Support NeoGAF

[True Fire]

They won E3 easily last year so yeah.

I don't understand this thinking. BotW, despite being amazing, wasn't nearly enough to win E3. They had no stage presence, no NX hype, two faltering consoles with "please be excited" as their only send-off. One good game isn't enough to make up for an entire company's shortcomings.

Meanwhile Sony did a speedrun of a bunch of quality titles, including their crazy God of War cold open with a full orchestra. I've never seen an E3 presentation quite like it.

 

[Khaos Kontrol]

Sure. They had nothing else

.

No, Zelda was poorly received last year.

What? It won numerous Game of the Show awards.

 

[Canucked]

I guess. Switch seems to be doing well.

 

[skypunch]

Who cares? It obviously wasn't a wrong decision. Let's move on.

 

[Raging Spaniard]

No, Zelda was poorly received last year.

Multiple Game of the Show awards. You got some weird alternative reality goong on there.

To the thread point. Yep, great decision. Everything is working out really well

 

[Nepenthe]

I don't understand this thinking. BotW, despite being amazing, wasn't nearly enough to win E3. They had no stage presence, no NX hype, two faltering consoles with "please be excited" as their only send-off.

Meanwhile Sony did a speedrun of a bunch of quality titles, including their crazy God of War cold open with a full orchestra. I've never seen an E3 presentation quite like it.

I'd say it was a good decision.

They won E3 bro.

 

[aett]

I'm still confused why people still say they "only" brought/promoted Zelda at E3.

I remember that, early on, they showed some footage from Pokemon Sun/Moon. Then at some other point that morning, there was a lengthy interview about Pokemon Go (I still can't believe that game is less than a year old), some more Sun/Moon stuff, and then all of the other Treehouse presentations. (The Tokyo Mirage Sessions demonstration stands out to me in particular because it completely changed my feelings towards the game, and I'm really glad that I played it.)

 

[MoonFrog]

I didn't enjoy the approach, as I've said, but yes, I think they probably did.

It created a lot of energy around that title and more than the January event in June would have around Zelda and the Switch.

 

[DNAbro]

I don't understand this thinking. BotW, despite being amazing, wasn't nearly enough to win E3. They had no stage presence, no NX hype, two faltering consoles with "please be excited" as their only send-off. One good game isn't enough to make up for an entire company's shortcomings.

Meanwhile Sony did a speedrun of a bunch of quality titles, including their crazy God of War cold open with a full orchestra. I've never seen an E3 presentation quite like it.

Yet at the end, all I could think about was how much I wanted to play Zelda.

 

[TheMoon]

No, the decision was shit

but it's not like it matters because

1) they couldn't have done anything else anyway, and

2) nintendo fans ate it up


so by default, yeah it was the best decision to make

Tell me how you really feel.

I'm still confused why people still say they "only" brought/promoted Zelda at E3.

I remember that, early on, they showed some footage from Pokemon Sun/Moon. Then at some other point that morning, there was a lengthy interview about Pokemon Go (I still can't believe that game is less than a year old), some more Sun/Moon stuff, and then all of the other Treehouse presentations. (The Tokyo Mirage Sessions demonstration stands out to me in particular because it completely changed my feelings towards the game, and I'm really glad that I played it.)

Don't you know, Nintendo hasn't even been at E3 for the last couple of years. At all! Like, not there! Ghostin' like a boss.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Yes, but only in that specific instance.

That's my sense of it.

The thing is, that the then NX was a huge unknown, while the Wii U was dead in the water, I would say oddly allowed Zelda to stand on its own even more than would be typically expected of it. No-one thought of it in terms of the Wii U, they just saw 'the new Zelda', and because of that, as well as the extensive showcasing it received via the treehouse stream, it caught an atypical audience in a way that it wouldn't have in pretty much any other year. People who were begged to ask, 'Is it really so good that Nintendo would toss it out alone like that?'

As it turned out, it was.

 

[KHlover]

Absolutely. They had basically nothing, but the game itself was so hype that no one really cared. Everyone knew the Switch was coming soon and the WiiU was done for, that might have been another factor. Still funny that E3 2016 has been far better received than E3 2015. Breath of the Wild probably also outsold almost every game from E3 2015 combined and sold a shitton of Switches in the West, so it's been the correct decision from a commercial standpoint as well.

 

[Joey Ravn]

.



What? It won numerous Game of the Show awards.

Multiple Game of the Show awards. You got some weird alternative reality goong on there.

To the thread point. Yep, great decision. Everything is working out really well

Are you actually telling us that you couldn't see painfully obvious sarcasm of that post?

 

[Realeza]

Majority of who? Nintendo fans?

Don't be butthurt by facts. How about awards and even shit like online discussion?

 

[McNum]

They had little else to show, so they went all in on what they had. And it was a little refreshing to see Nintendo come out and just be that confident in their game. They knew they had one awesome thing, and they were going to spend the entire show, more or less, showing that to everyone. So I can't say they picked wrong. They hit it out of the park with Zelda. It was a very bold and unusual strategy, for sure, but the game held up enough to carry it.

I do hope they have more games to show this year, but their focus on Zelda last year? Perfectly done with what they had.

 

[PooBone]

What else could they have shown?

 

[Gator86]

They won E3 easily last year so yeah.

Definitely. I thought Sony had it locked up with a 3-1 imaginary victory lead, but it's never over until it's over until people make totally arbitrary declarations on a message board.

 

[flozuki]

Even statistics confirmed this was a smart decision regarding attention for the game and Nintendo. Still not a fan of too much focus on one title though.

 

[IsntChrisL]

No, they just made the best of a shitty situation. It completely deflated my interest in Nintendo's E3 last year.

 

[Rncewind]

You (and a couple of other people) act like A) they had the option to show something else feasible B) that showing something else somehow diminishes zelda

They were in a clutch situation and they did their best, there was no strategic master plan behind it

edit:

They were in a really bad situation but they found the best possible solution.

this

 

[zenspider]

Yes, and I though it was pretty clear immediately after that it was a smart move. They knew then what we all know now - they had a hardware mover, and didn't need to start the Switch conversation beyond a must-have title being available on it at or near launch.

It only looked bad in "foresight", but after that abysmal e3 prior, they could have showed a mobile hanafuda app and it would have been an improvement.

 

[DeanBDean]

Everyone is saying, "What could they have shown?", but the answer to that is obvious. They could have showed off the Switch at that point. In fact, many here were saying just that as I recall. "Why aren't they showing the NX?" I also think not showing the NX was the right call, although at the time I was wishing they were going to throw it in. The Switch seems to be starting quite well, and I think a lot of that can be attributed to it's tight marketing focus. I don't know that this would have been possible with an E3 reveal.

 

[geordiemp]

The majority of fanboys agreed there console of choice won E3.

Fixed, nobody wins E3, each preach to their fans and some like to make noises.

Back to OP, what was the alternative option ?

 

[Hero]

Absolutely.


These posts confuse me:

Sure. They had nothing else

It was less the "right" decision and more the "only" decision.

It definitely worked out for them in hindsight though, that's easy to see.

Basically.

Basically. I highly doubt it mattered at all though in the grand scheme of things.

This

It's not as though they had anything else to talk about, so I guess so? It was a laughable showing.

What else could they have shown?

They could have shown off Switch last year, along with 1,2 Switch, ARMS, Splatoon 2, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Super Mario Odyssey, etc. Unless you believe all of those games weren't in a showable form last year?

 

[jph139]

For that time and circumstance? Definitely.

It would never have worked with any other game. Breath of the Wild is one of those lightning in a bottle moments, and putting aside the chaff to focus on what's without a doubt their biggest, most impactful game in 10+ years was the right call.

If they tried to repeat it this year with, like, Mario Odyssey? I'd be skeptical.

 

[NSider]

Sony clearly "won" E3 in terms of buzz, building on the strong momentum from the past couple of years.

Nintendo was the clear underdog with the extremely weird decision to only show one major game, so in that regard, they "won" by showing a game that surpassed almost everyone's expectations and won pretty much every best of E3 award.

And of course, I realize that GAF thinks of E3 as a competitive event designed to entertain, but the bottom line is how the E3 showing affects sales of whatever products the publishers and manufacturers are trying to sell. I think Zelda's E3 showing and demo helped grab the attention of many gamers who didn't own a Wii U, and it probably eventually positively affected the launch of the Switch.

 

[RaptorGTA]

I'd say it was a good decision.

Never seen this vid before.

 

[NOLA_Gaffer]

My highlight of E3 2016 was the announcement, reveal, and immediate release of Rhythm Heaven Megamix on the 3DS.

 

[requiem02]

They absolutely killed it last year. One of their best E3s ever. Who could have ever predicted that a Wii U game would steal the show?

 

[edbooneyebrows]

"They won e3 bro"

like you can win e3 with (1) game.
Sony last year had amazing show agree or not. Bunch of games fan favorites to new IPs. Amazing orchestra , diversity of games. Etc

 

[LizardKing]

Yeah overall considering the circumstances they didn't have much of a choice. Switch and games weren't ready, and to try to have a show based on what else they had for 3ds/Wii U it would have looked pathetic.

However, it was not a strategy I would try to repeat if I could help it, if I were anyone. Still not as good as a regular show. It was just kind of a unique and unusual circumstance.

 

[KZXcellent]

Did Nintendo win E3 last year? Maybe for the press who got to play Zelda at a booth, sure.

For me and plenty of other people, hell no. Winning E3 for me is a company nailing it with multiple games. I don't buy a system based on one game, it's based on multiple games. Same goes for me caring about their E3. Zelda is INCREDIBLE but it can't carry an E3 alone for me. I saw the trailer, 15 minutes of gameplay and tuned out.

As for the question of the thread: Did Nintendo make the right decision? Yes.

They had basically nothing to show. The Switch wasn't happening until March and they were working on it's titles. Taking a year off from really pushing E3 was a good move.

 

[MTC100]

I'd say it was a good decision.

It was a great decision, yes.

Nintendo also trounced the competition with just this single game.

 

[RRockman]

No, Zelda was poorly received last year.

This is a Joke guys.

Majority of who? Nintendo fans?

This however is simply denial. Google e3 best of show 2016. I'll wait.

 

[Verder]

the one where a stampede broke out for playing sessions of zelda?

nah. my friend almost got dropped .

they have to go hard this year tho

 

[aett]

Again, maybe I'm missing the point, but Nintendo introduced and talked about more than just Zelda last year. Just because it wasn't the highlight of their main presentation doesn't mean they didn't give these games presence and time.

Or does it not count because everything here is Wii U/3DS?

 

[13ruce]

Yes the 8 hours of Zelda footage was a e3 dream came true.

Also that press running to demo booths + praising sun guy is the best E3 reaction gif ever. Even surrpasses Twilight Princess reaction imo.

 

[Holy Order Sol]

The whole point of it was giving ample time to many people to try whatever they wanted in the game so they could report on it. Under regular circumstances they would have barely experimented with anything and there would have been little to talk about.

 

[CaviarMeths]

Pretty sure Nintendo completely dominated the conversation on social media during and following the expo. They also won a lot of Best of E3 awards.

Yes, it was the right decision.

IIRC though, they did show plenty of other things throughout the week. E3 isn't just a press conference.

 

[Smasher89]

Last year was imo the worst one since the wii music E3, and it was actually worse since there were like only 1(?) suprise with ever oasis.

It created hype for the switch direct which started of with "we will have payed online", and then console+accesory pricing.

Atleast Sun/Moon was present so there were something interesting in that timeperiod.

 

[13ruce]

I don't understand this thinking. BotW, despite being amazing, wasn't nearly enough to win E3. They had no stage presence, no NX hype, two faltering consoles with "please be excited" as their only send-off. One good game isn't enough to make up for an entire company's shortcomings.

Meanwhile Sony did a speedrun of a bunch of quality titles, including their crazy God of War cold open with a full orchestra. I've never seen an E3 presentation quite like it.

They won with BotW on social media it was the hottest game of E3.

So they won yeah.
Even when other presentations are better it's about the games.

The winner is who's the most talked about.

 

[CGwizz]

I just laugh at the " they won E3 "

A game we all have seen before that E3 , the only one nintendo showed and they won.

 

[johnsavage]

ITT: E3 is only the 1ish hour conference/video from each publisher/company and not the dozens of hours of gameplay/news that also came out of E3 outside of said conferences/videos.

 

[NOLA_Gaffer]

Again, maybe I'm missing the point, but Nintendo introduced and talked about more than just Zelda last year. Just because it wasn't the highlight of their main presentation doesn't mean they didn't give these games presence and time.



Or does it not count because everything here is Wii U/3DS?

I don't understand, what else would they have had at E3 last year other than Wii U and 3DS content?

 

[geordiemp]

This is a Joke guys.


This however is simply denial. Google e3 best of show 2016. I'll wait.

Just because a 30 something fans get a job at a gaming site is still not winning anything. Its just an opinion of a gamer and is subjective.

E3 is a marketing tool to sell your product. It can be measured by uptake and increases in ecosystem adoption in time after the event.

I guess Sony can point to 18 million Ps4's, Nintendo got off to a great start with 4 million Swicthes, MS increased their MAU lol.

But we dont have enough data to say who really got most out of it other than the fanboy journos and their clicky lists, but Switch initial trajectory is certainly successful for now

 

[MTC100]

I just laugh at the " they won E3 "

A game we all have seen before that E3 , the only one nintendo showed and they won.

We didn't see real gameplay prior to the E3 though. And it was soo good! Heck it's still insane... bring the hard mode DLC so I can put another 100+ hours into this game.

*I don't think Mario Odyssey will be able to recreate what Zelda did but I sure think it will be close.

 

[The Hermit]

In hindsight?

Nintendo was considered the "winner" of last year E3, during the event.

 

[Japanmanx3]

Most definitely yes.

 

[TheMoon]

I just laugh at the " they won E3 "

A game we all have seen before that E3 , the only one nintendo showed and they won.

a few things that need fixing in your post:

for one, we had barely seen anything of that game before, let alone something that actually showed what the final gameplay loop would be like. and then there's the fact that they showed a bunch more games actually ... (see pic a few posts above yours).

 

[Spaced Harrier]

They won E3 easily last year so yeah.

No, they didn't.

They may (or may not) have had the best game. But that had just that. One game.

One game does not an E3 make.