It's common to talk of E3 – America's biggest games conference – in terms of winners and losers. Accordingly then, it's Xbox who walks away holding E3 2018's metaphorical champion's cup, leaving everyone else scrambling for second place.
Microsoft
Microsoft's conference was almost part-apology, an acknowledgement that the biggest criticism levelled at Xbox – that it's almost barren when it comes to games to play on the platform – has merit. In response, the company's head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, announced five new studios joining its portfolio as first party, exclusive developers, while revealing a slate of games from external studios coming to the console.
Compulsion Games (We Happy Few,), Undead Labs (State of Decay), Ninja Theory (Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice), and Playground Games (Forza Horizon, plus an upcoming but unrevealed open-world game), are all now exclusively creating for Xbox, while a brand new studio – The Initiative, headed up by former Crystal Dynamics head Darrell Gallagher – is being established in Santa Monica. While the Xbox One may only benefit from a few games from these teams, it lays a very strong foundation for the inevitable successor console; a machine Spencer confirmed is already in development.
There's no reason to sell off your Xbox just yet though – also announced were 343 Industries' Halo Infinite, a lush looking new chapter in the sci-fi saga; Forza Horizons 4, bringing the racing tournament to the UK, with changing seasons that dynamically alter environments; Gears 5, shifting focus to the series' first female protagonist Kait Diaz; even a new Battletoads game was revealed. Add to that hefty DLC packs coming to Sea of Thieves and Cuphead, and a renewed effort to court Japanese developers – expect to see From Software's new Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Bandai Namco's Dragon Ball/Naruto/One Piece crossover Jump Force, a definitive edition of classic RPG Tales of Vesperia, Capcom's Devil May Cry 5, and even previous PlayStation exclusive Kingdom Hearts coming to Xbox One – and there's plenty of life left in Microsoft's current hardware.
Sony
Sony focused its PlayStation presence on just four games – horror sequel The Last of Us Part II, samurai cinema-inspired Ghost of Tsushima, Insomniac's Spider-Man game, and Hideo Kojima's perplexing Death Stranding, which stars Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen. Despite showing the first snippets of gameplay of the latter – and revealing that Léa Seydoux and Lindsay Wagner will be joining the cast – no one is any the wiser as to what the game entails, besides Reedus' character carrying a baby in a canister around bleak environments.
Sony's press conference also revealed the long-awaited Resident Evil 2 remake, Koei Tecmo's samurai Dark Souls-alike Nioh 2, and Control, a supernatural adventure from the makers of Alan Wake. The company hasn't given up on PlayStation VR either, with plenty of new titles coming to the virtual reality headset – chiefly Trover Saves the Universe from Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland, but also showing the mesmerising Tetris Effect from Tetsuya Mizuguchi. From Software also unveiled Déraciné, where players embody a formless spirit – quite a departure from the studio's usual fare.
Nintendo
Nintendo, meanwhile, announced a small handful of new games for the Switch – such as giant robot effort Daemon X Machina, turn-based strategy Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and potentially friendship-ruining Super Mario Party, plus a hefty DLC prequel pack for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – but the vast majority of its attention was on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
The latest instalment in the fighting franchise brings back every single character to ever pummel an opponent off a moving platform in the series' history, and throws in customisable Inklings from Splatoon and the giant, winged monster Ridley, a regular villain from the Metroid games. Set to launch on the Switch on 7 December, Ultimate also tweaks the behaviour of some returning characters – particularly guest fighters, such as Final Fantasy VII's Cloud, who now has a Limit Break gauge building to his most powerful attack – and introduces 'Echo Fighters', variants of existing characters (such as Princess Daisy emulating Princess Peach) but modified with their own skills and moves.
Third Parties
Other publishers has similarly impressive wares on display, from EA's Anthem, a third-person, multiplayer, sci-fi action RPG in an open-world future, or Unravel 2, delivering another slice of delightful puzzle platforming, to Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, venturing to ancient Greece and evolving the franchise to an unabashed epic RPG. This year's E3 was all about the software. However, with Microsoft and Sony both open about their next consoles coming in the not-too-distant future, that focus on franchises also felt like a holding pattern, until the hype for those new machines can really begin.