Video game announcements are sort of their own art form. Most companies just commission or create an FMV cinematic and call it a day, but the ones who put the work in to really blow us away with their reveals are the ones who tend to stand the test of time.
Whether it’s a surprise sequel, an extended demo, or even just a much-anticipated remake, good video game announcements really drive sales. And, with 2020 fresh in our minds, it’s time to take a look back and see what announcements really stuck out to us over the last decade.
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10Inside Reveal Trailer (E3 2014)
Maybe we’re overestimating it, but thereveal ofInsideby the team who madeLimbohad the entire audience silent with anticipation. The games aren’t huge open-world exploration titles and they certainly aren’t AAA, but Playdead, the dev studio behind the title, sure know how to make atmospheric platformers.
Insidewas an announcement that got people hyped simply because they had no idea what it was about, every new scene in the trailer brought up more questions than answers, and made us want to buy full release even more. And thankfully, we feel the final product lived up to the trailer, though oh boy is that ending a bit abrupt.
9Joker Announced For Smash Ultimate (VGA’s 2018)
It’s a bit of an understatement to say that theSuper Smash Brosfranchise is popular. Creator Masahiro Sakurai is now one of the most respected developers in the business, and companies that have every worked with Nintendo are offering up their beloved characters left and right. And, with the fighters pass announcement forSmash Ultimate,fans didn’t quite know what to expect.
The reveal ofPersona 5’sJokermaking his way into Smash during the 2018 VGA’s blew everyone’s minds. Not only because this sort of announcement was usually saved for E3, but also because it let us know just how awesome the rest of the DLC fighters were going to be. In fact, it made such a lasting impression, that people weredisappointed another one didn’t happen at this year’s VGA’s.
8Final Fantasy 7 Remake Announcement (E3 2015)
It might not seem like it’s been that long, but the initial reveal for theFF7remake was all the way back atE3 2015. Now, for those unfamiliar with theFinal Fantasyfranchise,FF7might be one of the most beloved games of all time. The adventures of Cloud, Barrett, and Tifa, as they journey to stop Genova and by extension, Sephiroth is a confusing mess that fans couldn’t get enough of back in the day. Seriously, the game was huge.
But, the graphics are incredibly dated by today’s standards, so when a remake was announced, and the FMV looks incredible, fans collectively lost their marbles. Honestly, it’s one of our favorite “streamers react” compilations to watch just to see how invested people are in the franchise.
7Nier Automata Collaboration (E3 2015)
And, in that very same 2015 E3,another incredible game was announced. Until this point, the studio called Platinum Games were known as guns for hire. They made their own games sure, but companies would often hire them whenever they wanted an iteration of their franchise that focused on highly advanced and bombastic combat. In contrast, Yoko Taro was a director known for his astoundingly nihilistic stories likeDrakengardandNier.
But, the gameplay he was behind was less than stellar. So when Square Enix announced that the two would be working together to make a sequel for cult-classic game calledNier Automata, well we just sort of went wild.
6Death Stranding Announcement (E3 2016)
The fall from grace of Hideo Kojima from Konami is one of the more publically known snafus in the gaming industry. The company kicked him out, then immediately went into the Pachinko business. But, Kojima picked himself right back on up from the canceledSilent Hillsfiasco, went over to Sony, and started makingDeath Strandingunder his own new studio called Kojima Productions. And,when the game was revealed at E3 2016, fans didn’t quite know what they were looking at.
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Walking Dead’sNorman Reedus was holding an unborn baby on an abandoned beach, ghosts with umbilical cords were hunting humans, and there was a baby being used as a sonar device. But, this is all par for the course with Kojima, it’s what people come to him for.
5Gabe Newell And Sony Partnership For Portal 2 (E3 2010)
E3 is already a mixed bag of surprises for the audience, well, mostly. Ubisoft will always have aJust Dancesection, Nintendo will try to innovate the way they announce games…again, and EA will talk aboutFifaand sports cars for an hour and a half. But, nothing gets the crowd going more than a surprise guest. Remember how much we all went wild whenKeanu Reeves showed up both in-game and out at theCyberpunk 2077trailer this year?
Well, there was a similarly mind-blowing surprise back at E3 2010 when Gabe Newell randomly came out on stage during Sony’s conference. This was of course to announcePortal 2, but just this man, myth, and legend himselfappearing on a console company’s E3 stagehad already put this moment into the history books.
4The Witcher 2: Assassin Of Kings Promo Trailer (E3 2014)
Let’s be honest, nows a better time to be aWitcherfan than ever. The original author and CD Projekt Red are friends again, the Netflix series is doing exceedingly well, and the third game has the most concurrent players it has ever had. In fact, it’s so popular again that we’re stillmaking guides for the game that came out in 2014! And, one of the many things the series does well, are its trailers.
Each game has it’s own cinematic trailer that blows our minds, but theone forWitcher 2is by far the best. Letho taking on the elite guard of King Demavend to earn his title of Kingslayer is just so terrifying. It’s perfect because before we even start the game, we know how scary our villain is.
3Kingdom Hearts 3 Actual Reveal (E3 2013)
Kingdom Heartsis one of those franchises that sort of never feels real, you know? The game is all about crossing over Disney franchises withFinal Fantasyones within a completely unique story of its own. But, as fans latched on to the games and discovered how amazing they were, the need for a trifecta became stronger.
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And, as the years went on and more spin-off or side story games released, fans were wondering if aKH3was even in the cards anymore. The game with a big 3 on its box is actually the twelfth game in the franchise after all. Concepts were leaked for it back in 2005, but the actual game didn’tget a reveal until 2013and only actually released earlier this year.
2No Man’s Sky Promises (E3 2013)
No Man’s Skyis quite the roller coaster ride of a game. The released product was nothing close to whatwas promised by Sean Murrayor Hello Games, but, over time, it has become something close. The title was initially revealed at VGX 2013, and after garnering some groundswell, was then supported by Sony.
The trailers for the game were amazing, showing off all the aspects of exploration and variable gameplay that we could imagine. It was another “See that mountain? you may climb it” situation that Todd Howard has become so renowned for. Especially since the final product didn’t quite match up to the sales pitch.
1Assassin’s Creed Revelations Cinematic (E3 2011)
Not many game franchises have the amount of die-hard fans likeAssassin’s Creeddoes. The games come out almost annually, and it seems like a real luck of the draw if each one will be good or not. But, when thetrailer forAssassin’s Creed: Revelationsdropped in 2011, it didn’t matter how the actual game played, that trailer was enough.
That music, that combat, and that scene all came together for one of our personal favorite game announcements of all time. Sadly, the game itself really just capitalized on the popularity of Ezio and didn’t really advance the series, but we still had fun playing it.
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