What Can Be Done to Save E3?
The Blind Eternities forum
Posted on March 30, 2023, 8:30 p.m. by DemonDragonJ
E3 was once the big video gaming event; everyone eagerly anticipated it and was thrilled to be able to participate in it, whether as a guest or a presenter, but E3 has been declining in recent years, with fewer major presenters appearing at it and attendance being far less than before. Some people say that the covid-19 pandemic ruined the event, but others say that the convention was declining long before that, but everyone is lamenting its decline without actually offering a solution to it, which I find to be very displeasing.
Therefore, I must ask: what can be done to save E3, to help restore it to its former glory, or at least ensure that it can adapt and survive the changing world? Is there anything that can be done to revive it?
FormOverFunction says... #3
My knowledge of this is severely limited, but it appears that E3 isn’t harder to do... it’s just easier for anyone to do their own E3. Gencon was huge back in the day, because it was (effectively) the ONE. Now the term “Con” is applied to a get-together for almost every movie/game/etc. Is it just the end of the “limited exposure” era? My guess (and maybe psionictemplar’s) is yes.
March 31, 2023 8:37 a.m.
Last_Laugh says... #4
More people with access to the internet made E3 obsolete kinda like video game magazines. Also, why share the limelight with other publishers and their games when you can make your own announcements and have that spotlight all to yourself?
Events entirely for Indie developers interest me more because these studios rely more on word of mouth and they don't have the marketing budget of bigger studios. Getting the word out for those games can also be life or death for these guys.
March 31, 2023 9:07 a.m.
At this point, I doubt nothing short of a major rebranding would be able to reinvigorate E3.
The goal of a trade show, like E3, is to use the concentrated attention of the target audience for a collective gain. By lumping everyone in a singular space, you work together to draw the eyes of your costumers and ensure viewership.
This is beneficial in a few ways, but, most notably, it allows you to share the burden of customer acquisition costs, reducing costs. Additionally, it means you can market objects that might not otherwise get as much buzz - you can slice a new game series from a smaller studio or subsidiary in there, and by virtue of being surrounded by bigger things, it will also get attention.
However, these pluses start to become a minus as a company grows bigger. There comes a point of diminishing returns - where a company no longer needs the collective burden sharing because it is big enough to draw eyes all by itself. At that point, they are not going to have as good of returns - their fame is effectively going to be a beacon which draws eyes not just toward themselves, but toward competitors.
Nintendo realised their name was big enough to ensnare viewers on their own, and left to do their own announcements. Others followed, and E3 is now being cancelled once again - and this time for real lack of interest rather than still having the pandemic as their justification.
At this point, the tide is very much against E3. There are companies leaving in droves, no longer needing E3, and they have not had an in-person show since 2019.
Additionally, one thing E3 never really did was establish itself in the cultural zeitgeist. It was always a trade show followed mostly by the target audience - outside of gamers, the average person will not be able to tell you what E3 is. That’s not great for customer acquisition - your marketing only to the customers you already have hooked.
Compare to San Diego ComicCon - what started as a way for comics and fans to interact has become a cultural mainstay. Even folks not interested in comics know what SDCC is. From parody on shows like Big Bang Theory, to a general knowledge of cosplay, etc. you ask a random person and they are more likely than not to have a general inkling what ComicCon is.
Why does it continue to be successful where E3 failed?
Where E3 focused around demonstrations and flashy presentations given by executives who, more often than not, seemed to be trying to force a connection with a thousand people in a room whose faces they couldn’t see due to stage lighting, ComicCon focused on people. The artists themselves, the actors, the other fans with their costumes and shared love of the genera. ComicCon also shifted and expanded with the times, adopting new mediums like games, movies, and television, so they can offer a bit of something to everyone.
They made themselves exist as their own entity - they made the name ComicCon an international draw, rather than “come look at Sony, Microsoft, EA, and others present at E3.” Marvel does not need ComicCon - but they also cannot afford to pull out. ComicCon is going to draw attention regardless of whether Marvel is there or not, which means all eyes on their competitors and not on them.
So, what could they do?
At this point? They have not had an in person show since 2019 - that is a lot of inertia going against them. They could rebrand - make themselves smaller for a while and learn to live with only one or two big names, fleshed out by indie developers. They have a name that still holds some respect - they need to realise scaling back and surviving, keeping their name diminished, but alive, is a necessity. From there, it is hard to tell where they need to go - but, even if they intend to grow, they really need to set their expectations at a lower bar. They might be able to survive, but their glory days are long over.
March 31, 2023 9:46 a.m.
Sadly, the ease of big name companies going "Let's just do our own thing" has basically killed E3. It sucks. I've loved E3 coverage ever since I saw that it was a thing on G4 back in... 2002? 2003? It was always one of my favorite times of year.
I honestly don't see it coming back, unfortunately. :(
March 31, 2023 11:22 a.m.
As someone in the industry, E3 sealed its fate when it opened up to non-industry guests. This is when E3 stopped being "Special", and this was, imo, a greed driven change. Since then, E3 has gone downhill, large companies have all decided to just do their own thing, and E3 blew their last chance to stay relevant.
That last chance would have been to convert into an indie focused event. If they had done that, E3 might have been able to save itself from closing up for good. They still can, and I hope they do tbh, it would be a great way for both E3 to generate revenue and indies to get the advertising they desperately need.
March 31, 2023 12:06 p.m.
TypicalTimmy says... #8
Anyone here familiar with gunshows?
How about muscle car rallies.
Shopping malls?
Concerts with a mile long band listing?
The reason these worked is because everyone came together collectively to work in unison. You set aside your differences and came together for the community. The fact of the matter is, everyone there who is selling something that isn't you, is a competitor to you. So why on God's green Earth would you shake their hand??
Simple. There's something a little uncommonly known as the Beach Paradox. Put simply, two ice cream vendors arrive at the same beach. They both agree to sell to 1/2 of the beach; One takes the West side and one the East side. Unfortunately the outcroppings on the East make tourists there slim. And since the parking lot is on the West, the West gets more business.
So the East vendor moves closer to the middle. He draws customers.
BUT WOAH HEY NOW he's selling to 2/3rds of the beach, not 1/2! Despite having fewer customers, he has larger territory.
So the West vendor moves closer, to detract sales from the East.
A game of chicken ensues until both vendors are back-to-back, each facing 1/2 of the beach, getting 50% of the sales.
This is why you can see a Wendy's, McDonald's, Burger King and Subway all on the same street. Or a CVS and a Walgreens a quarter mile apart. Or Midwestern, First National and PNC banks all within a mile of each other.
Competition does best when you share the same space. You get to see what others offer, you have a larger sampling of trends and data, you can pull customers away with sales and promotions, and you get prime real estate in a bustling hotspot.
So when big corporations drop out to host their own events and move online, venues decline. Interest is lost. If Microsoft pulls out, boom 30% of all people drop out as well. Now Sony has to charge more, because the customer base is less. Only now, you offend those potential customers so they too leave.
Eventually, more companies leave because it isn't profitable. Then those who stayed charge more to make it profitable. Then customers leave because they don't want to pay as much. Now it isn't as profitable. Companies drop, prices raise, people walk.
Rinse and repeat, until you have abandoned stadiums, malls and events.
The hard truth of the matter is, only corporate capitalism can make an event like that thrive. And when corporate capitalism decides to walk, there's nothing that can be done to save it.
Because now, if a company wants to host an E3 like event, they need investors. And those investors will look at E3 and say;
"Well, E3 failed. Why should we trust you?"
Unfortunately, not all stories have happy endings. Sometimes, reality is just grim.
psionictemplar says... #2
As much as I hate to say it, I don't think it can be saved. To my knowledge (which isn't much) it was built on the backs of the console makers who now run their own shows essentially. If there were a couple more major producers there then it might have a shot, but at this point I just don't see it happening.
March 31, 2023 1:11 a.m.