E3
Encyclopedia
The Electronic Entertainment Expo, commonly known as E3, is an annual trade fair
for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association
(ESA). It is used by many video game developer
s to show off their upcoming games and game-related hardware.
E3 is widely considered to be the ultimate expo in the video game industry and major video game critics routinely document the event and sometimes even provide a series of E3 awards. Video game companies generally spend more on their presentations for E3 than any other convention. Major video game critics often have a "best of E3" award session (similar to end-of-year award sessions), and only E3 consistently features such awards.
Unlike Gamescom
and other video game trade fairs that allow the public to attend, E3 was transformed into invitation-only in 2007 and 2008. A separate conference called the Entertainment for All
Expo was held those years to accommodate the public demand for a major, annual video game event. However, it did not replicate E3's success and was abandoned.
E3 is commonly held in late May or early June of each year at the Los Angeles Convention Center
(LACC) in Los Angeles
, and was held there from June 7 to June 9 in 2011. In 2007, the convention was exceptionally held from July 11 to July 13 in Santa Monica, California
. E3 2012 will be held on June 5-7 at the Los Angeles Convention center.
and the European Computer Trade Show
.
The first E3 was conceived by IDG's Infotainment World and co-founded by the Interactive Digital Software Association (now the Entertainment Software Association). It coincided with the start of a new generation of consoles, with the release of the Sega Saturn
, and the announcements of upcoming releases of the PlayStation
, Virtual Boy
and Neo-Geo CD. Specifications for the Nintendo Ultra 64 (later renamed Nintendo 64
) were released, but there was no hardware shown.
IDSA originally asked CES for a private meeting space for game developers, but was told that
they could not limit access to only invited registrants. Patrick Ferrell, CEO of IDG's Infotainment World, had sent his VP Marketing to the meeting, and hearing the result, the management team at Infotainment World immediately announced E3. Needing to insure the full backing of the industry, Ferrell then negotiated a partnership between IDG and the IDSA, who then co-produced the show for a number of years
The event ran from May 11 through May 13, 1995 in Los Angeles, California. Keynote speakers included Sega
of America, Inc. president and CEO Thomas Kalinske; Sony Electronic Publishing Company president Olaf Olafsson
; and Nintendo chairman Howard Lincoln. The first show was one of the largest trade show launches in history, with over 1.2 million feet of show space and over 80,000 attendees.
area, within walking distance of each other. The Barker Hangar
was used for showcasing software.
While E3 was noted as being noisy and busy, sound levels are not what they once were; in recent years (2005, 2006), publishers like EA have kept their sound down compared to years directly before. At one point, sound levels would fluctuate as exhibitors raised the volume to compete with nearby stands. Shouting was common at some stands. Meanwhile, in 2006, when attendance went down by 10,000, according to the organizers, it was a planned move as industry accreditation was stringently checked.
Different booths would also invite celebrities over for signings for their specific games. For 2004, Activision brought in Stan Lee
and Tony Hawk
to promote X-Men Legends
and Tony Hawk's Underground 2
respectively while Vivendi Universal Games
brought in Vin Diesel
to promote his new game The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
, a prequel to the summer 2004 film
. Celebrities were generally only available for a few hours, so line-waiting was a general practice at E3.
and many of the largest Western developers from North America and Europe generally found their homes here.
and Midway's
massive booths. The RMN Kentia was generally used by smaller developers who could not afford the hefty fees of having a booth 'planetside'. As a result, the look of the RMN Kentia at E3 was similar to that of a bazaar.
and Sony
's booths are normally located here. The RMN "West Hall" was also normally temporarily home to private press rooms. The rooms were used by TV studios, or large gaming media
outlets such as IGN
, 1UP.com
, GameSpy
, and GameSpot
.
, IGN
, GameSpot
, ScrewAttack
, Kotaku
, 1UP.com
, Blistered Thumbs, GamesRadar
, Machinima
and GameTrailers
.
On site, the event is covered by professional journalists from around the world. Proof of credentials are verified before the event or on-site. Originally E3 was almost entirely dominated by print games journalists, the event eventually came to include general and specialist TV crews, newspaper journalists, website journalists, and "fansite" journalists. Many of these attendees came with consumer-level digital video and photograph cameras.
On behalf of the organizers, Future Publishing now publishes the free official daily magazine, named in 2006 as The 2006 Official Show Daily. Previously published by Ziff Davis
under "SHOWDAILY", the magazine provides news, and maps of the show floor.
Traditionally, many of the media outlets give out Best of E3 awards in various categories. Common categories include Best of Show, Best Trailer, Best Original Game, Best PS3 Game, Best Xbox 360 Game, Best Action Game, Best Hardware, etc. Of the awards, the most prestigious is the Best of Show of the Game Critics Awards
.
G4
has aired live coverage of each E3 from 2005 to 2011, covering three hours a day over 4 days in the week of the event.
An episode of The Showbiz Show
featured Andrew Daly
getting live coverage from E3. Liana K
also hosted a special called Geek-o-rama for CHCH-TV
, which featured her at the E3 expo.
, video game companies Activision
and Vivendi Games
have broken away from ESA
. In an interview with Activision Blizzard
CEO Bobby Kotick
, when asked why the company left the ESA, he stated that they "have [their] own issues that are not the industry's issues" and that they need their own executive to deal with the government instead of the ESA. However Activision
continues to attend and showcase its games at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009
, Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010
and Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011
while the other half of the company, Blizzard Entertainment
, no longer attends the show and hosts its own event called BlizzCon
.
in Tokyo (as E3/Tokyo '96) in association with TV Asahi
. The show was originally going to be sponsored by Sony Computer Entertainment
but their support was pulled in favour of their own PlayStation Expo. Sega
also pulled out of attending at the last minute, leaving Nintendo
as the only one of the 'big three' to appear. Running between the 1st of November and 4th of November 1996, the combination of several other gaming expos and the lack of support from Japanese game manufacturers meant the turnout was reported as 'poor', and as such no further E3/Tokyo events have taken place. Rumoured E3 events that were to occur in Singapore and Canada were also cancelled.
Trade fair
A trade fair is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products, service, study activities of rivals and examine recent market trends and opportunities...
for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association
Entertainment Software Association
The Entertainment Software Association is the trade association of the video game industry in the United States. It was formed in April 1994 as the Interactive Digital Software Association and renamed on July 16, 2003...
(ESA). It is used by many video game developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
s to show off their upcoming games and game-related hardware.
E3 is widely considered to be the ultimate expo in the video game industry and major video game critics routinely document the event and sometimes even provide a series of E3 awards. Video game companies generally spend more on their presentations for E3 than any other convention. Major video game critics often have a "best of E3" award session (similar to end-of-year award sessions), and only E3 consistently features such awards.
Unlike Gamescom
Gamescom
gamescom is a trade fair for video games held annually at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is organised by the Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware...
and other video game trade fairs that allow the public to attend, E3 was transformed into invitation-only in 2007 and 2008. A separate conference called the Entertainment for All
Entertainment for All
Entertainment for All Expo or E for All was a public video game trade show, created to allow the general public to see and experience new products from the video game industry...
Expo was held those years to accommodate the public demand for a major, annual video game event. However, it did not replicate E3's success and was abandoned.
E3 is commonly held in late May or early June of each year at the Los Angeles Convention Center
Los Angeles Convention Center
The Los Angeles Convention Center is a convention center in the southwest portion of downtown Los Angeles. The LACC hosts annual events such as the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show and Anime Expo, and is best known to video games fans as host to E3...
(LACC) in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and was held there from June 7 to June 9 in 2011. In 2007, the convention was exceptionally held from July 11 to July 13 in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
. E3 2012 will be held on June 5-7 at the Los Angeles Convention center.
History
Prior to E3, most game developers went to other trade shows to display new products, including the Consumer Electronics ShowConsumer Electronics Show
The International Consumer Electronics Show is a major technology-related trade show held each January in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Not open to the public, the Consumer Electronics Association-sponsored show typically hosts previews of products and new...
and the European Computer Trade Show
European Computer Trade Show
The European Computer Trade Show, commonly known as ECTS, was an annual trade show for the European computer and video game industry, which first ran in 1988, with the last event occurring in 2004....
.
The first E3 was conceived by IDG's Infotainment World and co-founded by the Interactive Digital Software Association (now the Entertainment Software Association). It coincided with the start of a new generation of consoles, with the release of the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
, and the announcements of upcoming releases of the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, Virtual Boy
Virtual Boy
The was a video game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was the first video game console that was supposed to be capable of displaying "true 3D graphics" out of the box. Whereas most video games use monocular cues to achieve the illusion of three dimensions on a two-dimensional...
and Neo-Geo CD. Specifications for the Nintendo Ultra 64 (later renamed Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
) were released, but there was no hardware shown.
IDSA originally asked CES for a private meeting space for game developers, but was told that
they could not limit access to only invited registrants. Patrick Ferrell, CEO of IDG's Infotainment World, had sent his VP Marketing to the meeting, and hearing the result, the management team at Infotainment World immediately announced E3. Needing to insure the full backing of the industry, Ferrell then negotiated a partnership between IDG and the IDSA, who then co-produced the show for a number of years
The event ran from May 11 through May 13, 1995 in Los Angeles, California. Keynote speakers included Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
of America, Inc. president and CEO Thomas Kalinske; Sony Electronic Publishing Company president Olaf Olafsson
Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson
Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson was born in Reykjavik, Iceland on September 26, 1962. He studied physics as a Wien Scholar at Brandeis University. He is the author of three previous novels, The Journey Home, Absolution and Walking Into the Night, and a story collection, Valentines. His books have been...
; and Nintendo chairman Howard Lincoln. The first show was one of the largest trade show launches in history, with over 1.2 million feet of show space and over 80,000 attendees.
Layout
The 2007 show was housed in suites and meeting rooms in numerous hotels in the Santa MonicaSanta Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
area, within walking distance of each other. The Barker Hangar
Santa Monica Airport
Santa Monica Airport , also known as Santa Monica Municipal Airport, is a general aviation airport located largely in Santa Monica, California, United States. The airport is located about from the Pacific Ocean and north of LAX...
was used for showcasing software.
Show floor
When held in Los Angeles, the show was exhibited over five halls: Kentia, Petree, South Hall, Concourse Hall, and the West Hall. Booth space was purchased ahead of time by publishers. Some publishers, in turn, spent millions of dollars creating elaborate displays and structures to accommodate the promotion of their bigger titles.While E3 was noted as being noisy and busy, sound levels are not what they once were; in recent years (2005, 2006), publishers like EA have kept their sound down compared to years directly before. At one point, sound levels would fluctuate as exhibitors raised the volume to compete with nearby stands. Shouting was common at some stands. Meanwhile, in 2006, when attendance went down by 10,000, according to the organizers, it was a planned move as industry accreditation was stringently checked.
Different booths would also invite celebrities over for signings for their specific games. For 2004, Activision brought in Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
and Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
to promote X-Men Legends
X-Men Legends
X-Men Legends is an action role-playing video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It was released on the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles in the fall of . Barking Lizards Technologies developed the N-Gage port of the game, which was released in early...
and Tony Hawk's Underground 2
Tony Hawk's Underground 2
Tony Hawk's Underground 2, also known as THUG 2, is the sixth installment in Neversoft's Tony Hawk's Series and sequel to Tony Hawk's Underground. Tony Hawk's Underground 2 was released on October 4, 2004 for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, PC, and Game Boy Advance platforms...
respectively while Vivendi Universal Games
Vivendi Games
Vivendi Games, formerly known as Vivendi Universal Games, was the holdings company for Sierra Entertainment and Blizzard Entertainment. Vivendi Games was founded as Vivendi Universal Games after Vivendi bought Universal Studios in the early 2000s...
brought in Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He became known in the early 2000s, appearing in several successful Hollywood films, including The Fast and the Furious and xXx...
to promote his new game The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay is a first-person action/stealth video game developed by Starbreeze Studios and published by Vivendi Games. Released for the Xbox and Windows in 2004, the game is a tie-in prequel to the futuristic science fiction film The Chronicles of Riddick...
, a prequel to the summer 2004 film
The Chronicles of Riddick
The Chronicles of Riddick is a 2004 American science fiction film which follows the adventures of Richard B. Riddick, as he attempts to elude capture after the events depicted in the 2000 film Pitch Black, and details his meeting with Jack and Imam, his escape from the prison planet Crematoria, and...
. Celebrities were generally only available for a few hours, so line-waiting was a general practice at E3.
Concourse Hall and lobbies
The external apparatus that connects the bigger halls is the Concourse Hall and subsequently, the West Hall and South Hall lobbies. The lobbies were used for registration, picking up badges and badge holders, and other general information. Bag stands and the daily magazine were available in the lobbies. The lobbies were also the signature glass structures of the LACC.South Hall
The largest ship of the LACC and the largest exhibition space by default. MicrosoftMicrosoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
and many of the largest Western developers from North America and Europe generally found their homes here.
Kentia and Petree Halls
The second smallest and smallest ship respectively. The RMN Petree was the indefinite home to AtariAtari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
and Midway's
Midway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
massive booths. The RMN Kentia was generally used by smaller developers who could not afford the hefty fees of having a booth 'planetside'. As a result, the look of the RMN Kentia at E3 was similar to that of a bazaar.
West Hall
The RMN "West Hall" was used by the biggest publishers from Asia. NintendoNintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
and Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
's booths are normally located here. The RMN "West Hall" was also normally temporarily home to private press rooms. The rooms were used by TV studios, or large gaming media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
outlets such as IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
, GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
, and GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
.
Online scheduling system
In addition to the physical event, E3 supports or is otherwise associated with a number of online sites. One site introduced in 2006 was E365, an online community which attendees use to pre-network and schedule meetings with one another.Media coverage
Many websites and blogs have a history of providing extensive coverage of E3 with live webcasts, game previews, game media and blog entries covering popular press events. Some of the more popular sites include (but are not limited to) Giant BombGiant Bomb
Giant Bomb is an American video game website and wiki that includes gaming news, reviews, commentary, and video, created by former GameSpot editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis in collaboration with Whiskey Media...
, IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
, ScrewAttack
ScrewAttack
ScrewAttack . is a video game-related website that showcases original entertainment for an audience of video game enthusiasts. Its content is also shown on GameTrailers and IGN...
, Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
, 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
, Blistered Thumbs, GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
, Machinima
Machinima.com
Machinima.com is a gaming and media streaming website, that aims to be a hub for machinima, the art of creating animated videos in real-time virtual 3-D environments. The site features machinima-related articles, and news. Machinima productions can be submitted for possible redistribution after...
and GameTrailers
GameTrailers
GameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
.
On site, the event is covered by professional journalists from around the world. Proof of credentials are verified before the event or on-site. Originally E3 was almost entirely dominated by print games journalists, the event eventually came to include general and specialist TV crews, newspaper journalists, website journalists, and "fansite" journalists. Many of these attendees came with consumer-level digital video and photograph cameras.
On behalf of the organizers, Future Publishing now publishes the free official daily magazine, named in 2006 as The 2006 Official Show Daily. Previously published by Ziff Davis
Ziff Davis
Ziff Davis Inc. is an American publisher and Internet company. It was founded in 1927 in Chicago by William B. Ziff, Sr. and Bernard G. Davis. Throughout most of its history, it was a publisher of hobbyist magazines, often ones devoted to expensive, advertiser-rich hobbies such as cars,...
under "SHOWDAILY", the magazine provides news, and maps of the show floor.
Traditionally, many of the media outlets give out Best of E3 awards in various categories. Common categories include Best of Show, Best Trailer, Best Original Game, Best PS3 Game, Best Xbox 360 Game, Best Action Game, Best Hardware, etc. Of the awards, the most prestigious is the Best of Show of the Game Critics Awards
Game Critics Awards
The Game Critics Awards are a set of annual awards held after the E3 video game conference since 1998. The awards are given to products displayed at E3 with the title Best of E3 of their category. The nominees and winners of the awards are chosen by individual judges representing 35 major North...
.
G4
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
has aired live coverage of each E3 from 2005 to 2011, covering three hours a day over 4 days in the week of the event.
An episode of The Showbiz Show
The Showbiz Show with David Spade
The Showbiz Show with David Spade was a weekly television program on Comedy Central that starred comedian David Spade. It is a comedic parody of celebrity news programs such as Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood...
featured Andrew Daly
Andrew Daly
Andrew "Andy" Daly is an American actor, comedian and writer best known for playing Principal Terrence Cutler in the HBO comedy series Eastbound & Down.-Early life:Daly was born in Mount Kisco, New York and raised in New Jersey...
getting live coverage from E3. Liana K
Liana K
Liana Kerzner , better known by her stage name, Liana K, is a Canadian television entertainer who co-hosted the talk show Ed & Red's Night Party and is a well-known cosplayer.-Biography:...
also hosted a special called Geek-o-rama for CHCH-TV
CHCH-TV
CHCH-DT, channel 11, is a television station originating in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with transmitters located throughout Ontario. CHCH currently operates as an independent station, having previously served as a CBC Television affiliate, and more recently as the flagship station of the...
, which featured her at the E3 expo.
Company breakaways
According to Game InformerGame Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
, video game companies Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
and Vivendi Games
Vivendi Games
Vivendi Games, formerly known as Vivendi Universal Games, was the holdings company for Sierra Entertainment and Blizzard Entertainment. Vivendi Games was founded as Vivendi Universal Games after Vivendi bought Universal Studios in the early 2000s...
have broken away from ESA
Entertainment Software Association
The Entertainment Software Association is the trade association of the video game industry in the United States. It was formed in April 1994 as the Interactive Digital Software Association and renamed on July 16, 2003...
. In an interview with Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc., formerly Activision, Inc. is the American holding company for Activision and Blizzard Entertainment. The company is majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA and was created through the merger of Activision and Vivendi Games, announced on December 2, 2007, in a...
CEO Bobby Kotick
Robert Kotick
Robert A. Kotick , also known as Bobby Kotick, is the CEO, president, and a director of Activision Blizzard.- Early career :...
, when asked why the company left the ESA, he stated that they "have [their] own issues that are not the industry's issues" and that they need their own executive to deal with the government instead of the ESA. However Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
continues to attend and showcase its games at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009
Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009, commonly known as the E3 2009, was the 15th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. The event took place on June 2, 3, and 4 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment...
, Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010
Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010, commonly known as E3 2010, was the 16th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. The event took place on June 14–17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software...
and Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011
Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011, commonly known as E3 2011, was the 15th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association . The event took place June 7–9, 2011 at the Los Angeles...
while the other half of the company, Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher founded on February 8, 1991 under the name Silicon & Synapse by three graduates of UCLA, Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham and Frank Pearce and currently owned by French company Activision Blizzard...
, no longer attends the show and hosts its own event called BlizzCon
BlizzCon
"BlizzCon" is an annual convention held by Blizzard Entertainment to celebrate their major franchises: Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo...
.
E3/Tokyo '96
In 1996, IDG and the IDSA trialed a Japanese version of E3, in preparation for a worldwide series of events, at the Makuhari MesseMakuhari Messe
is a Japanese convention center outside Tokyo, located in the Mihama-ku ward of Chiba city, in the northwest corner of Chiba prefecture. Designed by Fumihiko Maki, it is easily accessible by Tokyo's commuter rail system. Makuhari is the name of the area, and Messe is a German word meaning "trade...
in Tokyo (as E3/Tokyo '96) in association with TV Asahi
TV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
. The show was originally going to be sponsored by Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
but their support was pulled in favour of their own PlayStation Expo. Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
also pulled out of attending at the last minute, leaving Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
as the only one of the 'big three' to appear. Running between the 1st of November and 4th of November 1996, the combination of several other gaming expos and the lack of support from Japanese game manufacturers meant the turnout was reported as 'poor', and as such no further E3/Tokyo events have taken place. Rumoured E3 events that were to occur in Singapore and Canada were also cancelled.
See also
- G-StarG-StarG-Star is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by KOTRA in November...
– held in BusanBusanBusan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
, South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south... - European Computer Trade ShowEuropean Computer Trade ShowThe European Computer Trade Show, commonly known as ECTS, was an annual trade show for the European computer and video game industry, which first ran in 1988, with the last event occurring in 2004....
– held in London, United KingdomLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... - Tokyo Game ShowTokyo Game ShowThe , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
– Game expo held in Tokyo, JapanTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
(or Chiba PrefectureChiba Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
). - Nintendo WorldNintendo WorldNintendo World is a Brazilian video game magazine which covers games for the Nintendo Wii and DS. It was created in 1999 by the Conrad Editora. Initially it covered games for the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color consoles, which were very popular in the country at the time...
– NintendoNintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
exclusive game expo - Consumer Electronics ShowConsumer Electronics ShowThe International Consumer Electronics Show is a major technology-related trade show held each January in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Not open to the public, the Consumer Electronics Association-sponsored show typically hosts previews of products and new...
- Game Developers ConferenceGame Developers ConferenceThe Game Developers Conference is the largest annual gathering of professional video game developers, focusing on learning, inspiration, and networking...
- Games ConventionGames ConventionThe Games Convention, sometimes called the Leipzig Games Convention and abbreviated as GC, was an annual video game event held in Leipzig, Germany, first held in 2002. Besides video games, the event also covers Infotainment, Hardware, and Edutainment...
– held in Leipzig, GermanyLeipzigLeipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing... - GamescomGamescomgamescom is a trade fair for video games held annually at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is organised by the Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware...
– held in Cologne, GermanyCologneCologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the... - Penny Arcade ExpoPenny Arcade ExpoThe Penny Arcade Expo is a semi-annual gamer festival held in Seattle and Boston. PAX was created by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the authors of the Penny Arcade webcomic, because they wanted to attend a show that gave equal attention to console gamers, computer gamers, and tabletop...
- Paris Game FestivalParis Game FestivalThe Paris Game Festival is a 3 days event of animations, competitions and conferences. In 2010, the Paris Game Festival reached 69 000 visitors. The event also hosts the Game Business Summit, a strategic meeting for professionals and investors.-History:...
- Brazil Game ShowBrazil Game ShowThe Brazil Game Show is a South American video game exhibition.-History:The Brazil Game Show Expo began as a small gaming event in the Latin American game market called Rio Game Show....
– held in Rio de Janeiro, BrazilRio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
External links
- Official E3 site
- Game Critics Awards - Best of E3
- N-Sider.com's History of E3
- E3 Summary 1995 - 2004
- Game Zero magazine's E3 1995 Coverage and Daily Summaries
- E3 2006 Video Coverage
- E3 2009 coverage: 1UP, E3coverage.com, G4, Gamespot, IGN, Joystiq, UGO E3.net
- Photography of Chris Smart - Three Days in LA - E3 2004
- Exhibitor List of E3 2010