, and she was the creative director of Ghostwire: Tokyo at the time. As someone speaking English as a second language, she prefaced her speech with the nervousness she felt to be presenting to so many people on a stage, which instantly won over my heart and many others--humility has a magical way of being instantly relatable, after all. But it was Nakamura's infectious enthusiasm and sense of humor that proved so captivating and adorable. As she made jokes about how spooky the game would be, it was difficult not to wear a warm smile from cheek to cheek. I can't do justice to how extraordinary the moment was; you have to watch it yourself. It's crazy how a single person can unexpectedly become the highlight of an entire E3, but somehow, Nakamura pulled it off.
In the wake of her appearance was a wave of attention that instantly skyrocketed Nakamura into popularity as a games personality. People wanted to know what she was about, what she had worked on, and how come they'd only heard of her now. And it turned out, Nakamura had quite a fantastic portfolio, having worked as an artist not only on The Evil Within, but games like Okami, Bayonetta, and the more recent Street Fighter games. And for me, it was an incredible feeling in itself to discover that she was someone who helped design the art of some of the games I love most.
Nakamura's popularity is warranted; she's talented, and it's just a joy to watch be her most authentic, passionate self. But like so many developers, she's only a small example of the brilliant and hard-working people who help to create the games we adore--people we don't ever get to see or hear about. While she's since left Tango Game Works, the spark of her appearance on Bethesda's E3 stage alone makes it one of the biggest and most memorable moments in E3's history in my mind. | Twitter: MGespin
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Final Fantasy VII Remake - Announcement Trailer E3 2015
Thompson: The Pop Culture Icon’s Strange Legacy - Loadout
Firearms Expert’s FAVORITE Weapons Of 2023State Of Gaming Handhelds In 2023How Lies of P Cracked the Souls GenreLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Ichiban Kasuga Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Chitose Fujinomiya Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Saeko Mukoda Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Eric Tomizawa Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Kazuma Kiryu Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Seonhee Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Koichi Adachi Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Yu Nanba Character Spotlight Trailer
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Almost two years into its lifespan, the PS4 was in a really healthy place in 2015. This is the presentation that featured both Shenmue 3 and The Last Guardian, but because that apparently wasn't enough, Sony also used the opportunity to showcase and confirm yet another near-mythical white whale of the gaming world: Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII remake.
When PlayStation's Adam Boyes proclaimed that they had "a very special treat for everyone," the trailer that followed, featuring a strange voiceover that discussed a long-awaited reunion, was a bit confusing. But as FF7's iconic opening score began playing and the logo appeared--followed unequivocally by the word "Remake," just to quash any doubt--the massive crowd roared with elation. Five years later, we're finally getting the game this coming April, and the hype lives on. | Twitter: @RogueCheddar
As Reggie was wrapping up the press conference, he invited the audience to step into "one more world for Nintendo GameCube," leading into a trailer for what would eventually become The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The excitement was palpable. The audience erupted in cheers as Link, riding into battle atop Epona, came into focus, and that fervor only grew as we saw him battling realistic Lizalfos and facing off against a towering fire beast. I can't begin to guess at how many times I watched that trailer that summer.
Of course, a big reason for the excitement was that the game felt like a direct response to The Wind Waker, which stirred up quite a bit of controversy at the time due to its cartoony visual style. I was among those initially turned off by Wind Waker's art style (what can I say? I was in high school), and while I eventually came around to the visuals and enjoyed the game for what it was, I still thought it was much too easy. Seeing that the next Zelda would discard Wind Waker's aesthetic and return to the more realistic, darker tone of the SpaceWorld 2000 tech demo was a dream come true for my 17-year-old self.
Twilight Princess wouldn't arrive until two years later, and while its standing among fans seems to have fallen over the years, it's still one of my favorite Zelda games, and I'll never forget how excited I felt when it was first revealed back at E3 2004. E3 may have become long in the tooth over the years, but it's moments like these that serve as a reminder of just how magical the expo could be.
Picture this: the year is 2006, Kaz Hirai is president and CEO of PlayStation. We are about to see PlayStation’s first foray into handheld consoles, the PSP. The camera zooms in on Kaz’s hands, the light glaring off the front of the device (because that was the state of technology back then). And then I heard it: “Rrrrrridge Racer!” It was a moment so quick, so fleeting, but unforgettable. It’s been looped into oblivion in so many YouTube videos, permanently ingrained into my brain.
“It’s Ridge Racer,” he declares proudly. “Rrrrrridge Racer!”
Towards the end of his presentation, the PlayStation 3 is finally revealed. A huge jump from PS2’s release price, the high-end model of the PS3 debuted at $599. Once again, this moment is burned into my memory forever. Five-hundred and ninety-nine US dollars. Five-hundred and ninety-nine US dollars. Five-hundred and ninety-nine US dollars. A stunned silence fell on the onlooking E3 crowd. A few people laughed.
Finally, how can we possibly forget the Genji: Days of the Blade demonstration? A producer took to the stage, stating that the game will be “based on history” with stages “based on battles which actually took place in Japan.”
Smash cut to: “So here’s this giant enemy crab. You attack its weak point for massive damage.”
Incredible.
If you watch the archived version of this presentation, there’s also a VOD in the corner showing only his hands on the controller while he games extremely hard. Why don’t we have this anymore? Why can’t we bring this back?
I am afraid Sony will never top its 2006 press conference for me. I might be OK with that.
Long before the release of the unfortunately underappreciated Titanfall 2, squad-based battle royale Apex Legends, and surprisingly good Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Respawn introduced itself to the world through the E3 2013 reveal trailer of the original Titanfall, which would go on to launch as a limited-time exclusive for Xbox One in 2014.
At the time, the reveal trailer and the follow-up gameplay demo didn't show off anything revolutionary. Titanfall is a great game, but it's not the powerhouse of a first-person shooter that it's sequel would end up being. But you could definitely feel something from those first few trailers--there was a sense that Respawn wasn't a developer to be overlooked. The company was moving in on a space that had been (and would continue to be) dominated by Call of Duty for years, and doing it with a style all its own.
Titanfall looked really good. The shooting appeared solid, the parkour mechanics seemed satisfyingly fast but not uncontrollable, and the mech-like Titans looked to offer an asymmetrical twist to the FPS genre. For me, Titanfall was enough of a reason to commit to Microsoft for one more console generation and pre-order an Xbox One--seeing those early Titanfall trailers for the first time was the highlight of my E3 2013. | Twitter: @JMRamee
Despite having a decent suite of games including Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Silent Hill: Downpour, Ninety-Nine-Nights II, and a quick demo of the canceled Metal Gear Solid: Rising (pre-reboot from Platinum Games), the conference was doomed from the start. Things quickly went off the rails when issues with language translation and the stage's teleprompter turned otherwise simple presentations into clumsy affairs.
It didn't get much better as it went on for the next 90 minutes. Much of the humor didn't land, and the pacing of the show--which featured a grabbag of anime-inspired RPGs, a masked luchador wrestling game, and a set of gritty western-developed action titles--just felt off. The presentation was a disaster, completely, yet I still can't deny that I enjoyed myself watching it. After it ended, I thought to myself, "what the hell did I just watch?" But then the encore presentation began, and that only served to highlight the strangeness even more.
10 years later, it still serves as a benchmark for how not to do an E3 presentation. In many ways, it was like Tommy Wiseau of The Room fame channeled his bizarre sensibilities and strange jokes into producing a video game press conference. Witnessing this bizarre and unintentionally comedic press conference with an online audience was a real highlight as well. No one in the chat, nor even on message forums knew what to make of it. We were all, as a collective, witness to the creation of new internet memes in real-time, such as Ninety-Nine-Nights II producer Tak Fujii emphasizing "ONE MILLION TROOPS'' during his presentation, and it was a delight.
It quickly became the talk of E3 2010, and with Jeff Gerstmann and the folks at Giant Bomb recounting their experience at the show, it would go on to live in infamy. Despite Konami's E3 2010 presser being an awkward and somewhat cringy affair--which I had to watch again for this write-up--I like to think it had a more positive impact than most people would expect. They really tried to have fun with it, and it showed--even when it didn't land as intended. In retrospect, I sincerely appreciate how different it was from other shows back then. Today, we have publishers like Devolver Digital producing fictionalized and highly-exaggerated presentations that show some echoes to Konami's infamous showing, and honestly, that's not a bad legacy to leave behind. | Twitter: @afillari