E3 2018

E3 2018 hit with 276 peak viewers as we covered gaming's last truly great industry showcase before the format imploded. Microsoft announced Halo Infinite, Nintendo revealed Smash Bros Ultimate, and Bethesda memed Skyrim ports before teasing Starfield. But Cyberpunk 2077 stole the show with Keanu Reeves' surprise appearance—instant meme immortality. We watched the e3 2018 twitch stats climb as Keanu hit the stage, because that was the moment 2018 broke the internet. Within years, COVID and publisher economics would kill E3 entirely, but in 2018 it still mattered. Developers coordinated announcements around June, media covered it wall-to-wall, and players treated it like Christmas. We were there for the last hurrah.