Earlier today I ran a story about Activision not attending E3, and running its own separate event during the week of the expo. With no further details, we were ready to sit back and wait on news, but I just got contact from one of my insider sources (I have a few. Not many, but a few) who has revealed the reason for Activision's departure -- it's leaving the ESA.
The Entertainment Software Association is the videogame industry's trade association. Nearly all the world's top publishers are members, so Activision's departure is, to say the least, shocking. While my sources can't confirm to me the exact reason why Activision is going, what I do know is that the company was not happy with things, and neither are a few other publishers involved with the group.
This is huge news, and bad news for the ESA, which is responsible for funding E3 and the ESRB. With Activision departing, and the chance of several more exits on the horizon, this could be a damaging blow to the organization.
We will be digging to get to the bottom of this (and trying to crack it before Dennis does). It is down to Activision to explain the reasons behind its departure, and we shall try to get such an explanation.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
10:23 AM on 05.02.2008
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About the ESA: The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is the U.S. association exclusively dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of companies that publish video and computer games for video game consoles, personal computers, and the Internet.
They've been doing a freaking piss poor job of it if you ask me. They're way too laid back, people are getting too far with their claims on gaming in general and it's reflecting very poorly on the companies that make them. They need an ESA that's going to be proactive rather than a last minute defense in a country that feeds on scaring people to be overprotective of media in order to hide the real issues.
Consider: they had the biggest, best, most over-the-top tradeshow in the industry, and somehow, they themselves hated it. It was hugely profitable, and extremely successful, and yet every public statement ESA execs made about E3 was how it was too extravagant, too loud, too crowded, and too unprofessional. They were positively paranoid about people making websites just to get in (like how Destructoid started!), and they were positively disrespectful to small press.
Last year, they unveiled their new vision for E3, and everyone hated it. The EIEIO conference, put on next door by Gamecock, was bigger, more fun, and more entertaining.
This isn't a professionally competent group. I've had some contact with them, and quite frankly, they don't appear to know what they're doing overall. They're very amateurish, and very arrogant.
Pig
www.WanderingGoblin.com