Microsoft Cancels E3 Post-Conference Info Session

[devotedsniper]

Considering all the backlash from the 21st you would think Microsoft might want to try to ease there core audience? You know considering there all up in arms, you can't get your story straight, do they really not need our money any more? too good for gamers now?

You would think they would show some more respect to the core gamers considering there wouldn't be an xbone or even a 360 without them, not to mention the fact that if you would just confirm the actual facts rather than changing your mind every 5 minutes, you would probably find a lot of the negativity might go away. Either way it doesn't really affect me I wasn't planning on getting a new console this gen as i have a gaming rig but if i were to decide i would probably go with the ps4 at this point.

 

[Wyvern65]

I'm not really sure why this comes as a surprise to anyone. All it indicates is that MS is in full-on bunker mentality. They've written off the gaming press as a loss.

It's basic PR 101: Control the message. And from their perspective it may actually be the strategy that makes the most sense.

No one can deny that the reveal was a PR clusterf*ck. They have to do E3, but they don't have to permit the risk of allowing executives to provide possibly off-script answers to a press that they've already alienated; one which will be hostile.

From their perspective, absolutely nothing good could come from this kind of press conference. They will never be able to provide satisfactory answers that will convince during this kind of event, even if everything they said were 100 percent factual.

What the escapist or destructoid or rock, paper, shotgun or gamespot, or kotaku thinks about MS at this point is irrelevant, because as MS sees it they've already lost them. As important as those outlets may be to hardcore gamers, a single well-crafted nation-wide advertising campaign will reach far more people than any gaming press ever will; all while allowing them to carefully shape and control the message.

 

[Hawkeye21]

but the the Wii Us bad presentation was just that: a bad presentation...to the point most of the people who watching it (including the press) came away actually thinking the controller was the actual console...

That made me google Wii U, and I've discovered that I am one of those people.

 

[Teoes]

I'm looking forward to E3 more and more - I think this is going to so much fun!

Spoiler: this is appropriate

My money's on the overall message from the XBone reveal carrying over to E3: "More info to follow later!". I wouldn't be surprised to see it embossed on the console itself.

 

[deadish]

When you have nothing but bad news, I'd cancel the media events too.

Microsoft's in trouble and they know it. Despite them saying gamers will "buy it regardless" and "still pick [them]", that has proven to be untrue, and they're unprepared for the backlash.

You don't AVOID the media at an event designed to reveal information TO the media... unless what they have to reveal is embarrassing, poorly received, and highly anti-consumer.

Sounds very similar to the ramblings of a certain other company's less than smooth console launch about 7 years ago ... That company's reputation took quite a hit for those statements.

 

[deadish]

What the escapist or destructoid or rock, paper, shotgun or gamespot, or kotaku thinks about MS at this point is irrelevant, because as MS sees it they've already lost them. As important as those outlets may be to hardcore gamers, a single well-crafted nation-wide advertising campaign will reach far more people than any gaming press ever will; all while allowing them to carefully shape and control the message.

The problem is, hardcore gamers are the reliable bread and butter consumers of video games. They are the ones that buy game after game, time after time.

If you lose them, you will end up just like Nintendo. Praying that whatever gimmicks your toy has is capable of attracting the single-purchase-then-to-the-closet-it-go mainstream market.

 

[Hazy992]

Well of course! Disseminating information is the last thing Microsoft wants to do!

It's like Microsoft are actively trying to discourage people from buying an Xbone at this point. I can't speak for everyone but it's definitely worked on me -_-

 

[oliver.begg]

probally a case of "if you ask no questions, i can tell no lies, or put my foot in my mouth"

 

[Dryk]

I'm not really buying the scheduling conflict thing either, this would have been known about months in advance and being such a major industry event, I would have expected that they would be working around this event.

We are talking about the guys that didn't see the "always online" questions coming at their reveal of a console which was heavily rumoured to be always online for months beforehand. Maybe their heads are actually that far into the sand that they don't see E3 coming until the week before.

 

[Longstreet]

It's almost like their is a competition between different Microsoft employees of who can make the most idiotic decisions.

Seriously, the ONLY reason i can think of for them to cancel something important, especially with the past few months of rumors, as a media roundup is that they know the product sucks, they don't got answers to the critical questions and they hope sticking their head in the sand will make it all go away.

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

I wonder, and it's a long shot in the dark...

Since this occured, I wonder if the information contained in this OP:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.409802-If-this-is-true-Then-Wow?page=1

...had any contribution to this decision? Granted, Microsoft's already been stomped into the ground as it is and that's enough reason to cancel any conference, but something inside me is nagging about the possibility of all these things...

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

Not sure what this means. I guess ms is banking on the E3 conference answering all the questions still surrounding the xbone, however if the conference doesn't do that then it could be another pr diaster for the xbone. Plus it doesn't help that this move looks like an attempt to sweep the awkward questions under rug to us onlookers.

 

[ecoho]

I think I understand why they want to do this, its cause the last post conference opened up a huge bag of snakes and they don't want it to happen again. I would expect them to do a sit down with a few exclusive magazines and websites about halfway through E3 to explain things they didn't cover so they can control the outcome better.

 

[seditary]

I have $10 on Microsoft just starting their E3 conference with 'The Xbox One has been delayed, more information to follow' and then they all leave.

 

[carpathic]

I suspect they are trying to avoid a situation where they might put more people off by revealing things they don't want to. All the while trying to make us aware of the things they want us to care about, and hoping the people who don't follow gaming news just pick one up as its the latest "must buy" thing.

Microsoft remind me of that old Simpsons episode where they get Homer to design a car to appeal to the average American, and everybody hates it.

I sense the truth in what you say.

Seriously though, I don't know what Microsoft is thinking, other than "heh, the idiots'll buy it anyway. Let's see just how much money we can soak from EVERYPERSON we possibly can"

This is the same thing that happened to Mass Effect 2 and 3. The big company sat down and thought about how to squeeze every cent from an intellectual property (xbone as idea) rather than just trying to create something truly great and watching the money pour in.

 

[Leaper]

This seems pretty much in keeping with Microsoft's dedication to dodging questions and providing half-answers when pressed for info about the Xbox One. What better way to avoid direct questions than to avoid circumstances in which they can be asked altogether?

Well E3 specifically is completely consumer oriented event, where the only thing you can expect is advertisement and over the top PR crap.

 

[Nuxxy]

I think to claim a scheduling conflict would be worse than the XB1. Who doesn't plan for E3?

 

[Wyvern65]

The problem is, hardcore gamers are the reliable bread and butter consumers of video games. They are the ones that buy game after game, time after time.

If you lose them, you will end up just like Nintendo. Praying that whatever gimmicks your toy has is capable of attracting the single-purchase-then-to-the-closet-it-go mainstream market.

Oh, I agree, and that's very well how things could play out. I was just outlining what MS is most likely thinking at the moment. Every message I've seen coming from Redmond seems to indicate that MS is trying to position the new XB as more of an 'entertainment device' and less of a traditional console. Time will tell if that works for them.

 

[Something Amyss]

Huh, people are still saying "M$". How...Vintage.

Didn't I read just yesterday that they wanted to improve their information policies and provide more and better answers in the future?

Seriously, cutting off information sessions probably WILL improve their information policies and distribution.

The less these guys say, the less of it will be utter bull.

 

[TiberiusEsuriens]

If Microsoft decides instead of a QA session to actually address the community's questions through their main presentation then it's fine with me.

If they leave the conference having spent a day or two of dodging reporters' questions they'll be shooting themselves in the foot.