The Take-Two booth at E3 makes all other publishers look sweaty and sloppy. No insult to the others, really, because they’re just doing what game publishers do. They have got their games and their logos and their trailers and lines of people wanting to play stuff. Take Two’s got four walls of serenity.
Compare that top image to this:
And make no mistake, the Take-Two booth is massive. Look how deep this goes.
So what’s going on here? Is this just a power move by Take-Two, given that they have got the game this fall that everyone else is sweating? Maybe, but I understand that Take-Two has done these kinds of game-free chill booths before. Even the people who’ve been to them tell me that, no, it’s never been quite this chill.
Not only are there no games or game signage outside — no demo kiosks, no screens, nothing for Red Dead Redemption 2, NBA 2K, or WWE 2K — there’s no sign of those games if you go inside.
I did find a room that had an Xbox One S that was running copies of last year’s NBA 2K and WWE 2K games. The other game on it? Electronic Arts’ Madden.
The luxurious space behind the glass doors is full of comfy chairs and crate myrtle trees. There’s a bar serving fancy tea. It’s all set under a set of monitors that put a blue sky overhead. I was told that sometimes a plane flies overheard. Sometimes a bird.
The meeting rooms are lovely:
And there’s this room where you can turn on an old record player and just watch a surfing video:
It’s so relaxing, and such a contrast from the rest of E3. It’s a wonder why anyone would leave it. Going by this space, Take-Two is currently pretty zen. I guess they’re feeling good and confident.
Comments
6 responses to “Take-Two’s E3 Booth Has No Red Dead And Is Incredibly Chill”
That’s pretty dope actually.
If you are a big company but have nothing particular to push, what better way to make a memorable impression than provide a space to relax among the traditional chaos?
I know I’d spend time there.
The first thing that comes to mind when I look at T2’s booth compared to the others is *crickets* followed by a tumbleweed. They have nothing new to push that isn’t already old news. The others do.
Lol, that’s clearly not true. As the article mentions, Red Dead 2 is coming out at the end of the year – the game that other developers are scrambling to move their games away from because they don’t want to compete with the hype train. It’s quite the opposite – Take Two don’t have to ram marketing down people’s throats because their stuff is viral. In addition to that, ultimately E3 is for the games industry, not for the general public. By making the space tranquil, they are more likely to attract industry professionals, game reviewers, and potential investors who want a break from the rest of E3, which is exactly who they want to draw. Ballr move.
Take-two having an identity crisis and showing an IKEA catalogue display come to life, when what I actually wanted to see more than anything else at E3 (aside from Cyberpunk) was Red Dead Redemption 2.
I’m sure it would have been a nice peaceful contrast to anyone attending who wanted to chill out away from the noise and crowds for a while. For some pleb following E3 on his laptop at home, however, it feels like a massive troll move.
Rockstar almost never bother with E3. They dont need to. Gods amongst mortals and all that.
I still find it funny that people were waiting for RDR2 to show up somewhere, wasn’t their last tease of something at E3 from like 2009/11-ish with Agent?
Im suprised they didnt have a $2.99 entry fee requirement.