While E3 is certainly a celebration of everything that defines the video game industry, it can also be seen as a battle royale between all of the world's game development studios. The likes of Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and a slew of third-party companies are always looking to best each other on gaming's big stage, hoping to gain customer and critic loyalty in the process.
Waking Games thought it'd be neat to take this battle between gaming giants to a more literal level, so they created Expo Fighter. Inspired by E3, Expo Fighter is an actual fighting game that has a roster consisting of exaggerated caricatures of well-known gaming personalities such as Reggie Fils-Aime of Nintendo and Don Mattrick of Microsoft.
According to Kotaku, Expo Fighter will be released officially on June 1st, right before the big show itself begins on June 11th. However, those itching to duke it out with their most loathed gaming personalities can test the game out right now.
While a goofy, one-button game featuring devs beating the snot out of each other would be amusing enough for most gamers, Waking Games is actually trying to bring a level of legitimacy to their comedic brawler. Expo Fighter will be playable online, and will feature a ranking system for both teams and individual fighters. According to the official website, the game draws influence from titles such as Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike and Super Street Fighter 2: Turbo. Waking clearly wouldn't mind their game being played competitively, and even included support for arcade sticks and traditional controllers.
So far Fils-Aime and Mattrick are the only caricatures being shown in screenshots, and have been renamed "Regicide" and "Matchstick." The titile is sure to feature more personalities once it officially launches next month, as gamers are likely eager to get a chance to virtually battle the devs that they absolutely despise.
While hilarious, Expo Fighter is shaping up to be a solid, fun title that will make for a great time killer while waiting for E3 news to break. The game will be completely free and playable right in your web browser. What other gaming executive should be on the game's roster?
