E3 — the world's largest and most prestigious interactive entertainment exhibition — drew the attention of gamers across the globe once again.
"Los Angeles, huh… again."
Stepping out of the car that morning and seeing the massive lines at the media entrance, Ichin couldn't help but sigh and shake his head. "There's so many people. Let's go — I'm up on stage today, so we'll take the special access route."
With the official media badges around their necks, Ichin led Utaha and the others through the special passageway.
They'd already been in Los Angeles for four days — having arrived early to adjust to the time difference and meet up with Hazuki's friends.
Though they often joked about Ubisoft being "a potato farm," the truth was that the French publisher was an industry giant with strong technical depth.
During their meeting with Hazuki's Ubisoft friends, Ichin hadn't learned any trade secrets, but he did get a clearer sense of current industry trends — things like VR and cloud gaming.
VR had been developing steadily over the past few years. Growth was slow but consistent, and every year there were a few noteworthy new VR titles.
Even so, Ichin wasn't planning to get involved just yet. He didn't know enough about VR development technology, and it was better to solidify his studio's foundation first before expanding into something so experimental.
As for cloud gaming — that was even less practical. To create a platform that could support large numbers of players with smooth connections would require massive investment in servers and bandwidth. The cost was astronomical, and it wasn't something that could turn a profit quickly.
Before long, the group entered the convention center and found their seats. Once Utaha and the others were settled, Ichin headed backstage — his presentation slot was one of the earliest ones.
After he left, Utaha, Yukino, Haruno, and Hazuki chatted quietly.
"There are already so many people here," Haruno said, looking around. "Are all these people developers and gaming journalists?"
Hazuki nodded. "Exactly. Ever since the show's reform a few years ago, most attendees have been media and industry professionals. Thanks to live streaming, gamers all around the world can now watch E3 online. There's no real need to come in person — especially since public tickets are limited, and the venue gets packed."
They'd seen it firsthand outside — just the media and industry staff alone already filled the place to bursting. If general players were all allowed in, the hall would've been overflowing.
Yukino, who had been silent since entering, looked a little uneasy. From her expression, it was obvious she wasn't used to the atmosphere.
It wasn't surprising — there were very few Asians around, and almost no familiar faces.
She raised her wrist and checked her watch. "Still thirty minutes…" she murmured.
Haruno leaned over with a teasing smile. "What's wrong? Not used to the environment?"
Yukino nodded slightly. "Not the environment… or the food."
"That's true," Utaha agreed immediately. "Whether it's the hotel restaurant or the ones nearby, they're all… average at best. Not to brag, but even our company cafeteria is way better. Once this event's over, let's head straight home. I miss real food already."
American cuisine didn't exactly have a strong reputation. Even finding a proper Japanese restaurant here was difficult. The other day they'd found one labeled as "authentic," but the signature dish turned out to be something with Chicken. Ichin had just shaken his head after two bites, abandoned it, and ended up filling his stomach with a McDonald's burger on the way back.
Utaha pulled out her phone. "Since we're nervous anyway, why don't we check the E3 livestream on Bilibili? It's already past 9 p.m. back home — tons of players are waiting."
She opened the E3 main stream on Bilibili, where the pre-show countdown was already running. Thousands of viewers were chatting excitedly in the scrolling comments.
After browsing for a bit, Yukino said, "Look — they're already talking about him."
Hazuki switched over to YouTube, where the English-language stream was just as lively, players flooding the chat with speculation about what would appear next.
E3's live program schedule was public, so everyone could see which companies would present and when.
The second company of the day had been allocated an unusually long slot — sparking wild discussion among viewers. Many suspected something huge was coming.
Even though Dark Souls had been out for three months already, plenty of players were still suffering their way through it — or experimenting with countless different builds.
What began with simple sword-and-shield tanking had evolved into all kinds of creative playstyles. Ichin's own "dual chicken drumsticks" build — showcased in his livestreams — had exploded in popularity. In PvP matches, players dressed in full Havel armor wielding two giant clubs had become a terrifyingly common sight. "No rolls, no mercy — either you die, or I do."
Now that the game's developer was attending E3 again, speculation was rampant: was this the announcement of a Dark Souls DLC?
Some people argued otherwise — pointing to Ichin's April "new office move-in vlog" as evidence he was working on a new title instead. Still, others remained convinced that more Dark Souls content was on the way.
The chatrooms were full of debate, with no one able to convince anyone else.
Watching all this lively discussion, Hazuki and the others found themselves smiling — the tension easing a bit.
Finally, the thirty minutes passed, and the E3 livestream officially began.
The show opened with a grand musical performance, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Then, the host walked onto the stage.
Backstage, Ichin didn't recognize the host, so he didn't pay much attention. Instead, he chatted casually with a few Bethesda developers waiting for their turn to present — his slot was coming up right after theirs.
From their conversation, he learned what Bethesda planned to reveal this year.
Not much — just two titles: Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI.
Two minutes later, the host wasted no time and invited Bethesda's team on stage.
The lights dimmed, and the big screen came alive.
Starfield — the long-hyped "space epic" — finally showcased a three-minute gameplay trailer.
A vast universe. Expansive worlds. Factions, conflict, adventure — it was a vision that stirred the imagination.
From what Ichin could tell, as long as that developer backstage hadn't exaggerated, Starfield looked like it was nearly complete — and absolutely massive in scope.
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