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E3 2016 by the numbers adds up to reboots, spinoffs and sequels

At least 80 percent of games shown at E3 2016 were reboots, sequels or spinoffs, according to one set of statistical analysis.

Nic Healey Senior Editor / Australia
Nic Healey is a Senior Editor with CNET, based in the Australia office. His passions include bourbon, video games and boring strangers with photos of his cat.
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Nic Healey
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It's been just under a week since E3 2016 wrapped up, and while it may seem somewhat reductive to take a show built on providing subjectively enjoyable entertainment and reduce it to a series of statistics, that's what we're going to do.

Finder.com.au has run the numbers for the most recent E3, comparing it to last year's show across a few different metrics. It provided some interesting topline analysis, but as always, it's worth taking with a grain of salt. The data looks specifically at the press conferences, rather than the booths on the show floor. Some of the key findings were:

  • Less games: There was an overall 20 percent drop in games on stage at E3 2016 when compared to 2015.
  • Less new IP: There were around half as many new IPs represented on stage in 2016 than the year before.
  • More reveals: Once you count sequels and spinoffs, 23 games were revealed for the first time in 2015 and 27 in 2016.
  • Sony was the only major publisher to match the number of games it showcased the previous year.
  • Bethesda had the least games out of any major publisher and halved its showings from the previous year.
  • EA also halved its showing this year, with 12 games on parade in 2016 and only half a dozen in 2016.
  • Everything old is new again: 80 percent of games shown at E3 2016 were reboots, sequels or spinoffs.