What to look for at E3 this year
Post-apocalyptic chutes and ladders, for one.
Dear Janelle,
After working together for a decade you, my co-founder, are leaving SuperData.
The character of an organization, especially a startup, comes from its founders. And for SuperData that meant you. You were the one who brought the discipline and structure to this whole operation that allowed us to grow. Under your leadership SuperData thrived, as did the people that worked there. And while I may accidentally have created some of the opportunities, you were the engine behind the oversubscribed series A and, just a few months later, the Nielsen acquisition.
The odds of all this working out were always next to nil. The brilliant daughter of immigrants, you’ve been a statistical outlier since I first met you. Sadly, we can still count on one hand the number of black female founders who raised a round, built and sold a company. And here you are. Your perspective on day-to-day business was invaluable. But I understand that now, with the integration done, Project SuperData is complete and you’ll move on to the next thing. You should be very proud.
Janelle, thank you for all your hard work. Working with you has been the most personally and professionally fulfilling thing I’ve done. And I am very excited to have you just be my wife again.
This one's for you, my love.
On to this week’s update.
NEWS
E3 Preview
Hardware. There will likely be no significant hardware announcements. The Switch is still doing great at retail, which means that Nintendo can afford to delay on any price cuts or hardware updates. Rumor has it that there’s a “handheld-only version” of the Switch coming. For the Xbox there’s a good chance of $50 - $100 price cut across its device as Microsoft is looking to transition everyone onto its cloud-based offerings. Sony’s absence from this year’s show suggests that we’ll have to wait longer for any more detail on the PS5.
Software. A largely predictable line-up from the big wigs. The two titles I’ll be looking for are Shenmue 3 and Cyberpunk 2077. The former because I’ve had to wait almost two decades for it by now and really enjoyed the first two back in the day. The latter because if it’s a success on par with CD Projekt’s The Witcher the company may very well ascend to the same stratosphere as Epic recently did on the momentum of Fortnite. Given CD Projekt’s experience as a digital distributor and clout among hardcore gamers, it would add a notable contender to the digital PC market.
I hear you ask: "What about Death Stranding?" Yes, I’ve seen it. And, no, I haven’t the faintest idea what Hideo has in store for us. Best guess: it's a post-apocalyptic chutes and ladders. Count me in.
For each of the legacy publishers, here’s what I’m curious about:
Activision Blizzard. After last year’s adoption of the battle royale mechanic, how novel will Call of Duty: Modern Warfare truly be? Stakes are high as ATVI already sold 5 franchises for the Call of Duty esports league franchise owners, stating that pricing for the medallions have gone up (“well ahead”) from OWL. Its suggests $500MM in total OWL + CODL franchise sales and will depend on having something solid to show around CoD at E3. How do you keep a 15-year old franchise that has sold more than 300MM units in aggregate fresh and exciting as you enter competitive gaming?
Electronic Arts. All eyes will be on the second act for Apex Legends as EA scrambles to build the game’s initial success into a franchise. Nevertheless, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will headline EA’s event as it tends to put most of its weight behind its biggest licenses. Similarly, FIFA20 and Madden NFL 20 will be staples and, I hope, EA takes the opportunity to provide more clarity re: loot boxes in the lead-up to the FTC’s workshop and other regulatory initiatives.
Take-Two Interactive. After the announcement at PAX East, I expect Borderlands 3 to be its marquee title this year. It is likely too early for any news re: a PC port for RDR2, and any major DLC drops will go to GTA 5 (based on historical announcements) with more news to come over the summer.
Ubisoft. You never know. No doubt there’ll be detail on Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint. But the French publisher also has three other triple A titles slated for 2020, which likely include a sequel to Mario & Rabbids: Kingdom Battle.
Nintendo. A favorite will undoubtedly be the Switch remake The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, and expectations are high for Mario Kart Tour. It will be the first E3 since Doug Bowser took over from Reggie.
Finally, I’m hoping to attend the Q2 Nielsen Esports Advisory Board meeting on Monday, and will be presenting at a string of fin bro breakfasts and luncheons. Have fun out there, and try not to trip over all the YouTubers and Twitch streamers.
Apple TV to support Xbox One, PS4 controllers
At its WWDC event this week, Apple announced that the tvOS 13 update will add support for dedicated gaming joysticks. Very cool! I’m not sure that this also means Apple TV will add any Xbox or PlayStation titles to its inventory but it will certainly help the Apple TV grow into a more pronounced gaming role.
UK watchdog releases its annual report
Ofcom published its annual report on media use and attitudes among adults. Here’s the full report and data. I’m concerned about the lack of Fortnite mentions. Seems wrong. Excellent write-up on current state of kids apps Written by the former CEO and co-founder to Toca Boca, one of my personal favorite kids-focused apps, this article offers a comprehensive overview. His take is that it’s still early days for this market segment. I agree. DoJ and FTC are preparing an antitrust investigation into Google It was only a matter of time, I suppose. But according to the WSJ, the US government is about to probe Google. Such an investigation will likely set the tone for the other two as well (Amazon, Facebook). Apple, in the meantime, has been working to establish an image of pro-consumer and general protector of data and privacy. Is that why it settled with Qualcomm?
Cars as the new gaming platform
It's probably still way too early but given how much other tech car manufacturers are cramming into their vehicles of the future to differentiate, why not add games? I want to live in a future where my self-driving Uber ride gives me access to demos for upcoming releases en route to E3.