Reports started coming in yesterday from Next Generation and GameSpot that an E3 as we know it in 2007 was a no go. The Entertainment Software Association, the organization that has put on the show for more than a decade, released an document outlining an "evolution" for the show--not a flat out cancelation. No plans are definite yet, but we know that the show will be greatly scaled down to create a more personal environment for media relations.
There will still be opportunities for the press to get interviews and game demos, but the extravagant booths, booth babes, and crazy parties will no longer be a part of E3. Okay, maybe there will still be a party or two. Read the entire press release on the E3 website.
[UPDATE: GamesIndustry.biz has some details about the reincarnation of the industry trade show. Details below.]
The show will now be known as the E3 Media Festival. I'm sorry, but what the hell is that? Break down the original meaning of E3, tack on the new ending and you've got the Electronic Entertainment Expo Media Festival. But I'm not concerned as I'm sure everyone will still call it E3.
The event will now take place in July to ease the burden on the already stressful holiday crunch and the ESA expects only 5,000 attendees, rather than 60,000. It will all go down within the conference rooms of two hotels--not the 770,000 square foot Los Angeles Convention Center.
atleast it's not completely gone. But it's still a shame that it's being cut down, I loved reading about the crazyness that went on at that convention. And I always thought it was very characteristic of the charismatic and "hip" gaming industry.