Square Enix
While it feels upsetting to shit on the industry giant that’s given us countless great titles over the years, it’s no secret that Square Enix barely brought a knife to a gunfight at their first ever E3 conference. With disappointing recycles of the same trailers shown at previous conferences and little substantial gameplay, Square Enix gave no truly interesting announcements or information. There were no speakers, no breaks in between trailers, and no mention at all over Final Fantasy 7. It was hard to feel hyped over Just Cause 4 because the delivery was so underplayed, and hard to feel anything but confusion and dismay over the trailer for The Quiet Man.
Overall, lack of content, surprises, gameplay and information made Square Enix the unfortunate laughing stock of E3.
Letter grade: D+
Ubisoft
Like Sony, Ubisoft also remembered to entertain when it came to their presentation. It featured an appropriately ridiculous opening dance number, and a fair amount of titles such as Skull & Bones, The Division 2 and Beyond Good & Evil 2 were shown. The crown jewel of the conference was Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, which, if it hadn’t been leaked days before, would have been one of the best surprises of the entire weekend. Lengthy gameplay was broadcast, with features such as female protagonists and choice-based dialogue being key components of the new installment set in ancient Greece.
Letter grade: B
Nintendo
Nintendo closed out the conferences with a relatively lackluster presentation, spotlighting Pokemon and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with few other intriguing titles. Unfortunately, Nintendo does not have the same access to titles that PlayStation, Xbox and PC do, and it’s hurting the growth of their game library. People were so disappointed by the limited announcements made at the conference that Nintendo’s stocks have actually dropped since. Still, they revealed that Fornite and Hollow Knight would be available on the Switch that same day, and games such as Super Mario Party and Fire Emblem: Three Houses would be released in the future.
Letter Grade: C
The Verdict
Microsoft absolutely killed it at E3 for the first time in years, with a mountain of new titles being shown at a fast and exciting pace. The quality of trailers and teasers were fantastic, and there were a healthy dose of surprises and first glances thrown in. Following Microsoft would have to be Sony, who delivered a conference that did not shy away from hearty gameplay footage of their most anticipated games. Bethesda also came in strong with upcoming titles that will have us buzzing for a long time, but could have had a smoother presentation and a more substantial teaser for Starfield. Ubisoft stacks up next, with its entertaining session and gorgeous selection of titles shown, followed by EA, Nintendo and finally, Square Enix.