Here’s the Breakdown of Articles Written During 2018’s Expo
E3 2018 is over, which now gives plenty of personnel some much-needed time to rest from writing about video games. Some might say, however, that the war has just begun. At the end of every major press conference, gamers and media folks ask who would win this E3. Well, here are the numbers for who won E3 in terms of coverage: platforms, publishers, and video games.
To start, let’s take a look at which platforms garnered the most media articles. How do we do that? We follow the prolific folk over at ICO partners, who keep track of every article written. Most pieces for E3 2018 mentioned PlayStation (16,226 of them to be exact), followed by Microsoft (15,416) and then Nintendo (10,114). You can view the chart down below.
Overall, the year-on-year articles for E3 have decreased, and there may be a number of reasons for this. Despite Microsoft’s great showing this year, they didn’t really deliver any hard-hitting facts, aside from the acquisition of five studios. Furthermore, more than half of their 50 games showcased didn’t come with release dates. At the same time, Sony showcased very few games. Finally, Nintendo is cranking out Super Smash Bros. and Pokemon articles as we speak – There’s only so much to write about.
Moving on, the single game that acquired the most coverage during E3 2018 was Fortnite. The two runner-ups are Bethesda’s Fallout 76 (2nd) and CD Projekt RED’s Cyberpunk 2077 (3rd). Despite its limited presence at E3, people still seemed smitten by Epic Games’ fan-favorite battle royale experience. Or… most articles may have pertained to the whole PlayStation 4-Nintendo Switch fiasco in which the announcement of Fortnite on Nintendo’s console revealed the unplayable state of the game for those who previously registered with a PlayStation account. It’s a revelation that sparked its share of ire.
Surprisingly, The Last of Us 2 and Death Stranding didn’t receive as much coverage as industry folks might have suspected. Comparing the amount of coverage for the top games of each individual conference, Bethesda took the gold with Fallout 76. Perhaps, when the game arrives on mobile, toasters, and smart fridges, it will gain the traction it needs over Fortnite.
Electronic Arts, on the other hand, was the most discussed publisher. 2nd place was Bethesda, followed by Ubisoft in a very close third. Maybe, that’s because Ubisoft’s conference didn’t include major new game announcements. But considering EA’s gigantic lead, what could be the reason? Was it Anthem, FIFA, Battlefield V, or something entirely different. The publisher has a lot going on.
Let us know your thoughts on E3’s media coverage. Which games, publishers, and platforms do you think deserved the most coverage? Who would you say “won” the expo? Does it really matter if all the gamers win? Let us know your surprises by commenting below. Or you can check our surprises from hands-on coverage and previews.