TennoCon is always a hotbed of Warframe (and now Soul frame) reveals, from new frames and primes to skins and the next content drops. But I’m not sure any content was as anticipated as this year’s teasers Warframe 1999. Maybe that’s just my own opinion, but the fact that this year’s main stage took up the entire second floor of the convention center – with 3,000 seats for attendees – might suggest otherwise.
But the TennoCon 2024 experience was more than Warframe 1999 — it was 1999! And that helped make this event the biggest and best yet. The biggest: The convention area got bigger yet, this time taking up the parking lot on the side (seriously, is the roof the only thing left?!). The best: Thanks to the 1999 theme, which included everything from games to graffiti to treats, mixed with the camaraderie of Warframe Gamers, the atmosphere was like a big Y2K party among friends. Or should we say a party of a lifetime among friends? This party was both informative and entertaining.
Party mood
2024 was unique in that there was an overarching theme that brought everything together in a way that hadn’t been seen in previous years—and probably won’t be again. That theme was 1999. Can you imagine all the ways to base plans on the ’90s? Digital Extremes definitely could. From decorations to crazy, cool ’90s-themed commercials to photo opportunities on the subway, everywhere you looked, you were swept up in the theme. Throughout the party… er, convention… there was an arcade with games to win tickets, a large graffiti wall for signing autographs, music with a DJ, live music, and plenty of opportunities to chat. The night ended with a glowstick rave party for TennoLive that definitely carried the theme through to the end.
What I especially loved was that the theme made cosplay much more accessible to players. Not everyone can create costumes based on the game—and these costumes were great—but almost anyone can cobble together a ’90s outfit and look if they want to (some of us could just raid our own closets). And they did! Many attendees wore these retro outfits, not only making them more involved in the event, but also adding to the atmosphere of the event for others.
Expansion of the party
This year, in addition to the Cetus Market outside behind the convention center, DE set up a huge tent in the parking lot that became a place for people to meet and play. It housed the VIP lounge, the arcade, the graffiti signing wall, the second stage, a station for creating graffiti airbrushed collector shirts, a super cool quiz robot supervised by Loid, and a trading lounge for cracking relics.
Wait, what? Yes, a lounge for opening and exchanging relics. In the party tent, there were gacha machines for relics. Imagine giant gumball machines that Warframe Relics instead of chewing gum? And just like in the game, each of these relics can be broken open to reveal a reward inside. In most cases, these were special Warframe-themed pins, with occasional game ticket vouchers and extra coins for more relics. And the relics themselves turned into impressive party favors to take home. Each of the five Warframe Relics were featured and each attendee was given five tokens to spend however they wanted. I had to get one from each of them, of course. And as a bonus, thanks to another person who was at the convention with me, he generously donated some of his relics for future giveaways!
The arcade was a small alley with various games including whack-a-mole, motorcycle racing, skeeball, basket shooting and more. There was even a tabletop version of Pong! Many of the games had tickets, and tickets could be exchanged for prize bags full of goodies. Most of my tickets were from two games. One required you to use skill, not force, to hit the button with a hammer to reach a certain spot on the lighted tower. The other allowed you to spin a wheel for tickets if you made the racing light randomly stop in its spot. Although I was too slow to get the special Warframe slippers with my almost 1K tickets (*cries*), I got cool pins, a picture and a dog chew toy (in case I’m really stressed?), and my con companion got Warframe Shorts!
Particularly noteworthy is Warframe Quiz Robots. It was amazing! It was fun to see the dual faces of Loid and Otak commenting on players’ answers to timed questions. I played a few rounds to increase my score so Otak wouldn’t scold me so much!
Extension of the party
The party venue being bigger was definitely a bonus as it definitely felt less crowded compared to previous years and was easier to navigate even though there were more people there. But I can’t fail to acknowledge the extended length of the party as well. Thanks to the extra night before, people were able to take part in all the offerings in the gaming tent as well as visit the merch shop and get their shopping done before the main event on Saturday. This had two major benefits. Firstly, you could leave all your merch and swag at the hotel instead of lugging it around all day and secondly, you weren’t standing in lines waiting for these things and missing out on the event panels and other offerings!
That’s not to say there weren’t queues – there were. Some visitors I spoke to straight after the event complained that the queues outside the party tent were much longer and slower than expected. I admit, when I came out and saw the queue for myself, I vowed not to go back in! Although there was a cordoned off VIP lounge in the tent, every visitor was invited to the party on Friday night, so there were a lot of people there.
To reduce this congestion, a longer extension is probably needed. I would still like to see Soul frame has its own day full of other core things, but even extending the con into the first day can help spread out attendees a bit. For example, give VIPs the chance to enter the venue a few hours before general admission so people can get through the t-shirt line and gacha machines and spend some time in the arcade. That’s not to say these deals will still be there next year, of course, but these rules of thumb will be relevant for whatever is planned for then. And since it will be the 10th TennoCon, I’m sure it will be a big deal and a big crowd.
Party-tired
If people were too exhausted to party or maybe just needed a break from the crowds and noise, there was again a Zen meditation room where people could relax. My biggest disappointment, however, was this room. Perhaps my expectations were influenced by last year’s impressive Zen room with its massage chairs, flowing water fountains and relaxing Zen games, but this year’s room was (unfortunately) the only Soul Frame-concentrated thing for people to enjoy at the convention, and I fear the sparseness left a bad impression.
The big stone rune was cool and the little forest vignettes were pretty, but they took up a lot of the space, leaving less room to relax. And there was a serious lack of seating: there were only a few sparse Luv-Sac bean bags covered to look like boulders. And the dry ice/smoke for atmosphere was pretty irritating to my lungs, so I couldn’t stay for more than a few minutes to take photos. It was just disappointing after looking forward to it all year. I liked that it was a little away from the main traffic this year, so I hope this spot gets used again next time.
Party gifts
Well, every TennoCon has given out special swag, but this year’s was especially great because they almost all had a specific theme. You got a bedazzled fanny pack, five coins for the relic gatcha machines, and a graffiti-covered TennocCon t-shirt. (As helpful as the hand sanitizer and pen are, they’re not the ’90s thing.)
Of course, people were also able to take their own photos with Arthur and his Atomicycle, in a subway section, or in the riders’ seat. (Kudos to the DE staff for the last photo, who went out of their way to get some great photos for the fans, including photos of them lying on the floor at odd angles!) There were also collections of 90’s style roller coasters on the tables in the VIP lounge, and I’m sure quite a few of these went home with the fans.
If you have always wanted to become a DE partner or developer, this next part might help you take that step. The night before the convention, DE gathered its partners, content creators and press to present some of the upcoming announcements. Dinner this year came from Big Bytes Pizza, actually in the 1999 Hub, complete with the matching pizza boxes (only in English instead of Warframes language)! Just as I was complaining that my box was all sticky with grease and cheese and needed to be thrown away, we were given fresh, empty boxes to take home. The gift packages also included a graffiti-style desk pad, the aforementioned awesome – and clean – pizza box, and a Big Bytes pizza apron. The latter is perhaps my most coveted gaming gift yet. I even had a Big Bytes fridge magnet; I can hang that up right now, but I’m trying to talk myself into using the apron rather than just framing it.
The surprising end of the party
The biggest surprise about the annual surprise teaser ending… is that there wasn’t one! There was no teaser trailer to end the night at TennoLive and keep people speculating about the content coming next year. And not only that, we didn’t learn anything about the content coming this fall. That will be revealed at the Tokyo Game Show in September, which DE will be attending. At least now we have the Lotus Eaters micro-story live to set the stage for 1999.
The party ended with the debut of Party of Your Lifetime and the promise of Warframe 1999 Release this winter. I’m not going to lie: Although it would be torture for the developers who would have to work on the holidays, I honestly think it would be pretty damn awesome if the update were released on December 31st! Awesome! Awesome! And the most awesome launch date imaginable.
Now all we have to do is wait – wait for 1999 and wait for the 10th TennoCon in 2025. I am So looking forward to both! I really hope to see you there.
Pick a frame, it doesn’t matter which one! The Warframe galaxy is in danger, Tenno, and Space Mom needs help fighting it. Are you in the right Warframe of Mind to join in? MJ Guthrie has come forward; she’ll be stepping into her favorite frames every two weeks to fight for the cause and blast the Grineer and Infected to pieces.