Too Big, Too Much: Videogame Expo Gets a Downsizing By NICK WINGFIELD Wall Street Journal
August 1, 2006; Page B3 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115436878362822445.html?mod=technology_main_whats_news The Electronic Entertainment Expo, the videogame industry's raucous annual conference, will be getting a lot quieter. Members of the game industry's main trade group, the Entertainment Software Association, voted to dramatically scale back the annual May conference amid growing disenchantment among exhibitors with the spiraling costs of the show, known as E3. Instead of a big event that has traditionally taken up a sprawling convention center in Los Angeles and attracted more than 60,000 attendees, the association plans to produce a much smaller event in July 2007. The smaller version, tentatively titled the E3 Media Festival, could occupy suites and conference rooms at two Los Angeles hotels with a target attendance of about 5,000, said Doug Lowenstein, president of the ESA, which voted to make the change Wednesday. E3 was known as one of the glitziest, most frenetic trade shows, where games companies showed off their latest offerings from massive booths, often at ear-splitting volumes. But game companies have grumbled that the investment required to make a splash at E3, which can cost several million dollars, isn't worth it. When it was created a little more than a decade ago, E3 was primarily an event where game companies could meet buyers for major retailers, who would decide which game products to purchase. In recent years, very little retail ordering of games has occurred at E3 and the show has evolved into an event where game companies attempt to grab media attention for products, Mr. Lowenstein said. "Some companies were frustrated because E3 was such a huge, sweeping event it became increasingly difficult to get their messages out," he said. Some larger companies, like Sony Corp., Microsoft Corp. and Electronic Arts Inc., now hold their own independent events for media and others. "The industry has gotten to a place where we can afford to have more-intimate or more-private meetings in different types of settings," said Tammy Schachter, a spokeswoman for game publisher EA. Mr. Lowenstein said the changes to E3 aren't related to the game industry's sales slump. The industry is moving to a new generation of game-playing hardware, a shift that typically causes a slowdown in game sales. ================================ George Antunes, Political Science Dept University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204 Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927 antunes at uh dot edu Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
