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| MAY 5, 2008 |
GameSpot UK
Yesterday, selected members of the gaming press were sent an invitation to register for this
year's E3 Media & Business Summit. The invitation offered a nontransferable registration to
the 2008 event, which will return the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 15 to 17. It
didn't take long for visitors to notice that though Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft were all listed
as participating companies, a number of high-profile publishers did not appear on the list.
Vivendi, Warner Bros, Bethesda, and several others are all currently missing from the
Entertainment Software Association's E3 Web site, as is international superpublisher
Activision.
GameSpot has since reached out to several prominent publishers that attended last year's
show but were omitted from the ESA's recent list, and can confirm that Warner Bros.,
Bethesda, id Software, Majesco, and D3Publisher still plan to attend the event.
However, at least one publisher will not be in attendance at the ESA's annual event, which
underwent significant downsizing last year. Activision has confirmed for GameSpot that not
only will it not be attending this year's E3 Media & Business Summit in LA, but also that it has
pulled out of the industry trade body entirely.
"After careful consideration, Activision has decided not to renew its ESA membership for
business reasons and will not be participating in any official E3 activities," an Activision
representative told GameSpot in a statement. "We appreciate the work that the ESA has done
over the years in promoting the interactive entertainment industry with state and federal
governments and wish the ESA best of luck with the show." The publisher did not clarify for
GameSpot whether it would be holding an event in the LA area during the E3 time period.
Activision's pullout of the ESA indicates that impending merger partner Vivendi Games will
follow suit. A statement from the ESA addressing Activision's move confirms that Vivendi has
decided to not renew its membership with the lobbying and representative body.
"While the Entertainment Software Association remains the preeminent voice for U.S.
computer and video game publishers, we can confirm that Activision and Vivendi Games
opted to discontinue their membership," said Rich Taylor, senior vice president of
communications and research, in a statement. "The ESA remains dedicated to advancing
our industry's objectives, such as protecting intellectual property, preserving First
Amendment rights, and fostering a beneficial environment for the entire industry. Our high
level of service and value to members and the larger industry remains unchanged."
Vivendi has not responded to GameSpot's request for comment as to whether it or its
subsidiaries, including Blizzard Entertainment and Sierra Entertainment, will be attending
this year's show. However, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has recently said that he expects the
near-$19 billion merger to conclude by the end of June, weeks before the annual industry
event.
Yesterday, selected members of the gaming press were sent an invitation to register for this
year's E3 Media & Business Summit. The invitation offered a nontransferable registration to
the 2008 event, which will return the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 15 to 17. It
didn't take long for visitors to notice that though Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft were all listed
as participating companies, a number of high-profile publishers did not appear on the list.
Vivendi, Warner Bros, Bethesda, and several others are all currently missing from the
Entertainment Software Association's E3 Web site, as is international superpublisher
Activision.
GameSpot has since reached out to several prominent publishers that attended last year's
show but were omitted from the ESA's recent list, and can confirm that Warner Bros.,
Bethesda, id Software, Majesco, and D3Publisher still plan to attend the event.
However, at least one publisher will not be in attendance at the ESA's annual event, which
underwent significant downsizing last year. Activision has confirmed for GameSpot that not
only will it not be attending this year's E3 Media & Business Summit in LA, but also that it has
pulled out of the industry trade body entirely.
"After careful consideration, Activision has decided not to renew its ESA membership for
business reasons and will not be participating in any official E3 activities," an Activision
representative told GameSpot in a statement. "We appreciate the work that the ESA has done
over the years in promoting the interactive entertainment industry with state and federal
governments and wish the ESA best of luck with the show." The publisher did not clarify for
GameSpot whether it would be holding an event in the LA area during the E3 time period.
Activision's pullout of the ESA indicates that impending merger partner Vivendi Games will
follow suit. A statement from the ESA addressing Activision's move confirms that Vivendi has
decided to not renew its membership with the lobbying and representative body.
"While the Entertainment Software Association remains the preeminent voice for U.S.
computer and video game publishers, we can confirm that Activision and Vivendi Games
opted to discontinue their membership," said Rich Taylor, senior vice president of
communications and research, in a statement. "The ESA remains dedicated to advancing
our industry's objectives, such as protecting intellectual property, preserving First
Amendment rights, and fostering a beneficial environment for the entire industry. Our high
level of service and value to members and the larger industry remains unchanged."
Vivendi has not responded to GameSpot's request for comment as to whether it or its
subsidiaries, including Blizzard Entertainment and Sierra Entertainment, will be attending
this year's show. However, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has recently said that he expects the
near-$19 billion merger to conclude by the end of June, weeks before the annual industry
event.
QUESTIONS ARISE AS SEVERAL COMPANIES PULL
OUTActivision/Vivendi leave ESA, and skipping E3 this year
OUTActivision/Vivendi leave ESA, and skipping E3 this year
| NO ACTIVISION AT E3? WTF? |