Tag Archives: E3

E3 is Officially Dead

Gaming,

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3, is officially dead, Engadget reported.

“After more than two decades of E3, each one bigger than the last, the time has come to say goodbye. Thanks for the memories,” the Entertainment Software Association, E3’s organizer, wrote on X. The industry trade group closed the statement with “GGWP” or “good game, well played.”

According to Engadget, E3’s troubles have been well documented in recent years, with the pandemic arguably exacerbating the video game expo’s demise. There hadn’t been an in-person E3 since 2019. The 2021 edition took place virtually, but the ESA canned the 2020, 2022, and 2023 events entirely. 

GameDeveloper reported that E3 has been laid to rest by organizer the Entertainment Software Association after more than two decades. 

According to Game Developer, the ESA had attempted to revive the once unmissable showcase this year with assistance from PAX organizer Reedpop (before severing ties with the company), but eventually scrapped E3 2023 less than three months before the event was due to take place.

At the time, ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis indicated that major publishers simply no longer considered E3 to be an essential part of the event calendar, and indicated it was struggling to find a place in the post-pandemic world dominated by digital showcases and other events such as Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards.

VideoGamesChronicle reported “After more than two decades of hosting an event that has served as a central showcase for the US and global video game industry,” the ESA has decided to end E3, president Stanley Pierre-Louis said in a statement.

“We know the entire industry, players and creators alike have a lot of passion for E3. We share that passion,” he added. “We know it’s difficult to say goodbye to such a beloved event, but it’s the right thing to do given the new opportunities our industry has to reach fans and partners.”

According to VideoGamesChronicle, E3 was created in 1995 as a means for retailers to meet with game publisher. The event quickly became the tentpole of the industry calendar, attracting millions of eyes and media coverage from around the world.

Mashable reported the Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3, was once one of the largest video game expo of its kind, starting with its first event in 1995. The event was known as the major gathering for the industry and was often where the year’s biggest news was unveiled or new games made their debut. 

The expo ran annually until 2019, the year it held its final in-person event. E3 2020 would go on to be canceled in June of that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, E3 returned as an online-only event due to the ongoing concerns surrounding COVID-19.

In my opinion, there are going to be a lot of people who will be sad that E3 is “officially dead”. Some will probably feel some nostalgia for conference.

 

E3 Goes Online for 2021

Gaming, , ,

E3 2021 LogoIt’s “Game On” for this year’s E3 Expo with the flagship gaming event taking place completely online in 2021 from 12-15 June. This is great news for gamers and gaming fans who will be to see what’s coming soon to their consoles and PCs from some of the biggest names in the industry. Early indications are that Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Games and Koch Media will be showing off their latest wares with more to come.

Usually, E3 takes place in June at the Los Angeles Convention Center and until only a few years ago was a trade-only event. Last year’s show was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic and this year will be an all-digital event. This is great for enthusiasts across the world who wouldn’t be able to travel to the West Coast under normal conditions, never mind during the pandemic: they’ll get a front-row seat to the latest releases in the industry.

“For more than two decades, E3 has been the premier venue to showcase the best that the video game industry has to offer, while uniting the world through games,” said Stanley Pierre-Louis, President & CEO of the ESA. “We are evolving this year’s E3 into a more inclusive event, but will still look to excite the fans with major reveals and insider opportunities that make this event the indispensable center stage for video games.”

For E3 2021, there will be live press conferences and a four-day video stream. An E3 app is mentioned as well which would be a very slick way to bundle the event into a single point of presence. Other elements of the website are still a work-in-progress and fan registration is expected to open in “Spring 2021”. Keep an eye on the registration page here but all the indications are that this will be a free event.

Now I’m wondering if Nintendo will use E3 to drop the widely-expected revised Switch…

E3 Goes Online

Gaming, Sony, ,

It’s a big weekend for gamers as E3 goes online because of Covid-19 with Sony launching the PS5, the Gaming Show 2020 and the latest games from EA and Ubisoft.

Sony revealed the PS5 last night, and while the jury’s still out on the design, the games line-up looks pretty solid with a ton of games trailers – GTA V, GT7, Ratchet & Clank, Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Sony’s The Future of Gaming Show video is here and it starts with the upcoming games roster. For the hardware, jump forwards to about 69 minutes to see the new PS5 consoles which will be coming in two variants; the standard PlayStation 5 that will take 4K Blu-Ray disks and a slimmer diskless Digital Edition. It looks like a powerful console but the white design so reminds me of stormtrooper armour. It’s a noticeable departure from the largely black box of the PS2 through PS4. At this stage, availability is “holiday 2020” and there’s no news on price.

Also part of E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) online event, the PC Gaming Show will give everyone a chance to see the latest gaming news with over 50 games trailers over a promised two hours. It kicks off at 2pm EDT on a variety of social media platforms. I’ll be keeping an eye on the PC Gamer YouTube channel to see what’s coming to PCs over the next few months.

EA will be demoing their latest and greatest on 18 June and Ubisoft will be showing off their wares later in July. If you’re a gamer, there’s plenty to keep you busy over the next few days.

4 Reasons to Buy a Sony PlayStation 4

Gaming, Sony, , ,

PlayStation logoSony released some extremely interesting news at E3 2013! Those of you who have been trying to decide between the Sony PlayStation 4 and the Microsoft Xbox One now have all the information you need to make this a super easy decision. Personally, I believe that the Sony PlayStation 4 is the winner in this situation. Here’s why:

Price: Sony PlayStation 4 will be released with a “holiday price” of $399.99. That’s $100.00 less than what the Microsoft Xbox One will be selling for.

Privacy: Sony PlayStation 4 doesn’t come with Kinect (or anything even remotely resembling it). I find the level of detail that Microsoft Xbox One can identify with Kinect to be creepy.

Internet Connection: Sony PlayStation 4 does not require you to check-in online in order to play a disc-based game. The console doesn’t require you to have it constantly connected to the internet.

The Microsoft Xbox One will require you to check-in online. If you don’t check in and authenticate in more than 24 hours the Microsoft Xbox One will stop working. This means you have to keep the console constantly connected to the internet, even if you are playing a disc-based game by yourself.

Used Games: Microsoft has allowed publishers to block access to used copies of games on the Microsoft Xbox One. This means that gamers cannot save a few dollars by purchasing a copy of a used game from a store. They would have no other option than to buy a new copy for full price. It also means that gamers cannot choose to share one of the games that they purchased with a friend.

Sony PlayStation 4, on the other hand, won’t place those restrictions on used copies of games. If you buy a disc-based game for the PS4, it is yours. You keep the rights to that copy of the game (and can give it to one of your friends if you want to). Your friend will be able to play the used copy of that game on his or her PS4. Here’s how:

Has the Internet ruined our surprises?

Apple, Information, Technical, , ,

gift2

Like a few other thousands of people around the Internet I have payed close attention to the E3 briefings going on down in Las Vegas this week and it got me to thinking.

As I watch the live streams of the Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo briefs most of it seemed very familiar to me, due to the fact that most of the “announcements” had been leaked or rumoured for the past few weeks leading up to E3.

In today’s digital age we are hungry for up to the minute information on whatever topics and trends that interest us, but does some of this come at a cost?

Part of the thrill of watching the briefings held annually at E3, CES, and Apple’s events is seeing what new things ideas, projects, and innovations are in our futures. Now a good part of that thrill seems to be gone thanks in part to message board posts, tweets, and inside sources.

Now I know its human nature to want to know every secret right away, but in a way it reminds me of the days leading up to Christmas and seeing the present under the tree with your name on it and wondering what it could be. I think Part of the joy of Christmas morning was going through those secretive bundles one by one and the excitement of uncovering what is inside.

In short I’m starting to feel that knowing what’s going to happen before the event is like opening a gift to yourself. No matter how good it is, it pretty hard to feel that rush of excitement.

Let me know what you think. As always I can be reached at jparie@gmail.com.