Death to E3!

[shMerker]

The marketing and development budgets come out of the same funds, therefore one can be increased at the expense of the other.

As far as your figure on the "average" cost of game development, I can't find anything to support it.

Ubisoft have said that their average budget for developing a PS3/360 title is $18M-$28M(Link [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18389]).

This is significantly higher than the $10M budget that IGN reported was being predicted in 2006(Link [http://games.ign.com/articles/708/708972p1.html]) but still not up to the point where $1.5M is insignificant and nowhere near the $100M average you suggested. Do you have some kind of source for that?

 

[Jumplion]

The marketing and development budgets come out of the same funds, therefore one can be increased at the expense of the other.

As far as your figure on the "average" cost of game development, I can't find anything to support it.

Ubisoft have said that their average budget for developing a PS3/360 title is $18M-$28M(Link [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18389]).

This is significantly higher than the $10M budget that IGN reported was being predicted in 2006(Link [http://games.ign.com/articles/708/708972p1.html]) but still not up to the point where $1.5M is insignificant and nowhere near the $100M average you suggested. Do you have some kind of source for that?

Hmm, my mind must have been thinking of the GTA4 budget, that I'm sure was 100 million.

But as for the whole marketing thing, taking E3 out of the picture I'm sure that $1.5 million is used on marketing just for the overall game itself (if you could find an article that supports that that would be great ). E3 is just a place to hype up your game, but it's hardly essential for marketing.

I highly doubt that a one time a year convention digs that deep into a game's budget.

 

[shMerker]

Ok, fine, they could better spend the money on marketing that actually accomplishes something. That doesn't change the whole "waste of money" part.

Also, it's not just the booth, it's also the time spent on getting a demo ready. Either way, you have the numbers right there, if that $1.5M figure is to be believed, then yes, it does dig in. You have the numbers right there.

 

[Crash486]

Interesting points you make. I think back when E3 started in 1995, video games were still considered to be a pretty underground movement. I don't think anyone ever expected them to grow into the phenomenon they have become today. Consoles with fanboy armies large enough to take over countries.

E3 is an example of what happens when tradition is allowed to run rampant and out of control. In alot of ways, E3 is like Christmas. Would you do away with christmas simply because it's become the largest consumer holiday in the world? No of course not, but at the same time, it feels a little tainted celebrating it and pretending it's still about getting together with family and friends.

 

[civver]

Crash486 nailed it. I was looking for words to express my thoughts, but his second paragraph did it for me.

 

[in_95]

Oh geez Shamus, why do we have Cannes? Premiers? Grammys? Oscars? Why don't we just release every piece of entertainment quitely and without any fuss?

Because it's the entertainment industry, that's why. You don't see this sort of event for Antivirus software or Wordprocessors, and there is a good reason- because no one is that interested in Norton's next big push into the foray of network security. I mean, some people might be camping out to get tickets. Some. But not a lot.

Trade shows like this is a great way to generate buzz. And E3 is the marque games industry trade show- the gold standard, the Cannes or Oscars of the gaming world. Without it there will be something missing. Like they just cancelled Christmas.

 

[MelTorefas]

Shamus: How dare you suggest they cancel E3? E3 is the gamer mecca! E3 is everything lowly gamers like us could ever aspire to! E3 is the LITERAL THRONE OF GOD ON EARTH! And you, you plebian dictator, you suggest that they abolish it? How dare you? /smite /smite /smite

/sigh

Yeah, E3 IS entertainment. Know another thing that's entertainment? Shamus' article, nowhere in which does he indicate that E3 should actually be canceled. I think people have gotten into the habit of skimming things without actually processing the words in front of their eyes on anything beyond a superficial level.