E3 cancelled for next year... AND BEYOND!

[Open the Muggy Gate 0]

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/30/e3-cance...ear-and-beyond/

 

Well that came out of left field. So will the Tokyo Game Show be the preimere show from here on?

[Sideburnious 0]

[Use Your Illusion 0]

Who wants to blame Nintendo?

[2GOLD 0]

I'm going to blame Sony on this one. Something tells me they are pissed the media didn't go crazy for the PS3 and now are just saying, "Screw this E3 crap".

[Lightning Flik 0]

I blame the fact they never let it be open to the public. If you ran it like a business it would make a hell of a profit.

 

...oh wait. That's asking Sony + Microsoft + Nintendo to do some work together. That's taboo...

 

Seriously though, they would make a fucking killing if they actually let it be open to the public and run it for a week.

[Anya 0]

Oh well. Doesn't bother me. Might end up being better off.

[razazteca 0]

A cooler atmosphere. E3 is was a very stressful place to be, with every booth being designed to be as loud and as bright as possible in order to attract as much attention as possible. Now that E3 is gone, publishers and developers won't have to spend so much money hiring dancers and huge booths. In other words, the games will have a chance to shine through.

 

Did they waste all of the budget money on strippers and showcase models?

[Scroby 0]

I blame the fact they never let it be open to the public. If you ran it like a business it would make a hell of a profit.

 

...oh wait. That's asking Sony + Microsoft + Nintendo to do some work together. That's taboo...

 

Seriously though, they would make a fucking killing if they actually let it be open to the public and run it for a week.

The problem with that is that there's so much media there, if it was opened to the public it would be extremely crowded. Maybe if the public was limited. Also the fee's to go to E3 are extremely expensive.

[Golgo 13 0]

I like the atmosphere and excitement that E3 brings and it's been going on for a while, so it kinda sucks. It's not an irreplaceable forum, though, especially with numerous already existing options to turn to, not to mention the possibility of going back to independant shows like SpaceWorld.

[Eclipse 0]

Well, the excitement of new games and announcements from companies will have to be more spread out. That totally sucks that E3 has been cancelled.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

Gamespot's article takes a different approach to it:

 

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6154897.html

 

Apparently, they're not cancelling it per se, but making major changes including downsizing it.

[Guest InuYasha]

A cooler atmosphere. E3 is was a very stressful place to be, with every booth being designed to be as loud and as bright as possible in order to attract as much attention as possible. Now that E3 is gone, publishers and developers won't have to spend so much money hiring dancers and huge booths. In other words, the games will have a chance to shine through.

 

Did they waste all of the budget money on prostitutes for the overpaid executives?

EFA.

[Lightning Flik 0]

I blame the fact they never let it be open to the public. If you ran it like a business it would make a hell of a profit.

 

...oh wait. That's asking Sony + Microsoft + Nintendo to do some work together. That's taboo...

 

Seriously though, they would make a fucking killing if they actually let it be open to the public and run it for a week.

The problem with that is that there's so much media there, if it was opened to the public it would be extremely crowded. Maybe if the public was limited. Also the fee's to go to E3 are extremely expensive.

 

You see, that's why you make it a week long thing, have the first few days media only and then you allow the regular people in to enjoy the game.

 

...dude, I paid "measly" $25 for a 3 hour visit to an anime convention (I couldn't stay the whole day). People will pay, especially if you make it like a rock show. Hell, ask The Black Mages to do a couple of songs and you'll see how damn quickly it'll sell out and how easily people will pay to go.

 

I like the atmosphere and excitement that E3 brings and it's been going on for a while, so it kinda sucks. It's not an irreplaceable forum, though, especially with numerous already existing options to turn to, not to mention the possibility of going back to independant shows like SpaceWorld.

The problem is you won't ever get to see each of the big three trying to fuck the other over. Because they'll never agree to being at the same place now. And they certainly won't feel the need to upshow each other and spend time at their own shows. I personally loved how this year both M$ and Wii ...excuse me, Nintendo, kept screwing aroudn with the "hey, you can buy both our systems for a PS3"

[Anya 0]

You see, that's why you make it a week long thing, have the first few days media only and then you allow the regular people in to enjoy the game.

 

...dude, I paid "measly" $25 for a 3 hour visit to an anime convention (I couldn't stay the whole day). People will pay, especially if you make it like a rock show. Hell, ask The Black Mages to do a couple of songs and you'll see how damn quickly it'll sell out and how easily people will pay to go.

 

 

Great but the point of E3 isn't ticket sales or for the public to preview games. It's a trade show. They don't want the public in for a reason. That's why you see more and more of the good stuff being shown behind closed doors. If E3 was just a fan convention you wouldn't see nearly as many annoucements, interviews or unfinished product.

[AndrewTS 0]

I've read the same story on other sites, and this is really just sensationist drivel. *Expected to announce!* OMG! Based on what?!

 

I love the disparate explanations/guesses here, but it seems Gamespot has the most likely scenario (next year's E3 will be smaller).

 

There is no clear explanation either for the "E3 is cancelled!", just (according to the other sites I've read on this) that "major publishers" are calling for an *examination of costs*. Who? We've only heard EA. Oh noes, EA *might* be pulling out of E3!!!

 

If EA, Capcom, Konami, Ubi, Midway, Squaresoft, Sega, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, etc. actually pull out, okay--it's as good as dead.

 

But it hasn't happened yet; not even close.

 

And E3 doesn't need to be more bloated with non-press people.

[Lightning Flik 0]

Great but the point of E3 isn't ticket sales or for the public to preview games. It's a trade show. They don't want the public in for a reason. That's why you see more and more of the good stuff being shown behind closed doors. If E3 was just a fan convention you wouldn't see nearly as many annoucements, interviews or unfinished product.

 

I just meant to say, if the costs are really that bad, a way to eleviate costs is to open it up to the public. And as I was saying, it would be reasonable to have the first few days media only as per usual, then make it public. This way you can still have E3 be E3, but then also have the public put back a little money into E3 and lower the financial burden. It might even help lower the cost so that smaller developers can get a stage at E3.

 

I know it would screw things up being a convention thingie, but if the costs are really that bad, maybe you should do something like that to help down set them. I'm quite sure the media doesn't pay for its passes, so it is a pretty expensive task putting up at E3 all that for no gain.

 

I've read the same story on other sites, and this is really just sensationist drivel. *Expected to announce!* OMG! Based on what?!

 

I love the disparate explanations/guesses here, but it seems Gamespot has the most likely scenario (next year's E3 will be smaller).

 

There is no clear explanation either for the "E3 is cancelled!", just (according to the other sites I've read on this) that "major publishers" are calling for an *examination of costs*. Who? We've only heard EA. Oh noes, EA *might* be pulling out of E3!!!

 

If EA, Capcom, Konami, Ubi, Midway, Squaresoft, Sega, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, etc. actually pull out, okay--it's as good as dead.

 

But it hasn't happened yet; not even close.

 

And E3 doesn't need to be more bloated with non-press people.

Hm, didn't realize that it was just EA saying they don't want to spend money. And as I said above you set it up for media for the first three days like usual; then set it up for public the next three for the public. Probably toss a day in between to modify it so the public can get in and viola. About the only way you'd reduce costs of E3 is to go public with it.

 

Sorry about making my post seem like its the only way, but it would be one way to lessen the financial blow (and acting like an ass too), I would say.

[Guest ABOBO]

If E3 were to be opened to the public I could honestly see fist fights breaking out between different bands of fanboys. There would also be an insane amount of false information that would be passed around as fact. It would just be a mess and for little benefit really.

[Lightning Flik 0]

Hm... Didn't think about that part of the fanboys starting fights. that would be a problem and would likely need something to be done about it.

 

Why not just make it that the information gets passed out during media, and the public part is just about seeing the games in action and stuff?

[AndrewTS 0]

There would also be an insane amount of false information that would be passed around as fact.

 

And the gaming press doesn't need any help doing that, thank you.

 

I don't see how charging for the public is going to offset the costs.

 

The convention owners themselves are going to get most of the dough (not even counting the overpriced concession stands' profits), not the developers. Even with x% of the gate, that's hardly going to be a drop in the bucket compared to the "double digit millions" that some companies supposedly are spending. Plus you're talking higher security costs, among other things.

 

EDIT:

 

1up.com -

 

UPDATE 07/31/07 -- 11:30 a.m. PST: "The world of interactive entertainment has changed since E3Expo was created 12 years ago. At that time we were focused on establishing the industry and securing orders for the holiday season. Over the years, 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," said Douglas Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association in the expected press release this morning.

The release comes on the heels of yesterday's reports (see below) that the video game industry's biggest week, Electronic Entertainment Expo, would see changes going forward -- some sites speculated that the event would be cancelled altogether. Lowenstein's words this morning seem to suggest otherwise. He maintains that the industry needs a "more intimate program" -- is that spin for downsizing?

 

According to the Entertainment Software Association E3 will still take place next May and it will still take place in Los Angeles (contrary to earlier reports) and will "focus on press events and small meetings with media, retail, development, and other key sectors."

 

Lowenstein cites the emergence of the Tokyo Game Show, Leipzig Game Convention and company-specific events as the reasons why "a single industry 'mega-show'" is no longer needed. But does the industry need an E3? Is the ESA correct in striking E3 as we know it from the calendar of events? What does this mean for the future of the game industry? How did E3's downsizing get to this point? The ESA promises more answers in the coming months, we'll have more sooner than that.

 

At press time, Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo and the offices at the Entertainment Software Association have yet to respond to requests for comment.