Microsoft's next-gen console was met with a chilly reception during the Killer Instinct presentation at Evo 2013.
When two representatives from Double Helix and Mad Catz came on stage during Evo 2013 to showcase the upcoming Xbox One exclusive Killer Instinct, one word can be used to describe the crowd’s reaction: ugly.
The presentation took place following the Injustice: Gods Among Us grand finals as viewers waited around for the Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 finals to begin. As can be seen in the video above, the two representatives tried their best to drum up appeal for the game during their introduction but as soon as they said the phrase “Xbox One Exclusive”, the crowd let fly with a flurry of boos that was so loud the representatives had to actually stop and give the crowd a “Ya ya…We know…” sort of look.
Viewers who were tuning in via the official Twitch livestream reported that the stream’s comments section was filled with negative comments during the game’s three-round presentation (which also included the debut of returning fighter Glacius and a tease of the return of Chief Thunder) which ranged from aggressive demands for Marvel vs. Capcom’s segment to begin (“Nobody cares, show Marvel!”) to blatant hatemongering (“Get this s*** off the stream!”).
Reports also suggest that many attendees were chanting “Marvel! Marvel! Marvel!” loudly during the entire presentation (the chanting wasn’t heard over the Twitch stream) and that the two representatives had to do their best to ignore them and continue commentating the matches. The fact that the representatives didn’t seem that enthused (though, after such a reception who can blame them?) and that the matches looked scripted didn’t help things either.
It’s sad to see such a beloved franchise like Killer Instinct having its reputation marred simply by being associated with the Xbox One. Fortunatly for Double Helix, the new Killer Instinct still looks like it will be a solid and accessible fighting game (thanks to its F2P pricing model) so hopefully Evo fans will eventually warm to it despite its home console.
