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Analysing Sony's E3 conferences over the past years (ThirdParty vs FirstParty)

J

JuanLatino

Member
So i was watching some of Sonys older E3 conferences these past days & decided to compare these ( too see if some major changes happened)

I compared these conferences, by dividing a conference into different sections/categories

First Party: First Party Games, Announcements, Trailers, Bundle, Tech Demos, Talk about first Party Studios
Third Party: Trailers, Announcements, Teasers, DLC, Bundle, Exclusive Content
Media-talk: Talking about Network, Apps, Entertainment, Statistics, New Bundles/Prices, Media,
Hardware: additional Hardware to the consoles like Move or 3D
PSVITA/PSP: talking about handhelds (PS Vita since 2011)
Last Gen: talking about the older console (since 2013 PS3)


Based on these categories i made a statistic (How many minutes Sony spend/talked on certain categories)

This is just a basic overview (numbers rounded up/off) - I didn't include the videomontages into the stats

b49f78-1430759687.png

INDIE-Games: 2013(7 minutes) 2014 (17 minutes)
PS VITA since 2011



I think its obvious that Third Party Games got more & more screentime over the years.
I expect 2015 to have atleast 30 minutes talking about Third Party Games


Total timings of the E3 Show in:
2014 - 1:46:00
2013 - 1:48:00
2012 - 1:25:00
2011 - 1:50:00
2010 - 1:47:00
2009 - 1:52:10
2008 - 1:29:30
2007 - 1:34:39
 
E

ElTorro

I wanted to dominate the living room. Then I took an ESRAM in the knee.
So "media" is almost ten times more important than the Vita. There you have it.
 
S

Spaced Harrier

Member
First parties could dip between console generation due to the transition.

Though not as bad as Microsoft. Error Xbox 360 first party data off the scale.
 
E

EdReedFan20

Member
That's really interesting. I can't remember E3 2008 (was that the Santa Monica year?). Did they really not do any 3rd Party stuff that year? Also, we should be getting the official E3 hype threads soon right? Probably as soon as the schedules for the conferences are set? Because next Thursday (May 15th) marks exactly one month until the first press conference (Bethesda's on June 15th).
 
L

LegendofDragoonLives

Member
I'm going to be pretty pissed off if Sony doesn't announce two AAA titles. I hope Level 5 announced Ni No Kuni 2 and GG announces Horizon here with an early 2016 release date.
 
D

DarkJedi24

Member
Interesting that third parties have become a much greater focus in the past couple of years. I expect to remain at a similar level, or possibly even higher this year. Give us a two hour conference Sony!
 
K

kpaadet

Member
Wouldn't it be better to calculate the time into percentage of total conference time? I doubt they are all equally long.
 
2

2thepoint

Junior Member
I'd say third party / hardware talk will increase, along with hopefully first party.

Media talk definitely needs to be curtailed to a more manageable, and less sleep inducing rate.

Vita will be lucky to get a montage.

Hopefully, it will be a 2 hour presentation again, just with better pacing.

Let some of the SCEE guys in on the planning since Gamescom is always so pitch perfect in terms of pacing.
 
D

DieH@rd

Banned
Sony has big shows for E3, Gamscom, TGS and PSX which is way more than any other console holder, so if they reduce the ratio for their 1st party games on E3 I would not be mad.
 
T

The Last One

Member
Microsoft will focus in first party games this year so I think the third party section on Sony's conference this years will be longer than the last years.
 
M

MatrixMan.EXE

Member
As we say every year, don't expect Sony to blow their load at E3 this year. They spread their announcements across E3, Gamescom, TGS and now PSX. That's 4 big conferences for them in a year.
 
D

DieH@rd

Banned
The Last One said:
Microsoft will focus in first party games this year so I think the third party section on Sony's conference this years will be longer than the last years.
Click to expand...

On the other hand, Bethesda and Square Enix elected to make their own E3 shows, so there could be possibly less 3rd party games left for Sony.

But most probably we can expect Sony putting spotlight on Destiny and Battlefront.
 
T

Trevelyon

Member
"2014 - media talk - 24 minutes"

Goddamn fucking Powers guy, yeeeuk!!! Keep Sony Pictures/Television out of the building this year.
 
T

The Last One

Member
DieH@rd said:
On the other hand, Bethesda and Square Enix elected to make their own E3 shows, so there could be possibly less 3rd party games left for Sony.

But most probably we can expect Sony putting spotlight on Destiny and Battlefront.
Click to expand...

Even though Square is making a conference I still expect a FFXV trailer and maybe a KH III one in Sony's conference.
 
T

Trevelyon

Member
Maybe I'm thinking of the preamble to the Powers guy in addition to his spiel and the concepts of transmedia/corporate synchronization between different Sony arms on PSN.

I can't review the tape atm, but it felt like forever and a day, remember the forum became very restless during this whole song and dance around the Powers tv show.
 
L

LordofPwn

Member
I'm expecting 10-15 minutes on morpheus which should eat away at 1st party PS4 games and media stuff. i feel like it will be a heavy 3rd party presentation.
 
J

JehutyRunner

Banned
I'm pretty sure there was third-party representation in 2008. Not so much on stage, but rather in a b-roll video featuring folks from 2K, Ubisoft, Bethesda and Treyarch (Studio head Mark Lamia IIRC).

Perhaps not in the way it defines your chart, OP, but I'd count it.
 
S

sechsterangriff

Member
That Vita/PSP line... They threw it under the bus in 2012 (just a couple of months after launch) and it's gotten worse ever since.
This thing only survived in the west until now because of its very small but dedicated player base.
I get the feeling every time Yoshida or Boyes say they didn't have enough time to talk about Vita at E3, a kitten dies...
 
V

ViciousDS

Banned
I need to watch that 2008 conference all over again for that nostalgia effect. I can't believe over 30 minutes went into media talk, holy shit.


Blueingreen said:
15 minutes of 1st party in 2013 ?
Click to expand...

Lots of 3rd party and indies,


ACIV Black Flag and Destiny took up a ton of time alone. Remember it was the first time anyone saw Destiny gameplay
 
C

Circinus

Member
ElTorro said:
So "media" is almost ten times more important than the Vita. There you have it.
Click to expand...

I love the PS Vita, and I think that makes sense from a business point of view for them.

Trevelyon said:
"2014 - media talk - 24 minutes"

Goddamn fucking Powers guy, yeeeuk!!! Keep Sony Pictures/Television out of the building this year.
Click to expand...

Personally, I'd love to hear updates on the production of the Uncharted film, The Last of Us film, Gran Turismo film, Ratchet & Clank film and Sly Cooper film.
 
C

Circinus

Member
EdReedFan20 said:
That's really interesting. I can't remember E3 2008 (was that the Santa Monica year?). Did they really not do any 3rd Party stuff that year? Also, we should be getting the official E3 hype threads soon right? Probably as soon as the schedules for the conferences are set? Because next Thursday (May 15th) marks exactly one month until the first press conference (Bethesda's on June 15th).
Click to expand...

I didn't watch E3 2008 (wasn't really fervently following games news etc at that time), but I remember SCE had really good line-up of first-party games in 2009:

- God of War Collection
- Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
- inFamous
- Killzone 2
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
- Wipeout HD Fury
- LittleBigPlanet (PSP)
- Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PSP)
- Patapon 2 (PSP)
- MotorStorm: Arctic Edge (PSP)
- Gran Turismo (PSP)
- Resistance: Retribution (PSP)

I imagine a lot of those were covered at E3 2008. + other games that were coming in 2008.
 
E

EdReedFan20

Member
Circinus said:
I didn't watch E3 2008 (wasn't really fervently following games news etc at that time), but I remember SCE had an incredible line-up of first-party games in 2009:

- God of War Collection
- Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
- inFamous
- Killzone 2
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
- Wipeout HD Fury
- LittleBigPlanet (PSP)
- Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PSP)
- Patapon 2 (PSP)
- MotorStorm: Arctic Edge (PSP)
- Gran Turismo (PSP)
- Resistance: Retribution (PSP)

I imagine a lot of those were covered at E3 2008.
Click to expand...

Not Uncharted 2. It was revealed in December that year at the VGAs. E3 2009 had the playthrough of the warzone city as well as the epic trailer, which to me is still one of the best game trailers ever. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlkkceDkT88
 
C

Circinus

Member
sechsterangriff said:
That Vita/PSP line... They threw it under the bus in 2012 (just a couple of months after launch) and it's gotten worse ever since.
This thing only survived in the west until now because of its very small but dedicated player base.
I get the feeling every time Yoshida or Boyes say they didn't have enough time to talk about Vita at E3, a kitten dies...
Click to expand...

Nah, the first-party games have been way better received on PS Vita than the first-party games on PS4. PS Vita is a much more appealing than PS4 to me.

I'd say that with PS Vita they delivered arguably the best PlayStation system yet.
 
C

Circinus

Member
Honestly, their E3 2013 and 2014 were a bit boring in my humble opinion.

EdReedFan20 said:
Not Uncharted 2. It was revealed in December that year at the VGAs. E3 2009 had the playthrough of the warzone city as well as the epic trailer, which to me is still one of the best game trailers ever. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlkkceDkT88
Click to expand...

You're right. :)

Looking up what they showed, it looks like it was still mostly 2008 games rather than 2009 games:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histor...ertainment_Expo#2008_.28July_15.E2.80.9317.29
http://www.ign.com/wikis/e3/Sony_at_E3_2008
 
J

JehutyRunner

Banned
Circinus said:
I didn't watch E3 2008 (wasn't really fervently following games news etc at that time), but I remember SCE had really good line-up of first-party games in 2009:

- God of War Collection
- Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
- inFamous
- Killzone 2
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
- Wipeout HD Fury
- LittleBigPlanet (PSP)
- Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PSP)
- Patapon 2 (PSP)
- MotorStorm: Arctic Edge (PSP)
- Gran Turismo (PSP)
- Resistance: Retribution (PSP)

I imagine a lot of those were covered at E3 2008. + other games that were coming in 2008.
Click to expand...

Sony were really on the ball in 2009 with their presser. In order of appearance, this was their first-party lot shown in that conference:

+ Uncharted 2
+ MAG
+ Gran Turismo PSP
+ PlayStation Move unveil (without the Move name - that'd be announced a few months later at GDC)
+ ModNation Racers
+ The Last Guardian
LOL
+ Gran Turismo 5
+ God of War III

Probably missing a few, but that was the best first-party line-up I've seen shown or announced at E3. Add in a great third-party showing with the reveal of MGS: Peace Walker, a decent Final Fantasy XIII trailer (oh if we only knew...), Final Fantasy XIV reveal, a cool Assassin's Creed II demo and the Agent announce (moot now, but at the time, awesome) and - in terms of wall-to-wall content - it's one of my favourite E3 pressers.
 
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