E3 no more........

[ezekial45]

http://next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3538&Itemid=2
-
:sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad:

EDIT:

Severly Downsized.

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/top/esa-e3-changing-no-large-show-floor-191004.php

[soup or man]

Wow, that sucks. I'd really be kicking myself if I'd never gotten to go. It was quite an event.

[Geese Pants]

Wow, that sucks. I'd really be kicking myself if I'd never gotten to go. It was quite an event.

Indeed it was...........hope it isn't so.

Me and my friends had a great time crashing the party.........

[ezekial45]

Wow, that sucks. I'd really be kicking myself if I'd never gotten to go. It was quite an event.

I never went! Thanks for rubbing it in!!

[soup or man]

I never went! Thanks for rubbing it in!!

There was nothing but free money and pony rides for as far as the eye could see...

[Sacr3D]

Wow, that sucks. I'd really be kicking myself if I'd never gotten to go. It was quite an event.

:arazz: Never got to go ...

[ezekial45]

There was nothing but free money and pony rides for as far as the eye could see...

You Bastard!

:Runs off crying:

[JAMMAR]

My first time going to E3 was actually this year's... I'm now very glad that I never had the regret of not going. Still, that sucks.

[Shade]

= O

[Myfacehurts24]

This is fucking bull shit. How could they say it wasn't giving enough in return. This is why Japan pwns the us so fucking hard. Tokyo game show will last well into the future.

[Taito]

That's pretty fucked up.. the bigdogs can hold dedicated conventions anytime they want, but smaller companies like SNKp probably can't afford to.. but who knows, video games might end up exhibiting at CES again..


I never did E3 but I went to TGS a couple of times, I guess that's the same thing..

Speaking of TGS, there's talk of that show downsizing after this year..

[Hoonyo]

shit and i was planning on going to my first one next year :sad:

[io]

damn, that sucks. i went to the ones here in atlanta and they were so much fun

[1]

Wow,this really sucks. I've always wanted to go. I was planning on going next year because I'll be 18 by then.

exhibitors have jointly decided that the costs of the event do not justify the returns, generally measured in media exposure.


...WHAT!? For those days of the Expo the entire industry is focued on E3. This year we were focused on Nintendo and Sony because they're launching new consoles. Next year (and more after that) it would've been about the devs and publishers. The entire media is there reporting.


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

Gamespot is reporting a downsizing of E3 rather than a complete cancellation.

[Weecho]

I had a chance to go this year but couldnt because of lack of money. I was hoping to go next year but I'm shit out of luck now. :(

[Taito]

...WHAT!? For those days of the Expo the entire industry is focued on E3. This year we were focused on Nintendo and Sony because they're launching new consoles. Next year (and more after that) it would've been about the devs and publishers. The entire media is there reporting.
I guess what all that means is, the press is covering the entire goings-on of the industry instead of just-Sony or just-EA or etc. The exhibitors apparently don't like competing for media exposure anymore..

BTW this is a developing story and the Electronics Software Association (they run E3) should make an official announcement in the next couple of days..

[Mr. Bastos]

Fcuk! This year was the one year I actually had the credentials to get in, but my fucking job wouldn't let me get the time off. And now I will never get my chance to go! I'm pissed

[Kool-Aid Ryu]

Bullshit. Untill I get an official annoucement, this is all an August Fool joke.

[SF_crazy]

Pwnt

[mr. newbie]

how are they gona convince me to buy big shiny $400 machines!? its like cancelling the superbowl man. i never got to go.

shade your av looks like low-quality porn

[Korigama]

Great, now I'll never have the chance to go...

[Rakukojin]

The front page of the E3 website already has E3 2007 set for May 16-18, 2007.

http://www.e3expo.com/default.aspx

[mr. newbie]

The front page of the E3 website already has E3 2007 set for May 16-18, 2007.

http://www.e3expo.com/default.aspx


it's likely that the ESA will seek to limit the damage by organizing some form of lesser event in May, possibly even with the E3 brand, but this will be no more than a fig-leaf.

[Kool-Aid Ryu]

Or we REALLY gonna believe some third-rate video game site called Next-Gen?

[spudlyff8fan]

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

[ezekial45]

Or we REALLY gonna believe some third-rate video game site called Next-Gen?

Third-Rate? This is a highly prestigious site that covers the industry quite closely.

[Taito]

Wow.. Next-Gen is NOT 3rd-rate. Remember Next Generation magazine? That mag had THE best vg journalism in the industry.

[Black Chanler]

well isnt that some shit...the year I was planning on going

[Talbain]

...

Bullshit, us gamers need E3.

[Rakukojin]

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/30/e3-canceled-for-next-year-and-beyond/

Just another article on the "cancellation" of E3.

[Shade]

how are they gona convince me to buy big shiny $400 machines!? its like cancelling the superbowl man. i never got to go.

shade your av looks like low-quality porn

Thanks! Your so kind.

[DevilJin 01]

Oh well. I'm sure they'll figure out a way to do a different kind of event on a lesser scale. I used to be all gung ho about one day going to E3 but...fighting games are really the only games I play now so I'm not all hyped about seeing the latest and greatest in video games anymore (unless it's Street Fighter 4 or a new Tekken or something).

[DS]

In a sense you can almost say that this was gonna happen. Just look at the fact that the booth babes are gone. Maybe they'll finally concentrate on the gaming a lot more than it being a gala for booths and shit.

[Kryian]

Or we REALLY gonna believe some third-rate video game site called Next-Gen?


You might be too young to know anything about it, but NextGen was THE best print gaming magazine in existence back in the day.

[Bowling Pin]

Or we REALLY gonna believe some third-rate video game site called Next-Gen?

*slap*

[DS]

I don't know about you guys, but as good as NextGen was when it came to vg journalism it did put it me to sleep with all of its technicalities. Don't get me wrong, they knew how to break a game down from beginning to end and covered anything from PC to console gaming. I do believe they had an issue with an interview with Yu Suzuki back in 1998 or 99. It was NextGen interviewing him about Shenmue and all of the things he did for Sega. That was a very good article/interview.

[Return of Shiki]

Publishers believe the multi-million dollar budgets would be better spent on more company-focused events that bring attention to their own product lines rather than the industry as a whole.

In other words, EA and Microsoft.
Fuck them up their assholes.

I hope the media boycotts their events for this bullshit.

[Taito]

Next Gen wasn't really good for actual game info (that was Tips n Tricks' department) but they reported exactly what the industry was thinking. Plenty of developer interviews and smart editorial analyses. While other magazines just advertised what the big game companies were pimping that month, NG told you on upfront, on their front cover, that Nintendo/N64 was fucked, Dreamcast had to fight an impossibly uphill battle to restore Sega's name, etc.

[Bowling Pin]

In other words, EA and Microsoft.
Fuck them up their assholes.

I hope the media boycotts their events for this bullshit.

More like everyone who ISN'T EA and Microsoft. Remember, small time publishers (Atlus, Nippon Ichi, and a ton of obscure indy game companies) pay to go to E3 also, and when they aren't getting coverage, the money that could have gone towards hyping or even developing their games goes to waste.

Hopefully something positive will come out of all of this.

[Etcetera]

Hopefully something positive will come out of all of this.
I would like to see something along the lines of an indy conference where the smaller companies are only allowed to be there. That way coverage will be given to the little guy without being overshadowed by big name sequels and hyped up games.

[Night]

I only went to E3 all those times for taking pics with booth babes and that was it. Yeah, I was one of those pervs that wrapped an arm around their waists just as an excuse to touch their skin with a stupid grin on my face. When that got toned down that did it for me. Oh well, I won't miss it.

[spudlyff8fan]

This'll just mean that the GDC becomes more popular.

[-Midnight-]

Good thing I got to go already, oh well.

[GGL-steve]

I think it will be back, just changed.

The problem was that way to many people got in that shouldn't. People who worked at gamestop, random retail people, owners of small sites and blogs.

So the purpose of showing the products to the actual people in the industry that count, got tossed to the side and it turned into a party where any shmuck could get in.

There has been talk about fixing that and changing up E3 to be more for the industry for a while. I'm not suprised to see that they are moving in that direction.

[Taito]

As annoying as wannabe vg journalists and blogsites can be, I don't like the idea of 'controlled' media that will drop news only on the exhibitors' terms, or will only cover what they think is newsworthy (ie. leaving smaller, unpopular developers and genres in the cold with no press). The days of hundreds of impressions saying 'random hi-profile game' is a piece of shit, or a random site talking about a hidden gem most of the bigger sites overlooked, seem to be behind us.

[thurst]

makes perfect sense from a business standpoint. games have penetrated the mainstream deep enough that there are better and more profitable ways of generating hype without all the risk and frivolous spending that goes into a huge convention.

[Taito]

I seriously don't think the industry is 'mainstream' enough that major news outlets will talk about EA's random conference in August and Nintendo's unveiling of the latest Zelda in October. If they want to downsize the event and keep the annoying nerds away, fine, but there isn't a better way to exhibit the vg industry for the mainstream media than a single annually-run convention.

Hell, I'd argue that E3 IS a huge reason why video games are so mainstream in the first place. Aside from the 'videogame violence' mini-controversy, you didn't really see video games talked about on CNN, etc. until E3's debut in 1995.

[maxx]

knew sumtin was up when they censored the babe booth.

[Korigama]

This'll just mean that the GDC becomes more popular.

Bah, GDC is too damn boring for that (besides, most major companies have never bothered with it instead of holding their own events, just independent developers for the most part).

[bill_rizer]

dam EA and their Politics, bah as long TGS is still going I dont care, I hate to say it but this mainly effects you americans, as now you dont have a big show to look forawrd too.

I was actually thinking of going next year for once, with the new consoles and that comming out I thought it be cool, oh well Id rather go to TGS anyway I think its on for 3 days this year.

[The Iron Sheik]

http://www.e3expo.com/default.aspx

Thank you to all of our attendees, exhibitors, speakers, sponsors and industry associates for making E3 2006 a tremendous success.

Planning is already underway for E3 2007. Mark your calendars:

E3 2007
May 16-18, 2007
Los Angeles Convention Center

Most likely gonna be downsized, not removed entirely.

Even if it does get cancelled, there's always CES. All companies will migrate over to that show.

[Defective]

If it's true, then that sucks. I went to the 99,00, and 01 E3s and it was pretty awesome. Even if you don't like games I would've suggested you still go because it's like a big party where you could see some cool shit.

[thurst]

with the 2358979287 gaming sites out there that get a decent amount of traffic, companies can just throw their own little press events fly out whoever they want demo their shit and get the same exposure and not have to worry about being directly compared to another game that may or may not completely shit on theirs at that stage in development.

the vast majority of gamers don't go to E3 and only hear about the news thru various sites anyway, so it really doesn't make a difference if all the news that comes out of E3 comes out a one time or over the whole year. if i worked for gamestop or something i'd be sad tho bcuz all that free shit had be nice, regular gamer didn't get anything from E3.

[ezekial45]

This'll just mean that the GDC becomes more popular.

GDC is more anout Game Development then the games themselves. If they decide to have GDC pick up E3's slack, then it'll detract on it's original purpose.

[Taichi]

there are other conventions and trade shows, life will go on.......

[Taito]

I wouldn't mind if they just took the general public out of the equation and strictly made E3 press-only.. make it less of a circus and still retain the honesty of show impressions.

Yes, the costs to build demos and pay for travel + lodging may be wasteful, but for mainstream exposure a single industry convention is the best way to go. The average person doesn't know or care about Polyphony or Bungie, but they know video games as a collective, and that's what would get covered by CNN et al.

[Taito]

Like I said earlier, NextGen was never scared to tell it like is..

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3538&Itemid=2

Some gullible journalists, evidently blinded by a desire to do-down a rival scoop, have taken this as evidence that E3 is alive and well and merely being 'downsized'. But this euphemism doesn't change the facts. The decision by big manufacturers and publishers [aka Nintendo, SCEA, Microsoft and EA] to walk away has left ESA in damage-control mode. As we reported yesterday, E3, in its present form, is dead.

[evilmuffinmanX]

AOTS just had shoe(egm),adam sessler(xplay) and some dude for ign.com and they said E3 was dead and they were all happy about it and shit lol.they said it cost like 12 million for EA to have a spot and they wanted to pull out and so did sony ,w/o sony and ea there wouldnt be a whole lot i guess?

[akumachan]

http://www.e3expo.com/default.aspx



Most likely gonna be downsized, not removed entirely.


very true.

and this should be what people should focus on.



Even if it does get cancelled, there's always CES. All companies will migrate over to that show.

I doubt it.

The reason why big companies are pulling out is prolly not so they can migrate to another circus.

anyway, I see most of the whining is coming from people who have never been to E3. and for that I do feel for those people. Being able to see the spectacle that is E3 at least once in your short gamer life is a big thing.

BUT after you have been one or 2 years.... it's nothing. You've seen one E3 and you've seen them all.

I have been since 1999. This was the first year i didn't bother to go, and I didn't miss it at all.

But this announcement is NOT a suprise. About 3 years ago there was a lot of complaining by companies who had booths at E3 that bsiness was just not getting done. E3 started as being a place where companies could gather with the media, promote their products and generally see what everyone else was up to. But E3 of the past several years has simply been a glorified circus. And when I say circus I mean it in the full literal sense.

Those of you who think this is bullshit, have no idea how much it costs for these companies to have these magnificent booths built for a single show.

A small booth for a small company can cost over 200,000. So you can only imagine the money that companies like Sony shell out each year. Not too mention the cost of staffing the massive booths, and hosting parties, and providing refreshments for guests. I totally believe that they are not seeing a true return on such a huge investment. That kind of money would be FAR better spent on advertising or an event that centers ONLY on their own products.

Also the gaming industry has had to tighten its belt over the past couple of years. The industry is not growing at the ridiculous rate that it was a while back.

This announcement has been a long time coming. And honestly I applaud the companies that have decided to pull out of E3.

Nintendo already started doing this in Japan a few back when they decided not to do TGS. They opted for a smaller all-nintendo event where media attention could be focused only on their products.

What many of you also dont realize is how much each company has to fight for media attention at E3. Since it is a multi-company event, a company has to constantly make their booth flashier and more attractive than the last year. It doesnt really matter how good the games are. It comes down to who can throw the biggest party, and attract the most attention.

and thats not necessary. Companies really need the media to focus purely on the games and hardware that they are showing isntead of if their booth babes have huge boobs.

E3 equals a giant waste of money for a lot of companies. Also the fact that E3 has unsuccessfully tried to keep out the general public from this event. There were lots of complaints over the years that too many people who simply dont belong at E3 were getting in. And E3 tried to tighten up its guest pass system, and be stricter about getting badges. But it wasn't enough. There were still tons of people who are NOT industry and have no business being there.

And im sorry, but if you work at EB or gamestop you have no business being at E3. You are NOT in the industry. You are a retail cashier.

This glut of fans who simply want to experience E3 make it more difficult for the legitimate people to get their jobs done. Honestly when I was doing magazine work and I had to go cover various games and companies, I wanted to kill all the fanboy idiots who were there making it more difficult for me to do my job.

IMO E3 should make an industry event AND a public event. Make a public event where people can pay to get in, and play all they want, but keep the industry event separate.


TAITO:

I disagree about an industry wide event being better. Companies like Polyphony (which is first party sony anyway) or Bungie can simply go with whatever hardware manufacturer or Publisher is running the event.

Sony can't just have a PS3 event without showing software. They will of course, invite all the significant companies so they can show their software on the system. And the same with Microsoft and Nintendo. Im sure if Rockstar or EA has an event they will bring all their subsidiary companies.

I dont think small companies will miss out all that much. And for the ones who really dont have big connections yet they can continue to show their shit at E3... AND since the big companies will be gone they will get more of a chance to be seen.

IMO this is a good thing for the industry. It will allow companies to streamline a b bit more and put their money where it needs to go.

[Return of Shiki]

I dont think small companies will miss out all that much. And for the ones who really dont have big connections yet they can continue to show their shit at E3... AND since the big companies will be gone they will get more of a chance to be seen.

IMO this is a good thing for the industry. It will allow companies to streamline a b bit more and put their money where it needs to go.

Which in EA's case:

0.000000001% Developer salary
1% Development cost of adding new features to their Sports Lineup
1% Technology
2% Marketing
95.9999999999% Pre-pubescent Thai children and uncut cocaine for EA CEOs to snort off of said Thai children

[akumachan]

Which in EA's case:

0.000000001% Developer salary
1% Development cost of adding new features to their Sports Lineup
1% Technology
2% Marketing
95.9999999999% Pre-pubescent Thai children and uncut cocaine for EA CEOs to snort off of said Thai children


LOL agreed.

:rofl:

[EvilRyuX]

IMO E3 should make an industry event AND a public event. Make a public event where people can pay to get in, and play all they want, but keep the industry event separate.

I highly agree with your opinion. That way, the real editors, TV Coverage, and such can give out the coverage they need, and then later on, the smaller sites, bloggers, and just regular people can get in and give out their opinions on the games they've seen and played, without getting in the way of the bigtime Magazines, Websites, and Live Coverage.

Just my opinion of your opinion anyway.

[GGL-steve]

IMO E3 should make an industry event AND a public event. Make a public event where people can pay to get in, and play all they want, but keep the industry event separate.

and justify the cost HOW?

If they make it industry only they can do it up like the oscars and such events, all the press the need, no unwanted people, cheaper venue.

It makes sense from every aspect. The game leagues, venues, sites, at the level to be involved can invite people for a fresh take.

Events for the general public are often prohibabitively expensive and generate less cash then they bring in. That's the problem with E3 now, it's a waste of cash to some of the major players.

[Geese Pants]

and justify the cost HOW?

If they make it industry only they can do it up like the oscars and such events, all the press the need, no unwanted people, cheaper venue.

It makes sense from every aspect. The game leagues, venues, sites, at the level to be involved can invite people for a fresh take.

Events for the general public are often prohibabitively expensive and generate less cash then they bring in. That's the problem with E3 now, it's a waste of cash to some of the major players.

I got to agree with Steve here............too many people fucked up the feel of it.

[sainthuey]

Great, I live in LA county and i've never been to a single one =/, then again I don't sell electronics nor am I 18.

[TheDarkPhoenix]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6154961.html

While i think its very lame, its all about the money.... The thing is, if your product wasn't getting the attention at e3 that you would have liked its prob not because you didn't have the flashing lights or women to promote it. Its prob because your product actually sucks, is a rehash or totally generic. If all the money they spend at e3 goes somewhere else it will not go into production thats for sure. It'll just go into more advertising of more sub par, rehashed game like most of the games of the last year or so.

E3 was good for the industry like it was...It was a big deal, and often drew the attenion of super star's and others. Now its going to be in a hotel.....

[akumachan]

and justify the cost HOW?

If they make it industry only they can do it up like the oscars and such events, all the press the need, no unwanted people, cheaper venue.

It makes sense from every aspect. The game leagues, venues, sites, at the level to be involved can invite people for a fresh take.

Events for the general public are often prohibabitively expensive and generate less cash then they bring in. That's the problem with E3 now, it's a waste of cash to some of the major players.


Mostly Agreed on that.

It would be very hard to justify the cost.

I am just trying to think of ways for the public to be able to enjoy E3 without getting in the way of the media.

It might be possible if there are enough ways for the exhibtors to merchandise.

The difference might be that the Press event for E3 is all paid for by the companies. Everything is free at E3 for press.

Something for the public could perhaps be paid for by the people who want to buy tickets. Basically put a price tag on everything. Like going to the fair. EVERYTHING costs money. EVERYTHING. You pay a ridiculous price to get in. And then if you want a t-shirt or a hat or ANYTHING. it costs you money.

IMO if the right people were put in charge of it, they just might be able to actually make money off the event or at least break even and in the case of breaking even then just having the benefit of the great PR could be worth it.

mmm maybe...


Darkphoenix:

your arguments make you sound like a brat who is upset because they will never get to go to an E3. Are all your judgements based off of your uninformed opinions? I would hope that you would actualyl have some industry experience before you decide how and where these companies would OBVIOUSLY spend their money or why or why they do not get the attention that they may or may not deserve.

[GeoG2]

I'm actually not surprised at all by this. I was expecting it sooner or later.

[Koop]

Mostly Agreed on that.

It would be very hard to justify the cost.

I am just trying to think of ways for the public to be able to enjoy E3 without getting in the way of the media.

It might be possible if there are enough ways for the exhibtors to merchandise.

The difference might be that the Press event for E3 is all paid for by the companies. Everything is free at E3 for press.

Something for the public could perhaps be paid for by the people who want to buy tickets. Basically put a price tag on everything. Like going to the fair. EVERYTHING costs money. EVERYTHING. You pay a ridiculous price to get in. And then if you want a t-shirt or a hat or ANYTHING. it costs you money.

IMO if the right people were put in charge of it, they just might be able to actually make money off the event or at least break even and in the case of breaking even then just having the benefit of the great PR could be worth it.

mmm maybe...


omg......*points*.....its akumachan!!!!!!!!!!!

[Thongboy Bebop]

Small-timers and the public generally completely hosed E3. If you don't work for a major magazine or another developer, you shouldn't be there.

I'm hella thankful to get all those yahoos out of there. It takes weeks to get the nerd-stink from the last few years' E3s out of your skin.

N

[Hozanto]

You might be too young to know anything about it, but NextGen was THE best print gaming magazine in existence back in the day.

Cosign that shit. I still have every back issue of NG other than the first nine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_Generation_Magazine

[Taito]

TAITO:

I disagree about an industry wide event being better. Companies like Polyphony (which is first party sony anyway) or Bungie can simply go with whatever hardware manufacturer or Publisher is running the event.

Sony can't just have a PS3 event without showing software. They will of course, invite all the significant companies so they can show their software on the system. And the same with Microsoft and Nintendo. Im sure if Rockstar or EA has an event they will bring all their subsidiary companies.

I dont think small companies will miss out all that much. And for the ones who really dont have big connections yet they can continue to show their shit at E3... AND since the big companies will be gone they will get more of a chance to be seen.

IMO this is a good thing for the industry. It will allow companies to streamline a b bit more and put their money where it needs to go.
First of all I didn't mean Polyphony and Bungie in the literal sense.. I'm just using them as an example that software companies aren't known in the mainstream..

'The Big 3' (or the few major software companies) holding seperate shows would be like the film industry walking away from the Academy Awards, in favor of the major studios holding award shows for their own films.. it would lead to selective, prioritized, erratic media coverage.. PR wise it would give the impression that the industry is unstable. Plus, back to video games, nothing that the hardware companies could showcase in seperate events over the course of a year would generate as much mainstream media coverage as 3 major console unveilings in one week.

Whether it's more cost-effective or whether software companies will survive isn't the point here..as far as image in the public eye is concerned, there's only one right way to do this, and that's the way any other entertainment medium does things-- with one major periodic exhibition or award show.



I pretty much like the plans they have for next year.. especially the bumped-up date, since this year it looked like some companies weren't comfortable with a May showing (for instance remember that PS2-looking Tekken 6 teaser? VF5 looks 10 generations ahead of that T6 demo)..

Having said that.. I don't give a damn if there isn't a gamers' event ever again, but I liked the honest feedback from the Average Joe instead of Gamespot's carefully worded and patronizing opinions.. hopefully later on they'll move to a larger venue and admit lower-tier media outlets to the show..

[akumachan]

First of all I didn't mean Polyphony and Bungie in the literal sense.. I'm just using them as an example that software companies aren't known in the mainstream..


yes i realize that. but it doesnt change the fact that developers will simply attend whatever event is relevant to their software.



'The Big 3' (or the few major software companies) holding seperate shows would be like the film industry walking away from the Academy Awards, in favor of the major studios holding award shows for their own films.. it would lead to selective, prioritized, erratic media coverage.. PR wise it would give the impression that the industry is unstable. Plus, back to video games, nothing that the hardware companies could showcase in seperate events over the course of a year would generate as much mainstream media coverage as 3 major console unveilings in one week.

We'll simply have to agree to disagree then.


I don't see that this will really affect the public's opinion about gaming one way or the other.

And I dont see how this would show the industry as being unstable. Sometimes you have to shake things up to make things better. I think it would be stupid to keep things going the way they are just to avoid looking somewhat unstable.

It's merely another phase in gaming history.

And I really cant see how you can compare E3 to the academy awards.

the purpose of E3 is not to celebrate and award the great games that were released throughout the year but to notify the media and public of what is to come.

And when you look at it by those bare terms, IMO E3 was too costly. It was a party.

And whether or not the public gets to see gaming divided or as a industry event matters very little in the overall scheme of things.

The companies are purely concerned about spending their money in ways that will better show and sell their products. And there's a good chance that they can market their wares more effectively in a more controlled environment.

The main problem was that companies were wasting a lot of money on E3. and this way (hopefully) they will not be wasting that money. Heopfully the money will be better spent.


Having said that.. I don't give a damn if there isn't a gamers' event ever again, but I liked the honest feedback from the Average Joe instead of Gamespot's carefully worded and patronizing opinions.. hopefully later on they'll move to a larger venue and admit lower-tier media outlets to the show..

lower tier media outlets have always been able to get into E3. and most likely they always will.

and whether or not you like gamespot's condescending tones or not, magazines and media outlets have a proven place in the industry.

If you want the average joe's opinion, then IMO maybe the idea of a public version of E3 would be just right for you and many others.



Whether it's more cost-effective or whether software companies will survive isn't the point here..

I think the cost-effectiveness is EXACTLY the point. Thats the whole reason why companies are pulling out of E3.


good discussion tho Taito. Its been a while since ive enjoyed a good discussion on SRK.

[Taito]

It's not the point I'm making. I'm not arguing that E3 in its pre-2007 form has been a fruitless waste of resources (that's the industry consensus and there's nothing to argue). I'm saying it's not a positive image for the industry to abruptly turn their back on a traditional event and splinter off into smaller conventions that the mainstream media may or may not cover 100%.

Like I said, the ESA's current proposal for next year--instead of the 'splinter' idea that was speculated on before the official press release--works for me. It trims the fat and caters spcifically to the media, keeping the whole of the industry in the public eye (and that's what the Oscars are in this context-- a periodic event in the public eye that helps stimulate industry revenue in the present and future.. but let's not dwell on that analogy anymore).


About Gamespot and other game media sources, I always have to worry about who's protecting which company in exchange for an exclusive headline or similar favor.

For example, Famitsu's credibilty on game reviews is all but shot for this very reason--Famitsu magazine doesn't break all of the hot developments in Japanese gaming first in the world, simply on dumb luck.

Do you think Gamepro (yes Gamepro sucks, that's besides the point) would have anything damning to say about a Bandai/Namco game after they were given a world premiere scoop on SoulCalibur 3?

That's why I value a wide variety of opinions and impressions, including from the random independent website or blog with no connections or exclusive deals.


Glad you liked the discussion btw.

[akumachan]

It's not the point I'm making. I'm not arguing that E3 in its pre-2007 form has been a fruitless waste of resources (that's the industry consensus and there's nothing to argue). I'm saying it's not a positive image for the industry to abruptly turn their back on a traditional event and splinter off into smaller conventions that the mainstream media may or may not cover 100%.



ok. I can agree that it is not a positive public image. Most definitely it seems to be a negative event on the gaming world. But it's a negative event that could, in the future, bear more positive fruit than continuing the tradtion of E3.



About Gamespot and other game media sources, I always have to worry about who's protecting which company in exchange for an exclusive headline or similar favor.

For example, Famitsu's credibilty on game reviews is all but shot for this very reason--Famitsu magazine doesn't break all of the hot developments in Japanese gaming first in the world, simply on dumb luck.

Do you think Gamepro (yes Gamepro sucks, that's besides the point) would have anything damning to say about a Bandai/Namco game after they were given a world premiere scoop on SoulCalibur 3?

that was one of the big reasons why i lost so much respect for my boss when I was still in the press. (well that and the fact that he's a lying asshole, who tries to con everyone he comes into contact with!! :annoy: god i hate him... but that's beside the point.. calm.. Im calm now...)

but while i agree that magazines (or any media outlet) has to cater to advertisers to a certain degree (and some mags do it better than others) i simply believe, as you do. that a large sampling of opinions about a title is best. Taking what one mag or reviewer says about a single title as TRUTH is dumb.

but I guess it remains to be seen what this will do to the industry. I think it depends mostly upon what the companies decide to do with this chance. They can squander it, or use it to their advantage to make the industry better.