E3 trade fair opening up to public?

The Senior Vice President of the Entertainment Software Association Rich Taylor has suggested that while this year's event won't include booths for EA and Activision, it could open its doors to consumers.

Such high-profile pull-outs have sparked a debate as to whether or not the trade fair is falling down in the pecking order, in terms of company's priorities.

During an interview with MCV UK, Rich Taylor said: “The ‘is E3 still relevant?’ question gets asked every year, and then gets answered in June of that same year with a resounding ‘yes'.

“E3 is beyond relevant, it is essential and critical to the game and entertainment industry calendar. It changes, it has never been a stagnant show and this year is no different."

However, there are certainly more questions to be asked about the ways in which E3 can replicate past successes in the future. Many would say that the customer is king but when asked about the idea of opening E3 up to the public, Taylor seemingly remains hopeful.

“The consumer question is certainly part of the equation and one we will be taking a hard look at. You saw last year, certain companies brought along some of their most valued customers. We will probably end up doing that again this year, and there will be some additional elements on top of that, that may or may not come.

"But we are always trying to figure out what we need to do, such as finding ways to better accommodate and facilitate YouTube personalities" he added.

The emphasis right now seems to be in favour of the press, though, as Taylor claimed that this year's event will secure the fact that E3 is "the place to make news and break news, and have that amplified around the globe in a way like no other show can."

It has been rumoured that Nintendo could launch their latest console, Nintendo NX, in the summer and maybe even provide some details at E3 . Although, these rumours are still yet to be rubber-stamped by the developer.

This year's E3 trade fair will span across two days, starting on June 14th and will come to a close on June 16th in Los Angeles. If you would like to read more, head over to the official website by clicking here.

[MCV UK]