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Sony ignoring E for All
The point of E for All was to provide gaming to the masses, replacing the mega E3 of yore. However, it doesn't look like E for All will come anywhere close to the comprehensiveness of a traditional E3 show. The biggest absence in the upcoming consumer show? Sony. Sony Computer Entertainment America corporate communications spokesperson Kimberly Otzman told FiringSquad: "At this point in time we don't have any plans to participate in the E for All Expo."In addition to Sony, other noteworthy publishers opting out of the show include Sony Online Entertainment, NCSoft, Sega and Capcom. Although Nintendo is planning a presence at the program, it doesn't appear rival console manufacturer Microsoft has plans to attend either. With so many noteworthy publishers absent, will E for All really fulfill the E3 niche that gamers are so hungry for? Most likely not.[Via Joystiq]
E For All not for Sony, others
IDG Entertainment is running into a little trouble crafting "a follow-up to the now-defunct E3 Expo." Firing Squad is reporting that Sony Computer Entertainment will not be attending the upcoming E For All Expo.Along with the major console maker, publishers NCSoft, Sega and Capcom will also be missing the October show, according to FiringSquad. The show won't be a total bust, though: Nintendo and EA will be there, along with THQ, Konami, Namco, Intel and NVIDIA.These losses are a pretty major blow as the new show tries to become a must-attend event. Any show that's going to replace E3 is going to have to quickly build up to a critical mass of publisher attention to draw in the press and consumer interest that makes an expo work.
Another E3 organizer goes E for All
Carolyn Rauch, former Senior Vice President of the Entertainment Software Association, has been named VP of event development at the International Data Group World Expo. Rauch's move follows in the footsteps of Mary Dolaher, a former VP for ESA who early last month became CEO of IDG World Group.The E for All Expo is being organized by IDG World Group in the shadow of the ESA-organized E3 (now shrunken like an iPod to the E3 Media and Business Summit). Don't expect competitive words or sentiments, as IDG is managing E3, but two figures from the glitz-era E3 handling E for All is further proof the public event is trying to retain the atmosphere the formerly extravagant convention.The ESA recently appointed Michael Gallagher as the new head of the ESA.E for All, with Nintendo as its flagship, is coming to the Los Angeles Convention Center October 18 to 20. The invite-only "Min-E3" is July 11 to 13 in Santa Monica.
E for All advance registration opens
Early registration for GamePro's E for All Expo, set for October 18-21 at E3's old home -- the Los Angeles Convention Center -- is now open. You can register at the E for All website here. The current phase ends September 1, and tickets are $45 for a Thursday/Friday pass, $65 for Saturday/Sunday or $90 for all four days. After September 1, prices move into the range of $50 to $110. In addition to cheaper ticket prices, early registrants get to play on the show floor earlier, with a grand total of seven extra hours available. With E3's downsizing this year, the expo is hoping to fill Los Angeles' quota for large gamer gatherings.[Via Firing Squad]
The WSVG can send your guild to the Blizzard offices
Not feeling satisfied with the answers you're getting from the CMs? Want to take your issues to the source? The WSVG Guild Challenge is giving guilds a chance to win a trip to beautiful Irvine, California, home of the Blizzard headquarters. The winning guild will get to tour the offices and have lunch with members of the development team, as well as be there for the WSVG event at E for All in October. The competition will be held in both Louisville, Kentucky and Dallas, Texas, and it will be a great way for your guild to show some skills in IRL games and in game events. The events give guilds a chance to battle in game in an all out Gurubashi Arena free for all as well as 5v5 arena tournaments. Outside the game (I know, as if there is such a thing) guilds can Sumo wrestle their way to the top, as well as compete in a jousting tourney and guild versus guild Tug-O-War. Brush off your raiding skills in the BYOC $30,000 tournament during the day, and then stay for the Guild Challenge at night. Then make sure to let WoW Insider know about the experience so we can share your victory with the world. Register for Louisville or Dallas soon so your guild can reign supreme.
Leipzig benefits from E3 death, gets 40% larger
E3 died and every other convention seemed to benefit. The Game Developers Conference got more exposure this year than ever before and now the 2007 Leipzig Games Convention is filling in their lederhosen and reports a 40% growth. The growth is apparently due to international exhibitors from outside of Germany. It sounds like the Kentia Hall crowd found a new local. Every major gaming company will be in attendance. Despite what Guillemot wants to believe about his Ubiday, Leipzig is the European E3. A bunch of companies are putting more effort into the show, Activision says, "We expect crowds of national and internationa trade visitors ... to be prepared for that, we are expanding our presentation at this year's fair." Fill in that vacuum everyone, there's still plenty of space to fill up in E3's absence.
Hey, want to attend E For All on the cheap? [update 1]
E For All is coming up in October and us press types have gotten ourselves invited. With Nintendo backing the show, our invite was easily secured and we managed to also coerce* some discount action for you, fine reader. That's right, we've got 50 (count 'em, 50!) invites up for grabs, set aside especially for our readers by the folks in charge of the event, allowing them to gain access to the show for a discounted price. With Nintendo being featured so predominantly at the show, you're definitely going to want to be at the LA Convention Center this October.So, how does one go ahead and take advantage of this offer? Well, first you'll want to head over to the official site here and in the top-right "VIP invite code" section, input the code wiifanboy (clicking that link will already fill the code in for you). Upon doing so, you'll need to set up an account with them and purchase whichever discounted ticket plan you want to go with. Reserving your ticket early doesn't only gain you a few extra bucks in your pocket, but also awards you: Seven bonus hours of gameplay, including four on the first day Exclusive E for All merchandise, only available through advance purchase Special E for All commemorative badge Special contests, "privileges" and partner offers Access to premium seating at Video Games Live Concert Opportunity to invite two additional friends We'd like to thank the fine folks at E For All for extending us this courtesy and as the show nears, we'll let you all know how to stalk us for the entire show find us.*forcefully pry from their cold, dead handsUpdate: It's come to our attention that some of you might be confused about this. By signing up, you aren't getting free tickets to the show or anything. You have to pay for them, simply using our invite code will allow you to purchase tickets at a discount, rather than pay full price.
2007 E3 attendee list lookin' bleak
Remember those suffocating crowds and the completely non-game-related overload that eventually caused a restructuring at E3? If not, we certainly do, and you won't find us complaining about a more focused approach for 2007. Of course, toning down the antics inevitebly leads to less attendees, and such looks to be the case for the July convention in Santa Monica, CA. Reportedly, a paltry 32 companies are signed up to take part in this year's festivities (larger list after the jump), but big-timers such as Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, Electronic Arts, and Square Enix (just to name a few) will still be making the hike. Still, going from some 400 exhibitors to less than 40 in a single year should make for a very different experience when July 11th rolls around, and considering that "only 3,000 to 4,000 invitations" will purportedly be sent out, getting a little hands-on time with an actual game will hopefully be less of a chore for the ones that get in.[Via ArsTechnica]
E for All expo ticket prices set
Though mention of Gamepro's E for All Expo may prompt you to envision a discreet gathering of drug dealers or a wild party where people bash each other over the head with giant foam letters, the truth is that entertainment will be the only thing being distributed. With Nintendo acting as a "flagship" for the October event, many expect it to replace the glitz and clamor of E3, with the exception of it being open to all. All with at least $50 in hand, of course.Speaking to Gamespot last week, IDG World Expo vice president and show organizer, Mary Dolaher, revealed the exact pricing of the different entry tickets. How Mary Dolahers many dollars are you expected to part with, exactly? Single day tickets for Thursday and Friday will set you back $50, whereas single day tickets for the weekend go for $75. A four-day pass is set at $110. Though the precise scope of industry support for the expo has yet to be seen, there are probably more terrible ways to spend $50 in a day. The E For All Expo will run in Los Angeles from 18 October to 21 October, with general admission tickets going on sale in June.[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
Nintendo signs on as "flagship" for E for All Expo
Looks like E for All, IDG's open-to-the-public E3-wannabe, has signed up Nintendo to be an "anchor" exhibitor when the expo hits LA this October. The four-day event touts the presence of Nintendo, their "flagship" exhibitor, as a demonstration of the "importance of a broad consumer-focused event for this industry." Though that's where they ran out of nautically-themed adjectives, it's not where the announcements stop: Don James, Nintendo of America Executive Vice President of Operations, will be on E for All's Exhibitor Advisory Board where he'll undoubtedly advise them on all matters exhibitor. With the Big N ready to "power up & play" in LA this October, E for All just took a rather large step from the doldrums of exhibition also-rans to the "hmmm, maybe we'll go to that after all"s.
E for All advertised at Macworld Expo
IDG World Expo, the company that puts on the Macworld Expo, is already advertising its Tea for Two Expo E for All Expo at this Mac convention with stacks of fliers greeting show visitors. (We hope there's a Mac games audience here this week; is that the reason for the fliers? Is IDG Expo just trying to reach show-goers on the way to the iPhone?)Of course, it's hard to predict the show vibe of the EA Expo E for All Expo, but these cards and their edgy Halloween font scream "attitude to the max" or maybe just "quick turnaround." If E3 died because it cost exhibitors too much to cause a scene -- waving shiny models at retailers and the media -- here's hoping that E4EVR E for All reigns in some of the hype. Nah, who are we kidding? If it's aimed at a consumer audience, won't that just be an excuse for more noise?See the full fliers after the break.
E for All Expo takes the reigns, stays in Los Angeles
Those of you so deeply saddened and hurt by E3's sudden departure can take heart, as there's a new trade show coming to town, and hopefully it'll be half as good as the tried-and-true Electronic Entertainment Expo of days past. Slated to open its doors to the public and adoring media on October 18th through the 20th, the Entertainment for All Expo sports a kinder, more inviting title, that apparently hopes to focus more on the general public rather than industry insiders and advertising giants. Clearly hoping to garner more attention by continually stating that "this show is for everyone," IDG World Expo also claims that we kiddos will be able to "test drive the latest in games and gadgetry" as well as purchase things we like right on site. So while it'll (probably) never live up the expo of old, we're still down with ginormous trade shows with too much to do in not nearly enough time, and hey, now you've already got something to look forward to in October.
Gamepro expo redubbed "E for All"
The "E" referring to "Entertainment" mind you, not the easily obtainable street drug. Let's face it, the joke comparing gaming trade shows to free-for-all drug parties practically tells itself. On the topic of terrible and somewhat inappropriate jokes, Gamepro's website has officially revealed the new title for their upcoming "E3 follow-up" expo, to be held in association with IDG World Expo. Equal parts Marx and Mork, "Entertainment for All Expo" is the winning title chosen out of 3,000 entries on Gamepro's website. It certainly speaks volumes about the quality of the other 2,999. The E for All Expo is fully endorsed by the Entertainment Software Association, despite it flying in the face of E3's concerns like a shrieking bat. The event will give consumers the chance to experience all manner of games and gadgetry, allowing them to purchase some of the items they've seen on the way out. E For All will also host gaming tournaments, job fairs and Video Games Live concerts.Throbbing mass of gamers -- check. Extraordinarily loud music -- check. "No longer just for industry insiders" -- check. The evidence makes it quite clear. This is the successor to E3. Looks like members of the press will just have to make due with Min-E3 (at least it has a cooler name).[Thanks fonz!]
