As reported by GameDaily.biz, the ESA is apparently pushing for major changes to E3 for 2020. According to the report, the ESA seeks to modify E3 into a “fan, media, and influencer festival” where the focus would be more about “experiences” than just a straight trade show as E3 is known for. By doing so, they also hope to open it up to approximately 10,000 more attendees that are outside of the industry/media.
Such changes would result in a massive change to the show floor with the leaked proposal showing the following:
The other major concern is how the group would plan to deal with that many more attendees who want to play games in a reasonable amount of time. According to GameDaily, a queue method is being proposed that would assign specific times through an E3 app.
“However, there are a number of consumer-focused plans on the table. A proposed digital app and experience may help mitigate wait times. On paper, this reads like Disney’s FastPass system used in its amusement parks. Users will register for a demo time window and come back later to avoid waiting for hours at a time for a single game.
The ESA does have plans to take advantage of those long demo wait times, though. The group has plans for what it calls “queuetainment” to market to those in line. This two-pronged approach creates a rich opportunity for E3 exhibitors. Either they will have access to consumer data captured through the app or have a captive audience as people wait in line for demos.”
Our Take
We love E3 but we have spoken many times on the show’s need to change. However, we were hoping for something more along the lines of PAX rather than a “festival” that takes the focus even further away from gaming. What we’re reading doesn’t strike many chords with us at the moment and we will be watching closely as we prepare for E3 2020 in the coming months.
