E3 Cancelled?

No, of course not, but that is somehow the immediate conclusion most hardcore fans are jumping to. At least yesterday when news spread like a bad case of the herps that the Entertainment Software Associate had pulled support on the steadily growing, yearly video game convention, and thus the end was upon us.

In actuality, Ars Techica is reporting there's been no cancellation. After doing the wise journalistic tactic of fact checking, sources are disclosing that the E3 show will still be going on. However, as slightly demonstrated with this year's registration process, the show wants to move to a "closed-door", stricter industry only format.

Apparently media access is one of the problems, with the onslaught of Web 2.0 opinion happy bloggers, everyone thinks they are a reporter -- yes, the irony exists there.

One source I spoke with told me that media access is indeed a problem, but it probably does not factor in greatly to the decision to downsize the show. Nevertheless, there are plenty of complaints from insiders about how "blogging" in particular has made the shows more difficult, if only because floor people are instructed to speak only of what they are approved to speak of, lest another half-baked headline make the rounds.

In other words, don't show uninformed people half finished work.

Possibly more influential is the fact that E3 is viewed by some people as being the Sony-Microsoft-Nintendo show, which it is not supposed to be. Smaller players have complained about this before, but really, that's just the nature of a tradeshow. Not everyone can be Wil Wheaton, can they?

Now, I ain't no holla back girl, but man, I'd be one happy lady if a couple more Wil Wheatons existed.

*Update: The ESA has released an official statement which has been reprinted in full over at Gamasutra.

web address: http://suicidegirls.com/news/all/17436/E3-Cancelled/