Both Weezer and I agree: This was the our best E3 yet. It’s taken a couple years, but always get better, refine our game, learn the in’s and out’s. Such trial and error learning has culminated in a very productive E3. We swapped cards, shook hands, bitched, whined, and moaned with some of the most interesting and important people in the industry, got our mitts on some truly revolutionary games, and milked the swag competitions for all they were worth. We worked hard, and we have a lot to show for it (besides swag).
Here’s some final impressions leaving the floor today.
Sony
It was clear that Sony had worked hard to get as many games to a playable state as they could for display on the show floor. One developer on hand said that his studio was given less than two weeks to get their game to some kind of playable state, and it showed in the level of polish and quality.
Not to say the titles on hand didn’t display potential, or lacked in fun factor, but you got the distinct feeling that Sony was working in desperation.
Nintendo
The big N stole the show, as far as I’m concerned. Everywhere you went, people were asking the same question, “Have you played the Wii?” And even without the Wii display, Nintendo still had an epic number of great DS titles out and playable, like Final Fantasy III and Star Fox DS. Yes, the line for the Wii was hours long, and there were even more lines past that one. But the experience was worth it.
I’m still calling Wii the Revolution, partly because it doesn’t suck, but mostly because, well, it is – a revolution. Seriously, you have never played games like this before. My time Super Mario Galaxy has instilled in me that special kind of awe and anticipation, just waiting to see what crazy and fun directions they go with the new controller, a feeling I’ve not felt since I first saw the DS. I just don’t feel that with the PS3 and 360.
Microsoft
In years past, the Microsoft booth was the place to be, a jam packed hub of buzz and gossip. Not even close this year. It was there, the same booth as last year, but lacked that certain attractive feeling that says, Hey, there’s something cool here! A quick glance at the neighboring booths always yielded something you’d rather see or touch.
Ah well, you can’t win them all. It’s hard to make a splash when your two competitors have new consoles to show off, and you’ve jumped the gun. And besides, your financial success never rests solely on how popular your product was at E3.
Overall
After talking to some trade show veterans (who would rather go unnamed) about the business side of E3 and the ESA, my view of what exactly E3 is has changed dramatically. No longer do I regard it as a holy vault of God’s treasures. I can’t, not after what I heard.
One thing brought up was money; you just have no idea how much of the
floor scene is driven by it. Booth space, construction, food, drink,
electricity, internet, it’s an incredible amount of planning and
resources that go into running even a small booth. And the owners pray
their investment pays off. Sometimes it doesn’t, and sometimes booths
don’t show up for a second year.
Then there’s the issue of space on the show floor. The AO system
supposedly keeps a fair and accurate score on who gets choice in floor
space, but has gone corrupt. This is not cool, since the old rule of
real estate still applies: location, location, location. The farther
your are from the hall doors, the less traffic you’ll get. And if,
like this year, Paris Hilton shows up to your neighbors booth, then the
resulting crowd blocks the aisle, and your visitor traffic plummets.
Competition between booths often results in a battle of decibels, the
floor constantly shaking with bass vibrations. Cell phone users plug
their other ear when talking, trying uselessly to hear the other end.
SNK Playmore took a different approach this year. Instead of getting
space over in South, they decided to rent out a large, private meeting room off the concourse between South and West. “Why,” I asked Mark Rudolph,
Director of Marketing, “would you give up such prime real estate?”
“Look around,” Mark says, “I don’t need to yell for you to hear me.
It’s so much more quiet and relaxed in here.” Not to mention, they
saved SNK thousands by not paying $23 per square foot for floor space.
They figure, anyone who wants to talk to them, will find them. Smart
move, if you ask me.
Lastly, there’s the issue of non-media attendees. We’ve been bitching
about this on the Show for years, but talking to the right people
really enlightened me on how easy it is to get into E3. For example,
for every square foot of floor space you rent, you’re provided with X
number of Exhibitor badges. So, if your square footage yields 75
badges, but you only need 15, then who gets the extra 60? Friends,
family, people who technically have no business at a trade show.
Believe it or not, but there are people here on business, and these
freeloaders do nothing more than get in the way.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m coming back next year. There’s too many great
games and cool people to turn away. But I’m being more realistic, and
I think that will help me get the most out of my E3 experience.
