Considering this year's E3 was an all-digital affair, the viewer numbers are more important than ever. It's a quantifiable way of determining which game maker had the most interest, and this year that game maker was Nintendo.
The streaming analysts over at Stream Hatchet recently posted their figures for each of E3's major presentations, and perhaps unsurprisingly, Nintendo topped the list with 3.1 million peak viewers. Xbox came in second with 2.3 million viewers, Ubisoft in third with 1.4 million, Square Enix in fourth with 1.3 million, and indie games publisher Devolver came in fifth with 1.1 million peak viewers.
Nintendo taking the crown for most viewers really isn't all that surprising, considering the hype surrounding Breath of the Wild 2 and a possible Switch Pro reveal, even though the company repeatedly warned fans that they'd only talk about software at E3. But what was surprising is Devolver taking fifth place ahead of huge companies like Capcom, Take-Two, Bandai Namco, Gearbox, and Razer. An indie games publisher that can hang with the big 'uns is truly impressive.
Meanwhile, Xbox's second-place performance is still notable, especially since Phil Spencer confirmed this was Xbox's biggest E3 audience ever. "Thank you for a great week, our most viewed E3 ever," Spencer wrote on Twitter. "We haven’t felt players and the team sharing so much energy and excitement since the 360 era. We’re inspired by the community’s belief in Xbox and we will continue to innovate with players at the center of everything we do."
Not only did Xbox draw in over 2 million viewers, but it also won best presentation and most anticipated game (Halo Infinite) at the E3 awards ceremony.
Xbox isn't done, either! Tune in later today for Xbox's second extended game showcase where we'll see Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 for the first time in a while, as well as discussions with Double Fine on Psychonauts 2 and whatever Rare is hiding from us (but not Everwild).