Dr. Dobb's | Game Developers Respond to the Sudden Downsizing of E3

Game Developers Respond to the Sudden Downsizing of E3

E3 treats more than 60,000 industry professionals each year to video games and sensory overload in the Los Angeles Convention Center. But that has all become a thing of the past.

August 01, 2006
URL:http://www.drdobbs.com/game-developers-respond-to-the-sudden-do/191601597

Entertainment Software Association President Doug Lowenstein confirmed on Tuesday that the Electronic Entertainment Expo would become a smaller intimate by-invitation-only event known as E3 Media Festival likely held in a hotel lobby, according to various reports.

News began trickling out Sunday that the conference organizer would downsize and overhaul E3. By Monday, the ESA confirmed the move.

E3 treats more than 60,000 industry professionals each year to video games and sensory overload in the Los Angeles Convention Center. But that has all become a thing of the past. The E3 media festival expects to host as few as 5,000 guests.

Reaction from game developers is mixed. "It's a little like downsizing Mardi Gras in New Orleans," said Bruce Haring, editor in chief of the Global Gaming League (GGL) Web sites, which design and host online video game competitions. "It drew so many people that a smaller event would allow greater media access to specific publications."

E3 has been the showcase for game publishers to preview their lineups for the past 12 years. The 2006 show brought out hundreds of games expected to launch next year, and first-time hands-on demonstrations of the Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii game consoles.

Greg Schumsky, president at Covenant Studios Inc., a small developer of Christian video games and animation, welcomed the news. "E3 could be a little more personal," he said. "It's really difficult to get the time you need with the console makers. I like the Game Developers Conference because it's a lot smaller and easier to talk with the people you need to connect with."

Schumsky said there's been talk that several publishers would turn to holding company-specific events to showcase their wares.