E3 Gamers Attention by Microsoft, Sony

The pre E3 presentations by Microsoft and Sony took place at Los Angeles on Monday. Both Microsoft and Sony announced a slew of new games for the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4(PS4) respectively. 

The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is an annual trade show for the video game industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). This year the event is scheduled to take place at the Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA from June 10, 2014 to June 12.

Bonnie Ross, General Manager of 343 Industries, Microsoft Games Studios, presents Halo for the Xbox One, during a presentation ahead of the Electronic Entertainment Expo at the University of Southern California's Galen Center in Los Angeles. Photo: AP/Damian Dovarganes

 

Sony's presentation which followed later in the evening was also packed with announcements of new games coming to the PlayStation 4. Sony's Worldwide Studios announced a slew of first party exclusive titles for the platform. The biggest reveal came at the end of the presentation when the new installment in the popular Uncharted franchise, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End was announced. Sony also premiered "Abzu," an undersea odyssey from the creators of the award-winning "Journey," and "Entwined," a psychedelic 3-D flying game. Other major titles revealed for the PS4 at the presentation were Little Big Planet 3 and the critically and commercially acclaimed Grand Theft Auto V. Also shown during the presentation were highlights from steampunk thriller "The Order: 1866".

Gamers play a LittleBigPlanet 3 video game during Sony's PlayStation press event at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles. Photo: AP/Jae C. Hong 

 

"Our vision is grounded in an uncompromising commitment to gamers," said PlayStation group chief Andrew House.
The other stand out factor at both the presentations was the prominence given to small independent studios, churning out artistic games. Both pressers heavly featured indie game with the highlight being 'Abzu' on the PlayStation 4, from the creators of the BAFTA award winning, Journey.

 

Third party publishers Electronic Arts and Ubisoft also held their pre E3 conferences on Monday. EA's big announcement was the reveal of Battlefield Hardline and Star Wars Battlefront both set to appear on the Xbox One and PS4. EA also gave a sneek peek into other titles like Dragon Age: Inquisition and cult favorite Mirror's Edge.

Ubisoft showed highlights from the next installment of the action-adventure franchise Assassin's Creed set in the French Revolution called Assassin's Creed: Unity. Ubisoft's big surprise was the revival of the cult franchise Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six with a new title Rainbow Six: Siege. Both games will be available on Xbox One and PS4.