The ESA's Letter To the Kentia Hall All-Stars

GameDaily has the letter than the Entertainment Software Association sent to some of the smaller players that used to attend E3. Despite the polite wording, the message is clear: smaller vendors are no longer welcome. With the 'focused' approach that the E3 Media event in 2007 will be taking, the folks that made Kentia Hall so memorable will likely be nowhere in sight. From the article: "Details of the event have not been finalized at this time, however our vision and goal is to create a more intimate climate for personalized meetings and product demonstrations. The ESA will announce additional details and information in the ensuing weeks and months. We would like to take this opportunity to extend our sincere and profound gratitude for your past support of this event. It has been exciting and rewarding to see the growth and significance of this industry mirrored on the exhibit floor of the E3Expo through the years. We look forward to many more years of industry growth, vitality and opportunity. "

The message is clear?

[badasscat]

I've seen this said on a few other blogs as well, but I don't see it. It sounds like a form letter to me, probably sent to everybody that sends a similar inquiry regardless of company size. I don't see anything that implies that smaller vendors are "no longer welcome". All that it says is that it's a smaller event. Yes, that implies that smaller vendors will probably have a tougher time attracting the media, simply because there won't be a centralized place to find all these smaller vendors (most of the media covered Kentia Hall on the last day, all at once). But I don't see any suggestion here that these vendors cannot attend.

I think some people are surprised to see that the ESA refers to the "old" E3 as "cancelled". But once you get that fact through your heads, you'll stop reading things into letters like this that aren't there. E3 is cancelled for everybody, not just the smaller vendors. It hasn't been downsized. It's been cancelled, and a new event put in its place. The format of that new event will be totally different than the one its replacing, but it sounds to me as if everybody, vendor-wise, is just as equally welcome to attend it. How the media ends up covering it is a question for them, though, not the ESA.

Does this help Sony?

[AKAImBatman]

"So we're going to flip over this giant Expo on its back, then attack its weak point for MASSIVE DAMAGE."

Seriously, anything that keeps Sony from blundering as bad next year as they did this year [youtube.com] is probably a good thing for Sony. A smaller expo might allow them to better connect with gamers (read: control information via the mainstream press) than they have in recent years. Sony (and other large companies) will be able to treat the expo as one large press release rather than trying to pander to the crowd. Which means no more embarrassing moments like shouting "Riiiiidge Racer!" and not getting a response from the audience.

Unfortunately, it's probably only bad for gamers. :(

Re:Probably good for the serious little guys

[Anonymous Coward]

Sure, some of the stuff in Kentia Hall was crap as you call it

About 90% of it.

Theodore Sturgeon

Re:Probably good for the serious little guys

[Anonymous Coward]

"... it also distracted from the primary purpose of E3; to let people in the industry meet and talk."

Wrong. The purpose of E3 was for retailers to form decisions on what to stock in the year (and Xmas season) to follow. Media exposure was a secondary "benefit".

By downsizing they are basically saying they want to go back to this being for retailers, and cut out all the gamers who got in with fake business cards and what-not.