‘E3 finished’ claimed a report on website Next-Gen.biz late last night (Sunday) going on to say that ‘the spectacle that has held the industry in thrall for 12 years is at an end.’
The report continued: “The decision by big manufacturers and publishers to walk away has left ESA in damage-control mode. As we reported yesterday, E3, in its present form, is dead.”
Well, it turns out when one decides to check the facts, this is simply not the case, but why let facts get in the way of a good scoop, eh, Next-Gen?
While SPOnG waits for the official line from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) it seems that there are plans afoot to change E3 into much more of a 'closed-door' event, which is great news for proper games journalists and industry execs who want to make the annual trip to LA to get the information/interviews/deals they require sorted out quickly and efficiently.
It’s bad news for the legions of fanboys and sixteen-year-old CEOs who have stormed the event in ever greater numbers over the last few years, which has led directly to the event becoming the massively over-crowded, cash-burning spectacle it is today.
MCV quotes a 'senior industry insider' who sums up the situation well: "Costs have been getting out of hand. We're talking double digit millions for some of us. But that's not just floorspace, of course - it's build, parties, hotels, flights. Security, particularly, has become a massive cost."
E3, 11 years old in 2006, has simply become far too popular for the good of the legitimate games industry execs and hacks who really need to be there.
SPOnG will bring you the official line from the ESA as soon as we have it.