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Would this formula change with the new format? The press will get to spend more time with and learning about the high profile titles, and they will still try to find hidden gems, but there isn't anything to suggest that all games will get equal coverage. With a smaller event, we'll likely see less exhibitors vying for the spotlight. And if the larger companies offset a concentrated showing at E3 with a company-specific event, much like EA's Summer Showcase or Nintendo's Spaceworld, the smaller companies are still at a disadvantage, since they don't have the resources for big press events.It is true that game coverage has seen its fair share of problems as E3 has grown.
"It's no secret that the big publishers spend millions on their booth set-ups and choose to announce or unveil their flagship products at the show. Unless you're working with a major franchise or the best IP around, it seems like everything gets lost in the hub bub," another insider shares. "It's too big. I mean editors can barely make it through the madness to pick up a press disk. This announcement will obviously have some massive ramifications throughout the game industry and folks will need to re-evaluate their strategies for that quarter and certainly refocus budget."
That said, E3 is one of the only events where virtually anyone can get a booth to show off their product. With the downsized Media Festival, the smaller guys might be squeezed out of the event.
"EA, Activision, Sony and others will continue to get the coverage and write ups they covet with or without the show," one E3 insider notes. "Smaller dev studios and companies are the ones that will feel the burn more so then anyone else. Where else could a no-name company show off a game and get every major media outlet and publisher to notice their product? Shows like GDC and others must really step up and start to include smaller dev houses and companies into the mix, and court the big publishers and media outlets to their venue."
We still don't know exactly how E3 will be changed, but clearly there are voices in the industry that want games coverage to change more than anything. Having a new format might allow for the media to fine-tune their attack plans in order to cover as many products as possible. Inevitably, this becomes easier when less products are shown, and when there are less people clogging the halls and company booths.
Having a more intimate E3 means that companies don't have to spend nearly as much money setting up elaborate booths and giving away so much swag.
