Major Publishers Avoid E For All Expo

Though Electronic Arts and Nintendo are planning to attend the first consumer-oriented 'E for All' Expo this October, neither Sony or Microsoft have plans to show games at the event. Other smaller publishers like Capcom, Sega, Midway, and Sony Online Entertainment have also stated they won't be attending. "While not making any official statements, at least one publisher indicated to GamesIndustry.biz that it questioned the return on investment based on the number of attendees and the cost. There were also some concerns with the proximity of the event to the TGS. IDG [E For All's Parent] could not be reached for comment. "

Not a surprise

[eviloverlordx]

I mean really, how many versions of '1001 Solitaire games and minor variations' do we need? Or 'Barbie: $30 Advertisement for Mattel' clones?

Definitely not surprising.

[Bieeanda]

The last thing that a big company wants is for the general public to see its beta code. Reps from other companies, or from retailers, are much more likely to realize that what they're seeing is not a representation of what they're getting on the shelves six to nine months later.

Re:

[metroid composite]

Which, of course, is why none of these companies showed up to PAX [wordpress.com]. Oh wait, they did show up for PAX! This is a major, major vote of non-confidence in E for All, nothing more, nothing less.

Re:

[MMaestro]

PAX gears towards a casual gamer audience but its core is largely hardcore gamers and the big corporations know that. E for All, on the other hand, has no core, no past history, a reputation for being the bastard child of the (former) E3 and some bad baggage from the questionable "success" of this year's media-only E3.

Re:

[aichpvee]

So big deal if Nintendo and EA are showing up. We care if any big publishers [activision.com] are going to be there!

Worth it.

[MeanderingMind]

This expo will be entirely worth it so long as Super Smash Brothers Brawl has a playable demo present.

All those other companies are stepping out because they know there will be, and they know they cannot repel firepower of that magnitude.

Re:

[KyoMamoru]

Due to the violence in Smash Brothers, it is going to be rated Teen, just as Smash Brothers Melee was. Due to this, there's no reason for it to be at this Expo.

Re:

[MeanderingMind]

But there are two Es in teen, that's twice as much E to pass around to everyone. Brawl will be there to knock the socks off the image of Alfred Hitchcock.

E for All

[ginbot462]

I don't know, I could really get behind an "E for All" campaign. Yes, even fat chicks and sexist jerks. Because, they need lovin' too.

Maybe too many Gaming Expos out there?

[bomanbot]

Well maybe all those publishers do not want to take part in the E For All Expo because there are already enough gaming expos around?

Besides the mentioned Tokoy Game Show, there are still the revamped E3 and the Game Developers Conference and there is the big and now very popular and established Games Convention in Germany as a consumer expo.

Throw in the more specialised ones like Blizzcon, Quakecon or PAX and there does not seem to be a great need and certainly not enough money in the advertising budget of companies for yet another gaming expo...

Seems to me

[Blinocac]

Nintendo and EA are two of the biggest forces in the gaming industry anyway, so the fact that they're attending should be bigger news than the lesser players not attending.

Re:

[Duffy13]

While technically true, their is a current debate raging concerning the overall quality and business model of those companies, though I will give Nintendo far more props then EA these days. Main concern with Nintendo is once they release the current gen sequels of their money-maker lines, then what? More sequels? (Incoming mildly unsolicited joke I cannot refrain from making.)

I can see it now:

Super Smash Brothers: Oops We Missed A Character You Never Heard Of, Zelda: Infinite Loop to the Past, Super D

I lament...

[UncleTogie]

...the loss of Booth Babes, personally. Before I'm ragged for being sexist, count the number of commercials using models of both sexes to sell products.

Tech cons USED to know their crowd and appeal to us before the politically-correct sweep rendered them bland.

Re:

[UncleTogie]

Advertising uses men and women differently and you know it.

Nope. "Use this product, and you have a shot at this model" works with both sexes... If you need more proof, go to strip clubs for both sexes, and you'll see that boil it all down, we're meat. EITHER sex.

E for All

[Disseminated]

But few for E?

There's gotta be a ST2 reference round here somewhere...

Not Just 'E' rated

[PhoenixOne]

There have been a couple of comments on how game "X" isn't going to be there or that company "Y" isn't going because they don't have any "E rated" games.

AFAIK: "E for All Expo" is just suppose to be a clever name, not a rating limit (but the fact that I'm not sure about this shows that they really are not marketing this fact well).

Can you really blame them?

[DToid_Nex]

With the death of the original E3 -- and the issues that brought its death about -- game companies decided the whole thing was a huge waste of cash. While PAX subsists on the reputation of its creators and their friends to draw in ridiculous crowds of what are functionally fanboys and GDC will always survive as the high-brow convention almost aimed directly at press and developers, there simply isn't room for a convention that just appeals to the general public. Microsoft knows it, Sony knows it, but of co