ESA confirms collapse of E3

By Games Industry.biz Published 1 August, 2006

More intimate event planned.

The Entertainment Software Association has confirmed that the E3 Expo will no longer continue to be the biggest event in the games industry calendar, revealing that a "more intimate" event is now planned.

In an official statement, ESA president Doug Lowenstein said: "The world of interactive entertainment has changed since E3 Expo was created 12 years ago. At that time we were focused on establishing the industry and securing orders for the holiday season.

"Over the years, it has become clear that we need a more intimate program, including higher quality, more personal dialogue with the worldwide media, developers, retailers and other key industry audiences."

From now on, the focus for E3 will be on "targeted, personalised meetings and activities", according to the ESA, with further plans to be announced soon.

It's been confirmed that the show will still take place in Los Angeles, but the emphasis will be on press events and small meetings between media, retail and development. Although publishers will still have the opportunity to demo their products, the ESA has stated that next year's show "will not feature the large trade show environment of previous years."

According to Lowenstein, E3 will remain "an important event for the industry", and the ESA remains committed to maintaining "that sense of excitement and interest" - with an emphasis on productivity.

Following the growth of major events such as the Leipzig Games Convention and the Tokyo Game Show, Lowenstein said, "It is no longer necessary or efficient to have a single industry ‘mega-show’.

"By refocusing on a highly-targeted event, we think we can do a better job serving our members and the industry as a whole."

The ESA has pledged to reveal further details of the revamped E3 Expo in the coming months.

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Comments (21) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • mattigan #1 6 years ago

    What do you think about this Eurogamer Staff, as it doesn't really affect the general public?
    Edited by 1 at 01/08/06 @ 09:13

  • Rambaldi #2 6 years ago

    So, they wany to give the public more intimate information, minus the actual public?

  • el_pollo_diablo #3 6 years ago

    Something else will step up to take it's place I'm fairly sure. Anyway, the big three still have their own annual conferences don't they?

  • limepickle #4 6 years ago

    I have to say I'm not massively shocked. Being an attendee for the past couple of years it has become more and more manic and harder and harder to get anything out of it.

    With the arrival of live downloads, for example, it makes it easier to get feedback on your titles direct from the consumers and then getting it right.

    It's a shame as I had really started to find parts of LA i liked. However, if it moved to Vegas it would make more sense :-)

  • JonFE #5 6 years ago

    Never attended one in person, but all the buzz as the opening date gets closer, the PR-machines in full motion during the show and the afterglow as the dust settles on closure will be sorely missed.

    PS Not to mention the thrive of flaming articles it used to generate; the real next expo anyone?

    PPS See what the lack of booth-babes does??
    Edited by 1 at 01/08/06 @ 09:48

  • Stickman #6 6 years ago

    "It's been confirmed that the show will still take place in Los Angeles,"

    Game journos everywhere breathe a sigh of relief!

  • SwedBear #7 6 years ago

    I was there 1998 and 2005 and I will actually miss it. Yeah, it was a huge ear-deafning experience which made you tired but at the same time I enjoyed it for what it was, a way to both talk to developers a bit more and to see and test some of the upcoming games, especially many of those from Asia that you normally never hear about.

    I can understand the reasoning though. I'm sure many developer thought it costed more time and money than it was worth. It will be interesting to see what will come out of this.

    I guess Leipzig sounds like the trip to take next time then. Tokyo would be cool but to expensive to fly to.

    /B

  • Eldritch #8 6 years ago

    Good riddance to that!

    My advice: Get 50 "important" journos to Hawaii for a week, free booze and all.

    Should be cheaper than E3 and more effective. Allegedly. (C:

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #9 6 years ago

    "What do you think about this Eurogamer Staff, as it doesn't really affect the general public?"

    Lots of thoughts, simplest of which is: I won't exactly miss the LA Convention Centre.

  • spongebob #10 6 years ago

    Hopefully this is what happens to all those big game conventions that are supposed to be for professionals but tend to be overcrowded by bloggers and your average gamers.

    Video games industry could benefit from some secrecy. And when it comes to games magazines and noteworthy websites, I bet stories and news that haven't already been around for weeks would spice things up a notch. It's too open now, everyone knows what went on in E3. Next year the journos might even get some hot exclusives which us gamers can then enjoy in due time.

    Surely new conventions for gamers will emerge with all that crap that is not essential for a serious, professional convention aimed at developers, publishers and pro journalists.

  • Tomo #11 6 years ago

    Am cry.

  • Rambaldi #12 6 years ago

    "PPS See what the lack of booth-babes does??"

    Indeed, in the North we will be holding "Jugfest 07" this September with lots of stunning naked ladies playing the latest in cutting edge next-gen games.

    Interested?

  • Thamuhacha #13 6 years ago

    Brilliant!

    Now if they can just stop holding whatever-it-is-now in the shit hole that is LA then I will be even happier

  • Blerk #14 6 years ago

    I don't think we'll miss it - seriously. The last couple have promised so much and delivered so little. Everything of note leaks beforehand, the actual 'hands-on' time that proper journos get with the kit seems to be absolutely minimised due to the huge number of blaggers, bloggers, weirdos and loudmouths, and everything's all froth and no substance. So while it's a shame there's no big industry event, I'm not sorry that there's no E3.

    We still have Leipzig and TGS, after all.

  • Chtulie #15 6 years ago

    'revealing that a "more intimate" event is now planned'

    It's going back to it's roots, back to being all about the porn again?
    (tue, e3 has a very interesting origin)

  • The-Bodybuilder #16 6 years ago

    No more revelations of real-time weapons change, historically accurate giant crabs and riiiiidge racer?

    For shame.

  • Mashum #17 6 years ago

    There's interesting if slightly impenitrable comment on PA about this.
    Edited by 1 at 01/08/06 @ 12:55

  • JonFE #18 6 years ago

    "Indeed, in the North we will be holding "Jugfest 07" this September with lots of stunning naked ladies playing the latest in cutting edge next-gen games.

    Interested?    "

    Coverage of this event will be worthless without videos... hell, even some pictures would be nice... Hope you have'll us covered ;)

  • presh #19 6 years ago

    All this means is that the ESA are probably panning to do 2 shows - one trade and one consumer.

    For all the slagging off E3 gets, it's a genuine big event in the games industry, and makes far too much money to ditch alltogether.

    It's probably becuase so many non-trade people went to it that they have done this: expect something to be announced for US consumers soon.

    It might make sense to have a consumer games show alongside ComDex or one of the consumer electronics shows in Vegas.

  • #20 6 years ago

    I don't think we'll miss it - seriously. The last couple have promised so much and delivered so little. Everything of note leaks beforehand, the actual 'hands-on' time that proper journos get with the kit seems to be absolutely minimised due to the huge number of blaggers, bloggers, weirdos and loudmouths, and everything's all froth and no substance. So while it's a shame there's no big industry event, I'm not sorry that there's no E3.

    We still have Leipzig and TGS, after all.

    Couldn't have said it better myself.

    Here's my long version on the end of e3 as we know it: "goodbye and good-riddance".

  • NegativeZero #21 6 years ago

    I guess they realised it's a lot harder to pay off the big-name reviewers to give the shitty generic crap you churn out high scores when there's all these plebes wandering around at your formerly press-only expo, playing your games and realising they're steaming dogpiles.

    Or maybe I'm just cynical.