E3 Update: Details on the future of the expo are starting to emerge.

[evan the dude]

E3 Update
Details on the future of the expo are starting to emerge.
by Daemon Hatfield

August 1, 2006 - Many of us are still reeling from the news that the E3 we've known for the last 12 years has gone the way of the dodo. (Actually, many of us are still dancing in the street.) Doug Lowenstein, President of the Entertainment Software Association, has shed some light on what we can expect from E3 2007.

According to Lowenstein, while E3 2006 hosted about 60,000 visitors, next year's event will likely have 10,000 or fewer attendees, and will be an invitation-only expo held in July instead of May. The Los Angeles Convention Center will no longer be home to the event -- a pair of "headquarter hotels" will host the downsized shindig.

Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are still expected to give press conferences at the event, as well as allow attendees to play their showcase games. Lowenstein also assures fans of free alcohol that the event's famous parties will rock on.

The new E3 will cater to the media. Speaking with CNNMoney.com, Lowenstein said, "What E3 was about in the early days was writing retail orders and creating awareness for the industry -- but retail has changed...It's not a selling show anymore. It became clear that the audience we want to speak to is primarily a media audience. Yes, retailers and financial people will be included. But primarily it's about creating visibility for the publisher's products."

Lowenstein also said the ESA briefly -- very briefly -- considered opening the show to the public. "We have never seen much point in doing that," he said. "For companies attending, there's a very, very substantial cost to make the presence they need -- and there's a huge security cost, much higher than the show in recent years. And when you're all said and done, you have to look at what you've accomplished. You've let 50,000 or 60,000 people from Los Angeles see games...I don't think there's much return in that."

"I think this decision has been coming for three or four years at least," Lowenstein said. "As the industry has evolved, as the business has evolved and as the retail channels have evolved, I think companies began asking the question if the event as it currently operates made sense for the modern video game industry. If the industry was starting today, would you create E3? Probably not."


interesting read. in the long run i think it will help the gaming industry to allow only developers and publishers into the expo..of course, the masses won't get to preview games, which sucks ass, but it will allow the companies to fully focus on new technologies etc. rather than catering to the 60,000 video game fans that stroll through E3 each year. we shall see....