Hurray! E3 doesn't suck anymore

[hippie_hunter]

E3 Returning to Past Size and Spectacle in 2009



In case you missed the big reveal on X-Play moments ago, here’s the word on E3 2009:

• It will happen on June 2nd-June 4th at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
• While E3 2009 still won’t be technically open to the public, the ESA plans on getting rid of the rigorous vetting procedure that has kept attendance down for the last couple of years. So expect attendance to shoot up by the thousands!
• As for the return of booth babes… that’s still to be determined, but we have our fingers crossed.

So it looks like a return to the E3 of old is in the cards, folks. Keep your web browsers tuned to G4tv.com and your TV tuned to X-Play tomorrow, and we'll bring you the official E3 details from the Entertainment Software Association.

http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/index.html?t=690276#690276

 

[The Riddler]

good.

maybe i can care about e3 again for the first time in years.

 

[Mister J]

Good news. They shouldn't have altered it to begin with.

 

[Addendum]

I'm not into conventions or expo's but the only one I'd consider going to would be PAX, and that's including E3 becoming open to the public

 

[Soapy]

Good news. They shouldn't have altered it to begin with.

I don't know about that. E3 had gotten waaay too big. It was never even supposed to be open to the public, but any Average Joe with a gaming blog was being let in because they claimed to be a journalist.

Something needed to be done to keep out the riff raff, but they clearly went a little overboard.

 

[Mister J]

I get what you're saying. I like the spectacle of it all though, similar to what PAX has grown to. I was glad E for All had the relative success it did as a 'follow up'. Maybe I'll get around to trying to drag my keister to one these days.

 

[Raiden]

I'm glad E3 is slowly changing back to the old E3 that was the event of the year, but it remains to be seen if they will or just doing it halfway. If they don't, though, events like PAX will take over the mantle and they will cease to be relevant.

 

[Galactus]

Microsoft to "break the bank" at E3
Monday 8-Dec-2008 3:32 PM
MS considers revealing more of its future plans, says Major Nelson

In similar fashion to Nintendo, MS tends to hold its cards to its chest until near to the game's launch, but the games giant is considering going big at E3 2009 and talking about thing that are "further out".


Talking in the latest Major Nelson podcast, head of Microsoft Game Studios, Phil Spencer said: "The last two E3s, at least - if I use that a proxy for what's coming, we've talked a lot about what is in the next five to six months after the E3, and we've had some pressure that maybe we want to think a little broader about what we're gonna say at E3, a little further out in the future."

He added: "So I came out of an E3 planning meeting just about an hour ago, and we're looking at some of the plans for the future and things that we might want to tease, and it's very exciting because there's a lot of stuff on the way, and maybe we'll break the bank a little bit and talk about things that are further out, which'll hopefully get the community excited."

 

[Raiden]

^ I hope this means that E3 2009 will go back to the E3 of old, where companies break the bank to give us spectacles and exclusives, as well as never-before-seen footages of games that have yet to be released.

 

[Joker]

This is going to hurt small game studios who can't afford to spend insane amounts of money on huge booths, it's going to hurt coverage as many journalists won't be able to get as much hands on time with games as they have been the past couple of years, and it doesn't benefit the public at all, as they still aren't allowed in.

I see no upsides to this at all.

 

[Soapy]

This is going to hurt small game studios who can't afford to spend insane amounts of money on huge booths, it's going to hurt coverage as many journalists won't be able to get as much hands on time with games as they have been the past couple of years, and it doesn't benefit the public at all, as they still aren't allowed in.

I see no upsides to this at all.

This.

I guess the huge E3 extravaganza (E4?) of the past was kind of cool in it's own gaudy way. I can see the appeal of it. But there really wasn't any reason for it to exist the way it did. I would much, much rather these guys spend money on their games rather than waste it on a ridiculous and unnecessary three day spectacle.

 

[Galactus]

Big names commit to E3
Tuesday 3-Feb-2009 11:30 AM
Platform holders and major publishers sign up
After a series of smaller events, E3 looks set to make a return to form in 2009 as the big names line up to hopefully give us some major game reveals.


The event, which will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Centre from June 2-4, 2009, already has a sizeable list of attendees, including the three platform holders and all of the major publishers.

"The 2009 E3 Expo will be the pre-eminent North American computer and video game event," said Michael Gallagher, CEO of the Entertainment Software Association.

"With robust exhibitor sales, high attendee interest, and strong commitments from multiple industry sectors, we are going to ensure the full excitement and energy of this industry is on display."

Around 5,000 people are thought to have attended 2008's downsized E3 Media and Business Summit, while in its heyday a glitzy E3 attracted around 60,000 attendees.

EA chief John Riccitiello and Ubisoft's US boss Laurent Detoc both heavily criticised 2008's E3, the former saying he "hated" it and the latter calling it "terrible".

Both companies are signed up for 2009 though, and Gallagher reckons attendance figures "could be in the neighbourhood of 40,000 or more".

Microsoft's already spoken of plans to "break the bank" at this year's event, while Nintendo says it's going to show off some big games too. Should be exciting.

Here's a list of the big names already confirmed for E3 2009:


Activision Blizzard, Inc.

Atari, Inc.

Atlus U.S.A., Inc.

Bethesda Softworks LLC

Capcom Entertainment, Inc.

Disney Interactive Studios, Inc.

Eidos Interactive

Electronic Arts, Inc.

Epic Games, Inc.

505 Games

IndieCade

KOEI Corporation

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.

LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC

Majesco Entertainment Company

Microsoft Corporation

Midway Games Inc.

MTV Games

Namco Bandai Games America Inc.

Nintendo of America, Inc.

Rebellion

Sega of America, Inc.

Serious Games

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

Sony Online Entertainment LLC

Square Enix, Inc.

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.

THQ Inc.

Ubisoft Entertainment

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Inc.

 

[KALEL114]

This is going to hurt small game studios who can't afford to spend insane amounts of money on huge booths, it's going to hurt coverage as many journalists won't be able to get as much hands on time with games as they have been the past couple of years, and it doesn't benefit the public at all, as they still aren't allowed in.

I see no upsides to this at all.

The flip side is that E3 was on the verge of going extinct. Developers* were were about to drop off like flies and public interest was plummeting. I see your point, but if they didn't change it back, it would have eventually just ceased to exist. IMO.
*Example:
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=11690

 

[amazingfantasy15]

Microsoft to "break the bank" at E3
Monday 8-Dec-2008 3:32 PM
MS considers revealing more of its future plans, says Major Nelson

In similar fashion to Nintendo, MS tends to hold its cards to its chest until near to the game's launch, but the games giant is considering going big at E3 2009 and talking about thing that are "further out".


Talking in the latest Major Nelson podcast, head of Microsoft Game Studios, Phil Spencer said: "The last two E3s, at least - if I use that a proxy for what's coming, we've talked a lot about what is in the next five to six months after the E3, and we've had some pressure that maybe we want to think a little broader about what we're gonna say at E3, a little further out in the future."

He added: "So I came out of an E3 planning meeting just about an hour ago, and we're looking at some of the plans for the future and things that we might want to tease, and it's very exciting because there's a lot of stuff on the way, and maybe we'll break the bank a little bit and talk about things that are further out, which'll hopefully get the community excited."

In other words we're going to tease the next X-Box. Don't really see the need for E3 to get huge again, just give me the big 3's presentations and coverage by G4 of cool upcoming games, that's all that really matters since I can't get in.

 

[Soapy]

Maybe they will and maybe they won't, but I personally doubt they're going to tease their next console.

I know exactly what Phil Spencer is talking about and it has annoyed me to no end that Microsoft usually only talks about whats coming out within the year. (Stuff most gamers already know about anyway.) So it will be good to see Microsoft showing and talking about games that are still a ways off. Stuff that no one knows about yet.

 

[Zacky]

I might go this year.

 

[Raiden]

I wish I can go to E3, but likely won't happen.

 

[Soapy]

Any predictions based on the exhibitors?

 

[KALEL114]

Complete vendor list.

http://www.e3expo.com/content/1146/exhibitor-list/

 

[Solidus]

I'm glad to hear this.


I got to go to E3 back in 2003, and it was a blast, they said it had over 50,000 people that had walked through or something. It was just insane. I got to meet Hideo Kojima, Miyamoto, Will Wright.

I just remember all the games I got to play, it was just a freaking blast. And prior to that I always watched the coverage on Sessler's show when it was Tech TV and before that Gamespot TV. E3 use to be such a big deal. The only thing now is I wish they would move it back to May.

But I'm just so glad that the old glory of E3 will be back.

 

[Fading]

E3's finally admitting it made mistakes, but it's not really a solution. E3 shouldn't have cut down on size or the party like atmosphere as that was a major draw. However what's really been hurting it lately is the boring fluff shows.

Every year we expect a blockbuster announcement, and lately it's all been a big dissapointment. The Nintendo show was painful to sit thru, I'd rather get papercuts while hearing fingers scrape on a chalk board than watch that abomination again lol. The Sony show had content, but it was content I already knew about. Sony just made me more eager to buy game I already wanted, and they showed a small CGI clip of GOW3, mentioned MAG and that's about it. The Microsoft show had less content and even showed off multi-plat games, but had the only bombshell in getting FFXIII to go multi-plat.

Anymore it seems game companies drop big bomb shells before E3 or at other shows. E3 will become relavent again when it produces something worthwhile. This is a step in the right direction tho.

 

[BlackLantern]

I agree about not cutting down size but they really need to tighten up attendance criteria....Ive been twice and it really should be people that work within the industry, not every Tom, Dick, and Tyler with a gaming blog...

 

[Brainiac 8]

Make sure booth babes are back and it'll do fine.

 

[Raiden]

Make sure booth babes are back and it'll do fine.

Having seen the booth babes when I attended E3 several years ago, I'd love for them to make a return.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Any predictions based on the exhibitors?

Nintendo takes E3 seriously and announces something that hardcore gamers will get excited about. Maybe a new Star Fox, Legend of Zelda, Kid Icarus?

And I think that Capcom will announce a Resident Evil 2 remake for the Wii. They've shown interest in it. They know people want it.