New E3 Layout Confirmed

The Entertainment Software Association is now officially confirming that the Electronic Entertainment Expo, also known as E3, will be different in 2009. The trade show will return to the Los Angeles Convention Center, but the public will not be invited to attend, as some people speculated.

The ESA says that the show will welcome “increased qualified audiences,” which probably means that more media representatives and people connected to the industry will get in. We can also look forward to more analysts, retailers, developers and business partners attending, in order to make the giant convention center look full of people for the duration of the E3 show.

While admitting that “changes were necessary to better meet the needs of both exhibitors and attendees,” the Entertainment Software Association says that it has only decided to introduce these modifications in the show because it wanted “an intensified focus on reinforcing the high-octane growth, innovation and captivating entertainment.” The booths will be bigger (with booth babes probably coming back as well), while industry players not affiliated with the ESA will also make appearances.

John Riccitiello, the Chief Executive Officer of Electronic Arts, said that, “The E3 Expo will be the pre-eminent North American gaming show next year. The new, larger event is better for industry leaders and for serious gamers.”

Laurent Detoc, the president of Ubisoft North America, also likes the changes, saying, “The video game business will be twice as big in 2009 as it was in 2006 when we had the last real E3 Expo - so get ready for some fireworks!”

This year, E3 was pretty much a disappointment, with other shows, like Leipzig in Europe and the recently finished Tokyo Game Show, stealing a lot of its thunder. Getting the public back in E3 will probably come in 2010, if the 2009 show is similarly disappointing.