RETAIL INTELLIGENCE Head to www.mcvuk.com for daily market data and news. This week our Recommended section starts on p25
The nine surprises of
MCV picks the games, platforms, people and services that made the Los Angeles show worthwhile
1. WATCH OUT FOR UBI
A new action adventure, Watch Dogs, closed Ubisoft’s press conference to much praise
2. GREAT BEYOND Nintendo kicked off its press conference with a franchise. Microsoft kicked off its showcase with owned IP. Sony decided the best way to grab people's attentions was with a new story-driven game starring Academy Award nominee Ellen Page. It worked.
3. STAR WARS GROWS UP A new game from LucasArts was brimming with ideas and is either a late in the cycle release or – potentially – a launch title for next generation PlayStation or Xbox.
4. WONDER-FUL
Want to launch a new interactive book to entice a mass market audience, but don’t know what to launch it with? How about a new Harry Potter spin-off developed with JK Rowling. If only, right?
5. MICROSOFT SMARTGLASS… The Xbox announcements this year were few and far between. This had the most potential. Tablet owners can now use their devices with their home consoles.
7. SQUARE SET FOR NEXT-GEN The frankly jaw-dropping tech demo entitled 'Agni's Philosophy' used the new Luminous Studio engine and gave the world a glimpse at what Final Fantasy for PS4 will look like.
4 June 8th 2012
8. LEGO UNDERCOVER UNWRAPPED The most promising Wii U game was actually a new Traveller's Tales LEGO game that looked a lot like a family-friendly GTA