Recently, the Disney and Marvel Games Showcase and theUbisoft Forwardpresentation both aired. With a Nintendo Direct recently airing andTokyo Game Show just around the corneras well, it feels like the final big news rush of 2022’s summer has begun. Fans are still uncertain about the whereabouts of the next PlayStation Showcase, but there will be plenty of livestreams to sink their teeth into in the meantime. E3’s temporary dissolution left the industry without a focused event to ensure all announcements happen within a short timeframe, but September should mark the last major marketing push before December’s Game Awards.
Unfortunately, not all game events are made equal. Even in situations where interesting games are being covered, the format of a show can still drag the mood down. This is the main reason why Nintendo Directs are so appreciated these days, as they almost always maintain a good flow between announcements. Pacing and holding interest was much more shoddy in Nintendo’s earliest Directs, and many other companies discovered that it could be an issue once they adopted the format. Most recently, bothUbisoft Forwardand the Disney and Marvel Games Showcase had severe pacing issues, managing to hit both extremes of the problem.
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The Disney and Marvel Games Showcase Blazed Past
Up first on September 9th was theDisney and Marvel Games Showcase, but it did not overstay its welcome. If anything, it barely stayed at all. The event lasted twenty-three minutes and stuffed roughly sixteen announcements into that runtime. That’s less than two minutes spent on every announcement, and no long trailers. Segments that included Blessing Adeoye Jr. speaking on the present topic traded a little more elaboration for even less time on-screen. It kept the presentation from becoming boring, but there was almost nothing for viewers to latch onto.
Giving themselves enough time to do their topics' justice is something that many shows struggle with. People want to see game news presented without filler, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of cutting segments short while pursuing that goal. TheDisney and Marvel Games Showcase gave the impressionof there not being much ready to show regardless of whether it’s true, which can make games or projects nearing their release appear to have a deficit of information. All products need enough room to breathe to communicate what they are, and why a consumer should be interested. Not being bogged down in details isn’t bad, but there’s a happy medium to be struck there.
Ubisoft Forward Dragged On Without Much To Show
What’s arguably worse is when a viewer seems trapped in the middle of a boring show that never seems to end. It makes what should be a fun and exciting parade of reveals feel like a chore, and that’s unfortunately whatthe September 2022 Ubisoft Forwardfelt like to some people. Counting the pre-show, which was as long as the Disney and Marvel Showcase, Ubisoft Forward went on for almost two hours. That duration was peppered with long segments of developers and representatives talking about their games, something many viewers can see as tiring. When one realizes that there were only a few more announcements at Ubisoft Forward than there were at the Disney and Marvel show, the severe pacing issues it had come into stark relief.
Length and what to do with it is something game livestreams and conferences have struggled with for many years. Overly long conferences have a much higher chance of being disliked, even if they show off their games better than a short but stuffed presentation does. The Ubisoft Forward did give all of its announcements appropriate time, and even went into deep dives on some gameslikeMario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Unfortunately, those who regularly watch longer conferences already know how tough it is to stay interested in every game covered, and even if several appealing titles show up it can feel like massive chunks are still filled with dead air. There’s a good balance to strike betweenUbisoftand Disney’s big 2022 game showcases, and hopefully publishers will be able to recognize and continue striving toward it in future presentations.
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