With the Coronavirus pandemic seeing a number of conferences and trade shows canceled, major console manufacturers such as Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft have already been questioned about how they'll reveal their biggest new releases. The options for Nintendo and PlayStation seem somewhat obvious. Nintendo has its excellent Nintendo Direct broadcasts to discuss what's coming to the console and PlayStation has recently begun cultivating its State of Play streams to achieve the same effect.
Microsoft, however, might just have unveiled how it intends to host events going forward, with its plan seemingly being to err on the side of caution until the pandemic has subsided while also trying out some new ideas. According to reports, the company allegedly intends to put on exclusively digital events all the way through to July 2021, which many will note narrowly skips next year's E3.
Originally appearing through Twitter, Microsoft sent out a statement to a user inquiring into attending the company's March 2021 summit, claiming: "As a company, Microsoft has made the decision to transition all external and internal events to a digital first experience through July 2021." Microsoft later went on to discuss the statement with Eurogamer, telling the publication, "In light of the challenges presented by Covid-19, we are adjusting our event calendar and strategy." It continues, "For the remainder of 2020 we are embracing the opportunity to experiment with new platforms to provide our partners, customers and developers the highest quality, digital-first experiences."
While the reasoning is unfortunate, it might wind up being a positive step for Microsoft, especially as its competitors in the video game space are all switching to digital broadcasts when it comes to revealing future games. While the company has always struggled to provide interesting and enticing digital showcases - with their Inside Xbox briefings often being criticized for their slow pacing and lackluster reveals - this could be the chance for the company to finally fully embrace digital broadcasts.
It does, however, bring into mind the state of E3, especially as the major video game event falls within this digital-exclusive time period. With Xbox being one of the only big names to still be passionately linked with the showcase, this announcement has made many contemplate whether the company not having a traditional, on-stage briefing could be the final nail for the landmark event. Regardless, Xbox could still appear at E3 much like Nintendo does, with a solid, well-paced digital broadcast that allows the company to show off its biggest games without the tedious nature of a classic briefing.
Source: Eurogamer