In previous years, I had actually gotten a subscription to either gamespot or IGN for the events at E3. Largely because a few years ago all the sites stopped really covering the event for free. So if you really wanted to get all the latest info of what was happening in the even these services were actually pretty good. This year though, I’m going to forgo the subscription service because, well, what is there for them to even report anymore? Yeah E3 is still going on, but it is no where near as newsworthy as it used to be. Where at one time everyone would hold all their cards close until E3, now we know most everything that is going to be there, minus 1 or 2.
Capcom is a good example of this. They held a press event a month or two ago that announced their new games for the next year. Not unlike what happened at E3. They did hold back a couple, like the mysterious Flock, but overall they already played their cards.
The big 3 still seem to be secretive like the old days, though perhaps this is because they have always made a bigger stink than the rest of the developers. For instance, no one really knows what Nintendo has in store. They have said that they have a new game for hardcore gamers, as well as a new IP to show. We also know that they have Animal Crossing Wii that no one has seen yet. And everyone suspects a DS redesign. And who knows how much else is out there that they aren’t letting on to. I think I heard somewhere that New Super Mario 2 might be in the works, but it is all rumor at this point.
This really shows who might have been behind the demise of E3. At first I suspected it was the big 3 since really those three could have done their own shows and really didn’t need E3. But really, considering those 3 still use E3 in the same way I have to say it isn’t them. It is likely the smaller developers who didn’t like to be constantly overshadowed by the big 3 that probably just decided to end it. To them, they get more general interest if they separated from the event because they don’t have bigger guys there, and thus they can get the word on their games out better. I am sure that the continuing rise of cost of putting a booth up there didn’t help.
But I need to ask. Couldn’t they have done their own events like they now do and just also have a booth at E3? The event as it used to be was really good for the American gaming industry. But now, we have to look to other countries for this. Is this an indicator that perhaps the American gaming industry is dying? That we can’t even put on our own gaming show?