Confirmation of E3 'cancellation' and also my thoughts

Source: http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3546&Itemid=2

Doug Lowenstein today attempted to spin E3's fall as "an evolution" but confirmed Next Generation's story that the event's status as a mega-show is over. In a release, the trade body also did not deny our reports that all major operators in the industry had pulled support.
Click here for our analysis feature on E3's collapse.




As predicted here, the ESA was forced to revamp E3 as a "more intimate" trade show following the news that all the major exhibitors had pulled support. Lowenstein said, "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."

ESA is calling the show "the new E3Expo" and has stated that it will still take place in Los Angeles, though no mention was made of LACC.

Lowenstein also confirmed our story, sourced from very senior industry execs, that the new event will be media facing and low-cost for exhibitors. "E3Expo 2007 will not feature the large trade show environment of previous years," added the media alert.

ESA head Lowenstein added, "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, and our members are energized about creating this new E3."

He did not mention the circumstances of this decision - i.e. that publishers had said they would no longer pay for an expensive mega-event - first reported here.

Since Next-Gen broke the story about E3 yesterday, some news outlets have sought to follow ESA's line that this change is some form of evolution. No doubt, they will continue in this credulous line. But the real story here is that this announcement is a device designed to save the E3 brand while attempting to create a new, smaller event over the next few months.

Given the determination of the larger companies to abandon E3, all other publishers had to fall in line. ESA has been left with no option but to paint this as an "evolution".

Basically, a smaller more 'bite-sized' version of E3, less cost intensive, more time on showcasing games to people who really matter, the media, instead of snotty nosed fanboys. Of course, with about a 5000 strong population (estimated) instead of the usual tens of thousands, there's going to be a massive difference in the atmosphere. Many Developers have complained that E3 is defeintely not a place to shwocase their games, mainly because of several reasons:

- Bad atmosphere, noisy, crowded and tireless, the people who try out the games are not in the great position to enjoy these games to hte max. A quieter more spacious environment would suit gamers and the media.
- Fanboys, of course, theres always going to be fanboys, from tools, bots and drones, but if the convention is ruled by one dominant force, they usually shout out and say their company of choice were the 'Winners' of E3. They bash the other games for no apparent reason and fail to logically explain why some games are better than others, and thus creates a vicious slash towards some new games which may be new and aren't given the chance to spread their wings in the convention.
- Poor control, E32006, many booths broke the noise level rule and a few got complaints and one company also got sued for it. Nintendo Wii booth, a disaster of planning or actually very clever marketing ploy in their 4-6hour line?
- Cg movies, mainly Sony's fault, even their E32005 conference showed Cg to its fullest and thankfully people have wisened up from last year (Killzone CG movie*cough) and now take Sony's movies with a pinch of salt. Cg movies aren't a bad thing, except its a form of false advertising to some people, if companies only showed Cg movies to entice gamers, of curse they be bought into it, but the reality of it is that real gameplay is what matters for many people and Sony has failed in that aspect. Hopefully the new E3 can create a much more positive effect on gameplay over more movies.