Microsoft didn’t have the best showing at E3, with most fans complaining about too much Kinect, too many (non-game) Xbox features, unimpressive Splinter Cell and Call of Duty demos, and random Usher. It seems Microsoft won’t try to make up for their shortcomings, as they’ve announced that they won’t be appearing at Tokyo Game Show or GamesCom.
A posting on the Major Nelson blog (blog of Larry Hryb, Director of Programming for Xbox Live) stated that Microsoft has, “changed [their] approach a little.” He opened by saying, “As you saw at E3, we have a solid line-up of games launching this holiday, along with other entertainment experiences,” but went on to say, “Xbox will be focusing on smaller, more localized promotions and experiences for press, partners, retailers and customers around the world.” Which means, “we won’t be taking part in gamescom or Tokyo Games Show this year.”
There was a lot that people wanted to see at the Microsoft E3, and a lot that they wanted to see more of (not Usher). For instance, Halo 4 and the new South Park game had strong positive reactions, but highly anticipated games like Crimson Dragon and Ryse weren’t mentioned. The comments on the post were scathing, with remarks like, “Microsoft can’t attend these shows because they contain the word ‘game’ in them.” Another user wrote, “Xbox shows once again it is totally not interested in anything other than America,” while another responded, “You’re incorrect. They don’t care about videogames anymore.”
Have strong feelings about Microsoft pulling out of the biggest international game shows this year? Let us know in the comments.
