It’s been a tough three-and-a-half years for Microsoft. Though the Xbox One has been selling fairly well (even outpacing the Xbox 360 this time last generation), its biggest competitor, Sony’s PS4, has been selling astronomically. Optically, the Xbox One is “losing” the console war and it’s proved to be an uphill struggle for Phil Spencer and his team to claw back goodwill and positive mindshare from the jaws of Xbox One’s poorly conceived original vision back in 2013.
Like all companies, Microsoft has its fair share of detractors. That said, one thing I think we can all agree on is that having healthy competition within the gaming industry is a very good thing for everyone — if the market was monopolized by a single company, then that would be a veritable recipe for disaster for all who participate in the delights that only video games can offer. We need competition to help push the industry forward and to keep those multi-conglomerate corporations in check.
Even though I haven’t switched on my Xbox One for many weeks, I do genuinely want more reasons to do just that. As such, I, and many more, will be rooting for Microsoft when their executives hit the stage this coming June. They need to come out swinging if they hope to walk away in a good position though, and here are 6 reasons why this E3 might be one of the most important yet for the company.
