We're back
from E3 2017
While we don’t develop video games, this industry is an important one for us to keep an eye on for many reasons. Games often push the boundaries of experiences and graphics, which can eventually find ways into divergent industries. Games reflect the current cultural climate while delivering on the escape from every day life that people crave, expanding imaginations and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. The hardware developed to enable game play offers lessons on user experience, durability, fun, connectivity, niche marketing and whimsy. Plus, it’s fun.
We hope you enjoy our peek into this space and welcome a conversation on how some of these insights might inform your current product development program.
Follow our player, Joel Delman, LA Creative Director, through the show (and this report)
nostalgia
Game and gaming hardware companies are turning to the past for their new releases. Whether it’s because it brings us back to simpler times or just makes us feel like kids again, the strategy is successful in this industry.
It’s fun to look at the dichotomy of modern, incredibly real graphics with a retro, nostalgic offering.
Cuphead, an old-school 2D game by Microsoft was received with open arms by gamers at E3.
Ubisoft’s Skull & Bones embraces beautifully detailed graphics to make a screen experience that almost looks real.
A next-gen redesign of the classic Super Nintendo and Super Famciom controllers so you can play new and old games on your modern devices with the same 90’s feeling you remember.
If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older.
- Tom Stoppard
Xbox’s original, huge “Duke” controller is baaaack. Refreshed with a new OLED screen, we expect you to be listening to some Lifehouse or Train while you game with this bad boy.
Nintendo maintains the draw of nostalgia with Mario, yet updates just enough to keep it modern and fresh in Super Mario Odyssey.
Japan Studios breaks from the ‘so real you can smell the grass’ theme, calling upon a retro feel that’s quite charming.
What’s more nostalgic than toys?
Super detailed ships and figures in Starlink bring collectible driven play to grown up gaming at E3.
Zelda continues to expand, The Champions’ Ballad is going to feature the four champions of Hyrule.
Ubisoft has something very fresh in Starlink, an open world space shooter which allows the user to customize their starship by manipulating a detailed, scale physical model in their hand.
switch
a sleeping giant awakes: Nintendo switch
Surprise of show was the enthusiasm for Nintendo’s new Switch. After years of having the quietest E3 booth, they’ve got a winner!
Surprise of show was the enthusiasm for @NintendoAmerica's new #switch... after years of quietest #e32017 booth, they've got a winner #e3PDT pic.twitter.com/gcuvghqYhN
— PDT (@askpdt) June 15, 2017
From a design standpoint, the Nintendo Switch is kinda plain, clean and simple...refreshing and appropriate.
big hardware & accessories
The market for pricey hardware aimed at the most serious gamers seems to be growing every year.
chicken, egg
movies, games
It used to be that if there was a huge success on the silver screen, a video game might follow. Now, high-budget movies are based on games, and games have story lines and special effects more immersive than movies that studios dump millions into.
Is it a movie, or is it @SonyPlayStation? The line between film and games gets more blurred every year #e32017 #e3PDT pic.twitter.com/4Q5qM68esG
— PDT (@askpdt) June 15, 2017
Is it a movie, or is it Sony PlayStation? The line between film and games gets more blurred every year.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
Grossed $312,257,250
Assassin's Creed
Grossed $240,558,621
Movies based on games that
garnered big box office dollars
The Angry Birds Movie
Grossed $349,779,543
Warcraft
Grossed $433,537,548
Gamers crave new.
Developers experiment.
We all win.
In 1956, Arthur Samuel demonstrates to a TV audience his computer checkers game he programmed on an IBM-701. Six years later, it defeats a checkers master. Five years after that, Alex Bernstien writes a chess program on an IBM-704 advanced enough to evaluate four half-moves ahead. In February 2011, IBM Watson competed on Jeopardy! In February 2013, it was used for utilization management decisions for lung cancer treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
translatable tech for consumer products
Super cool gesture control from Clay is ready for integration into gaming, transport and home automation markets.
First truly new controller I’ve seen at E3 2017 from CaptoGlove. Wireless glove gives true freedom to shoot, fly, etc naturally.
Not long until this very cool display tech makes it to consumer use applications.
hardware
worth noting
Elegant new line of gaming laptops from Dell was a nice surprise at E3.
The Alienware Area 51 Threadripper Edition is simple, yet geometric. Nice.
Seriously cool glow from Dell’s new Inspiron gaming tower.
Why are designs maturing?
Because players are.
Gaming computers once were designed with an eye toward a younger audience, with crazy colors, shapes and out-there aesthetics. As the gaming industry matures, it's delivering more serious looking machines to drive the games played by its adult market.
The average age of gamers: 35
The average age of game purchasers: 38
42% of the most frequent game players feel video games help them spend time with family
http://www.bigfishgames.com/blog/2017-video-game-trends-and-statistics-whos-playing-what-and-why/
virtual reality as a business model
We’re starting to see VR technology woven into business models, which shows serious maturation of the industry as whole.
Has anyone tried Odyssey’s kiosk at a mall yet? What did you think?
Has anyone tried @odysseyvr's kiosk at a mall yet? What did you think? #e32017 #e3PDT pic.twitter.com/9M6GrQzgFc
— PDT (@askpdt) June 14, 2017
Getting fit with VirZOOM ties goal oriented VR environments to exercise machines.
You know virtual reality has taken another step forward when Vertebrae Inc’s VR based advertising has a booth at E3.
More on VR...
Biggest news at the Xbox booth was no news... of VR for the new Xbox OneX console. Very surprising.
Personally I think one of VR's biggest challenges... Players don't know how stupid they look while they're saving the world #e32017 #e3PDT pic.twitter.com/69VVE9tSsQ
— PDT (@askpdt) June 15, 2017
Interesting take on VR for the more casual gamer from Pico Interactive... standalone goggles work with downloadable games.
Personally I think one of VR’s biggest challenges... Players don’t know how silly they look while they’re saving the world.
culture
Entertainment tends to reflect culture. In gaming, it seems to also be trying to shape it.
Detention is an immersive, story-driven game built on Taiwanese cultural references. Hope to see more games similarly inspired.
First time ever being greeted at E3 by watercolor images and peaceful music, rather than a laser cannon... promising start... and a sign of the times?
Far Cry 5 plays upon a deep distrust of the federal government and cult psychology.
China is seriously stepping up its game at E3 with Gujian, a Chinese fantasy RPG based Chinese fairy tales.
North by Outlands games was highlighted of Indiecade at E3. Beautiful game rooted in today’s refugee crisis.
physical and virtual interaction
Tracking Ida mixes real world, physical puzzles and clues with social media interaction for game play... super cool.
fantasy
Most people game to have fun and get away from the real world. Some games deliver on getting far from Earth, literally.
Shadow of War- A lot to live up to based on an awesome fire breathing dragon...Tolkien story goes far beyond standard fantasy play.
Very creative mash up... Monsters of the Deep Final Fantasy marries traditional fishing games with sea monsters.
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