The Entertainment Software Association have confirmed that the E3 Media & Business Summit will be returning back to its historic digs at the Los Angeles Convention Center next year. Is the "old" super-sized E3 back from the dead? Not quite. "We are very much not going back to the old E3," Rich Taylor, senior vice president of communications and research for the ESA, told Kotaku. "I think we are all on the same page for the industry on what we want those days in July to be about." This is the "new E3, new and improved," he added. Last year there was a change of direction for the infamous gaming super-expo, diverting from million dollar booths and endless fanboy queues to a more intimate setting in nearby Santa Monica. The lack of queues was welcome, but the change to Santa Monica received plenty of criticism from the gaming press (we had to get the bus! ).
For next year"s event, which will run from July 15 through July 17, the "media summit" will keep its small, more intimate meetings with less than 4000 attendees and not a booth babe in site. "We talked to many folks, participants on both the media and industry side of things, one of the overriding things they wanted was a more centralized facility," Taylor said. "That"s one reason we moved back to the LA Convention Center... hotels are walking distance from the convention center, they"re closer to each other..." ESA said the event will "continue to focus on the business of the computer and video game industry, with an emphasis on press events and small meetings with media, development, and other key sectors. While there will be opportunities for game demonstrations, the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit will not feature the large trade show environment of previous years." Let"s hope, after last year"s shake-up, this hits the nail on the head.