E3 to be Downsized

[iownyou14]

GameSpot has learned that tomorrow the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) will announce changes to the format and scale of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the game industry event that typically draws in excess of 60,000 attendees and includes over 400 exhibitors.

On July 28, the Web site of UK trade magazine MCV reported discussions had taken place between the ESA and E3 exhibitors which addressed the future of the annual trade show. GameSpot spoke with informed game industry sources late Friday and Saturday and learned that the show would radically shrink in size and move from its usual Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) venue to a smaller location.

Sources said that rather than fill the 540,000 square feet of the cavernous LACC, the show will take place at a location that would support exhibitors in meeting room space only, with companies showing their wares to a select group of attendees numbering in the hundreds rather than thousands.

One reason behind the downsizing of the show can be attributed to the dollar cost of the event to exhibitors, including the demands on companies to assign large numbers of staff to focus on the show, expenses associated with travel to the show, and the added expense to polish game builds and demos to be shown to attendees.

While the largest of E3 exhibitors could support their own marketing and promotion of upcoming games, the smaller companies which rely on the attention that E3 generates may have no recourse other than to market their games independently. But a smaller E3 would impact more than the game industry: the local hotel and related entertainment and service industries in Los Angeles take in more than $50 million during E3--the estimated amount attendees and businesses spend over the course of the three-day event.

One source added that the new format of the show may actually result in a more productive environment to demo games to the media, although they stopped short of full disclosure: "My lips are sealed until after the weekend," the source said.

An official statement from the ESA outlining the changes will be released on Monday, numerous sources said. E-mails to the ESA for comment were not returned at press time.

Source: Gamespot

[Shof]

ouch, this will suck and give e3 a bad impression. A meeting room is not meet for this

[DigitalN.]

what the hell? now why would they do that?

[giga Veteran]

e show will take place at a location that would support exhibitors in meeting room space only,

:no:

[jerry]

EXCLUSIVE: E3 FINISHED

Senior industry sources have revealed to Next-Gen.Biz that the E3 industry event, in its present form, has been cancelled for next year and the foreseeable future.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) shindig has been a staple of game industry life since the mid-1990s. However, we understand the larger exhibitors have jointly decided that the costs of the event do not justify the returns, generally measured in media exposure.

Publishers believe the multi-million dollar budgets would be better spent on more company-focused events that bring attention to their own product lines rather than the industry as a whole.

Well placed sources say the news that larger exhibitors were pulling out had prompted urgent meetings among publishing executives. They decided that, without the support of the larger software publishers and hardware manufacturers, there would be no point in continuing.

ESA president Doug Lowenstein will likely announce the news some time within the next 48 hours, possibly on Monday. It's possible that the ESA will seek to limit the damage by organizing some form of lesser event in May, but it's clear that the days of an industry event attended by all the major publishers, spending big money, are gone.

Calls to ESA staff are not being returned at present.

Source

:|

[andrew_f]

:| This can't be good business. Hope its not true.

[Shof]

craps that bad

[blackice912 Veteran]

Lame!

[Chanser]

Bummer. :(

I guess the Tokyo Game Show will be the big event or game companies hold their own event like Nintendo's Spaceworld etc.

Edited July 30, 2006 by Chanser

[Popcorned1]

:x

[giga Veteran]

:|

WTF!

Senior industry sources have revealed to Next-Gen.Biz that the E3 industry event, in its present form, has been cancelled for next year and the foreseeable future.

This cant be true.

[Shof]

This cant be true.

what if it is true?

[Eli]

More news:

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/43144

:(

Tomorrow will be a sad day for gamers.

[giga Veteran]

what if it is true?

Then it will be a huge blow to the gaming industry and the gaming fanbase.

[+vlsi0n Subscriber¹]

Looks like they effectively killed E3. If this all happends then E3 will hardly be a thing to look forward to. Only media players going, that's what we have the gaming magazines for. IMO this is a big mistake; each MS, Sony, and Nintendo will have to put a lot more into making their (self run) gaming shows bigger.

[jerry]

Then it will be a huge blow to the gaming industry and the gaming fanbase.

Yes.

Now when the companies hold showings in meeting rooms, all we can rely on is the how much the game companies pay the media to hype up their game, there may be no real gamers who can say on their blogs that in reality the game sucked big time. Thats just one scenario.

[giga Veteran]

Found via kotaku

http://metalgearno.ytmnd.com/

[Inplode]

WTF isnt E3 like the BIGGEST showing for all the game makers/ harware companys why in the hell would they do this

[Hell-In-A-Handbasket]

think of it,,,, all the companies that had games there that people said sucked,,, lost sales BIG TIME on taht game, to the point of having to cancle it,,, wasting money in their mind, making it smaller with all private showings allows them to select their audience

WTF isnt E3 like the BIGGEST showing for all the game makers/ harware companys why in the hell would they do this

[savedandfamous]

This could be great news. With Nintendo's current DS/Wii events going on Nintendo doesn't need it at the moment.

I think this will push the bigger companies to hold their own events where they aren't space/time limited beyond their own needs.

This could also make TGS a little bigger for Sony & Nintendo. Maybe annual Space Worlds from Nintendo?

IDK. But I like E3. :(

EDIT// Microsoft could have a new branch of WDCC? Right?

[blachole]

Well this blows bigtime.

[+vlsi0n Subscriber¹]

This could be great news. With Nintendo's current DS/Wii events going on Nintendo doesn't need it at the moment.

I think this will push the bigger companies to hold their own events where they aren't space/time limited beyond their own needs.

This could also make TGS a little bigger for Sony & Nintendo. Maybe annual Space Worlds from Nintendo?

IDK. But I like E3. :(

EDIT// Microsoft could have a new branch of WDCC? Right?

Like I said, now I think that each of the bigger companies will just put more money into their own shows (TGS, X0# etc). I'd like to know which companies thought that E3 should be downsized (like said in the original post). I can't see any of the big players saying they want it downsized!

[-Anthony]

If its cancelled what will the magazines talk about for a month ?

[+John. Subscriber¹]

They're joking...they've gotta be. There's no way in hell someone would kill E3 :huh: it's the first thing most gaming fans thing about when someone mentions Expos etc.

:( Tis a sad sad day.

[PL_ Veteran]

No E3?

Now how am I going to spend my 3rd weekend of May???