E3 Not Dead just Downsized

News from Arstechnica

As we reported yesterday , E3 is alive and kicking, just in a much reduced and more efficient form. Next year's E3 will still be in LA, but will consist of many small press events and more "intimate meetings" between the press and developers instead of the monster show floor of years past.

In a press release, ESA President Doug Lowenstein said that "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...It is no longer necessary or efficient to have a single industry 'mega-show."

Downsizing makes a lot of sense. Many small shows that let press see and play games without having to deal with the crush of people all trying to get to the same place makes a lot more sense, and it should put the emphasis back on the games themselves, not huge video screens or live bands.

They said that yestrday.

That's trying to put a good spin on a bad situation. O_o E3 got screwed by some of the major devs (read: those with the most money, who decided they weren't coming back) and have no choice but to downsize (because they won't have the money from the other giant companies). Now they're just backpeddling and trying to make this sound like a good thing.

It sucks, everyone's getting screwed, and that's just how it is. o_o

I don't know why they never just stuck with the Summer and Winter CES shows. Those were always the big one's to look forward too. I used to love getting EGM and and them having all the CES coverage. It was usually in a seperate magazine that came with it, there was that much to cover. I always thought it was better than E3. There was just way to much crap with the show floor, people were missing out on the important part.

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Originally Posted by geise69

I don't know why they never just stuck with the Summer and Winter CES shows. Those were always the big one's to look forward too. I used to love getting EGM and and them having all the CES coverage. It was usually in a seperate magazine that came with it, there was that much to cover. I always thought it was better than E3. There was just way to much crap with the show floor, people were missing out on the important part.

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AFAIK they left CES because back then the video game industry was treated like a sideshow and a joke and normally would end up in the back rooms and the rear of the show.

But yes I remember reading the magazine with the CES coverage and aways wanting to go...

i thought it was dead. downsized is much better than dead. :)