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According to Gamespot, the Entertainment Software Association has announced that for the first time in the expo’s 20 plus year history, E3 will be open to the public. Good news, certainly. Even more exciting is that tickets go on sale this upcoming Monday, February 13. However, potential attendees will have to act fast, as only 15,000 tickets will be made available for purchase. An early bird special is set to make things a little less expensive, with tickets for those who get on the ball quickly enough being priced at $150. The regular price of tickets will then shift to $250 after February 13.
Tickets will offer the public access to panels, the show floor, and other events from Tuesday through Thursday of E3 week.
“The ESA will partnerwith games media veteran Geoff Keighley to provide attendees with access to special benefits associated with Keighley’s own E3 programming, such as developer interviews and more. Full details on this and other elements of E3‘s new public plans will be announced in the coming weeks,” details Gamespot’s report.
Making the expo available to the wider public has been a topic of discussion for many years. With conventions such as Gamescom and PlayStation Experience offering similar streams of news concerning game announcements and more, their allowance of fan involvement has left many wondering whether or not E3 still holds the same amount of weight in the industry. The simple answer, of course, is yes. The expo gives publishers a chance to show their goods and exhibit their future endeavors with the world watching. However, the ease with which companies can interact with consumers has made getting information out in the wild a simpler and (sometimes) much more frequent occurrence — see Rockstar Games.
The decision for E3 going public seems to come from the ESA taking note of this, as well. Said the ESA’s senior VP of communications, Rich Taylor, in a statement:
“It’s a changing industry, and E3 has always evolved to meet industry needs and anticipate where we’re heading together–as an event, as an industry, and as fans. The decision to open our doors to 15,000 fans was a strategic decision. It is thanks to our members and their vision and leadership that made this possible. We have a model that allows the business of the industry to continue for our business and media attendees and provides an opportunity for video games’ biggest fans to experience the latest in innovative, immersive entertainment.”
E3 2017 will run June 13-15 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Image: ESA
