E3 Rolls Out the Welcome Mat to Its Biggest Fans

An event for industry insiders has become a targeted outreach moment

E3 IS EVOLVING, shifting from a boisterous, over-the-top, elite celebration of all things video games to a less concentrated version of itself, more open to the public — and less worried about insider access.

It’s a shift the $36 billion game industry isn’t just embracing but helped instigate, fueled by a desire to use the show to better connect more directly with its players.

Last year, E3 opened its doors to the public for the first time, and quickly sold out its 15,000 public tickets. This year the show, which runs June 12-14 at the L.A. Convention Center, will again offer 15,000 of its 65,000 tickets to the public, and all are expected to be snapped up.

“Opening up the doors to consumers was a watershed moment,” said Dan Hewitt, vice president of media relations for the Entertainment Software Assn., and the show’s director. “E3 used to be a very retail- oriented, packaged-goods event. Now it’s much broader. You see that reflected in our attendee list, which includes Twitch streamers and Youtube celebrities. And our exhibitor list now includes a huge number of mobile and social titles, augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality games.”

The show is also no longer confined to the Convention Center: E3-related events will take place at a host of venues, from nearby L.A. Live to the Hollywood Palladium. The pivot from exclusively insider to open to the public, Hewitt said, is one driven as much by the industry as it is by the fans of gaming and the media covering it.

“There has been a shift in how news is produced, delivered and consumed,” he said. “If we were running the same trade

Inclusion Summit

Fans will make up nearly one-quarter of the attendees at E3.