Opinion: E3 Is Back, and That's Good for the Industry

After E3 2006, the big players in the gaming industry (Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and Electronic Arts) got together and, for once, agreed upon something: E3 had gotten unmanageably large. The expo, once designed as a means to display products to retail partners, had evolved into a media blowout with huge expensive booths and over 60,000 attendees. Instead of embracing this change by perhaps charging admission to the general public for a portion of the show, the powers-that-be wanted out. With all of their next-gen systems announced, they were free to demand as much of the ESA. The organization complied; it could not lose the support of its most important members.

What happened? E3 became a "Media and Business Summit," and its selective, invite-only nature was reminiscent of a papal conclave. Many of the meetings were held in hotel rooms, forcing journalists to cab about L.A. The show floor became a simple series of demo stations. If it wasn't for the press conferences by the "Big Three," there would have been next to nothing news-worthy during these events. The largest companies in gaming had gotten their wish: E3 had been reduced, but in the process, it became nigh irrelevant.

The reaction by media types, game publishers and others in the industry was almost universally negative. Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima wistfully wished for a return of the spectacle of old E3s. Ubisoft's Laurent Detoc said E3 had become like a "pipe-fitters show in the basement" and EA CEO John Riccitiello threatened "either we need to go back to the old E3, or we'll have to have our own private events." EA Sports president Peter Moore called the events "soulless" and analyst Michael Pachter predicted that E3 is "headed for extinction." The naysaying got so bad that the ESA had to reassert that E3 2009 would happen at all.

To its credit, the ESA listened to the complaints, taking surveys from the E3 2008 attendees. Expansion plans were announced, both in booths and in number of attendees. Publishers were encouraged to make their booths "active, captivating and energizing" (read: booth babes). The ESA's CEO Michael Gallagher (whose job over the past couple years we cannot envy) talked about a show that was "reflective of the energy, excitement and creativity of our industry." With estimates of 200 companies and over 40,000 attendees, IndustryGamers held our breath.... and waded into the L.A. Convention Center.

With E3 2009 come and past, we can now safely say that the "wow" factor is back. The conferences by Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony had announcements of new games like Halo Reach, Mario Galaxy 2 and The Last Guardian and new technologies like Project Natal, Wii Vitality Sensor and PlayStation Motion and thunderous conclusions in Project Milo, Metroid: Other M and God of War III that made gamers stand up and cheer. There were blockbuster games that people got their first touches with, including Assassin's Creed 2, Modern Warfare 2, Bayonetta for the hardcore crowd, along with games like Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort for those who like to get up and move. The glorious orgy of light and sound returned... and it was awesome.

For this one week, the foundation of the Internet was brought to its knees as millions of excited gamers clamored for a view of a certain game or technology. Mainstream media-types took notes and crafted their stories on the show's biggest revelations. The eyes of the world again turned to L.A., and not just for the NBA Finals, but because E3 was relevant again.

At the exit of E3 2009, there was an almost universal excitement about what just took place, which is very important. As a still young and very vital entertainment industry, we need events like this to showcase ourselves collectively, giving more information to those in the know and making enough of a clamor that those who don't will not be able to ignore us any longer. The interactive entertainment industry as a whole truly benefits when E3 is a spectacle, and we hope it never gets taken away from us again.