Gamertell Mashup: The future of E3

E3 2007 was certainly a change this year, replacing the uber pricey booths with more intimate hotel conference rooms, smaller booths and limiting the event to 1/10th the attendees as last year. This was quite a jolt for many, especially for videogame journalists and bloggers who have never covered non-E3 events and angered gamers who wanted greater access.

A few companies have hinted that this was an improvement since it cost much less than previous E3s, which required the whole production to stop for a month to concentrate on a clean demo and stop production of the game itself. Others were not quite as happy with the new format, missing the media attention that came with all the chaos, booth babes and celebrities.

Here are a few Gamertell writers’ takes on the possible future of E3…

Danielle thinks the ESA needs to make a couple changes:

“I think that if they stay with the current, scaled-down model, they need to make two major changes. First, it should be moved back to May, when companies are typically coming out with playable builds (since the industry is so tied to the Fall/Christmas release schedule). Second, it should at least be centralized, the way it used to be, since so many journalists had problems getting around from hotel to hotel in order to make their appointments.

William recognizes the refocus on facts:

“E3 closing its doors to the public brought about a big change. Previous E3′s have been about glamour and entertainment for the masses, I think we’ll begin to see more of a focus on information and less dazzle in the upcoming years.”

Joshua M. gives E3 a few more years:

“I think the name alone will keep E3 alive for a couple more years at least, as long as the big three still use it to make their big holiday announcements. I’m interested by the competition provided by these other little shows that seem to be popping up. “

PJ thinks the videogame industry will entirely mirror the film industry’s approach over time and gives E3 a limited lifespan:

“Videogame production is become so much more like the film industry that the way they handle press and promotion will start to look pretty much the same between the industries. What most people do not realize is there us a press junket for every movie where they herd in media to talk to the cast while videogames have have/had only this one event to promote everything for the next year. In about 5 years, game companies will promote games the same way as movies (they almost already do), including individual, highly scripted/prepped and choreographed press junkets centralized in Seattle, LA and NY (and maybe Tokyo and Paris), leading to the ultimate inconsequentiality of E3.

As for the more exciting venues (ie. big media attention and loud, chaotic booths), things like PAX and E for Everyone will pick up the consumer interest with the glitz and E3 will fall to back of consumers’ minds. Since smaller companies cannot afford to attend multiple venues, they will favor pick the really big events and forgo smaller stuff. The key will be to entice all the game companies to a single event despite semi-warm media attention and convince game companies that E3 does not need to be an uber expensive event. You can just send a few reps, the lead developer and the game to demo and be fine. This will all be null and void if the ESA can hire a truly charismatic and convincing PR/Marketing person to make E3 something truly new and useful to everyone, like pairing a press-only event side with a simultaneous consumer event.”

Read [Gamespot] Site [E3Expo]