Bye Bye E FOR ALL EXPO… the Big E3 Show Returns in 2009!
Posted on October 29, 2008 12:34 am by doug
Filed Under conventions, video games
Tags: convention center e for all expo e3 esa idg la
I’ve got some good news and some bad news. Well, depending on who you are, the bad news is really good news because it pretty much results in the good news being able to happen. Understand? No? Anyway…
The E For All Expo is no more (by the way, that’s the bad news that’s sorta good… I’ll explain). According to organizers, ESA, the E For All Expo will not be happening in 2009. As for its fate beyond next year, who knows? But it’s become clear to many that since IDG (operator of both E3 and E For All over the years) has chosen not to continue their poorly attended, consumer-friendly convention, they’ll be shifting their focus toward returning the more industry-friendly E3 Expo to its former massively cacophonic state (big, bright, noisy… and crowded!).
In 2007 and 2008, E3 had pulled back from packing the LA Convention Center with noisy, giant booths from nearly every game developer in the world, celebrity appearances, and more games than you could shake a joystick at. E3 seemed to have become a quiet, scholary gathering where the Big 3 (Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony) made moderately interesting announcements at press conferences for a handful of press members in a hotel conference room. No booths, no big splashy premieres, no walk-up, hands-on demos at every turn, no overwhelming madness… no excitement.
In stepped the E For All Expo, which catered more to the man on the street player. Anyone with $80 dollars and a stomach for lukewarm cheeseburgers could attend the event for a weekend, walk the same floors that E3 once commanded, only with about 90% less games and 95% less people. Sure, I had a great time at E For All (both years) because I was able to walk up to any game and play it. No line. No crowd. No problem. But there’s something about E3… old E3 (circa 2006)… It had a certain energy… a kind of urgency and specialness and exclusivity that can’t be adequately duplicated without all of the game companies in attendance and crowds so huge that you have to learn to walk sideways in order to navigate the massive throngs of people crammed into every corner of the sprawling convention center. It’s all about the spectacle.
Sure, while the ESA has stated that they are working toward building E3 back up toward its former glory, there’s no way to know just how far they’re willing or able to go. Will the Big 3 sign on? Can the smaller companies still afford to put up tricked-out, attention-grabbing booths in this waning economy? Will it still be just for industry and press people or will they fully open it up to the public, like E For All, essentially combining the points of the two events? I’m hesitant to believe all my dreams will come true once again, but the hope is there. So far, the ESA isn’t saying much, except that we should “get ready for some fireworks!”
I’m ready, E3. Gimme something to Ooh and Aah about…
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.