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Things Aren’t Starting Off So well For Microsoft’s E3 Xbox Fanfest

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Microsoft is headed to what many feel is their single most important E3 event, since the branding of the Xbox. However, it always seems to stumble when things are getting good. And sadly, today is just another one of those things. Microsoft has been promoting their E3 Xbox Fan Fest, where 500 fans will be able to attend the E3 2017 Xbox briefing, get hands-on with Project Scorpio, score a custom backpack and more. The first catch of this is that only 400 of those tickets would be given away online.

Tickets were supposed to start being provided today, 100 tickets at certain times, starting at 6 AM PDT. Everything was going good, or at least that’s what everyone thought until more than 100 people started saying they got a ticket. This continued for a while until Microsoft got involved and stopped giving out any tickets for the time being. It got to the point to where the next ticket giveaway was promptly canceled. There was definitely a problem, to which Microsoft and its fans already knew.

Suddenly, people started worrying if their tickets would be voided or if they would still be able to attend the event. Some of the people feel cheated as they had never won anything before, while others merely laughed it off. I even saw a few state they already booked a flight and hotel for the chance to partake in the E3 Xbox Fan Fest. I was involved in all of those as I had gotten up and was ready to smash that F5 key until something happened. I felt extremely happy that I had won one of the magical tickets.

Except, it’s not really magical at all. There was an issue with the process, which had let in way more than intended. After some time, we finally found out what would happen; A do-over. The words that no one wanted to see.

To everyone who had followed the rules and did was asked of them, is less than desirable. While I understand things happen, to tell everyone that their confirmation suddenly means nothing and that they’re being forced to do it again is terrible. This was Microsoft’s solution to being “fair”, the damage was done. The fans were being held accountable for something that was beyond their control. This was all on Microsoft, who should have been a simple contest. Now it’s a nightmare for the hundreds who were once winners, reduced to losers with nothing other than time loss to show for.

At the very least, they should be honoring those under the correct limit and voiding the rest. But they for “fairness”, they aren’t everyone is getting shafted instead.

Currently, we don’t know when the contest is going to start back up, but the damage has been done. Should the content start now, most people are either on their way to work or home, perhaps stuck in traffic. Others who may be helping their children with homework or getting dinner ready. There’s simply no way for those who have already won a ticket previously to get lucky again, which is the real tragedy here.

Update: We now know it won’t be today. Not sure when, but definitely not today.

https://twitter.com/XboxE3Fans/status/854795171317395457

For Microsoft, this is definitely not the start they wanted nor needed for E3 2017. Sure, they’ll move past it and their supporters will likely forgive and forget them. For the rest of us, well, let’s just say I’m not a happy camper right now. And I’m sure that I’ll try again when given the chance, but I don’t like my chances on winning this time. Not with the entire gaming world watching and only 400 tickets on the line.

I really wanted one of those backpacks, and have for the past three years. I guess that simply won’t happen after all.

*Written by a gamer and someone who wants Microsoft to do better, but damn*

Keith Mitchell - Headshot-PS_Gear_400x400

Keith has been a fan of geek culture and video games ever since his father gifted him his first gaming console many decades ago and has used this love of for the genres to start The Outerhaven. Keith keeps follows on the ongoings of videogames, anime, comics and technology, and while he has been writing about these topics for the past 14 years, he has been a gamer and tech guy for 30 years.

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