10 Most Cringeworthy E3 2015 Moments

6. Ubisoft's Multiplayer Team Chats

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFfxzBQKFnY

Although Ubisoft has been featured a few times on this list, they actually provided one of the strongest pressers of 2015's entire event. Of course that didn't stop Ubi leaning on crutches that've soured the company's presentations for years.

While demoing both the upcoming The Division and Rainbow Six: Siege, a tactical and team-based counter-terrorist shooter, the studio brought out developers to play a match live. While the average party chat on Xbox Live or PSN amounts to little more than excessive screaming, jesting insults and sloppy instructions ("There's a guy at the thing! The door! I'm dead...), the Ubisoft team coordinated with each other like a highly trained SWAT team.

In the most unrealistic representation of "team chat" ever, Ubisoft continually has their presenters talk to one another as if they were really in a counter terrorist organisation, using military terms while looking onwards with stern faces and clenched jaws. It's supposed to make the demo feel more cinematic, yet it continually creates a disconnect between the showcase and the player. 

It would be infinitely more endearing and relatable if the guys just came out, put on the headset and had natural banter back and forth - maybe not quite the insults and the screaming, but something a bit more human than "Check your six, Andy." 

Contributor

Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.