The Biggest Rollout of E3 2017 No One is Talking About

E3 2017 hosted two days of panels, talks, conversations and more with the world’s biggest game developers and special guests. Edgy Labs covers one of the biggest developments of E3 that no one is talking about.

The biggest rollout of E3 2017 by far was the shift in approach for event coverage by media mogul YouTube.

As we discussed in a post about how E3 2017 felt a little out of place, YouTube, by design, might eventually take E3 totally out of a physical convention space and onto the web.

For now, though, Youtube Home changed scheme during this year’s two-day E3 schedule.

Tactics Leading up to E3 2017

Youtube Gaming (YTG) has long struggled to figure out the best patronage mechanic–the heart and soul of successful streaming.

There was a brief attempt to mimic the Twitch cheer/bit mechanism, but it seems they’ve settled on a pay-for-say mechanism where users donate set amounts and their personal message is displayed for a pre-set amount of time to other viewers.

This encourages a bidding war of sorts–especially for high volume streamers–and varies only marginally from Twitch.

In addition, YouTube grants access to Google AdSense for growing channels.

E3 2017 Exclusive Incentives

During the biggest rollout of E3 2017, the Youtube Homepage and YTG converged to entice viewer participation of the event with new interactive features.

Additionally, the Comment section was disabled completely to promote site engagement rather than social user engagement.

This approach takes Youtube Gaming (YTG) to a new, more competitive level, hence why we thought it was the biggest rollout of E3 2017.

Previously, Twitch has been considered the go-to big name sponsor of gamers, live streamers, and (more importantly) competitive players.  

However, Youtube & YTG seems to have taken the time to learn from Twitch viewers and to take steps to protect the future of their company following their recent monetization scandal.

Site changes reflect a clear intention to compete with streaming giants and to push back against programmed entertainment services (ie: cable).

Could Youtube Gaming Really Take Down Twitch?

A few months ago, Reddit users on r/Twitch discussed the benefits and limitations of both streaming platforms.

The consensus at that time seemed to be that Youtube and Twitch were used by visitors for fundamentally different things.

However, if YTG continues to offer live stream event coverage like they did as the biggest rollout of E3 2017–that might all change.

Does Youtube Gaming have the potential to attract championship gamers? Do you think Youtube would be willing to incentivize professional gamers to turn additional profits with sponsorship deals?