E3 Faces Eradication
Hot potato on the gaming news scene this morning, and understandibly so! Who wouldn’t be shocked and mildly concerned to hear that the industry’s largest, flashiest show is staring down the barrel of a rather large gun?
Next Generation popped up a post yesterday with the WTF-worthy title of ““Exclusive: E3 Cancelled” (now revised to “E3 Finished as Big Exhibs Pull Support”), in which they claim that several of the major exhibitors have decided not to attend E3 2007 due to spiralling costs and little return. They expect that the ESA, who own and operate the extravaganza, to make an official annoucement about the withdrawals and conduct some serious damage control within 48 hours.
Companies, it seems, are finally speaking out about something that I’ve been scratching my head about for years:
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.
I for one, having attended E3 2006 and spending most of my time trying to a) get near anything worthwhile, b) talk to a knowledgeable human being, c) avoid the migraines and seizures, am actually hoping that E3 2007, if it does happen in some shape or form, is a much quieter, personal affair. I haven’t been terribly quiet about my views of the event in conversation with fellow attendees, and without a doubt would state that I found the Game Developer’s Conference to be a hundred times more useful than its glitzy counterpart.
E3 bothered me in that it was a trade event, meaning everyone in that enormous convention center was a member of the gaming industry in some way. I never did get why it was necessary to put on a carnival for people who are involved in the nitty gritty of gaming day in and day out. If it was (god forbid, can you imagine the lunacy?) open to the public, or a one time shot, then sure, the millions of dollars that go into exhibits and promotional materials might be a little more justified. Me? As a member of press I just wanted to talk to people about their games and thoughts, not stand drooly-faced and awed in front of a thirty foot screen beside which a posse of skateboarders were doing their thing on a halfpipe. The entire thing was a spectacle, and not an entirely useful one. Unless you had connections prior to the event, breaking through the shield of desk sitters and making contact with the PR teams or developers was next to impossible.
While some people are saying that E3 is not finished, it’s just been put on a severe diet, I do have to agree with Next Gen’s assertion that an E3 of a small, quiet nature is not E3. It’s an entirely different conference, with a different atmosphere and a refined purpose (these are all good things mind you). They may call it E3, and may may say that it’s just a scaled down version, but in reality, it would bear no resemblence to its over-the-top predecessor. E3, essentially, would be dead.
It’s nice to see that some of the studios are finally putting their foot down and calling it quits. Where I was just frustrated and annoyed, they shelled out entire productions budgets in some cases, just to be the biggest and the best every year. And every year the biggest and best has to get bigger and better, leading to a sort of gaming booth arms race with no foreseeable ceiling.
Via | Everyone in the Industry
2 opinions for E3 Faces Eradication
Cal
Jul 31, 2006 at 1:50 pm
Can they put the money they save by _not_ attending, towards lowering the prices of games and consoles?
Now that would be nice. :)
Ingrid
Jul 31, 2006 at 6:58 pm
Cal: Don’t be ridiculous ;)
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