E3: Show's over

Tuesday 1 August 2006
The Electronic Entertainment Exposition is dead. As we reported yesterday, organiser the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has cancelled the E3 trade show as we know it, and today has made an official announcement on the fate of the world's biggest videogame exhibition, effectively downsizing the event into a low-key, more industry-focused meeting.

Here's what you need to know: "To better address the needs of today's videogame industry, the Electronic Entertainment Expo is evolving into a more intimate event," states the ESA. "It has become clear that we need a more intimate programme, including higher quality, more personal dialogue with the worldwide media, developers, retailers and other key industry audiences."

"The new E3 expo will still take place in Los Angeles," the statement continues. "It will focus on press events and small meetings. While there will be opportunities for game demonstrations, E3 expo 2007 will not feature the large trade show environment of previous years."

The word from ESA president Doug Lowenstein is that "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 energised about creating this new E3."

Ben Richardson is a former Staff Writer for Official PlayStation 2 magazine and a former Content Editor of GamesRadar+. In the years since Ben left GR, he has worked as a columnist, communications officer, charity coach, and podcast host – but we still look back to his news stories from time to time, they are a window into a different era of video games.