No More E3.


Rayek

Recovering Sega Addict
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Next Generation said:
As Next-Gen exclusively reported Sunday, all major exhibitors have effectively pulled their support from the show, prompting the majority of game publishers to also cancel plans for high-cost booths. The ESA will make an announcement later today that will attempt to add some gloss to this catastrophe, with some form of media-focused boutique event - branded E3 - taking its place.

Some gullible journalists, evidently blinded by a desire to do-down a rival scoop, have taken this as evidence that E3 is alive and well and merely being 'downsized'. But this euphemism doesn't change the facts. The decision by big manufacturers and publishers to walk away has left ESA in damage-control mode. As we reported yesterday, E3, in its present form, is dead.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) shindig has been a staple of game industry life since the mid-1990s. However, 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.

Whatever is announced today will be no more than a fig-leaf. 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.

The link, because none of you believe me.

This is really a testament to where the phenomena of gaming is going. This:

"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."

Disgusts me. Think of that and the difference between the good 'ol days when people were programming in their basement and would SHARE their programs with tons of other people because they thrived on a community. Better spent... on what, Microsoft? Producing more crappy games for your crap consoles? Please.
 
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This makes the Games Convention the biggest gaming fair worldwide! And i doubt it will take the the same course as the E3, since its open to the public and hence has much more attention from the common gamer.
 
Rayek posted on Aug 1 2006 at 10:28 AM said:
Better spent... on what, Microsoft? Producing more crappy games for your crap consoles? Please.

Better point that finger in the direction of Sony and Nintendo as well. All three, in addition to several large publishers (EA and the like), have been hosting their own showcase events outside of E3 for years, so it doesn't really surprise me in the least that they want to drop out entirely.

It is a punch in the face for the smaller companies, though, they really don't have the cash to throw these kinds of events. Hopefully venues like that indie game expo earlier this year will become more popular.
 
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I was a bit upset about this when I heard it was happening a couple of days ago, but after thinking about it and reading the latest news it may be for the better. It should mean that smaller companies (GPH!) will be able to grab more attention from the media and the latest information should be more centralised, so we won't have to go through 5000 different blogs to find different bits of information.
Of course it also means that we probably wont be able to see such greats recordings, like the last one of Spore with Robin Williams.

We will still have the Tokyo Game Show <_<
 
Finally. E3 is supposed to be a trade event and not a contest on which company can present girls with the least amount of clothing in which people with the weakest connections to "the business" are invited. I bet people end up taking more pictures of the pointless booth babes than the actual games themselves. TGS+GDC > E3, so this doesn't really bother me :)
 
Azure posted on Aug 1 2006 at 06:48 PM said:
TGS+GDC > E3, so this doesn't really bother me :)

Ahem, I think you meant, "CGE >E3".



nem posted on Aug 1 2006 at 07:00 AM said:
Better point that finger in the direction of Sony and Nintendo as well. All three, in addition to several large publishers (EA and the like), have been hosting their own showcase events outside of E3 for years, so it doesn't really surprise me in the least that they want to drop out entirely.

Eh, I figured that Microsoft deserved the little rant space of mine more than Sony or Nintendo, though Sony is very close... Stupid BluRay. Gawd, Sony IS worse!

But really, this goes to show that underneath all these 'cool, new, flashy games', they're all corporations at heart, and their main goal is to make money. Drawing too much attention to gaming as a whole... I'm sorry, but fuck that.

E3 went down the tubes anyway after '99, because that was the last year of Sega in their "we make consoles" days.
 
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pantera6 posted on Aug 2 2006 at 02:52 AM said:
E3 is not dead, its just being called E3 media festival, and its also going to be alot smaller
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/31/new-e3-g...media-festival/

So... You mean E3 is dead. Everything you posted except 'E3 is not dead' is a clear indication of an end of a gaming media feild day era. Will Sony be at this little conference? Hmmm. Probably...

not.
 
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Nintendo is the first of the big three games console manufacturers to confirm it will attend the smaller E3 show in Los Angeles in 2007.


The Electronic Entertainment Expo has been the world's biggest games show for many years but will be scaled back for next year's conference.

It follows concerns from games publishers over the cost of attending the event and manning giant booths.

Microsoft and Sony have not indicated their plans for E3 for next year.

Smaller, more regional games shows have increased in importance in recent years with many of the bigger publishers running their own showcase events.


Full Story http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5238138.stm
 
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