Call me crazy but I have not missed an E3 in about 7 years. This makes putting this list together so much more exciting as I have witnessed all the shocker announcements as they have happened.
While I was streaming them under the covers, they still left me in complete awe as we never saw them coming at all.
The most important thing to keep in mind here is that these secrets are very hard to keep, so when they are announced you really have to appreciate just how much work went into making sure that they had the impact they did.
Rise of the Tomb Raider a Xbox One exclusive?
Sony has seen quite a number of PlayStation mascots on their platforms, one which is the oh so beautiful Lara Croft.
We all remember playing the classic trilogy on the original PlayStation, and it gave us comfort to know that the series was a solid experience on the home console (we are not talking about the Angel of Darkness okay).
While this was a treat, Microsoft did something so inconceivable evil that it gave everyone a shock of their lives.
At the 2014 Microsoft E3 briefing the company revealed that Rise of the Tomb Raider, the sequel to the popular 2013 reboot would be an Xbox One exclusive – gasp.
While this was more a timed exclusive, of which Microsoft failed to reveal at the time, it was a huge shift in power that many fans were rather upset about.
We finally got the game on PS4, but the announcement still touches a sensitive spot for PlayStation fans who grew up on the series.
Sony Announces PSP
Up to the late nineties, Nintendo was the handheld king, and while still are today, not to mention the mobile gaming market, Sony once tried to get in there and compete with them.
The PSP was announced back at E3 2003 and the device was a clear step up from Nintendo’s 16-bit DS.
While Sony did not beat Nintendo, the PSP’s announcement was a big deal thanks to its powerful hardware which saw 3D games come to life on a big handheld device. It was also one of the first ever mobile devices that could do multimedia, and this was a big deal.
In the world of no smartphones and Nintendo’s handheld devices, the PSP was the perfect fit for that gap. Its success was proof that Sony saw an opportunity and took it, and it paid off in the end unlike the PS Vita, but that is a different story.
Call of Duty leaves Microsoft
Back when the original Xbox was released, Activision saw great potential in its Xbox Live service. Unlike Sony’s PS2 online feature, the Xbox Live felt like a more streamlined experience.
Activision then invested in the Call of Duty series taking preference on the Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. This meant that maps and DLC would come to the console first, as well the consoles has a few unique models and controllers released around the game’s theme.
For over 10 years Microsoft had this partnership, until E3 2015 when Sony announced that they had snatched that deal away from Microsoft like a Miss Phillipeans took the crown away from Miss Columbia at the Miss Universe competition.
During their conference, it was revealed that they would be handling the Call of Duty series with exclusive timed DLC and even a sexy Black Ops 3 console.
While the Xbox One still gets Call of Duty, marketing and promotional work around the game can tell you otherwise.
Xbox One Backwards Compatibility
In the current generation of gaming, one thing is a major issue, the lack of backwards compatibility. We find ourselves forced to re-purchase games we have already bought a couple of times, and re-releases are coming out on the daily.
Microsoft knew this was an issue and well sorted the problem out.
At the 2015 E3 conference, Microsoft took to the stage to reveal their master plan to set themselves apart from the others. Their answer to all this was to bring all their Xbox 360 to Xbox One by re-programming them as new titles.
All this meant was you would have to either insert your Xbox 360 disc in and download an Xbox One version of the game, or just download digital games you owned in the past.
No one saw this coming as we were so used to living in a day where our old games meant paying something for them. It was a feature that immediately shot Microsoft out of the water and into the air in a stylish pose.
Now if only everyone can do the same.
SEGA Saturn goes on sale right now but wait….$299
It was the first ever E3 conference back in 1995 and SEGA knew what it meant to be at a venue with the media’s eyes glued on them at all times. The gaming industry was at its peak and moving into a new era of 3D graphics.
SEGA were working on a new console and Sony was too.
When SEGA took to their podium (yes they used podiums back then) they announced that due to “unprecedented demand” they would be releasing their SEGA Saturn on that day at a starting price of $399.
I am not a maths genius but that was a lot of money for a console back in 1995.
Right after the announcement of the console’s release and pricing, Sony’s PlayStation conference was taking place. Steve Race, Sony’s current CEO walked up to the stage said one word “$299” and walked off.
It was the mic drop moment of the nineties of which changed SEGA’s company forever. The Saturn simply could not keep up with Sony’s price point and power.
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