The E3 Butterfly Effect
by ted2112, HSM team writer
Sometimes things are more than the sum of their parts.
This was especially true when it was announced this year was going to be the first in which there would be no E3 in Home. This yearly playable gathering was one of the greatest events in Home, hands down, and frankly throughout the years we have been spoiled by the attention and loads of freebies Sony has lavished upon us.
So, what does it mean when that attention stops?
Never have I seen the Home community so beside themselves. It’s almost a universal sentiment out there now: the prime “peak oil” days of Home are over, and perhaps in sharp decline. There has always been the random cry that Home is done for, but if you look around you will see a seriousness and trepidation out there never before seen. There are online petitions to port Home to the PS4, and a general panic in the forums that has been in direct reaction to the E3 announcement.
I would truly hate to be Tempest_Fire right now. I guess you could say that this butterfly effect might not have started with him, but he has validated many of our fears not only with the announcement itself, but by the delivery of it; it simply sent the shock waves through the community. The way it was handled was terrible, but in all fairness, I’m not sure there was a good way to handle it — and Tempest may not have even had liberty to choose a better method of delivery. It may be possible that he doesn’t even know what the future of Home is.
The brakes have already been put on the Asia and Japan regions. We have also seen the steady pullout of many Home developers. Sony’s LOOT hasn’t put out anything truly meaningful since last year’s Hollywood House Night personal space, and is fully engaging itself with several new games, none of which are for Home. Juggernaut has quietly withdrawn from Home. Heavy Water’s gone. And a lot of smaller developers have simply vanished. We play on an aging platform and have endured nothing but silence from Sony as to the future of Home.
(Perhaps Sony’s silence is a subtle message: don’t go away mad, just go away. And let the service die a “natural” death.)
So, the E3 announcement for many came as the straw that broke the camel’s back. By itself it stinks; on top of everything else it is significantly more than mere information regarding a PlayStation Home event. Somewhere out there is an invisible line of no return; we all know that, and perhaps we have crossed it.
Most of the voices of reason are calling for calm. To enjoy Home while we have it. And truly, I couldn’t agree more. However, I am a big believer in the massive power of human nature and I know that if the lack of information from Sony continues, it will foster dwindling choices in Home and the ongoing developer exodus. Home will lose more and more users, creating a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy that will eventually lead to its own demise. Many of us have seen this before in other games, and we know where this road leads; that’s why this feeling of uneasiness continues to consume our game.
When I was much younger, there was that point in summer vacation where you knew it was going to end. That realization that there are more days behind you than in front of you, and it fundamentally changes your mindset. You savor it more; yet a bittersweet feeling of acceptance of the enviable reluctantly takes hold. This reminds me of those carefree days.
The butterfly has flapped its wings, and we are all downwind. The lack-of-E3 debacle was just that latest in a series of chain
reactions.
The next one? That’s anyone’s guess.
Will the wind change directions or will the gusts continue to gather strength? As much as I hope for the former, I find myself on some unconscious level preparing for the latter.
This is why, now more than ever, we need Sony to step up. If they at all have a vested interest in seeing Home as a business continue, something as simple as a handful of words can dramatically affect not only consumer sentiment, but entire balance sheets. The conspicuous lack thereof indicates that frankly, there’s very little time left.
If the party’s over, then the party’s over. But if it isn’t…all Sony has to do is make a statement. Do it for the great developers than continue to work tirelessly, putting out new content; do it for the many who work behind the scenes to provide us with Home; and lastly, do it for some of the most dedicated fans I have ever seen, who day after day support a brand and a way of gaming itself.
June 19th, 2014 by ted2112 | 4 comments
ted2112 is a writer and a Bass player that has been both inspired and takes to heart Kurt Vonnegut words...."we are here on planet Earth to fart around, and don't let anyone tell you different."
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I have the feeling it’s dying off too
But would they have gone through the effort to add trophies and re-do the splash page when you enter Home if they were doing away with it? I hope Sony says something soon. It’s effing annoying trying to figure out whether or not it’s safe to spend another dollar in Home!
I think homes being a bit self important with the E3 thing, Sony released an app on the ps4 and streamed E3 via its blog. The app was in the US only. But the app was sponsored by Amazon and included playstation rewards . So if amazon paid for part of the app and Sony rewards which are only available in US are part of that, then it means Sony by itself only streamed E3 to its blog. Perhaps that’s just sonys stance on how it wants to do E3 from now. Getting sponsorship on something is quite common and no real big business is going want to sponsor something on home above the sponsering something on the flagship PS4 console. Your right homes been slowly heading no where for years. But that’s not just Sony fault, developers that have neglected repairing spaces because they didn’t make money, a nefarious part of the user base that seem intent on destroying home and several really poor ideas on what homes capable of. Like putting a game launch function in home. So someone expected users to launch home find several anonymous players then launch game and play. Surely it’s quicker just to play game and go to a lobby! Users want home to be great, Sony wants home to make money, the two wants are too far apart particularly with all the new choices that keep coming our way.
I couldn’t agree more Ted.
I have so much invested in this topic and I really thought this article says a lot. Very well written and with some emotion. Loved it.