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Did E3 Just Gasp Its Last Breath?

Posted by timothy on from the my-last-breath-will-be-a-sigh dept.

Ian Lamont writes "This year's E3 is over, and there's already talk that this could be the last one. Even before the conference started, a slew of studios announced they wouldn't be taking part, citing high costs and other 'business reasons.' At the conference itself, 'there were no huge game announcements, and Microsoft didn't even bother having Bungie show up to talk about the next Halo release, claiming that the company wanted to "shorten the presentation."' Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello said he 'hated' E3's new format, adding 'either we need to go back to the old E3, or we'll have to have our own private events.' Crave also noted there are no solid plans for next year's show. On the other hand, people have predicted E3's demise in previous years, and they turned out to be wrong."

142 comments

  1. Old Vs. New by TitusC3v5 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Old E3: New games, for gamers, and coverage by gamers.
    New E3: New games, for the PR/Hype machines, and coverage by journalists pretending to be gamers.

    Yeah, no idea why it's dying...

    --
    And the masses cried out, "09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0!"
    1. Re:Old Vs. New by thetoadwarrior · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Old E3: New games, for gamers, and coverage by gamers. New E3: New games, for the PR/Hype machines, and coverage by journalists pretending to be gamers. Yeah, no idea why it's dying...

      No problem is that E3 was always supposed to be a industry only sort of thing. To help show off the new & upcoming stuff to get retailers interested to buy up these new games for the holidays. But people posing as journalists kept getting in and with the internet it just got out of hand.

      It became less about games and about how much you spent on half naked girls for sweaty virgins to harass. There is no qualification for being a journalist on the internet, which is good for a lot of things, but it's not good for E3 as it was taking the focus off games.

      The industry still has a lot of growing up to do. The fact it's probably the only indutry that can't seem to hold a major business event without turning it into softcore porn should concern people.

      As much as people want to tout that gaming is growing it's not really. The numbers they use against movies includes everything including controllers, power leads, etc. We're losing imagination and genres because everything is so similar that they dare not risk doing something new. Plus they have to raise prices to keep going and we can probably expect price to rise during the next generation.

      Does that sound like a healthy world domination industry? I don't think so. The only thing they do have going for them is that gamers do tend to be more obsessive about their hobby than others so they can count on there being a certain level of sales.

      In fact I think the reason they taken to pussifying the term hardcore gamer into core gamer is because it doesn't mean the same thing anymore. It means that's their core audience that will eat up any old shit they shovel they sell as long as it's a sequel, features lots of guns and gang of hulking space marines of questionable sexuality.

    2. Re:Old Vs. New by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Funny

      it's probably the only indutry that can't seem to hold a major business event without turning it into softcore porn

      You say that as if it's a bad thing.

      I'd suggest that the more major business events that turn into softcore porn, the better.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    3. Re:Old Vs. New by Joebert · · Score: 1

      Buy a brothel & fill it with every trendy thing you can find, now.

      --
      Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
    4. Re:Old Vs. New by Inner_Child · · Score: 5, Funny

      The industry still has a lot of growing up to do. The fact it's probably the only indutry that can't seem to hold a major business event without turning it into softcore porn should concern people.

      You, sir, appear to be forgetting the porn industry. Turning business events into softcore (or hardcore) porn is what they do.

      --
      Today is red jello day - all workers must eat all of their red jello. Failure to comply will result in five demerits.
    5. Re:Old Vs. New by rsmith-mac · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Here here! This year's E3 was a success in working as it was designed. Restricted crowds meant that journalists and buyers could easily see (and try!) everything they needed to, and unlike last year everything was located close-by so that people weren't so spread apart. For an event that's about the quick & effective dissemination of information, this year was marked by... the quick & effective dissemination of information.

      The only problem with this year's event was that there was very little to show. The few publishers that had stuff were tempted to throw their own events so that they could hog the spotlight for the day, and everyone else is mid-development cycle after the hulking mass of games released in 2007. The fact that publishers didn't have much to show off and everyone was accordingly unexcited has nothing to do with E3, that's a matter of poor planning on their part.

    6. Re:Old Vs. New by N3Bruce · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Ever go to a Motorcycle show? Seriously, they are crawling with scantily clad females, along with lots and lots of outrageous costumes, posters, and artwork on the bikes themselves. Heck, I wonder if say the makers of GTA or the like wouldn't do well to get a booth at one of these events.

    7. Re:Old Vs. New by AndGodSed · · Score: 1, Troll

      You say that as if it's a bad thing.

      Exactly - the babes at one of these events is the most action some of these geeks will ever get. Let them live a little.

      --

      Seven Days with Ubuntu Unity

    8. Re:Old Vs. New by thetoadwarrior · · Score: 1

      Go to a porno convention. That'll be 10 times better than E3.

    9. Re:Old Vs. New by LS · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The industry still has a lot of growing up to do.

      The nature of the discipline of game development is that it requires creativity, and creativity and eccentricity/immaturity often go hand in hand.

      --
      There is a fine line between being a cultivated citizen and being someone else's crop. - A. J. Patrick Liszkie
    10. Re:Old Vs. New by thetoadwarrior · · Score: 1

      I would buy that if the industry had creativity but a company like Epic knocking out nothing but Unreal sequels or GoW sequels or Square-Enix knocking out Final Fantasy 500. Don't forget all the Mortal Kombat sequels which have recently taken a step backwards rather than forwards with MK vs DC since DC won't allow their characters to be attacked with proper fatalities. None of that is creative or imaginative.

      By that logic Game Cock should have the most creative titles rather than some tard in a chicken costume blowing VC's money claiming "the man" is keeping him down while publishing rather average games.

    11. Re:Old Vs. New by UseCase · · Score: 1

      Exactly.....

      E3 hype, gamer buzz, swag hording and hot booth chicks was the most exciting part. We gotta get gamer hands on controllers and they need to be blogging there asses off. Of course company PR reps are going to make there games sound like the shiz, this is what they are paid for.

      We need real gamers floating around.

      Checks and Balances

    12. Re:Old Vs. New by thetoadwarrior · · Score: 1

      Being that I'm not in the motorcycle industry the only event I'd go to is one for the public and they're geared towards yuppies who think they're bad ass when they dress up like hell's angels sso of course they're full of women who wouldn't give those guys the time of day outside of the convention.

      Gaming has the same problem as US politics. No one actually cares about all the options or who is actually better. It's all about who can blow the biggest wad of cash to say they're the best.

      The hysteria that E3 became did nothing for small developers & publishers as there was no way they could afford to compete with the likes of Sony, EA, MS and Nintendo.

      I'd personally rather have the opportunity to more games on display at a games convention than what EA has to offer plus millions of dollars in flashy lights and women.

      Even if my sex life only consisted of my hand, I'd rather see just games and go out and buy a prostitute later.

    13. Re:Old Vs. New by AndGodSed · · Score: 1

      Sorry, now real tech there - so it's lost on most geeks. E3 has it all - babes AND tech ftw

      --

      Seven Days with Ubuntu Unity

    14. Re:Old Vs. New by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As I recall, that's how Comdex died as well.

      Man, if you can't walk into an event dressed like a typical programmer without getting eyeballed, that's a sign of a shit event.

    15. Re:Old Vs. New by Kokuyo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The fact it's probably the only indutry that can't seem to hold a major business event without turning it into softcore porn should concern people.

      You obviously have never been to any major car convention.

    16. Re:Old Vs. New by thetoadwarrior · · Score: 1

      True but most cars are boring especially when you can't drive them so I would need breasts to entertain men.

      Games, on the other hand, I love so I rather play games then pretend the girls standing near them find me interesting.

    17. Re:Old Vs. New by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Sorry, now real tech there...

      I see you've never been to a porn convention.

    18. Re:Old Vs. New by Breakfast+Pants · · Score: 0, Redundant

      >The fact it's probably the only indutry that can't seem to hold a major business event without turning it into softcore porn should concern people.

      Uhh, cars, motorcycles, and boats aren't made by industries? News to me.

      --

      --

      WHO ATE MY BREAKFAST PANTS?
    19. Re:Old Vs. New by uberjoe · · Score: 1

      This makes me want to order a pizza!

      --

      The days of the digital watch are numbered.

    20. Re:Old Vs. New by Pinky's+Brain · · Score: 1

      It got out of hand? It got successful. As for booth babes (and noise) .... being stricter with rules of conduct for stand holders and tightening the reigns on credentials are two different things. They could have done one without the other.

      They chose to do both, I can't fathom why ... it's obviously not going to be making them more money.

    21. Re:Old Vs. New by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The industry still has a lot of growing up to do. The fact it's probably the only indutry that can't seem to hold a major business event without turning it into softcore porn should concern people.

      What about music (and movie) industry?

      There are plenty of singers who can't sing but who can look sexy.

    22. Re:Old Vs. New by armareum · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      I think there's a website with tech, babes and porn

      --
      Is this a rhetorical question?
    23. Re:Old Vs. New by iocat · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Clearly, you haven't been to SEMA... Anyway, as someone who's attended all 14 E3s ('95 - '08 inclusive), I can say that the "Booth Babes" as a concept were way over-rated, over-discussed, and over-focused upon by people who'd never attended the show. There were always a few booths that had some skantily clad women in them, but generally only for stage shows, which also featured scantily clad dudes, and people in costumes. Not much different from any stage show. A few people tried to raise some publicity by dressing their models pretty slutty, but mostly the models (which everyone hired) dressed reasonably demurly. Just about any trade show hires models to work the booth; marketing staffs just aren't big enough (especially as they need to be talking to the press, etc). So, for instance, all those fresh-faced, modestly-dressed young women helping you play Nintendo games in the old days were, in fact, "booth babes." Not too scandalous!

      Anyway, from a fan perspective, this E3 was pretty depressing (although better than last year). No pagentry, no mega-booths, just a tiny show floor and a convention center that was depressingly empty. For work, however, it couldn't have been better! Tons of meetings, tons of running into people, and no lines at any of the kiosks or games. The new WBIE shooter PROJECT ORIGIN looks freaking amazing, as does the new Animal Crossing, and Major Minor, the new game from the Parappa Team. Other standouts were Ninja Town or Ninja Land (desktop tower defense with Ninjas), and some of the indie stuff.

      --

      Dude, I think I can see my house from here.

    24. Re:Old Vs. New by thetoadwarrior · · Score: 1

      It's supposed to make money though from getting retailers to buy their wares not by selling tickets. Otherwise why not open it to everyone?

      CES gets by fine with some level of maturity not seen at E3 for ages. Gaming is still being aimed almost exclusively at teenage boys (excluding Nintendo) which was fine when I was a teenage boy but I'm not anymore and I've been playing games since the early 80's. Sadly, aside from graphics, not much has changed aside from things becoming more homogeneous over the years.

      The gaming press is a joke too. Popular sites like Kotaku read more like the National Enquirer. It's all fluff with no real gaming info.

      I think the fact Nintendo is doing so well proves that people want something different because they're willing to buy the Wii despite the fact most games are shit. Don't get me wrong we do need mindless shooters and what not too. We just need more variety.

      If gaming doesn't want advance in popularity that's fine. We can continue as we are and probably head towards another crash if the same practices of rising prices with less innovation are kept up.

      But I think people want gaming to advance otherwise they wouldn't desperately compare it to Hollywood at any given chance.

    25. Re:Old Vs. New by Vacuous · · Score: 1

      I'm willing to bet the softcore porn industry's events often contain copious amounts of softcore porn too.

      See, gaming isn't the only one!

    26. Re:Old Vs. New by LrdDimwit · · Score: 3, Insightful

      > [P]roblem is that E3 was always supposed to be a industry only sort of thing. To help show off the new & upcoming stuff
      > to get retailers interested to buy up these new games for the holidays. But people posing as journalists kept getting in
      > and with the internet it just got out of hand.

      Except that when the guys running the show actually took steps to return E3 to what it was "always supposed to be", it collapsed. It seems to me that the real problem was everybody thought E3 was supposed to be what you're describing, less a spectacle than a trade show, when in actuality E3 really WAS about the spectacle. It was about generating hype and buzz, and getting interest directed at a title not by selling it to retailers (as claimed) but by making a name for the title among gamers. E3 got people's attention, the way all carnival sideshows do. All that other stuff happening in the meetings, that was all important, but the soul of the show was ... the show. Otherwise why did removing the glitz kill the show?

      Not that E3 didn't have problems. It WAS getting out of hand. But I think tbe real problem is nobody recognized the purpose of E3 had shifted, so when they tried to fix it, they broke it. E3 had become a glitzy hypnotic attention-grabber for every gamer who speaks English, across the whole world. All those retailers, etc? They looked to E3 to make decisions because they were following the crowd, not because they were the crowd.

    27. Re:Old Vs. New by abstract+daddy · · Score: 0, Funny

      Wouldn't you rather be delivering one?

    28. Re:Old Vs. New by poena.dare · · Score: 1

      Softcore Porn: It's the New Black.

    29. Re:Old Vs. New by Cadallin · · Score: 4, Interesting
      Yeah, what about the various Erotic Industry Expos? And seriously, you're also ignoring tons of other industries where the equivalent of "booth babes" is a major tradition. Motorsports, Cars, Motorcycles, ATVs, etc? But you want to be "higher brow" than that stuff? Why? What does that even mean?

      This is just the most horrible legacy of the Victorian era. "In order to be legitimately intellectual, you have to be chaste and restrained." Horse shit, and further, geeks ought to damn well know better. All that legitimate, intellectual Sci-Fi and Fantasy geekdom is associated with? Gee, no deviant or open sexuality there. No sir.

      Oh yeah, except that's one of both Sci-Fi's and Fantasy's major features! Do I even need to justify this? Come on! Robert "Nudist, Promiscuous, Free Love" Heinlein? David "Chimpanzee Strippers" Brin? I can keep going all night folks, those are just two examples from different eras of Sci-Fi. Now, except for a smaller number of respected authors (because let's face it, the line between low-brow fantasy and straight up "Romance" novels is pretty thin), Fantasy has suffered from the blight of Tolkien's legacy, and that sad old fart was a totally misplaced Victorian.

      The further and further I get from being prepubescent, the lower and lower my estimation of Tolkien falls. The totally neutered picture of middle earth he paints is really depressing, or alternatively, hilariously homosexual (twelve male dwarves and a histrionic male hobbit - let the innuendo begin). Nobody in his world ever gets to have a non-tragic, positive sexual relationship. Its terribly sad. Why shouldn't there be wild (but female positive, intellectually and emotionally gratifying) wild Elf sex (or wild human-elf sex for that matter) the same way we get human sexuality portrayed in Stranger in A Strange Land? Of course we do, but its rarely handled by writers we actually want to put pen to paper.

    30. Re:Old Vs. New by Cadallin · · Score: 1

      You've got it. You've got two routes to go creativity wise: the one marked by schoolyard perversity, or the one marked by Dirty Old Men.

    31. Re:Old Vs. New by Teriblows · · Score: 0

      yup, its gaming, its silliness and entertainment. and yes its also a promotional event that gamers follow, and gamers are an important audience/factor in trade shows. it gives media something to report on, and basically free advertising for their products. its odd how they suddenly think they are just selling widgets and should have a boring trade show. political correctness and the fat suits of big business have been working together to ruin e3.

    32. Re:Old Vs. New by Teriblows · · Score: 0

      there was e3 coverage in the gaming mags long before the internet got big. let alone big enough that downloading booth babe pictures didn't take minutes. as for growing up...they seem to be fooling themselves into believing they are something other than what they are. they shouldn't grow up, its a youth industry catering to mostly youth who have the time to follow and play most of these games. sure, theres "casual" gamers now days, but they are unreliable and don't follow e3 anyways, which is why it should remain as free wheeling as it has always been. it caters to the hardcore, and the hardcore spread the news.

    33. Re:Old Vs. New by riceboy50 · · Score: 1

      E3 was always supposed to be a industry only sort of thing

      It seems like they have started making it more like you suggest, but the interest in it has started to drop off, so now they want to change it back. Hmm, let's think about that.

      --
      ~ I am logged on, therefore I am.
    34. Re:Old Vs. New by somersault · · Score: 1, Informative

      Here here!

      "Hear, hear!"

      Which makes more sense from a "you guys should listen to that!" perspective?

      --
      which is totally what she said
    35. Re:Old Vs. New by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      re: raising the prices in the nexct generation...

      I remember a brand new SEGA Megadrive / Super Nintendo game costing around £50 a pop...

      Not only is that above average compared to today, but when you take inflation into account...

      Prices have been dropping. Maybe we're getting that long overdue inflation adjustment?

      And we'll still be able to get them almost half price on play.com or Amazon.

    36. Re:Old Vs. New by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seeing all the Bilbo/Sam/Frodo/Meriadoc/Peregrin/Aragorn gay slash fiction, I think hilariously homosexual is more accurate.

    37. Re:Old Vs. New by namco · · Score: 1

      That isn't new, Back Street Heroes has been doing this for the past twenty years!

    38. Re:Old Vs. New by christ,+jesus+H · · Score: 1

      "Here here! This year's E3 was a success in working as it was designed. Restricted crowds meant that journalists and buyers could easily see (and try!) everything they needed to, and unlike last year everything was located close-by so that people weren't so spread apart. For an event that's about the quick & effective dissemination of information, this year was marked by... the quick & effective dissemination of information."

      Im not sure we as gamers or consumers should really care about E3 (except as a harbinger of the industry - which frankly doesnt bode well). Publishers have nearly limitless and constantly available outlets with which to pimp thier wares. Gamers are deluged on a nearly daily bases with updates, press releases, previews, sneak previews, exclusive first looks, trailers, videos and podcasts of nearly every game in development everywhere at any time. Its incredible that today a 5th grader can get daily emails from publishers keeping him abreast of thier latest developments on his mobile phone.

      Of course the other amazing thing about this constant assimilation of digital marketing today is that it seems to actually tell me less about the stuff im interested in then I could find on my own a decade ago (this is simply the result of the difference between "marketing information" and "real information"). The industry has long since by passed any real "journalism" and allows the PR departments to communicate directly with consumers only occasionally using "media" surrogates (g4, IGN, etc) to pass a message through. E3 is dying, precisely becuase its of no use as an information assimilation tool anymore.

      --
      Ohh spiteful one tell me who to smote and he shall be smolten!
    39. Re:Old Vs. New by N3Bruce · · Score: 1

      This has me looking forward to the big MC show in Timmonium MD next February.

      Seriously though, the whole industry emphasis on the "Badass Biker" image has caused the industry to turn out mostly expensive toys, either overweight lumbering chrome encrusted cruisers, crotch rockets more at home on the racetrack than the street, and dirt bikes. Not that these categories don't have their own unique appeal, but you have to look pretty hard at the typical motorcycle dealer to find anything new that could be remotely considered a both fun and practical alternative to the 4 wheeled cages most of us drive.

  2. Shot in the arm for PAX? by Kumoe · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So will this make the User-created conventions (eg PAX) more attractive to the gaming companies? They seem to want to be more willing to engage the customer-base where they are comfortable, so hopefully they will start to make these events more accessible.

    1. Re:Shot in the arm for PAX? by Bieeanda · · Score: 1
      PAX attendance has grown at an astronomical rate since its inception, and last year the jackholes behind 'E for Everyone' tried to use its popularity to boost their own, and hilariously failed.

      PAX doesn't need a shot in the arm, it just needs its directors to stick to the format they've established. Oh, and reports of hilariously misguided coattail riders.

    2. Re:Shot in the arm for PAX? by painandgreed · · Score: 1

      That E3 is going to get smaller seems to have been a forgone conclusion. Once they announced their new format, word from everybody I was talking to said companies were already jumping ship and going over to PAX and it would take the place of the old E3, and that the new E3 would wither and die. They are biased towards PAX as we all live in Seattle, however they also are in the industry working for the various game companies up here. It seems that many game companies aren't really hot on the idea of an 'industry only' event because it cripples their ability to promote their games which is the point of such events.

  3. What's really missing... by kaos07 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Booth babes!

    1. Re:What's really missing... by Syrente · · Score: 1

      Or "interesting content" in general. Rejoice at E3 where we show you more trailers that you've already seen at lower resolution on the internet!

    2. Re:What's really missing... by ErikZ · · Score: 4, Informative

      People laugh, but hot women are a huge part of the Entertainment industry, getting rid of them was dumb move.

      Seriously, when was the last time you've heard "I'm sorry, there are just too many hot women here. They have to go."

      --
      Democrats or Republicans. They are both taking us to the same place and they are not afraid of us anymore.
    3. Re:What's really missing... by Dun+Malg · · Score: 1

      Booth babes!

      I believe that's properly spelled "boof babes" to get across the common pronunciation.

      The last E3 I went to was in 2001. I can't imagine an E3 without boof babes. Really, it's not just the babes, it's the aspect of spectacle. Waiting in line for a chance to see the beta of that MS WW2 FPS game was like a day at disneyland. And across the street, from E3, in the GodGames "promised lot", where they served booze and fired T-shirts out of a shirt cannon before showing a VERY early demo of GTA III on a big screen. Jump forward to today. They throw a dull business seminar instead of a wild party and they wonder why E3 is all but ignored now?

      --
      If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
    4. Re:What's really missing... by Ihmhi · · Score: 1

      From your wife at a party...?

      --
      Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
    5. Re:What's really missing... by icsx · · Score: 1

      Thats what you get when industry is being controlled by businessmen in suits. They are not gamers, they do not care anything else than numbers and money. We need real gamers to say what we want to see.

    6. Re:What's really missing... by Haoie · · Score: 1

      Why not Booth Boys?

      Oh yeah. Right.

      --
      If each mistake being made is a new one, then progress is being made.
  4. I thought... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I thought last year was billed as the last E3 after it was done...

    1. Re:I thought... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Last year was the the last year for E3, as we knew it. This year was the first year of a new format that eliminated a lot of glitter and extras like booth babes as each vendor kept toping each other by spending more and more. It is now more focused on the games but apparently no one remembered to make anything.

  5. E3 == BSD by edalytical · · Score: 1

    E3 is the new BSD. Constantly dying. Unsubstantiated predictions of doom an gloom.

    --
    Win a signed Stephen Carpenter ESP Guitar from the Deftones: http://def-tag.com/?r=0008781
    1. Re:E3 == BSD by hitmark · · Score: 1

      and soon to be hijacked by apple or some other steve jobs venture?

      --
      comment first, facts later. http://chem.tufts.edu/AnswersInScience/RelativityofWrong.htm
  6. The Reason The Execs Are Unhappy by rsmith-mac · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This was an exceptionally insightful comment made on Voodoo Extreme that I am reposting, with full credit to the author. It hits the nail on the head, so to speak.

    ProphecyVE

    Its become what it should have always been in the first place, an industry trade show. What it turned into before they switched the format was just a nightmare. A huge convention center packed with millions of sweaty nerds all clamoring to see an actual GIRL who is playing a VIDEOGAME. OMGOMG. It wasn't a trade show, it was just a marketing free for all.

    And of course the execs don't like it. They got to feel like they were rockstars before, watching guys with huge guts packed underneath Star Wars parody t-shirts salivate for their crappy port of Unoriginal Game 9. At the current E3, they have to act like actual business people, and answer actual questions.

    1. Re:The Reason The Execs Are Unhappy by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      watching guys with huge guts packed underneath Star Wars parody t-shirts salivate for their crappy port of Unoriginal Game 9

      You say that as if it's a bad thing.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    2. Re:The Reason The Execs Are Unhappy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...watching guys with huge guts packed underneath Star Wars parody t-shirts salivate for their crappy port of Unoriginal Game 9.

      What, did CowboyNeal show up?

    3. Re:The Reason The Execs Are Unhappy by mooreti1 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Perhaps E3 has become what the organizers want it to be. Perhaps the execs are held to a certain level of professionalism now. None of that matters, though, if the game studios and designers decide that this E3 format isn't worth the time and investment to be a presence. If an exec doesn't feel like answering hard-hittin' questions from a professional reporter (you go get that Pulitzer, boi!) they just won't go to the show. Period. And if they can't get the CONSUMERS interested in a game then it's a waste of their time.

      But, hey, what do I know, right? I just purchase the products.

      --
      Oh, for the days when sig's didn't have to be cute...hey, wait a sec.
    4. Re:The Reason The Execs Are Unhappy by Anpheus · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Honestly, given how little information has actually been released about any games shown at E3, were there "actual questions" being asked?

      I don't feel particularly represented by a journalist who isn't a geek. Having said journalists be the only people who can attend an event means I'll get more information on 3Q earnings, less information on the games being presented. You can see a lot of that in the fact that most of the games shown had no playable demos whatsoever. What's the point? Most of the journalists attending probably don't play games.

      So, yeah, I'd like there to be pudgy star wars nerds ogling booth babes in between really hard hitting questions about whether or not the next LucasArts game is going to appeal to him. Because if anyone in the world is going to be able to ask questions relevant to the game, it's that guy.

    5. Re:The Reason The Execs Are Unhappy by zippthorne · · Score: 1

      At the current E3, they have to act like actual business people, and answer actual questions.

      Unfortunately, actual questions posed by other business people . Which has extremely limited marketing potential.

      As a "consumer" I don't really care how much money they expect to make, or what a "price point" is. I care what the product is and how much it will cost me.

      So, if they wanted E3 to be an industry circle-jerk, then they can do that and see how it works out. But if what they really wanted was something more like Cannes, except for video games, they should do that instead. From other comments, it sounds like the Penny Arcade guys are organizing something like that.

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
    6. Re:The Reason The Execs Are Unhappy by bigstrat2003 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Here's the weird thing. If the execs hate the current format of E3, and the gamers hate the current format of E3, why the hell are they still keeping it!? Those are the only two groups of people E3 is about, so if it's not meeting the needs of those groups... change it.

      --
      "16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
    7. Re:The Reason The Execs Are Unhappy by 6350' · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Because E3 isnt about either of those two groups. Its about press and retailers.

  7. E3 is dying by SnowZero · · Score: 5, Funny

    E3 is dying, Google trends confirms it.

    1. Re:E3 is dying by Paolo+DF · · Score: 4, Funny

      aww, come on! Your ID is too small for not knowing that it has to be Netcraft!

      --
      Pumbaa! I don't wonder; I know.
    2. Re:E3 is dying by Paolo+DF · · Score: 1

      ...and please, *no* wooshing sounds! :-)

      --
      Pumbaa! I don't wonder; I know.
    3. Re:E3 is dying by SnowZero · · Score: 4, Funny

      aww, come on! Your ID is too small for not knowing that it has to be Netcraft!

      Quite the contrary, you must be new here. Netcraft's sole purpose is to confirm the death of BSD. Since BSD is dying, and there can be no doubt about that, Netcraft's days are also numbered. Thus we must seek out alternatives in what little time remains.

    4. Re:E3 is dying by aj50 · · Score: 1

      Surely you're aware that almost all of Netcraft's analysis concerns servers, not visitors.

      Google (with all their user search data) are in a much better position to comment on the popularity of E3.

      (Netcraft does have site visit data collected from their toolbar but google's sample is much larger and less biased.)

      --
      I wish to remain anomalous
    5. Re:E3 is dying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      *whooosh*

    6. Re:E3 is dying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      amazing how you can see it die on trends...
      media intrest (bottom chart) goes up, hits a peak, quality drops and overal intrest goes down (top chart)

    7. Re:E3 is dying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Netcraft confirms it: old memes are dying

    8. Re:E3 is dying by Fri13 · · Score: 1

      http://www.google.com/trends?q=slashdot&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=0

      Yeah, E3 is dying but so is slashdot because there is so many "+5 Funny" Hunters.

    9. Re:E3 is dying by m50d · · Score: 1

      So what you're saying is, Netcraft is dying, BSD confirms it?

      --
      I am trolling
    10. Re:E3 is dying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      hummm
      Do that mean http://www.google.com/trends?q=slashdot&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=0

  8. AAA? by Porchroof · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Is E3 anything like Triple A? Does E3 stand for EEE? Does EEE mean "everything everyone enjoys"? Cripe...not being smart enough to know everything in the world I just stumbled over E3. Maybe E3 is something I have no interest in. Why should I read further and waste my time if that's the case? Or maybe E3 is something brand new and I should investigate it. But how can I tell from two letters: E3? Slashdot should hire some experienced journalists.

    --
    Fata viam invenient.
    1. Re:AAA? by Hyppy · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      It is a good thing this is an online blog-style posting which contains links to the original news reports. If you're really in a bind, you could even open a new window (tab) and type E3 in your search engine of choice.

      On the other hand, you could just stop being such a condescending prick.

  9. Reposting content?! Sacrilege! by TaoPhoenix · · Score: 1

    Tangential Comment Ahead warning duly served:

    MockHysteria
    Who cares if you are "giving credit"? How dare you post exclusive content from another site so only they can get the eyeball views on their ads from their exclusive? I'll only accept this post if you also post the *permission* granted to repost the comment.
    /MockHysteria

    Or is the secret that no one outside the **AAs, **Alliances, and certain other entities is really that rabid about copyrights?

    --
    My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
  10. It's not E3 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's not E3 thats dying. Its gaming industry as we knew it. And with it, E3.

    Soon games will be like pop music albums.

  11. Format is unworkable by abigsmurf · · Score: 4, Interesting
    This was an awful E3 plain and simple.

    Microsoft probably had the best show of the three big companies purely for the FFXIII coup (biggest announcement of the show was a port. That about sums it up) but still took a few hits on it's blatent ripping off of Eyetoy and Mii's. Not to mention the pulling back of the Bungie announcement which was a smack in the face to fans. Overall though they same out slightly stronger than they went in.

    Sony's was mediocre. Most the time they talked about games we knew were coming and the new announcements were only pre-rendered footage. They came out the same as they went in.

    Then there's Nintendo. They couldn't have chosen a worse strategy if they'd tried. The Wiimote add on was interesting but they showed it off with yet another mini-game collection. The Wii is hardly lacking in these. Worse still, Wii music was unvieled and shown to be a pretty rubbish toy that looks like it'll be fun for 5 minutes at most before you never play it again. Animal Crossing was a reasonable unveiling but everyone knew it was coming and it was just too similar to the GC and DS versions with no innovation other than a well designed mic (that apparently is great for picking up voices across the room.

    Nintendo fans were promised hard core games to fill the empty schedule up till xmas and we get more of the same crap we've been seeing from lazy third party publishers and Animal Crossing. Nintendo have serously alienated a good portion of their gamer fans and lots of people will either have their console gathering dust for a long time now or simply flog their console.

    Overall E3 should get gamers excited but all this show has done is make them bored and that can't be healthy for the industry.

    Sure it may have only cost them $500,000 rather than $2,000,000 for a stand but what good is that if you get very poor PR and make people wonder why they have your console over another.

    Hopefully they'll pull something out for Leipzig or else it looks like we'll have to wait till TGS for reasonably exciting announcements.

    1. Re:Format is unworkable by hitmark · · Score: 1

      as long as it gets someone to buy a wii, nintendo is happy. unlike microsoft or sony, they make a profit on each device sold rather then toss the device at the customers and hope they buy enough content to make up for the "gift"...

      --
      comment first, facts later. http://chem.tufts.edu/AnswersInScience/RelativityofWrong.htm
    2. Re:Format is unworkable by Jorophose · · Score: 1

      ...Hard core games

      I know nobody reads nintendo power but you should read up on Mad World... It's a pretty damn hard core game.

      There was also about 6-7 pages detailing new games coming out for the Wii... The only bad thing about the Wii right now is that everybody ignored it at first; that's why they're not getting many new third party games. Everybody headed ass-first to bury themselves in PS3/360 developpement, thinking "hah, nintendo? yeah my ass.".

      And of course it does take a while for first party games to come out; SSBB & Twilight Princess, just to name two, were supposed to be gamecube games and at the last minute more or less changed to Wii... And the next games in those series won't happen. Zelda's sequel is set to be a LOT more different than the series we've grown used to; mostly I guess because people gave up on great games.

      But video games have been dying as a genre for a long time; it was all downhill after Sony entered the ring and allowed nearly everyone to publish games, and as many as they wanted, and nintendo followed soon after... Sure, there were a few astronomical spikes (Zelda, SuperSmash Bros series, 3D Super Mario games, Animal Crossing(hey, I loved that game!), and maybe Metroid) but as a whole it's all sliding... Even on the PC side, what, the Orange Box and that's about it for really good games. COD4 if you're into war games.

      Portal was probably the most recently released game that was actually any fun. And I can say with certainty it's probably the last game to strike like that. Everything else is going to continue to be a rehash of what's already been done.

      And not only that, the signal-to-noise ratio is so low, whatever good "small" game gets released (Tales of Symphonia for example) will get very popular very quick but then not get the attention it deserves, because WalMart is busy stocking PETZ games.

    3. Re:Format is unworkable by daddyrief · · Score: 1

      i share your sentiment. google "the conduit"

      --
      "Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies." -Thomas Jefferson
    4. Re:Format is unworkable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know, that Duke Nukem explosion trailer was friggin' awesome! Plus it had way more gameplay footage than the god of war trailer!

  12. It's different now. by Grey+Ninja · · Score: 5, Interesting

    A few years ago, I would have killed to go to E3. But I was but a humble student, with no game industry affiliations, and more importantly... broke.

    Since then, I've graduated and become an actual developer. I go to two events a year. PAX and GDC. E3 is obviously something I could go to, and I might if I was in the area. But it doesn't have much draw for me anymore. And I could honestly care less about the booth babes. I want actual content, and E3 isn't even a shadow of what it once was. That would be PAX. I get PAX for the consumery-side of me, and I get GDC for the professional side. There's no place for E3 anymore.

    1. Re:It's different now. by chubs730 · · Score: 3, Funny

      No. He could.

    2. Re:It's different now. by trawg · · Score: 1

      Actually I found the new format E3 way better (going as press). This was my first one since it shrunk and I found it much easier to check out games and get more time with developers. I've been thinking more and more in the last few years it should try and evolve with the times to become more of a press event and less of a consumer/developer event - GDC kicks its ass in terms of developer content anyway.

      It was a little on the small side - there just weren't that many titles available (especially in PC games, which I thought was a little ironic given the massive spouting of "PC isn't dead" over the last few months).

    3. Re:It's different now. by kaizokuace · · Score: 1

      you are right. GDC is the real industry convention. E3 was just a big show and it would stick around as a show but not something with actual content. It should just become a con for not the industry but as a big marketing machine. So many people have their eyes on E3 back when you could "sneak in" and whatnot. GDC has actual content.

      --
      Balderdash!
  13. all it will take by thermian · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This year there were reduced presentations, next year, it may be that many big companies don't go at all, so visitor attendance will reduce.

    That'll be what kills it when it dies, because the attendee's won't think the price worth paying if too many major players aren't coming.

    Since they will have to find somewhere to showcase their products if it does die, there will either be a new event created, or they will find some other way of achieving the same goal.

    Personally I'd like to see smaller events round the globe. Speaking as a brit who doesn't like travelling into the prison state any more, I can't see myself attending any large events which are US only.

    --
    A learning experience is one of those things that say, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that.' - D. Adams
    1. Re:all it will take by DanWS6 · · Score: 1

      Speaking as a brit who doesn't like travelling into the prison state any more, I can't see myself attending any large events which are US only.

      You mean returning to your prison state right?

    2. Re:all it will take by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Speaking as a brit who doesn't like travelling into the prison state any more, I can't see myself attending any large events which are US only.

      I realise you're probably being inflammatory, but as an American who travels extensively, I personally find the UK's Big Brother obsession (e.g., the use of cameras on an ever increasing number of public spaces and motorways) to be far more invasive.

    3. Re:all it will take by thermian · · Score: 1

      I realise you're probably being inflammatory, but as an American who travels extensively, I personally find the UK's Big Brother obsession (e.g., the use of cameras on an ever increasing number of public spaces and motorways) to be far more invasive.

      Oh, I agree, (also, I thought after hitting post that prison state was a bit much, sorry), the camara use is absurd here.
      I acknowledge that the UK has its own 'eeek, punish our own citizens because of terrorists' thing going. I've been stopped and searched a number of times whilst out walking simply because I refuse to carry ID in my own country.
      Also I've long since stopped travelling on internal UK flights, because the security process is unbearable.

      Its probably just as bad for a non UK resident coming into the UK. However the US is far more powerful, which is what worries me, you guys are meant to be the beacon of freedom, not the guys who seize data and treat incoming visitors like criminals. That scares the shit out of me.

      --
      A learning experience is one of those things that say, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that.' - D. Adams
    4. Re:all it will take by 8tim8 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      >Since they will have to find somewhere to showcase their products if it does die, there will either be a new event created, or they will find some other way of achieving the same goal.

      From what I've read here and elsewhere, the point is that E3 is dying because there are zillions of other places to hype a new game. E3 represents a significant expense for companies: they have to rent the booth space, fly people in, house them, etc., and they get zero dollars of productive time from their workers during E3. At the same time, they have to compete with every other company at E3 for space and peoples' attention.

      Alternately, a company can throw a new preview vid up on the web for almost nothing, or they can interest a blogger or review site in interviewing one of their superstar programmers about their exciting new game, and they can do all of this at a time when they get all the attention themselves.

      It sounds like the uber-hype event that was E3 was killed by the internet.

    5. Re:all it will take by dkf · · Score: 1

      Speaking as a brit who doesn't like travelling into the prison state any more, I can't see myself attending any large events which are US only.

      You mean returning to your prison state right?

      You forget, you've got the TSA.

      --
      "Little does he know, but there is no 'I' in 'Idiot'!"
    6. Re:all it will take by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hold it a second, you are a Brit, whose politicians don't even trust the citizens to own knives anymore (sorry, I'm not going to look up the link for the story about British politicians proposing a ban on knives to reduce knife violence) and you call the US a prison state. In the US an ordinary citizen can own a gun. Which is more like a prison, a country where only the "guards"(police, military, members of other government approved organizations) can have a gun (and considering extending this limitation to knives) or a country where just about anyone can legally have a gun?

  14. Its partially the economy by nurb432 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    As an economy tanks, 'discretionary entertainment' funds is the first to go.

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
    1. Re:Its partially the economy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Historically that is not the case. Whenever the economy tanks, people ALWAYS spend their remaining money to distract themselves from reality.

      Why do you think movies were so popular during the Great Depression?

    2. Re:Its partially the economy by Anpheus · · Score: 1

      Bread and circuses!

      We won't care what the people in charge are doing as long as we have our bread and circuses!

    3. Re:Its partially the economy by Manchot · · Score: 1

      That may be true, but video games are a relatively cheap form of entertainment. For about $50, you can get tens to hundreds of hours of entertainment. That's much cheaper than a movie or a nice dinner (though it still doesn't even come close to book-level).

    4. Re:Its partially the economy by nurb432 · · Score: 1

      Tell that to starbucks, for example, as they are now closing stores.

      --
      ---- Booth was a patriot ----
    5. Re:Its partially the economy by Daetrin · · Score: 1

      Starbucks is not entertainment, it's just coffee. In fact it's not even just coffee, it's just _overpriced_ coffee. As previously stated, during past depressions and recessions entertainment has always been the least hard hit economy, because when the economy is good people have money and they spend it on entertainment, and when the economy is poor people want to be distracted from reality and will scrape money together to spend on entertainment anyways. I wouldn't be surprised if alcohol consumption follows a similar pattern, but i don't think very many people are going to get depressed about their economic situation and decide to go down to Starbucks for a $5 cup of coffee.

      --
      This Space Intentionally Left Blank
    6. Re:Its partially the economy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Stop with the $5 cup of Starbucks gag. Sure a doubleshot caramel mocha half soy half nonfat latte is gonna be $5, and it's $5 at any coffeeshop. Order a cup of coffee at Starbucks and it's $1.50, and it's $1.50 at any coffeeshop. Try to know what you're talking about before you make what I'm sure you thought was a terribly witty remark.

    7. Re:Its partially the economy by nurb432 · · Score: 1

      Its discretionary funds at any cost.

      And while it may be food, but its still entertainment.

      --
      ---- Booth was a patriot ----
  15. Solution.. by inotocracy · · Score: 1

    ..just make it the way it was. Nothing wrong with booth babes, plus, it'll attract more people and get more coverage. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

    1. Re:Solution.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thing is it was broke. Vendors were already deciding not to return as the old format was costing them tons of money. 10's to 100's thousand of dollars for very little return. The little guys showing off their games only found their reviews buried among 100 other games and the big guys are showing demos that we already know about and probably have seen on the internet.

      For a fraction of the money these vendors could attend several smaller events and get more coverage then what they were spending at E3.

      Frankly some of these guys could get better coverage by mailing a game copy to Penny Arcade.

  16. Nice trolling by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 3, Insightful
    But E3 is a well known games trade show that any gamer knows about. Since this story is in the game section the slashdot editors probably didn't think they needed to explain what E3 is.

    What next, explain what the hell NASA is?

    Maybe they should mention when they found water on mars they don't mean the candy?

    and E3 stands for Electronic Entertainment Expo, bit to long for a headline and anyway then you would have been trolling about how it doesn't include music or video but just games despite the fact the former come in electronics as well.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

    1. Re:Nice trolling by Hyppy · · Score: 0, Troll

      and E3 stands for Electronic Entertainment Expo, bit to long for a headline and anyway then you would have been trolling about how it doesn't include music or video but just games despite the fact the former come in electronics as well.

      Worse yet, the full name is now "E3 Media & Business Summit."

    2. Re:Nice trolling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But E3 is a well known games trade show that any gamer knows about. Since this story is in the game section the slashdot editors probably didn't think they needed to explain what E3 is.

      Um, no. Sorry. I'm a gamer and I didn't know what it was--booth babe trade shows not being my thing. It's sloppy to have an entire summary where you don't write out the name of an acronym once. Yes, a few acronyms (like NASA) get a pass, but E3 is not NASA. It doesn't matter if it's in the games section or not.

    3. Re:Nice trolling by Dun+Malg · · Score: 2, Funny

      Worse yet, the full name is now "E3 Media & Business Summit."

      My god, I swear a necktie appeared around my neck when you said that.

      --
      If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
    4. Re:Nice trolling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, you aren't a gamer if you dont know what E3 is.

    5. Re:Nice trolling by Hyppy · · Score: 1

      How is this a troll? Anyone?

  17. Of course by krkhan · · Score: 1

    For the past decade, Metal Gear Solid was what kept E3 alive. Without Hideo's involvement, this was bound to happen.

  18. There's a simple solution by krkhan · · Score: 1

    Don't worry. If E3 just gapes its last breath I'm sure someone will fork it.

  19. Was it really that bad? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I've never been to E3, and am just a game player that checks up on the info coming out of it at various websites. In all honesty, from my end of the spectrum I didn't really see anything majorly different. The only thing lacking was the announcements of "games so epic they'll blow your head off just thinking about them, but they won't be playable for another five years!" I really think if anything could be said about this E3 being slow, is mostly that this is just a slower point in gaming where 90% of the stuff that is coming out next year is already expected and has been well talked about. Of course, maybe that's the problem with E3 - the fact that it always seems to be, "Here's everything you've read about us making on the internet in the last 6 months summed up in a tidy presentation!" Sometimes there's a surprise or two, but this year was pretty basic. Ohh well, I'll still look forward to another E3.

  20. But the industry is up by Mr.+Maestro · · Score: 1

    Just read an article that video game sales in the US were up something like 53%...someone is doing something right trade show or not.

  21. Combine It With CES by Wandering+Wombat · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Gaming, computing, and porn! Guaranteed turnout.

    --
    I like to place meaningful quotes in my sig, so people will know that I know what meaningful quotes are.
  22. E3 2k8 Rap Up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://attackslug.com/?p=36

  23. Jump the shark by WPIDalamar · · Score: 1

    Thank you for not using the overused "E3 has jumped the shark" type title for the article!

  24. Why not have two E3s? by antdude · · Score: 1

    One for journalists (original and the last two E3s) and one for pure gamers (old E3 style)?

    --
    Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
    1. Re:Why not have two E3s? by Nataku564 · · Score: 1

      I believe they tried that with their E For All. It failed spectacularly, from what I remember.

  25. Sex Sells by cryptodan · · Score: 0
    When will people and executives realize that sex sells.

    Taking booth babes away from E3 is like taking bar wenches away from beer shows and the like.

    And the geeks and drunks cried out: MOAR BOOTH BABES

  26. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  27. I so rarely comment on these things... by WheelDweller · · Score: 0

    Gaming hasn't been a part of my life for a _very_ long time. (See also: Unreal Tournament and it's Linux counterpart...) but this E3 I managed to see on satellite TV.

    I saw an enormous chunk of space and time [wiping away the commercials on all sides of] the Microsoft announcements, announcements I didn't see as Earth-shattering or mildly important. I saw a few stand-ins who were reading cue cards, and a few games I'd LOVE to know more about, but time constraints were a problem. (Thanks, Microsoft.)

    Personally, I cut it off. I wouldn't attend and E3 if they PAID me to teleport to the scene and teleported me back. It just wasn't that interesting.

    I'd rather see a "GameCon" (like the SciFi/Mystery/etc conventions, a'la ChattaCon), owned by no one, and held in several different towns like these other Cons. Having just one a year tends to break out the better-funded vendors while the lesser-funded, usually more creative vendors can get a shot, too.

    Like I said, it's been a long, long time since I was involved; the last game console I had was a Sega Genesis [though it was part of my custom-built RV] but this sure looked like a big show about nothing, to me.

    --
    --- For a good time mail uce@ftc.gov
  28. Simple: Biggest announcement? by Doug52392 · · Score: 1

    To answer this question, we just ask ourselves "what was the biggest announcement at this year's E3?". I really can't think of anything that wasn't announced last year (really the only thing I liked was Spore, which I plan to get for PC when it comes out).

    Nothing groundbreaking was really announced that people didn't already know. Microsoft announced Gears of War II (which is a dumb Xbox game that EVERYONE already knows is coming out soon).

    The only announcement I didn't expect that I WAS looking forward to was Bungie's new game. I really don't like the Halo series (Xbox exclusive, nothing new, etc) but I loved their older works (Marathon, Myth), and was looking forward to their next PC game, but Microsoft canceled their huge announcement! I really hope Bungie learns to abandon Microsoft 100% this time...

  29. Soon as that guy... by Ribbo.com · · Score: 1

    ... in the Sonic the Hedgehog costume stopped coming, it just wasn't the same. But since he still attends Tokyo Game Show it explains where the future is.

  30. E3 = Apple by GregNorc · · Score: 1

    E3 is the new Apple. It will continue to have its "final" conferences for at least 5 years by my guess.

  31. E3 stands for useless now by Cathoderoytube · · Score: 1

    I found it strange that Blizzard announced Diablo 3 several weeks before E3. It seems to me that, that would be something that in the past they would have waited for E3 to announce.
    To me that's a good sign that E3 has become irrelevant. Like a lot of other people have said, gaming websites are a much better venue for announcing upcoming games and consoles.

    I imagine in the future the only people attending E3 will be Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony. They'll only be attending to announce their new consoles which will consist of stapling a memo with a coloured picture on the bulletin board in the lobby.

    --
    I have nothing compelling to say
    1. Re:E3 stands for useless now by icegreentea · · Score: 1

      Blizzard announced D3 at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational. Same with starcraft 2. Really, blizzard has the type (and size) of fan base, as well as such a massive aura/presence, that they can easily support their own conventions. There's Blizzcon, and the Worldwide Invitational. And enough people and reporters go there, that they may as well. It adds to their aura of awesome.

      To be fair, there was a moderate amount of nice announcements at E3. They might not have been the unveiling of a brand new game, but they have added significant amounts of information about the games. Bummer about Bungie though. Seems like one of the more boneheaded moves Microsoft could have down there. Had they done it properly, Microsoft may have made (internet) headlines as the saving grace of E3.

  32. GOOD. by RyuuzakiTetsuya · · Score: 1

    E3 was terrible for gamers, except the elite few who had the magic press pass hookup or those who wanted to spend ungodly amounts on a badge. Tokyo Game Show on the other hand, was 1,000¥ or TEN DOLLARS. Twelve with tax. Even at 20 or 30 or 50 bucks, that kind of pricing would beat the living crap out of E3's monumental fuck you to gamers. It's like ESA hated gamers, but loved the gamer money and game industry money. You can love me for my money, just don't think that it lets you get away with spousal abuse.

    Now only if the next show won't be stupidly expensive, and let gamers actually have an experience where you get to try out new games and be a part of the industry that you pay so much to be a part of(even if at the consumer end), then I'll be happy.

    --
    Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
  33. Predictions... by Aladrin · · Score: 1

    E3's death has only been predicted for 2 years now... This year and last. That's because it was the previous year they announced the format change.

    E3's creators are unable to deal with that their show WAS and keep trying to make it what they want.

    Newsflash: Developers don't WANT what E3 wants. Developers want a way to tell the entire public what's new and exciting. E3 demands that they only tell journalists, who then tell the public. So the last 2 years have seen reduced presentations, with some developers not even showing up. Next year's will have even fewer.

    E3 may get to be what it wants... But it may only do it for a short time before it dies.

    Personally, I'm glad to see the attention go to gamer conventions that actually WANT to be gamer conventions, like PAX. I would never have considered going to E3 because it wasn't -supposed- to be aimed at me, and they refused to deal with the crowds. PAX aims at me and I'm actually considering going next year or the one after.

    --
    "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
  34. things have changed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    e3 used to be a place where small game developers (think chris sawyer) could get a start and reporters/gamers would just flock to whatever stands they think are the most 'fun' regardless of company, getting rid of the gamers makes it more focused on company instead of funness of games

  35. The industry needs something like E3 by Lida+Tang · · Score: 1

    I really hope the current attempt at E3 dies. The old E3 format had issues but it was actual an important symbol for the industry. I wrote a post yesterday about why the games industry needs E3. In it I argue that E3 was presented gaming culture, whether you like it or not.

    And instead of using it as a forum to celebrate gaming and welcome the tons of gamers who flock there trying to sneak in, ESA ruined it by trying to make it focused on the business side of the convention.

    PAX is becoming much more popular because there is demand for gamers to feel part of a culture of gaming. E3 had it and tossed it out because the companies were just looking at their bottomline.

    --
    AlwaysOnGames Arcade
    1. Re:The industry needs something like E3 by Teriblows · · Score: 0

      your video link is dead already

  36. PAX != E3 by DeadDecoy · · Score: 1

    PAX is not E3. PAX was never meant to be E3. It's simply a (huge)gathering of like-minded people who enjoy playing games. In fact, if they experienced the same problems that E3 is: discouraged vendors, they wouldn't give a damn, simply because it isn't about fanfare or showing up the competition. Now, if you want to look for an E3 replacement, the Game Developers Conference (GDC) seems more appropriate. It's oriented more around the development of games rather than the playing of them. The booths are less extravagant, the keynotes are about the technical/business aspects of the industry, and there's even a space for amateur developers to show off their work. It sounds like E3 started out as a game developers conference but has since turned into a PR event. If developers want to drum up hype, they should spend money and probably attend PAX (word of mouth does quite a bit for game advertisement). If developers want to do more research on their craft and see what their peers are doing, they should attend the GDC.

    1. Re:PAX != E3 by areReady · · Score: 1

      Of course PAX is not E3, that's the entire point.

      What the developers and studios want is to reach their audience: gamers. PAX, as a gathering specifically of gamers, by games and for gamers, is certainly not the only venue for this, but it provides an unprecedented level of access to a core gaming demographic. Tycho and Gabe have long been known as powerhouses in the industry, and PAX is an extension of that power: bringing huge numbers of gamers into one location, gathering all of the gaming press that's worth its salt and, now, providing studios to engage that audience on the gamers' terms, not on the terms of publishers or the press or anyone else.

      PAX's exhibitor list is phenomenal; it may not be the new E3, but it is stepping up nicely as the premier annual gathering of the video game industry, which means that it will pull bigger and bigger announcements as it goes. I expect to hear more actual news and surprises out of PAX than E3 this year.

    2. Re:PAX != E3 by DeadDecoy · · Score: 1
      Well sure, but my point was that E3 didn't seem targeted towards gamers considering how admittance was structured. I remember some years back (before E3 for Everyone) that game developers got in for free (or had their fees subsidized by their company), journalists had discounts, and regular people had to pay ~300$. For a regular gamer at the time, ages 10-20, this cost would be too prohibitive to attend. Even the definition, according to wikipedia states that it is not targeted at gamers but at peers in the industry:

      The E3 Media and Business Summit, formerly known as Electronic Entertainment Expo and commonly known as E3, is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). It is used by many video game developers to show off their upcoming games and game-related hardware.

      E3 for everyone was just being a tad schizoid because it was trying to serve two very different audiences: game developers and game players. As such, developers would complain about the cost of making flamboyent booths for gamers when they just need to attract the attention of vendors and distributors. This is why I specified that PAX would be appropriate for one audience and GDC for another. PAX could have extravagant booths to drum up PR while GDC presenters could survive with a simple computer and projector to demo their product. In this manner, they could decide which event is more appropriate to attend according to their state in the development cycle (ie no more showing products in alpha as playable games).

  37. Booth Babes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Its all about the booth babes, they got rid of them, and see what happens?

  38. E3 or not E3, that is the question! by Tinz · · Score: 1

    Probably due to reduced revenue from sales of DRM infected games.

  39. The fork already happened. by Lilith's+Heart-shape · · Score: 1

    Dude, the fork already happened. What do you think PAX and GDC are for?

    --

    I write sci-fi for metalheads

  40. denis agrees by thehostingnews · · Score: 1

    Even Denis Dyack says E3 no more