STACK July 2017 Issue 153

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I t was clear when I left the Los Angeles
Convention Center on the final day of E3 last
year that changes to the show’s format had
to be made. PAX and Gamescom has evolved
the traditional format of video game shows to
cater for the gaming community, and EA has
retracted its presence at E3 over the last two
years, opting to stage its own EA Play event
with the aim of getting its games into the hands
of the game-playing – and buying – community
at the same time as the media.
So, when the announcement was made
earlier this year that E3 would be opening its
doors to the public for the first time in its 22-
year history, nobody was surprised. To preserve
its existence it had no choice. Irrespective of
the criticism it has endured in recent times,
E3 still remains the video game showcase that
attracts fervent media, industry and gamer
attention, as developers reveal new products or
updates on the titles that will be coming either
this year, or the next.
But it seemed unlikely that the Entertainment
Software Association (ESA) – outside of
recognising the commercial opportunity of
ticket sales – had put much thought into how
an additional 15,000 punters would affect the
show’s equilibrium.
036 JULY 2017
visit GAMES FEATURE
a brave new
world? Words Paul Jones