Recaps

On June 9, 1995, the first E3 opened in Los Angeles, drawing game-industry and mainstream media to its media days. As reporters gathered for the manufacturers’ press conferences, the main stage filled before the opening announcements began.

• The IDSA opened E3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, with the first two days reserved for media and industry guests and June 11 open to the public.
• Media from leading game magazines, technology publications, newspapers, and Japanese outlets entered the South Hall.
• Reporters passed Sony, Nintendo, Sega, Atari, and 3DO’s booths and headed for the Central Plaza Exhibition Hall to catch the press conferences.
• By 8:55, the Central Plaza seats were full, with photographers aimed at the dark main stage.

Shigeru Miyamoto addressed the E3 audience, describing Nintendo’s games as toys built around intuitive discovery, responsive controls, and distinctive experiences. He urged developers not to chase trends, leaving the audience with his advice on what makes games enjoyable.

• Nakayama Takuya watched from the exhibitors' seats as an IDSA staff member opened E3 and introduced Shigeru Miyamoto.
• Shigeru Miyamoto greeted the audience, joked about discarding his prepared speech, and remarked that the exhibition belonged to games alone.
• Shigeru Miyamoto explained that Nintendo made toys and used Super Mario Bros.' left-to-right movement as an example of design that followed players' instincts.
• Shigeru Miyamoto warned that impressive graphics could not make up for delayed controls and stressed the importance of immediate response.
• Shigeru Miyamoto said games should offer worthwhile discoveries and urged developers to express their own ideas instead of imitating trends.

Shigeru Miyamoto opened E3’s first media day with a speech about making games that brought players joy, then Konami presented six upcoming titles. Konami’s brief showcase ended after footage of its games, including Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You, Castlevania: Dracula X, and Suikoden.

• Shigeru Miyamoto told the audience that games could change over time, but giving players joy would remain their purpose, then bowed as the audience applauded.
• The host announced that E3’s first media day had begun, and Konami’s press conference started at 9:15 with Hashimoto Kazuhisa introducing six titles.
• Hashimoto Kazuhisa presented gameplay from J.League Live: Winning Eleven, while reporters compared it with Sega’s Pro Soccer World.
• Igarashi Koji showcased Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You, highlighting its three platforms and more than twenty thousand recorded voice lines, then showed Castlevania: Dracula X.
• Murayama Yoshitaka presented Suikoden, announcing its 108 recruitable characters, before Konami briefly showed Summon Night and Live Crazy Shooting and ended the press conference.

Electronic Arts presented four games at E3, highlighting Need for Speed and NBA Live 96 while signaling support for Jupiter alongside other platforms. Shigeru Miyamoto then introduced two Game Boy games, leaving Nintendo’s presentation still underway.

• Nakayama Takuya noticed that Kozuki Kagemasa was absent as EA took the stage after Konami.
• EA showcased Need for Speed, announcing releases for 3DO followed by PlayStation, Jupiter, and PC.
• EA presented its PC games Beasts and Bumpkins and Iron-Blooded Crusader, then drew a strong response with NBA Live 96.
• Shigeru Miyamoto introduced Mario's Picross for Game Boy and demonstrated a puzzle stage.
• Shigeru Miyamoto presented Super Donkey Kong GB, whose pre-rendered graphics remained recognizable on the handheld screen.

Nintendo presented several new Super Famicom and Game Boy games, then Namco showcased titles including PlayStation-bound arcade hits and a range of other games. Namco’s presentation ended with a brief concept trailer for Soulcalibur.

• Shigeru Miyamoto presented Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Super Donkey Kong 2, and Super Nintendo Wars at Nintendo’s conference.
• Nintendo’s press conference ended, and reporters discussed Konami’s multi-platform releases and Namco’s close relationship with Sony.
• Kanno Hideki presented Tekken and said its PlayStation port would closely match the System 11 arcade version.
• Kanno showed Ace Combat and Ridge Racer: Revolution, highlighting their PlayStation visuals and effects.
• Kanno presented Tales of Phantasia’s free-moving battle system and ended with a short Soulcalibur concept trailer.

At the E3 press conference, Namco showed a strong PlayStation lineup while leaving room to maneuver, and Capcom presented games across arcade, older consoles, PlayStation, and Jupiter. Yoshiki Okamoto then unveiled an unsettling first-person horror sequence, leaving the audience unsure what they were watching.

• Kanno Hideki ended Namco's presentation without calling its games exclusive, and Nakayama Takuya noticed Namco had left itself options despite favoring Sony.
• Journalists discussed Sony's support for Namco and the rivalry that made Sega a less natural partner for Namco's home-console games.
• Yoshiki Okamoto presented Street Fighter Alpha for arcades, PlayStation, and Jupiter, followed by a rapid showcase of Capcom's arcade and home-console games.
• Reporters noted that Capcom's lineup spanned multiple platforms but had shown no 3D games, and Yoshiki Okamoto remained onstage to present more.
• Yoshiki Okamoto showed a first-person walk through a decaying corridor that ended with a crouching figure chewing on something.

Capcom’s BIOHAZARD trailer shocked the E3 audience, and Sony began its presentation with Arc the Lad before revealing a high-speed futuristic racing game. The chapter ended as the craft raced along a glowing track, with the game still unidentified.

• Yoshiki Okamoto unveiled BIOHAZARD, a dialogue-free survival horror trailer that drew a stunned silence and then loud applause.
• Yoshiki Okamoto announced BIOHAZARD for PlayStation and Jupiter, with its release date still unannounced.
• Tecmo presented Tecmo Super Bowl III, and Intelligent Systems presented Panel de Pon.
• Ken Kutaragi opened Sony’s presentation, and Arc the Lad gameplay showcased a collaboration between Sony and Square.
• Sony’s next game showed a wheel-less craft racing at high speed along a glowing futuristic track.

Sony ended its E3 presentation with two PlayStation games, using WipEout’s speed and visuals to showcase the hardware. During the lunch break, reporters debated the morning’s strongest presentations as the afternoon sessions approached.

• Ken Kutaragi showed WipEout, whose high-speed racing and missile attack drew loud applause from the press.
• Ken Kutaragi said the games were Sony’s gift to E3 and left after a presentation featuring only two titles.
• Reporters and industry attendees discussed how Sony relied on technical showcases and third-party games to support the PlayStation.
• IDSA began the lunch break, and reporters gathered at food counters to compare the morning’s presentations.
• Reporters praised Namco’s PlayStation games and Capcom’s Resident Evil, then debated Nintendo’s older hardware and distinctive art style.

Sega and Sony assessed the media response to their morning presentations as reporters returned to the exhibition hall for the afternoon showcases. Atari presented the Jaguar CD to a muted reaction, and Enix began showing its Super Famicom games before an orchestral prelude introduced its main event.

• Hisao Oguchi told Nakayama Takuya that reporters were asking about Sega’s afternoon presentation and MGS2 demo area, while Nakayama noted Sony’s strong showing and Namco’s close ties to Sony.
• Ken Kutaragi learned that WipEout and Namco’s Tekken were drawing the most attention and concluded Sony had established its technological image before Sega’s presentation.
• Atari presented the Jaguar CD and demonstrated several games, but reporters responded with indifference and questioned the Jaguar’s future.
• Enix presented Mystic Ark and Terranigma, then began its main event with an orchestral prelude.

Enix and Hudson presented their upcoming games at E3, drawing mixed reactions from Japanese and American reporters. Hudson ended its presentation with three modest-looking Jupiter games, leaving their quality to be judged by hands-on play.

• Enix showed Dragon Quest VI on Super Famicom, impressing Japanese reporters with its graphics while American reporters noted the series' weak popularity in North America.
• Reporters criticized Enix for sticking to Nintendo's Super Famicom as Square pursued Sony and newer platforms.
• Hudson presented Bomberman Blocks across four platforms, followed by Far East of Eden: True Legend on Neo Geo and several familiar Adventure Island games.
• Hudson showed Super Momotaro Electric Railway 3 for GamePocket and Game Boy, but the Japanese-themed board game drew little interest from American reporters.
• Nakayama Takuya watched as Hudson's trailer introduced Space Adventure, Maze Explorer, and Thunder Overlord for Jupiter, which reporters considered modest trial projects.

Hudson presented a lineup of games at E3 before Square took the stage to reveal Final Fantasy VII for Jupiter. The gameplay footage impressed the audience with detailed pre-rendered environments, fluid sprite animation, and elaborate battle effects.

• Hudson's North American branch head presented games including Bomberman Blocks, Far East of Eden: True Legend, and three Jupiter titles.
• Sakaguchi Hironobu opened Square's presentation and introduced five works, beginning with Final Fantasy VII.
• Square showed a detailed CG sequence of an industrial city and a golden-haired swordsman, then revealed the Jupiter platform logo.
• The Final Fantasy VII gameplay footage combined hand-drawn character animations with pre-rendered 3D backgrounds and impressed the audience with its visuals and battle effects.
• Audience members questioned whether the graphics were really running on Jupiter and compared them with Namco's games.

Square presented Final Fantasy VII at E3, impressing the audience with its visuals and music while leaving its platform exclusivity unclear. After Sakaguchi Hironobu left the stage, trailers for four more Mega Drive games played.

• Sakaguchi Hironobu presented a four-minute Final Fantasy VII trailer and said the game was scheduled for release the following year.
• Reporters debated what Square's Jupiter presentation meant for its relationship with Sega and Sony, noting that Sakaguchi Hironobu had not called the game exclusive.
• Nakayama Takuya watched quietly and considered Square's announcement a careful balance that gave Sega reassurance without ruling out other platforms.
• The presentation showed trailers for Front Mission, Trials of Mana, Eternal Mystery, and Romancing SaGa 3.

Square presented Final Fantasy VII and four Mega Drive sequels, while Koei showed three strategy titles aimed at its established audiences. The chapter ended with Koei’s representatives leaving the stage as reporters noted that its small booth still drew distributors.

• Square presented Final Fantasy VII alongside four Mega Drive titles, using the new game to attract attention and the sequels to demonstrate its steady output.
• Photographers and reporters discussed which images from Final Fantasy VII would make the best magazine covers.
• Koei presented Romance of the Three Kingdoms V for DOS, Windows, PlayStation, and Jupiter.
• Koei showed Sangokushi Eiketsuden, a tactics RPG, and Taiko Risshiden II, a Warring States-themed game.
• Koei’s representatives left after a brief presentation, and Famitsu editors discussed the company’s dependable niche and noted that distributors had lined up at its small booth.

At E3, Sega presented Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid 2, impressing reporters with its real-time visuals, distinctive art direction, and stealth gameplay. After Kojima invited attendees to try the demo at Sega’s booth, Rieko Kodama took the stage as the next presenter.

• Sega began its presentation at 3:15 in the afternoon, drawing reporters’ attention.
• Hideo Kojima introduced himself and presented real-time footage of Metal Gear Solid 2 on Jupiter hardware.
• The demo showed Snake infiltrating a marine facility and silently taking down a patrolling soldier.
• Kojima invited attendees to try the playable demo at Sega’s booth.
• Rieko Kodama took the stage next, and a Famitsu editor noted that she was the first woman to present that day.

Rieko Kodama presented Phantasy Star IV, showing its expanded world, faster battles, and manga-panel cutscenes. Afterward, Yuji Naka introduced Pixar’s Toy Story film and game, whose trailer ended with a real-time gameplay demonstration.

• Rieko Kodama presented Phantasy Star IV, whose trailer showed a desert town, turn-based battles, new characters, and comic-panel story scenes.
• Rieko Kodama explained that the game’s story stood alone while including callbacks for longtime fans, then left the stage to warm applause.
• Yuji Naka announced that the Toy Story game would release alongside Pixar’s first fully computer-animated feature film.
• The Toy Story trailer shifted from Pixar film footage to gameplay, where Woody explored a bedroom transformed into a miniature canyon.
• A NetGeneration reporter recognized that the gameplay footage was being rendered in real time.

Yuji Naka presented Sega’s Toy Story game, drawing strong praise for its toy-like visuals, gameplay, and partnership with Disney and Pixar. After Naka left the stage, Toshihiro Nagoshi appeared and announced “Yakuza.”

• Yuji Naka’s Toy Story trailer showed Woody and Buzz navigating miniature environments with everyday objects as obstacles and tools.
• Game journalists praised the game’s physics, 3D platforming, and appeal to North American families, while noting Sega’s lineup targeted several audiences.
• The trailer ended to enthusiastic applause, and Pixar representatives stood to acknowledge the crowd.
• Naka reflected backstage that Sega’s Jupiter development tools and the game’s plastic-toy art direction had helped make the demo possible.
• Toshihiro Nagoshi walked onstage in a flashy white suit, said “Yakuza,” and turned the presentation over to the screen.

Toshihiro Nagoshi unveiled Sega's live-action-to-real-time trailer for Yakuza, prompting debate over its appeal and controversial subject matter. After Nagoshi and Nakayama Takuya discussed the reception backstage, Koji Oba began presenting Shinobi: ShadowStrike, whose gameplay showed Joe Musashi leaping over a spike trap.

• Toshihiro Nagoshi revealed Yakuza through a live-action trailer that shifted into a real-time 3D street brawl, then showed the game's title and Jupiter platform.
• American reporters discussed the trailer's reflections, adult-market appeal, and the risk that the ESRB could restrict Yakuza's retail availability.
• Japanese journalists debated whether Yakuza's subject matter was too risky, while a veteran writer argued that public sentiment after the Kobe earthquake could help the game succeed.
• Toshihiro Nagoshi admitted backstage that he had worried about the audience's response, and Nakayama Takuya said the atmosphere-focused trailer had made a successful first impression.
• Koji Oba introduced Shinobi: ShadowStrike, whose footage moved from 2D animation into gameplay with a fixed forty-five-degree view as Joe Musashi jumped over ground spikes.

Koji Oba demonstrated Shinobi as a polished, familiar action game, while Ono Hiroshi revealed Sega’s soccer game Pro Soccer World PSW through a high-quality CG sequence. The presentation ended with Paolo Maldini appearing in person, impressing the international press with Sega’s star power.

• Koji Oba showed Joe Musashi fighting through Shinobi’s stages with precise combat and elaborate effects, earning the audience’s measured approval.
• GamePro reporters and retail buyers judged Shinobi an accessible, low-risk game with dependable sales potential.
• Ono Hiroshi announced Pro Soccer World PSW and showed a pre-rendered sequence featuring a detailed 3D model of Paolo Maldini.
• Paolo Maldini walked onto the stage, prompting cheers and camera flashes from European and South American reporters.
• A Japanese veteran reporter reminded his colleagues that he had predicted Sega would bring Maldini, while a younger reporter praised his information network.

Sega unveiled several games at E3, culminating in a film-quality trailer for Ghost in the Shell. The final footage left reporters impressed and suggested the cyberpunk game could appeal to American players.

• Maldini endorsed Pro Soccer World PSW alongside Ono Hiroshi, and Sega’s presentation impressed reporters with its star power and realistic trailer.
• Sega showed The King of Fighters 3 gameplay, featuring Iori Yagami and Kyo Kusanagi, while reporters noted its improved visuals and arcade appeal.
• Sega presented Super Robot Wars Alpha through an anime-style montage, earning Japanese reporters’ applause while North American reporters questioned its appeal there.
• After reporters assumed the conference was ending, a striking musical opening introduced a Ghost in the Shell trailer built from unreleased theatrical-film footage secured by Nakayama Takuya.
• The trailer showed Motoko’s cybernetic body being assembled, and a NetGeneration editor praised its animation and said its cyberpunk premise might sell in the United States.

Sega ended its press conference with a trailer for Ghost in the Shell, drawing applause for its animation and music. Ubisoft then introduced Rayman, a hand-drawn platformer coming to Atari Jaguar, PlayStation, and Jupiter in autumn 1995.

• Sega screened a Ghost in the Shell trailer featuring Motoko and announced the film for winter 1995 and the Jupiter game for summer 1996.
• Media representatives praised Sega’s cross-border marketing, while Walmart’s channel representatives discussed the property’s adult content and sales prospects.
• After a ten-minute intermission, Ubisoft founder Yves Guillemot introduced Rayman with a gameplay demo showcasing its colorful art, fluid animation, and orchestral-electronic score.
• Ubisoft announced that Rayman would release in autumn 1995 for Atari Jaguar, PlayStation, and Jupiter.
• Yves Guillemot ended Ubisoft’s press conference after the audience discussed the company’s European distribution strength and multiplatform strategy.

After E3’s first media day ended, exhausted reporters gathered press materials and rushed back to their hotels to prepare coverage for the next morning. Nakayama Takuya watched them leave and said their articles would reveal the impact of the money spent on the presentations.

• The IDSA host ended the day’s conference sessions, leaving reporters worried about covering dozens of games before the next morning.
• Reporters collected press kits from company booths, and Sega and Sony distributed CD-ROMs with game images, trailers, and press materials.
• Nakayama Takuya told Hisao Oguchi that media coverage would show the results of their spending that day.
• At the Marriott Hotel, the GamePro editor and photographer divided up the huge workload, assigning the Namco exclusives and Capcom’s zombie game.

Game media scrambled to process the flood of E3 announcements, while mainstream newspapers presented the exhibition as evidence that video games had become a major business. By the morning of June 10, flash reports reached readers and left young gamers buzzing about the new games and platforms.

• The editor-in-chief of NetGeneration ordered staff to publish a fast briefing of the day's games, platforms, release dates, and standout images, saving detailed reviews for a later issue.
• The editor-in-chief of Famitsu told Tokyo staff to prepare company financial and hardware-sales data while waiting for a limited selection of materials from Los Angeles.
• Game media workers across Los Angeles, New York, and Tokyo stayed up through E3's first night compiling reports and transmitting materials.
• Old Qiao displayed the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, whose business coverage described video games as a ten-billion-dollar industry holding its own major exhibition.
• GamePro and ElectronicGamingMonthly distributed flash-report flyers, while gamers shared snippets online and high schoolers read the latest announcements outside a retail store.

Players across North America moved from complaining about brief E3 coverage to anticipating the many games in development, while E3’s second media day focused on turning press attention into business deals. At Sony’s booth, Ken Kutaragi pitched the PlayStation’s technical capabilities and development tools to North American developers and studios.

• A shop owner showed complaining young men E3’s packed press-conference schedule and explained why reporters had given games only brief coverage.
• The young men reconsidered the flyer and anticipated a busy end-of-year game lineup as excitement spread through North American player communities.
• On June 10, channel dealers and retail buyers negotiated orders at E3 booths, while distributors gathered at Sega’s booth to discuss first shipments of Pro Soccer World PSW.
• Ken Kutaragi led a technical discussion at Sony’s booth, explaining the PlayStation’s GTE, memory and texture-management limits, CD-ROM streaming, and development tools.

On the second day of E3, Nintendo focused on game design while Sony emphasized hardware, and Bandai and other merchandise makers rationed limited goods ahead of the public day. Reporters shifted from watching presentations to investigating exhibits, where Final Fantasy VII drew praise for its 3D performance.

• Shigeru Miyamoto led a seminar on level design and player experience as Sony promoted hardware performance and Nintendo's games drew strong orders.
• Bandai shelved Gundam Battlefield Evolution and attracted distributors to its merchandise booth, releasing only forty percent of limited goods during media days.
• Sanrio, Hasbro, and Mattel also limited media-day merchandise sales under inventory agreements, saving most stock for the public day.
• The EGM senior editor redirected reporters to investigate specific exhibits and games rather than focus on the main stage.
• A reporter and colleague praised Final Fantasy VII's 3D performance and considered recommending it for a magazine cover.

On the second day of E3, the exhibition revealed the game industry's growing commercial scale as Nakayama Takuya met John Carmack to discuss game technology and open-source code. Their discussion ended with Nakayama pointing out how rapidly graphics technology was changing.

• GamePro's reviewer tried Resident Evil at Capcom's booth, while journalists covered technical seminars and major retail negotiations.
• Nakayama Takuya met with Jensen Huang and confirmed John Carmack's schedule through Mark Cerny before heading to id Software's booth with Mark Cerny, Yuji Naka, and Jensen Huang.
• Carmack questioned Yuji Naka about the Jupiter platform's polygon transformations and texture perspective correction, and Yuji explained Sega's rendering pipeline.
• Carmack said he planned to release Wolfenstein 3D's source code, and Nakayama proposed that Sega also publish code from retired engines and middleware.
• Nakayama told Carmack that releasing old code was not enough because computer graphics technology was evolving rapidly from pseudo-3D to polygon rendering.