E3 acabou?

[Ridley]

Senior industry sources have revealed to Next-Gen.Biz that the E3 industry event, in its present form, has been cancelled for next year and the foreseeable future.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) shindig has been a staple of game industry life since the mid-1990s. However, we understand the larger exhibitors have jointly decided that the costs of the event do not justify the returns, generally measured in media exposure.

Publishers believe the multi-million dollar budgets would be better spent on more company-focused events that bring attention to their own product lines rather than the industry as a whole.

Well placed sources say the news that larger exhibitors were pulling out had prompted urgent meetings among publishing executives. They decided that, without the support of the larger software publishers and hardware manufacturers, there would be no point in continuing.

ESA president Doug Lowenstein will likely announce the news some time within the next 48 hours, possibly on Monday. It's likely that the ESA will seek to limit the damage by organizing some form of lesser event in May, possibly even with the E3 brand, but this will be no more than a fig-leaf. The days of an industry event attended by all the major publishers, spending big money, are gone.

Calls to ESA staff are not being returned at present.

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3538&Itemid=2

 

[Kursk_crash]

Spending big money ???

quando fazem 2 biliões ano ?? não podem gastar uns 5 milhões de dólares ou mesmo 1 milhão de dólares ???

don't **** with me

 

[Twilight]

É a prova mais que dada do k a industria se tá tornando: uma mákina de fazer dinheiro.

 

[Mitch]

quem é que os obrigava a gastar milhoes de dolares na exposição? gastem menos...

 

[timber]

Actualmente com a internet quase todas as áreas de negócio vêm as suas grandes feiras e exposições a encolher ou mesmo a desaparecer

Numa área altamente relacionado com informática é perfeitamente normal. 5 milhões de dolares gastos a montar um stand que meia dúzia de gajos vão visitar podem ser gastos a montar um mega site na net que chegara a milhões de potenciais clientes.

 

[Mitch]

mas eu não preciso de um stand de 5 milhoes, eles é que não se controlaram...

 

[timber]

Provavelmente fizeram foi as contas e perceberam que o rendimento dum stand de seja que valor for (e nunca será muito baixo porque à cabeça tens que pagar para estar presente num salão) não valia o retorno
Antigamente iam lá uns tipos da imprensa, faziam uns artigos, publicitavam o produto, geravam espectativa, enfim levavam água ao moinho deles. Hoje a dinâmica é outra.

 

[R_M_F]

tao loucos!!!matar a E3??!! Isso é crime...

 

[Ridley]

E3 game trade show not cancelled, but will be downsized

Contrary to reports across the web, E3 has not been cancelled. Next-Gen had hoped that they would blow the lid off of a hot story by revealing that the show had been cancelled, but some quick fact checking shows that they are simply incorrect.

Sources close to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) tell Ars Technica that the show can and will go on, but that big changes are planned. The "Electronic Entertainment Expo" (hence E3) started in 1995 as a small but interesting annual convention for gaming, following roughly six months after the once-popular annual COMDEX computer trade-show in Las Vegas. The show has grown immensely in popularity, and that appears to be the problem.

Sources say that two major factors have led to the decision to transition the show to a more "closed-door" event. Both, coincidentally, were major reasons for COMDEX shutting down: cost and access. If you've never been to E3, let me describe it like this: long lines, truckloads of people, video games everywhere, and really fancy "booths" (where booth sometimes means basketball court-sized display area). As with COMDEX, the major players are reportedly tired of how much it costs to put on the dog and pony show. Turns out it costs millions of dollars to put the sparkle into an E3 blingfest.

Now in theory, these shows are primarily geared towards connecting businesspeople. To that end, E3 was (again, in theory) only open to industry folks and journalists. In recent years, however, the number of people attending have skyrocketed, in part because E3 registration was a moderately open process. The show was getting huge, and just as with COMDEX, the show-within-a-show was born. What I mean by that is that it was no longer enough to go to the show. To talk to someone who actually knew what they were talking about, you'd need an appointment. To see something really special, really worth writing about, you'd need to meet behind closed doors. To find out anything of interest about something that wasn't on a placard, you needed to get in with the right people. With COMDEX the practice started to get ridiculous; major players officially skipped the show but set up camp in Vegas hotels and had their sideshows for a fraction of the cost.

One source I spoke with told me that media access is indeed a problem, but it probably does not factor in greatly to the decision to downsize the show. Nevertheless, there are plenty of complaints from insiders about how "blogging" in particular has made the shows more difficult, if only because floor people are instructed to speak only of what they are approved to speak of, lest another half-baked headline make the rounds.

Possibly more influential is the fact that E3 is viewed by some people as being the Sony-Microsoft-Nintendo show, which it is not supposed to be. Smaller players have complained about this before, but really, that's just the nature of a tradeshow. Not everyone can be Wil Wheaton, can they?

In all seriousness, the days of the big consumer technology trade shows are indeed passing. At the end of the day, the reason is very simple: ten years ago, you needed a big trade show to generate buzz and hype. It used to be that COMDEX was a special event because so much new stuff was unveiled, and this was the only way to see it. Now, however, information comes down the pipe faster than ever, and companies are wondering if there's really any benefit to spending the big money on displays only to share the floor with other competitors looking to out-wow attendees. It was a media circus for the days when you needed a circus to attract media attention. I don't think anyone would say that consumer electronics is lacking for attention these days.

Official word from the ESA should be out tomorrow. Keep an eye on Opposable Thumbs for additional updates. We'll follow-up there.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060730-7382.html

 

[timber]

Esse penúltimo parágrafo traduz exactamente o meu ponto de vista

 

[Kursk_crash]

Isto está errado!!!

o que realmente está a aconteçer é que:

--> As marcas (Ati, Nvidia e outras como Intel e AMD) estão a apresentar os seus produtos em eventos promovidos pela própria marca... a ATI faz o evento em Ibiza, etc...

e tão a fazer então os eventos próprios e a deixar a E3 cair....

 

[Ridley]

Isto está errado!!!

o que realmente está a aconteçer é que:

--> As marcas (Ati, Nvidia e outras como Intel e AMD) estão a apresentar os seus produtos em eventos promovidos pela própria marca... a ATI faz o evento em Ibiza, etc...

e tão a fazer então os eventos próprios e a deixar a E3 cair....

Até pode acabar desde que a Nintendo volte a fazer a SpaceWorld...

Duvido que a Nintendo, Sony ou Microsoft gostem de partilhar as atenções na mesma feira.

 

[Kursk_crash]

isto agora é mais " private party"...

--
Atenção, não confudir com a private...

 

[Twilight]

 

[Korben_Dallas]

Sim os game journalists que descansem que continuam a ser apaparicados com eventos, festas e cocktails mas agora até têm que viajar mais e não apenas uma vez por ano

Acompanho a E3 desde o início (assim como acompanhava a ECTS) e tenho pena que desapareça. São sempre uns dias frenéticos com chuva de informação e novidades.

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060731/20060731005811.html?.v=1

The new E3Expo will take shape over the next several months. As currently envisioned, it will still take place in Los Angeles, described by ESA as a "great and supportive partner helping to build E3." It will focus on press events and small meetings with media, retail, development, and other key sectors. While there will be opportunities for game demonstrations, E3Expo 2007 will not feature the large trade show environment of previous years.

Additionally, the evolution of the video game industry into a vibrant and expanding global market has led to the creation of major events in different regions, such as the Games Convention in Leipzig, the Tokyo Game Show, and company-specific events held by Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, and others around the world. As a result, Lowenstein said, "It is no longer necessary or efficient to have a single industry 'mega-show.' By refocusing on a highly-targeted event, we think we can do a better job serving our members and the industry as a whole, and our members are energized about creating this new E3."

 

[endon]

A censura às 'booth babes' foi o como que o Prenúncio de Morte da feira e, sinceramente, a justificação dos gastos/eficiência por si só não me satisfaz.

Pena é que se perca aquele que era, mais do que provavelmente, o maior evento tecno-cultural do Ocidente.

 

[Ridley]

Os 3 grandes prenunciam-se

Nintendo commits, Microsoft "supportive", Sony looks to US

Nintendo has become the first of the three platform holders to confirm involvement in next year's E3, with Microsoft and Sony yet to make a firm commitment to the reborn expo.

Speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz, Nintendo UK PR manager Rob Saunders said, "I can confirm that Nintendo will be involved in the E3 expo next year."

However, details of just how big a presence Nintendo intends to have at the newly-formed event have yet to be revealed.

Microsoft's stance is less clear, with a spokesperson from the company's UK office telling GI.biz, "We're supportive of the move ESA has taken. It's still early days, and we're not in a position to talk about what Microsoft will be doing in regards to next year's E3, but we'll be making an announcement nearer the time."

David Wilson, head of SCEE PR, was unwilling to offer any kind of commitment, stating, "We generally view E3 as a 'US' show. That isn't to devalue or deny its significance to us, it's just that because it's based in the US: SCEA 'own' it."

Wilson added that further comment would only be forthcoming once SCEA had confirmed its position.

The move to reformat E3 as a much smaller event was confirmed by ESA president Doug Lowenstein earlier today.

He confirmed that next year's show – which has held the games industry in its thrall for the past 12 years - will be retitled the E3 Media Festival for 2007, and is slated to take place in July as opposed to the traditional May timing.

However, as the cross-spectrum first reactions from the platform holders show, the impact to the entire industry of losing the event is still unclear. Greater clarity is expected towards the end of the week as the US arms of Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft all make their official comments regarding the move.

http://gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=18681

 

[ashn0d]

O que se passa é que as grandes editoras, como a Atari ou a EA, estao cada vez mais a apostar em eventos à parte da E3, alegando que na E3 nao recebem a atençao que recebem nestes eventos (cambada de meninos mimado, shame on you). Isto também já se está a passar com as produtoras de consolas, nomeadamente com o evento X00 (substituir o ultimo zero pelo ultimo numero do ano corrente) da M$ e com os eventos pré-E3 de todas as editoras.

Era mais que certo que mais tarde ou mais cedo o mediatismo da E3 iria dar mau resultado, com "cada burro a puxar para seu lado", tentando ter o maximo de lucro.

É uma pena que isto aconteça, mas é o curso natural de uma indústria que está a crescer demasiado rápido.

[EDIT]: A E3 vai mesmo acabar como a conhecemos, aqui estao as mudanças esperadas ao formato actual da E3:
- A data de realizaçao da feira vai passar de Maio para Julho
- Vai deixar de se realizar no Los Angeles Convention Center para se realizar num outro hotel da cidade, possivelmente mais pequeno
- E, segundo o presidente da ESA, Douglas Lowenstein, a mudança mais importante será a diminuiçao da escala do evento. Ou seja, depois dos mais de 60,000 visitantes na ediçao passada, esperam-se em 2007 cerca de 5,000, o que é uma diminuiçao significativa.

Segundo Lowenstein, estas mudanças devem-se ao facto de "algumas companhias estarem frustradas porque a E3 era uma evento tão grande e tão avassalador que se estava a tornar cada vez mais difícil conseguir fazer passar a sua mensagem". Assim, a ESA va tentar fazer algo mais centrado, nao no espectaculo, mas nas editoras e nos seus jogos.

Para mais info dirijam-se aqui.