[TheEnglishman]

http://uk.gamespot.c...tml?sid=6154897
Well I wasn't expecting that.
E3, the biggest games expo of the year, is going to be downsized and moved to a different location. We have to wait until tomorrow to get the official news.
Comments?

[Golden Legacy]

... WHAT THE HELL IS THIS ALL ABOUT?

All right, got that out of my system.

First of all, I always thought that E3 had a contract through 2012 to remain in Los Angeles. (Click here, then find the word "contract" on the page). Why could have caused it to be breached...

Secondly, this is going to impact the game industry heavily. Once a year, developers and publishers can expose their greatest games, demonstrate the work they've done to thousands of the gaming industry. Reducing that to a fraction of what it once was? I can't accept it...

[Blue]

I'm with GL on this one. Very wrong. I never knew they had a contract though.

[Mars Djinni]

I'm skeptical about this. Seeing as there is the contract, I don't think E3 would want to waste another 6 years to shrink their environment. I suppose we'll have to see tomorrow the reason behind it.

If it is true, I'm curious as to how the developers are gonna cope with something like this.

[Enjealousy]

Pfft, shrink it? It's too small already. I'm very, very angry.

[Blink]

I still can't tell if it's cancelled and they're starting a whole new program under the same name, or if it's going to be anything like past E3's, like, past past E3's from the 90s, where it was way smaller.

[Someone Else]

Bleagh. I like E3, but all and all, I'm never extremely excited about it.

EDIT: Now, before you read this article, keep in mind that BEFORE you overreact, look at Joystiq's "The Good" side of the story first. They really put some good points out here.

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/30/e3-cance...ear-and-beyond/

Yeah. Good point. said:

• More access to the public? E3 was not accessible to the public, and was a strictly over-18 trade and press show. Hopefully future shows will split the show between press/trade exclusive days and open-access days so regular consumers can try out the latest games and hardware.

It's true. said:

• More focus on indies? Independent developers either couldn't attend E3 due to the high cost, or if they did, they were drowned out by the big publishers and their massive booths.

Although... said:

• No more "big three" faceoff. One of the most entertaining parts of E3 was watching Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo try to one up each other.

Woo hoo! said:

• In the short term, GDC is going to get big, very big. As the next biggest American gaming show after E3, expect a lot of next year's big gaming news to come out of San Fransisco.

This post has been edited by Wind Dude: 31 July 2006 - 12:38 AM

[TheEnglishman]

http://uk.gamespot.c...ws/6154935.html
Well it's official. Seems that companies like Microsoft were behind the downsizing. It would save them money though. And they say they want to keep the excitment at E3. Perhaps things won't be quite so bad as first feared.

[FlamingDuck]

I'd kinda like to see E3 downsized and moved somewhere. And opened to the public. Recently it just seemed so...unescassary. But they need to keep giving out freebies. I think this is a pretty good thing, myself.

[Aquamarine]

Huh... This is strange, to say the least. I guess this is good and bad in a way. I'll miss all the hustle and panick that you could feel even through the internets! :P
But what the heck is Microsoft moaning about!? They've got enough money to buy the whole blooming building for E3.

[Zxor]

The only reason that Sony and Microsoft are for this change so much is because Nintendo is beating them all.

[Someone Else]

Zxor, on Jul 31 2006, 05:59 PM, said:

The only reason that Sony and Microsoft are for this change so much is because Nintendo is beating them all.

Heheh. :P

To me, I see more good things in it than bad. From what I've heard, a lot of people think E3 was too busy and just terrible. You hardly get to see anything and the line is just bleah...

[Aquamarine]

Yeah, you had to wait for 6 HOURS in a line to play Wii!! But still... You only had to wait for half an hour to play PS3. I understand what you mean Zxor. :P

[Someone Else]

And even then, hardly anyone (except people from like, IGN and Gamespot) got to even touch it.

[Zxor]

I don't really understand what's happening though..like....what's the reason.

[Someone Else]

Not enough people investing in it for 2007 and stuff like that.

[Zxor]

So there is just gonna be less stuff?

[Toasty]

Yeah, apparently. When I read the article, I was too stuned to post. Hopefully something like it will pop up closer to me. L.A. is too far to go for video game expo.

[TheEnglishman]

Wind Dude, on Aug 1 2006, 12:18 AM, said:

Heheh. :)

To me, I see more good things in it than bad. From what I've heard, a lot of people think E3 was too busy and just terrible. You hardly get to see anything and the line is just bleah...

I guess it was getting a bit too big. If they had kept it the same then you'd be better off taking a sleeping bag to the next one. :P

[Aquamarine]

Yeah, but who of us actually ever went to an E3? Only FusionDragon28(I think). I'm thinking about what I and people like me want, and that's a lot of great news when E3 starts. I hope that doesn't change...

[TheEnglishman]

Apparently the next E3 will be held in July rather than May. There were also rough estimates being taken as to how many would go. I think they said about 5,000, which would be a lot less than the last convention. It would mean a more calm event with less people though.

[Toasty]

Well if the move it, they could always put it in Seattlle. It's a lot closer to me. :P

[Mars Djinni]

It's still in LA, 'cept they're using a smaller envronment, Toasty. At least, that's what I got from IGN.

[TheEnglishman]

Yeah it's staying in L.A. I heard a rumour that they could use a hotel convention room. Definitley a drop in size if they did! :P
I doubt it'd go that small.

[Someone Else]

Video games are still one of the most popular forms of entertainment and are very much part of pop culture, particularly in the USA and Japan. It would be ridiculous if it went that low.

[TheEnglishman]

That's what I thought. Like I said, just a rumour and they're rarely true.