Livingstone applauds evolution of E3

Paul Loughrey 10:04 10/08/2006

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Industry veteran Ian Livingstone has praised the decision to downsize E3 into a much smaller event, telling GamesIndustry.biz that the show had become "out of control and unsustainable."

Livingstone believes that publishers and developers will benefit from more focused, cost effective and regionalised exposure, and an end to the show floor one-upmanship which has cast a shadow over the LA event in past years.

In an exclusive interview, to be published on GI.biz next week, Livingstone stated: "E3 has pretty much got out of hand in most people's eyes and it was unsustainable.

"It had become almost out of control with the amount of money you had to spend just to make as much noise as possible to increase the perception of what you're trying to do, compared to the actual real business you were getting out of it."

Next week, Livingstone will be attending the Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival, where he'll be participating in panel events and presenting a game screening titled 'The Legend of Lara Croft' - billed as "a celebration of the most famous and iconic character in videogames."

"Edinburgh is a great venue and a terrific event to showcase some of the entertainment side of our industry," Livingstone enthused.

"To be a part of the Edinburgh Festival is a very positive association, and if I can help explain some of the fun and positive sides of gaming, rather than the natural perception of games being viewed negatively, that's a great thing."

Cementing his belief in the industry's smaller scale, more focused trade and consumer events, Livingstone will be heading from Edinburgh to Leipzig, where Eidos will present forthcoming current generation, next-gen and mobile titles.

Source: gamesindustry.biz