Network now...NEWS
Top EA and Ubisoft Execs Slam E3
Mike Gallagher, president of the Entertainment Software Association, has told the San Francisco Chronicle that the body will continue to tweak the format of the E3 Media and Business Summit after a number of its members poured scorn on this year’s event.
"I hate E3 like this," said EA CEO John Riccitiello. “Either we need to go back to the old E3, or we'll have to have our own private events."
Laurent Detoc, president of Ubisoft North America, was equally critical. "E3 this year is terrible. The world used to come to E3. Now it's like a pipe-fitters show in the basement."
Around 5,000 people are thought to have attended 2008's downsized event at the LA Convention Center, while in its heyday a glitzy E3 attracted around 60,000 attendees.
"We just need to decide where the dial needs to go," ESA boss Gallagher acknowledged.
As others have noted, it's ridiculous when publishers of a multibillion dollar industry call a trade show like E3 "too expensive". In a way, the gaming industry has it too easy, what with most of the (fanboy) gaming media and consumers prostrated at their feet. I'm interested to see how Leipzig will turn out this year, at least that is a show that's still courting the consumer.
E3 has changed from a chance for developers, publishers and hardware manufacturers to climb to the top of the media mountain and communicate with potential customers. Now its a old boy's club where all these guys get together to show off to each other more than the pubic. Whatever E3 used to be in the past, it certainly does not deserve the media attention it still is getting from the dedicated gaming outlets. And the companies who are participating don't understand that yet either, with the possible exception of Nintendo. Microsoft's and Sony's presentation was still intended to present to a mainstream public that by and large is no longer listening. There was no mainstream media coverage to speak of. At this point, the argument can be made that E3 needs to change back to its more flamboyant past. Or perhaps the attending companies need to change the way they use it.
Old E3 needs to come back or just go away. The buzz is lackluster now, and pretty much boring. When 80,000 plus people would come it was AN EVENT, not some niche show for gaming. I truly believe the old E3 was the one the key factors for gaming gaining such prominence in the past few years. The larger show also allowed the smaller developers to show off their goods too.
Interesting, but weren´t this big publishers that wanted this changes, saying that "It is to expensive" to have this event and it was not worth it??
I would love for old E3 to come back... hopefully it will.
Anyone else think that guy looks really creepy?
John Riccitiello?