The following is a post made by a 4chan user who claims to be an E3 insider:

"Ok. First, let's deal with the major company drop outs.

Do any of you know that EA, Disney, Activision and Wargaming have dropped out of this year's show?

They all used to book massive floor space, especially EA. Now they're all going to be no-shows.

EA is actually holding their own show that will be a paid event, open to the public, and will compete directly with E3.

Why is this important?

Because the ESA books the LACC (Convention Center) they then sell floor space at a massive premium to all the companies that attend the show.

How much does that floor space cost? MILLIONS…I shit you not.

During the height of the Game Cube era I got a Nintendo rep to tell me they actually spent 8 million dollars to exhibit at e3 for 3 days.

Ok, so now the show is losing millions, and that's a devastating blow. But it gets worse. Smaller companies are also dropping out of the expo, and conventions like this are taking a big hit. This isn't just limited to E3, but also SDCC and other cons are going to be downsizing.

This is the clincher:

The ESA needs to book the LACC years in advance. Whenever you leave the show on the last day, there is always a sign that announces the dates for the next show. It's a long standing E3 tradition.

We know now that the LACC is NOT booked for next year…so either they're moving the show, or it's not going to happen at all.

Some people claim that the long overdue renovation of the LACC is going to cause the show to move to another city.

Here's the big problem:

Companies no longer see investing in E3 as a viable use of revenue. There's a growing feeling that they need to take things directly to the consumer, and not hide them behind the press at a trade event.

The companies are fed up with the constant negativity from gamers, and from the press. They're also fed up with the gaming press in general. (If you only knew how much the big companies hate the gaming press.)

The feeling is why they should spend millions to exhibit for 3 days, when they can take their products directly to the fans online, or at their own events like Sony, Blizzard and EA have done in the past.

No one can justify spending millions on the show. The only one who benefits from all this is the ESA, who profits in the millions from every E3.

So finally, the big thing is that companies have wanted to drop out of the show for years. But they're afraid that if they do, their competitors will get all the spot light.

It was actually EA and Sony who killed the show in 2007. The ESA was actually forced to pay a 3 Million dollar fine for breaking their contract with the LACC that year.

Now other companies are joining them, and this looks like it will be the last year for E3.

Here's what's going to happen this year:

EA will hold their own press event before E3 to hype up their own show.

Sony will have full retail versions of PS4 and PSVR. (Both of which will launch this year)

MS will have the Xbox 1.1, which will come with their new pro controller they debuted last year. The new 1.1 system is modular, like the Steam machines, and can be continually upgraded in the future.

There's a rumor that the PS4K Neo is going to be BC with previous Sony consoles.

There's also a rumor that Sony has developed a new controller to go with the PS4K. It's their response to Xbox Elite controller. I'm sure it will be sold separately at some point, but at first it will ONLY be sold with the PS4K.

Sony will also have playable versions of Uncharted and Ratchet and Clank for the iOS and Android platforms. These are full scale, original games and not apps or spin offs.

Nintendo actually does have more than one game to show at E3, but they're not new. There's going to be a ton of 3DS and Wii U virtual console stuff to fill the gap until NX.

Nintendo isn't showing NX at E3, or debuting the console this year because of a deal they made with retailers. They want to use the upcoming Holiday Season to move the remaining Wii U stock. The Wii U has stopped production, and any consoles that are currently in-channel are all that is left of the system. There will be a LOT of sales this fall, and a few new mega bundles, some of which are retailer exclusive.

This is kind of E3 related as many retail buyers attend the show.

Retailers are NOT, I repeat NOT happy about the upgraded consoles. There is a tremendous fear that they will alienate consumers and push them towards PC and digital only platforms like Steam.

The new upgraded consoles are the biggest gamble in console gaming history. They might be the very thing that destroys console gaming and companies like GameStop are really worried.

Another thing that's turning off exhibitors at E3 are the constant leaks, which are almost impossible to control.

Basically the feeling is why spend millions on this show when everything gets leaked beforehand? It used to be easy to keep a lid on this stuff, but now with mobile devices, and the general disloyalty of a certain generation (millennials) no one can keep anything under wraps for long.

The leaks completely undermine the need for the show.

One last thing:

The primary reason for the demise of the show is the high expense of doing business in Los Angeles. The new mayor of the city has allowed development to run out of control, and that's raising the price of everything. This includes hotel bookings, local travel expense and the booking price on the LACC.

Mayor Garcetti doesn't even care about E3, even though it generates over 50 million dollars for Downtown LA. IMO, he's a total **** retard that's helping to kill the golden goose.

I'll drop in again as we get closer to the show with more information. I hope I can get the hang of this trip code thing.
By the way, if you want to know who I am, here's a clue:

I work in a building on 7th and Fig in DTLA.

If you can figure out that clue then you already know I'm 100% legit." [end quote]

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