As the first day of E3 concludes, gamers were introduced to several first reveal trailers and information relating to the latest titles developed by Ubisoft, Devolver Digital, and Gearbox. For the latter, the major highlights of Gearbox's presentation were information relating to the Borderlands franchise, including its spinoff Tiny Tina's Wonderlands and the upcoming live-action movie.
The Borderlands movie will feature a star-studded cast, sharing their talents to the big screen, including Kevin Hart as Roland and Cate Blanchett as Lilith. During the presentation, fans were treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the production of the movie led by Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford. An awkward exchange between Pitchford and Hart, however, ultimately led to a humorous response on the internet, resulting in several memes in response.
Following the conclusion of several Gearbox's announcements, including the action survival co-op RPG Tribes of Midgard and the action-adventure Godfall confirmed for a PS4 port and expansion, Kevin Hart discusses with Pitchford his role in the upcoming Borderlands movie, expressing his excitement on bringing the acclaimed shooter to a live-action setting. At the end of the conversation, as Pitchford thanks Hart for his time and reaching for a high-five, Hart humorously leaves Pitchford hanging as he returned to his trailer.
Fans watching the conference immediately went on social media to tweet their response to the exchange, citing Pitchford as coming off shy and nervous around Kevin Hart. The failed high-five eventually turned into a meme format, with Pitchford representing Gearbox and Hart representing the fans who were otherwise disappointed with the presentation as a whole.
A major part of the reason behind many fans' disappointment with Gearbox was its lack of information involving the anticipated real-time strategy game Homeworld 3. Two years ago, the third entry in the cult classic RTS series was announced, reviving the Homeworld franchise since its last release in 2003.
In 2015, Gearbox remastered the first two Homeworld games in the series with Homeworld Collection, allowing newer players of the series to become acquainted with the space strategy games. However, aside from the developers acknowledging that the game was in development, no further information was shared in this year's E3 presentation to the dismay of fans.
The E3 conference has historically been a birthplace of memes contributed via celebrities and hosts alike, resulting in both humorous and charming moments for fans to engage in. 2019's E3 served as an example including such moments as Keanu Reeves telling a fan "You're breathtaking" and Ikumi Nakamura's positive energy, promoting the latter to the public eye from her personality alone. As the E3 weekend continues, expect more moments to turn into meme-worthy experiences.