E3 season is well and truly upon us! Every year it comes around and every year it makes us cringe. With that, it’s only right that we prepare ourselves for any blunders that will no doubt occur.
So join me, in remembering some of the most awkward and embarrassing E3 press conference moments in the event’s history.
“We’re Continuing?” (EA 2013)
Technical difficulties and E3 go hand in hand. The sound for the reveal of the Battlefield 4 demo failed to kick in and while attempting to restart, Patrick Söderlund waiting awkwardly as the audience laughed at him. In a moment of desperation, he tried to exit the stage but was called back on, to view the working demo.
Awks Meter: Just don’t make eye contact! Look at your watch!
AT&T with PS Vita (Sony Press Conference 2011)
There’s only one thing worse than the silences, and that’s the booing. When Sony announced they were teaming up with AT&T because the PS Vita “requires the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network”, members of the audience quickly let their dissatifaction known. Blink and you’ll miss it because supportive (or possibly sympathetic) applause quickly drowned it out. It makes you want to pat Kazuo Hirai on the back and say “You tried”
Awks Meter: Pity through the roof!
Translator Falls Asleep (Square Enix Press Conference 2015)
I get it, it’s a long weekend but this guy literally had one job. Shinji Hashimoto, executive producer of the Kingdom Hearts series came on stage and his translator was MIA. As the Final Fantasy VII remake trailer begun, you can hear a faint snoring before a grumble and the translator dropping the ‘S’ bomb. It’s up for debate whether he was asleep or just muted the mic so judge for yourself. Skip to 26:52 to see the disaster unfold.
Awks Meter: Worse than that dream where you wear no pants!
Aisha Tyler: Memelord (Ubisoft Press Conference 2015)
“You’re actually sitting here and you’re really your own human life sized…meme”
It was doomed from the beginning. Poor host Aisha Tyler sat next to a Jacob Frye cosplayer and tried to make a meme. It’s very uncomfortable. Watch for yourself. Did “Guys with rickets are super hot?” ever catch on?
Awks Meter: Like Nana getting drunk and going online!
Peggle 2 (EA Press Conference 2013)
You know that feeling when you’re gushing over something you love to your friends but no one really cares? Well imagine that, except instead of just chilling at home with your mates, you’re at E3, and instead of just 3 or 4 friends, it’s thousands of people in an audience and even more people watching at home. This is my personal favourite, probably because of the jump.
Awks Meter: Dropping all the balls!
Battle Tag (Ubisoft 2010)
It was a tough day to be James- I mean Joel McHale.Picture it, you’re hosting the Ubisoft Press Conference, everything is going fine, by the book and wait, why are there lights flashing? Why are there people running in the crowd shooting each other? You’ll just hide behind this box and try to remember whether or not you missed something in the script. What happened next is an awkward game of Battle Tag with its producer Gaël Seydoux who misnamed Joel as ‘James’. I firmly believe that Joel had no idea what was going on.
Awks Meter: Stuck Talking To Strangers
3-in-1 (Sony 2006)
I couldn’t pick just one here. Let’s start off with the PS3 coming with a $599 price tag. I’m trying to avoid spending that much on rent, let alone a console. Moving on, there’s the classic ‘Riiiiiiidge Racer’. Kaz Hirai just can’t catch a break. While playing the PSP, he failed to get the audience hyped over Ridge Racer, no matter how much he emphasised the name.
Finally, Genji 2.
It’s an action game. Nice. Based on Japanese history. Awesome. Stages of the game based on famous battles which actually took place in Ancient Japan. Sounds great! So here’s this giant enemy crab. Woah, woah wait. WHAT?!
Awks Meter: Checking your phone to make it look like you’re doing something else.
Mr. Caffiene (Ubisoft 2011)
Aaron Priceman AKA Mr. Caffiene, ‘cruised around the world teaching people just how badass Ubisoft games are’. Except he did everything but. He was unfunny, the punchlines were bad and he used a certain gag way too many times. “Everyone do it with me doodly doodly doodly…”
Awks Meter: Is that crickets?
The Entire E3 Conference (Konami 2010)
“…hi”
You could make a list of cringe-worthy moments based on this one conference. From the awkward intro with the announcement of Ninety-Nine Nights II, to ‘that stare’, all the way to the One.Million.Troops. You’ve got everything in this. Mexican wrestlers, bad dancing, pressing xxx and yyy. It was extreme!
Awks Meter: Uncomfortable silences at family reunions.
Jamie Kennedy (Activision 2007)
Saving the worst for last. It’s almost too painful to watch. Jamie Kennedy showed up as the host of Activision Press Conference, drunk, high or both? He constantly berated the audience, calling them nerds and virgins, thanked anyone who laughed and asked the audience to just ‘take a minute’ to understand the jokes. Years later and he is still bitter about any criticism though, evident in this tweet from 2011
Awks Meter: Watching sex scenes with parentals is easier!
