As we all have known for about a week now, Onlive will not be showing up at the E3 this year. Ever since they announced it on their Blog it seems as though everyone in the video game world has taken this as a blow to their legitimacy. I really don’t understand all the negativity we have heard about Onlive since this announcement. It seems as though everyone has just given up hope that Onlive will be successful.

I tend to look at the situation from an optimistic point of view and put myself in the shoes of Onlive CEO Steve Perlman. What does Onlive have to gain by going to the event? Sure they could show off their product to the world, and allow other companies to decide if they would like to work with them in the future. Wouldn’t it be just as simple to invite these companies to a private showing, so that they don’t have to give ideas away to the competition. We already know that Sony, and Microsoft are at least a little nervous about the potential Onlive brings to the gaming world. Sony is already working on a system called the “Playstation Cloud” according to rumors. Why give away any of their tactics until they are ready to release into external beta testing? They really have nothing to gain by attending the E3, and so much to lose.

Another point that I would like to bring up is that external Onlive beta testing is to begin sometime this summer. Summer starts in a month, and I expect beta testing to launch sometime towards the beginning of summer. This means that only about a month after the E3, we could conceivably see beta testing begin. From what I have heard and read, beta testing will be conducted on a rather large scale. Onlive is currently taking sign ups for beta testers, and they have been for about 2 months now. Will they allow everyone that signs up to be a beta tester? We don’t know, but it’s possible. This is the absolute best way to show the video game world the new product. Why show it when it is not complete?

Sure, plenty of people are disappointed over the fact that Onlive won’t be at the E3. If you were Steve Perlman, would you want to show an unfinished product on a national stage, or would you wait a month or so to show a completed product? We will see the completed product, let’s just hold our horses and wait an extra month or so.

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Onlive Won’t be at the E3

You hear me right. Apparently OnLive has their reasons. A simple reason that makes no sense to me. This is taken from their official blog which can be seen here at http://blog.onlive.com

“…the main reason why OnLive won’t have a booth at E3 this year. More than anything, E3 is a retail-oriented conference, both for retail platforms and retail publishers, and OnLive is neither.”

They seem to be a bit mixed up here. E3 is a show that promotes future products that are coming out within the year or close to. It is pretty simple. OnLive is honestly a service that needs all the promotion you can get. Not to say that in a bad way, but they are a new innovative service that a great deal of people are skeptical about. Honestly, I feel as if they have committed suicide for a 2009 release.

The past has shown with games and other gaming products that you need to be at E3, you need to promote, or you might miss your chance for a decent jumping off point when you release. Besides, if you are offering a gaming service that requires you to buy controllers, set top boxes, and so on to people you call consumers, then you are entering the world of retail.

Also, concerning their quote, they went to GDC. It is almost the same kind of show. You go there, you try to get your product either on store shelves or some other way in the hands of consumers. 80% of GDC attending companies attend E3 as well. Those are the ones that succeed. Those are the ones that get people talking about your product. Also, with so little REAL news out about OnLive, wouldn’t they think E3 is a good place to say, “Hey, this is where we are now.”

It’s also a good way to tone down some of the nay sayers out there. If you can win them over then it will be better press for your product. If you don’t, they will run around spouting their cynicism to more and more people. Which might end up hurting OnLive in the long run.

I’m not saying all this in a negative way. In the end I just want to know what they are thinking or planning? This move is a big blow to their progress. So, here’s to OnLive… I really hope you know what you are doing.

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- Onlive won’t be at E3