The 2023 PlayStation Showcase was ELECTRIFYING...for the most part

 Source: Playstation.Blog

2023 Playstation Showcase

Over a week ago, Sony announced they will be live-streaming a showcase of upcoming games and other PlayStation paraphernalia. The last time they had a showcase was in September 2021. Many games during the 2021 showcase were revealed, including the anticipated sequel to Marvel's Spider-Man. Click here to watch the recorded livestream. 

Since Covid-19, the game industry has pretty much neglected E3 given its cancellation this year in late March. Now companies such as Xbox, PlayStation, Ubisoft and many more host their own events - a more cost-effective and logistically pragmatic decision (arguably). Nevertheless, these events strongly continue to uphold their purpose of generating awareness for upcoming releases. PlayStation's YouTube livestream amassed over 4.6 million views, and IGN (a prominent video game and entertainment news platform) generated 1.2 million views respectively. That's not the whole story though. With the vibrant and prevalent creator economy that we have today, many content creators will synthesise and analyse the livestream and turn them into independent YouTube videos. For example, a growing YouTuber known as 'JorRaptor' is reputable for his detailed analysis videos and 'Things you may have missed' content. This epitomisation of Clay Shirky's concept of 'prosumerism' ultimately generates more awareness for these events.   


JorRaptor YouTube Channel (May 2023)

This all sounds great, right? You're not having to undertake a huge logistical challenge, establish your presence in a venue and be in the physical presence of your rivals (E3 in sum). But if I were to critique this form of marketing, it may not achieve the customer acquisition process as much as companies and investors would like it to. Why? Because for the most part, we are provided a glimpse of what's to come. Some games like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 weren't provided the option to pre-order or a release date. In theory, these events generate leads and prospects if we picture the marketing pipeline. 


Assassin's Creed Mirage Gameplay Trailer (2023)

Anyways, what was my favourite part of the PlayStation showcase? Well, thank you for asking, the spontaneous and unannounced reveal of the highly anticipated Assassin's Creed Mirage trailer. Here is some quick lore: On September 10th 2022, Assassin's Creed Mirage premiered with a stunning cinematic trailer. Fast-forward 8 months we have no official news, we are here with a gameplay trailer. No words could describe the excitement I felt when it was revealed, and this only grew when I would be able to play it in less than five months (October 12th). Given my Middle-Eastern/Persian origins, this game has cultural resonance for me.

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