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Activision leaves ESA, takes Vivendi, others may go photo

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.


Continue: More ESA stories





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14 comments | showing # 1 to 14

Professor Pew's Avatar
Professor Pew at 05/02/2008 10:31
I think they are being led/misled by Count Dooku. Evil seperatist scum!
brad drac's Avatar
brad drac at 05/02/2008 10:43
What in particular about the ESA weren't they happy about? Inadequate promotion of the medium as an emergent artform/important mass media or some shit?
king3vbo's Avatar
king3vbo at 05/02/2008 10:44
The rebel scum...
MaximusPaynicus's Avatar
MaximusPaynicus at 05/02/2008 10:52
Wait -- if they leave the ESA, does this mean that they're no longer bound to the ESRB?
loki d20's Avatar
loki d20 at 05/02/2008 11:33
Kind of obvious why they want to leave.

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.
Pig's Avatar
Pig at 05/02/2008 11:35
I can't say I'm all that surprised. The ESA isn't exactly a competent organization any longer.

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
Teta's Avatar
Teta at 05/02/2008 11:36
The revolution is coming, grab your pitchforks something may happen.
JonDarkwood's Avatar
JonDarkwood at 05/02/2008 12:04
Yeah, it's already been said. The ESA is incompetent trash unworthy of their position in the industry.
brainderailment's Avatar
brainderailment at 05/02/2008 12:51
So, are they going to try to remake a new ESA?
Mxyzptlk's Avatar
Mxyzptlk at 05/02/2008 12:56
Wow, Activision just got major respect points from me.
Holyetheline's Avatar
Holyetheline at 05/02/2008 12:58
That's a bold move. Hm. Hell yeah.
A New Challenger's Avatar
A New Challenger at 05/02/2008 13:07
I wonder what will happen with the ESRB if more publishers were to follow suit. That power vacuum kinda scares me. Maximus Paynicus already expressed my first thought, but sort of the converse: will the ESRB rate Activision's games? If none of the 3 console makers allow unrated games on their systems, what does this mean for the future?
Volomon's Avatar
Volomon at 05/02/2008 15:31
Damn I've been waiting for the ESRB to go down for years.
Wedge's Avatar
Wedge at 05/02/2008 18:45
E3 and the ESA are worthless crap, so sounds fine to me.
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