Surprising only a few, the VGAs were once again a massive dud. Yet leading into the event, insiders took to Twitter and Reset Era to unveil a lot of nothing but that they’d heard Sony and Microsoft both would have major announcements for the show. Not just the two juggernauts, but Konami and From Software both were said to be showcasing off their latest games, yet none made an appearance.
Unlike many rumors, these actually had a kernel of proof to their name. Venture Beat’s editor unveiled he had prepared an article detailing one of Microsoft’s major announcements, a new Perfect Dark game.
— Jeff Grubb (@JeffGrubb) December 11, 2020
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During GamesBeat Decide Grubb continued to discuss what he’d heard about Elden Ring’s upcoming marketing. Hearing something compared to having a prepared article is a different matter, but given the source’s established credibility, his word cannot be dismissed easily either.
Intended to make an appearance, Elden Ring was pulled for unspecified reasons. Eager fans will not have to wait long. Elden Ring’s next big reveal will occur sooner rather than later, with a timetable set in the next couple of weeks to months.
Taking these rumors at face value, the question arises why all these announcements cut were? There exist three likely answers to that question. The first and the largest elephant in the room was the show’s dedication to promoting Sony’s The Last of Us 2. Promotion of the game became so pervasive it obscured the other winners. Causing a backlash against the show by gamers tired of the antics displayed in the show.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REer6s5x_Rc]
Coincidentally every rumored scheduling that was pulled has ties to Microsoft. Microsoft themselves aren’t difficult to figure out. No conceivable way was the company going to have its products signal boost Sony’s game. Elden Ring, at the very least, has an advertisement deal with Microsoft, and it is possible despite rumors of ties to Sony that Konami has shut down, the new Silent Hill shares similar ties.
Then there is the issue of the appearance of Brie Larsen and AOC. The former being a star rumored to be as unpopular on set as she is in public, and the latter is nigh universally disliked by everyone outside her core demographic.
A Master’s Degree in Business is not required to know the basics of not involving yourself with politics or the unpopular. What would any of the involved companies get out of promoting their games during the show? AOC and Brie Larson, along with Sony, get their name boosted and extra fame from the association. On the other hand, Microsoft, From Software, and Konami stand to gain nothing and lose customers due to negative association.
In the end, unless a leaker wants to come forward, we may never know why these companies pulled their titles from the show. Not that we are left without a potential cause. We have plenty of them, even beyond the aforementioned issues.
