E3 Exhibitor Numbers Dwindle

[Dante]

A "complete" list of publishers and developers attending the newly slimmed-down E3 have been made available to press, and as expected the numbers fall far short of previous expos.

 

Just 32 companies (yes, you read that right) are listed for this year's event, which will take place in Santa Monica in July. Attendees include (deep breath) 1C Company, Activision, Akella, Atari, Atlus, Disney Interactive Studios, Capcom, Codemasters, Crave Entertainment, Eidos, Electronic Arts, Konami, LucasArts, Majesco, Microsoft, Midway, Namco Bandai Games, NCsoft, Nintendo, Sega, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Online Entertainment, Square Enix, Take-Two Interactive, THQ, Ubisoft, Vivendi Games, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

 

Most of the big players seem to be there but it's a big way off last year's exhibitor list which exceeded 400. There are also only two independent developers listed, id Software and Foundation 9 Entertainment, which is disappointing seeing as one of the biggest reasons for the down-scale was to give smaller devs a chance in the spotlight.

 

This year's E3 will consist of an exhibit hall in Santa Monica's Barker Hanger as well as company-run demos in nearby hotels. As always third-party press conferences will be held in a common location while platform holders will hold their own bashes - though the big three are yet to make any announcements.

 

Invitations are expected to number between 3000 and 4000, a mere fraction of last year's 60,000. July 11-13 is the date and we'll let you know if it's worth making a fuss about.

 

CVG

[Gaijin von Snikbah]

Thats alot of games we wont be seeing.

[Shyguy]

no Blizzard :<

[Letty]

That aint so great..

[ViPeR]

I miss the old E3 already...

[killer kirby]

^^^^^^^

Agreed, right about now people would be counting down the days for the next E3

[Cube]

no Blizzard :<

 

Won't they be included with Vivendi Games?

[Teppo Holmqvist]

Thats alot of games we wont be seeing.

 

Not really. List contains all top ten publishers, who together publish over 85 percent of all console games. E3 was pointless to smaller publishers because nobody cared about their products, and it was also way too expensive to get stand.

[Cube]

Not really. List contains all top ten publishers, who together publish over 85 percent of all console games. E3 was pointless to smaller publishers because nobody cared about their products, and it was also way too expensive to get stand.

 

Well, if the publishers show games from all their developers (instead of the developers showing them off themselves), than most of the 400 (bar the accessory companies) will still be represented at E3. It's just that a few of these developers will have (what it sounds like, anyway) their own people/mini-stand (id Software and Foundation 9 Entertainment) at the E3.

 

So, really, everything that we give a damn about will still be there, this just means that some of the crap is removed.

[darkjak]

Isn't E3 in may usually?

[flameboy]

Hardly surprising that this has happened. I don't think I miss E3 really, obviously it was great to get all the news in one go, but now we get surprise announcements etc... that we weren't expecting all through out the year. E3 was becoming to big and unsustainable it was only a matter of time before it would collapse...

[ZeldaFreak]

Not really. List contains all top ten publishers, who together publish over 85 percent of all console games. E3 was pointless to smaller publishers because nobody cared about their products, and it was also way too expensive to get stand.

 

Agreed plus they had all of those peripharel(sp??) companies in kenzo hall (underneath west/south hall can't remember which) at the LA convention center.

 

Plu alot of smaller games developers may schedule meetings with the big publishing houses to discuss the possibilities of publishing their games.

[DCK]

This E3 should provide more overview and better reports, as nobody will get in the way of the games journalists now.

[Zechs Merquise]

I loved E3, it was a great spectacle and was the the biggest event on the gaming calender, they've really blown it.

[Fierce_LiNk]

I loved E3, it was a great spectacle and was the the biggest event on the gaming calender, they've really blown it.

 

I agree, it's a bit like cancelling/downsizing the World Cup.

[McMad]

It's slightly depressing that there's now no really big Nintendo event to look forward to this year.

 

I can remember the hype that filled me up last year prior to the Wii unveiling, it was awesome, and I wasn't dissappointed.

 

I'd still rather have all the big new information all at once in a big event instead of everything slowly being revealed through the gaming press.

 

There's a chance this new E3 will deliver, but still two extra months is a bit of a bummer.

[Cube]

I agree, it's a bit like cancelling/downsizing the World Cup.

 

Now THAT would be fantastic.

 

I still think that game sites will be overloaded.

[ZeldaFreak]

I agree, it's a bit like cancelling/downsizing the World Cup.

 

However as a gamer I can see the benefits of downsizing:-

 

1) Don't have to employ booth babes/ Don't have to pay a 3rd party company to hire them for them.

2) Reinvest fore mentioned costs as well as booth costs into company

3) Use these freed up costs to invest them into premier games

 

So its ok for me. Plus MCV have rumored at since the last E3 that we may be getting our own event at NEC Birmingham.

[UziT]

no Blizzard :<

 

Blizz is having there own thing called Blizzcon

[ZeldaFreak]

Blizz is having there own thing called Blizzcon

 

Plus vivendi universal really publish all blizzards work anyway.

[UziT]

Plus vivendi universal really publish all blizzards work anyway.

 

ah okay that explains it lol

[Zechs Merquise]

However as a gamer I can see the benefits of downsizing:-

 

1) Don't have to employ booth babes/ Don't have to pay a 3rd party company to hire them for them.

2) Reinvest fore mentioned costs as well as booth costs into company

3) Use these freed up costs to invest them into premier games

 

So its ok for me. Plus MCV have rumored at since the last E3 that we may be getting our own event at NEC Birmingham.

 

What a load of rubbish, nice babes and good show once a yer isn't gonna break a company. E3 used to be a right spectacle. It was the flagship event of the gaming calender.

[Kav]

I loved E3, it was my Xmas!

[Mayjest]

E3 the was one moment a year when I would allow my inner geek to shine through: skive whatever I was supposed to be doing that day, lock myself away in a room, and watch the streamed videos of the conferences. Now I can't do that any more, my inner geek will have to be released in other ways... probably ways far more painful and embarrassing to me.

[ZeldaFreak]

What a load of rubbish, nice babes and good show once a yer isn't gonna break a company. E3 used to be a right spectacle. It was the flagship event of the gaming calender.

 

You don't really understand the cost involved. Plus it was too rushed to allow the journalists to do there job.

 

For someone like koei who isn't on the list anyway, was finding it cost a lot of money to attend. Same with Tecmo. Although it was a flagship other events are moving in and around to capture the spectacle.

 

I would rather them concentrate on and pour money into the games - than pour more money into an event like old e3's were.

 

E3 the was one moment a year when I would allow my inner geek to shine through: skive whatever I was supposed to be doing that day, lock myself away in a room, and watch the streamed videos of the conferences. Now I can't do that any more, my inner geek will have to be released in other ways... probably ways far more painful and embarrassing to me.

 

The press conferences are still going to happen you know. Its only the actual event its self which is being cut back.