After several years of slightly declining relevance, E3 just gave everyone a jolt of both excitement and dread. This year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo will be open to the public, for the first time in the expo’s 20+ years history.
Tickets will go on sale beginning next week, on Feb. 13. A total of 15,000 public tickets will be sold. The first 1,000 tickets can be purchased at a discount of $149. After that the price jumps to $249. Tickets are good for all three days E3 2017: June 13-15. E3 is located at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California.
The Electronic Software Association (ESA) hosts the event every year. Last year E3 experimented with allowing public access through its E3 Live event. Attendees could play many of the E3 games at a separate location in Los Angeles. “The feedback we heard was clear,” Rich Taylor, ESA Senior VP told GameSpot. “They wanted to play the games inside the convention center. In addition, exhibitors inside the convention center wanted to have access to the fans. So this year we’re bringing the two together.”
Business passes will still be available for those in the industry. These passes will allow for preferred entry into the convention center and access to special areas.
In recent years attitudes toward E3 have declined. Major companies such as Activision and EA have pulled out entirely. The once prominent trade show has been suffering from an identity crisis. It will be interesting to see if this big change is exactly what E3 needs, or if it ends up being a huge mistake.
