The run up to this year's E3 video game conference was rife with controversy. There were companies leaving the ESA in droves, as well as companies setting up shop outside the venue to take advantage of the press without spending the money for a booth. Add in the reduction in size and the attendee limitation to press and corporate reps over the past two years and rumors about the ultimate demise of E3 start swirling.
There were no huge game announcements, and Microsoft didn't even bother having Bungie show up to talk about the next Halo release, claiming that the company wanted to "shorten the presentation." Crave points out that there are no solid plans announced for next year's show, and three studio execs (EA CEO John Riccitello, Ubisoft president Laurent Detoc, and Sega of America's president Simon Jeffery) all expressed displeasure when talking to the San Francisco Chronicle.
With so many studios leaving the ESA and retailers skipping the show, there isn't much left to the show. Without the gamers, the show seems like a big press conference, and based on the announcements this week, the emphasis is on the consoles and not the games.
As the consoles add features that leave them looking more and more identical, the games will go back to being the driving force in the industry, and they'll need a venue for launches. Will it still be E3?
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The xBox dominates soooo much that the others are looking at just giving up!
http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
But then where was Bungie, Steve? Some of us only bought it for the Halo. Also, I'm finding it curious that you use Blogger for your blog hosting. Have some Google plans?
Blizzard didn't show up either. E3 is dying a slow death, as everything that was great about it was squeezed out by corporate fatcats like EA.
Xbox dominates so much? Then perhaps you could explain Nintendo's sales that are at the top of the market? Im not sure how the system that has sold 28 million Wiis and 40+Million Ds is giving up. Learn some facts buddy.
Cue the Leipzig Game Convention in Germany next month. The Booth Babe is not dead, she just moved overseas. Not only is it bigger than E3 in its heyday, the majority of the venue is open to the public - something even the old E3 was not.
... and the PS2 is still outselling them all by 200-300%
xbox sucks and always will suck, its a dead system. its only redeeming factor is halo, and even then its played by guys named Sally
Haha, good-bye E3, HELLOOOOOO PAX!
http://www.pennyarcadeexpo.com/
I believe Steve was referring to Xbox dominating the E3 event/floor, not the market.
And PAX is definately the shiznit as far as being the con for the gamers.
BEWARE THE 'red' RING!!!!!!
"I heard a kid looked at his xbox and then... a week later... it died!"
You must be a bunch of iTards here?
http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
I'm Shocked to hear Blizzard wasn't there! WTH.. thats very sad... screw E3, lets start a whole new one with a different name and bring the babes back.
Consoles are for little kids. True gamers use PCs. That is all.
Go to http://thestandard.com/predictions/suggestions/e3-modify-format-or-cance... and vote for the suggestion to become a prediction for play. Comments on specific change as needed to the suggestion welcome to make it an interesting bet play.
"Consoles are for little kids. True gamers use PCs. That is all."
FTW!!!!
Real gamers play both.
True gamers roll dice
The only reason the PS2 would be outselling the Wii is because it has been on the market for, oh I dunno, 5 years more.
And let's not forget all those laser alignment issues they had with the first models.
PC gaming is only good for multiplayer - online play and FPS's. True RPGs are found on consoles.
E3 is for video games? I thought E3 was a new type of ecstasy.
whats a video game?
"PC gaming is only good for multiplayer - online play and FPS's. True RPGs are found on consoles."
Let's see... Diablo, Baldur's Gate, Fallout, Anachronox, Torment, and their respective sequels are all PC-exclusive, that I'm aware of. To say nothing of how useful modding and not having to use a gamepad are for things like Oblivion or Mass Effect.
The only thing consoles have going for them in the RPG department is JRPGs, and there hasn't been a good JRPG since the Super Nintendo was the best console around.
I think that you really need to take a look at the sales of console games compared to PC Games. I am a PC Gamer myself, but I also enjoy console. What about Sports Games? Racing Games? Action games? Actually another fact; the Sega Genesis had a much larger market share than the Super Nintendo did. So at least arm yourself with some type of facts before posting. That is the problem with fanboys; they often speak before they think.....
So which game con is going to win? Leipzig? PAX? Or is there room for someone new to come in? And +1 as df. Real gamers know that some games just work better on console and some just work better on PC. I woudln't want to think of a world where you had to play Madden on a PC, but I sure don't want to play an MMO or RPG on a console. I couldnt get into Morrowind on Xbox. Just felt weird.
Steve, you just plain don't like Nintendo, don't you?
Even though I am an avid Nintendo gamer, I have no problem advertising Microsoft or Sony games/consoles. I don't restrict myself to one company alone, such as yourself. If you can't talk reasonably, don't talk at all. Provide facts and not just your opinions. Why did Microsoft and Sony lower their prices? To compete with Nintendo, since Nintendo was outselling both companies in terms of consoles and handhelds.
You know, maybe YOU are the iTard here. >_>
Back on topic, what will replace E3?
iTodd, I'm not sure. I still have this suspicion that at least some of the ESA refugees are planning to put something together themselves, but that isn't based on a single known fact, only my own gut feeling.
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